The Panola star. ([Panola] Panola County, Miss.) 1856-1857, 1856-10-08
ORIGINAL.
Written for the Pamela Star.
A EseEle of the Revolution.
BY MISS s. A. sru ART.


IS nor-the Retreat. Yes one of
the noblest among the many that deck
the sell of the Old Dominion-and,
twas the home, too, of as noble race
of brave men ard beauteous women
as ever existed. How many joyous
day have ] spent within its old walls,
and Will. The grandchildren Of the he-
roine of my s'o'er true tale" The
dance, the laugh and the harmless
jest, not the gossip of little minds,
however, for they were to proud to
retail slander-made the days of
Christmas jolity fyebut too rapidly
beneath its mirth-loving and hospita-
bic roof Many is the time, and oft,
that I've threaded those old corridors,
and called up in imagination the de-
scendant of the gay caviliers of old
Virginia, who inhabited the mansion
in its days Of pristine splendor; and
/ have seen through the same vista
the many stately DANES led forth in
the graceful minuet, by gentlemen to
the full, as stately. But to my le-
gend of those past days; and to re-
cant a page from the eyentful life of
one of the fair daughters of this proud
house-Bessie Haughton.
Twas at the time that CORVALLIS
was marching to hisfate, at the never
to be forgotten surrender of York
town. mean by Virginians-that he
happened to encamp, late in the af-
ternoon of clustering, rainy day in
the latter part of September, three
miles from the Retreat. Col. and
Mrs. Haughton had been summoned,
by the sickness of near and dear re-
lative, from their home, leaving their
-eld heusekeeper and their orphan
niece-the beautiful Bessie-in charge
Of the house.
And a perfect beauty, too, was that
same Bessie Haughton, if We may
trust to the tale of her manifold
charms, by her chroniclers of the enc
gro quarters )" some of the veterans
remembering her, with admiration up
to the present era. There is a por-
trait of her also, in the hall at the
Retreat, gem of its kind and, with
all due allowance for the outre dress
of those days, she must have been as
l said, most beautiful. Tall, slender,
with the willOwy, light form of youth
her magnificent hair of jeity hue,
hanging in massive curls around her
swan-like neck and fair shoulders
and, by contrast, showing the gloss
and richness of her complexion like
nothing I can compare it to, save the
rich, creamy white of the magnolia.
Large brilliant eyes, of dark hazel,
rendered still more dark by the long
lashes, resting on her peach-like
cheek; and, the saucy smile of hel
lovely mouth, made still more piquant
by her nose, une petit retronsee. ]
cannot, by my description, however,
convey to you, that half-laughing,
half-loving expression of the counte-
nance, so It's vain to try. / must
even beg you to call your own imag-
ination to your cid to do it for you
suffice it to say she was ali too lovely
and charming for her cousin Gerald
Haugton to have escaped heart-whole;
and, at the time she is introduced into
this legend, was the betrothed of hel
cousin, who had returned to William
and Mary fostering walls, to take bis
final degree of master of arts, ere ta-
king the perfect mistress, too, of all
the arts of love and fascination that
existed in the peerless supremacy OF
that belle of the olden times.
All this while we have left poor
Lord CORVALLIS encamped, or about
to pitch his tents, on that clustering
evening, in the latter end of Septem-
Der, 1881, to tell you of this magic
beauty; twas needful, behold my ex-
cuse. | think the old legend goes on
to say, that his lordship found himself
short of steeds; and, so the first thing
he must do, was to send out a party
of his men, pioneered by those scent.
hounds, the tories, to seize and bring
into camp, all such fine animals as
they could beg or steal, in the name
| of Iv;,.a@ Goarro of n0urSp the Ra.