The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1859-04-20
MAL-A-FEMINA.

Crossing, by means of a small wooden
bridge, a rivulet, which divides the road,
our guide, clever intelligent man, was
observed to cross himself devoutly; and
suppOsing that something of local tradi-
ton was attached to the spot, we demand
ed of him his reason for so significant q
gesture. This little bridge, sir, said he,
which we are now crossing, is called by
the country, Hdi-d-femul0, and with good
reason: for it was once covered with the
blood of as fair girl as the sun ever shone
upon At this intimatiOn our whole par
ty expressed a wish to hear the history Of
an event apparently of so tragic a nature;
and, as our guide was not unwilling to
crafty our curiosity, we disposed on and
about the bridge, to listen to his recital.
at was a pleasant evening in August ::
the sun had lost the intensity of its heat,
the breeze was rutfiing the foliage of the
surroundings and the herivuletwas muir
muring gently along beneath us. Lean
ing against an acacia tree, at the foot of
the bridge, stood our guide, tall sunburnt
| Calabrian he was clad in the dress of a
royal forester; and the melancholy ex-
| preston of his bronzed features, arising
| from the recollection of the events he was
| about to relate, lent an interest to the
scene which we shall not soon forget
| We were disposed, as | said, in various at
titudes around him.
"'Yes, gentlemen said he, 4 ought to
know it well. You see yonder spot
| (pointing to a little dell at a short dis
tance)-'it was there, eleven years ago last
feast of St. Barnabas, that | found them,
and terrible sight it was to come upon
suddenly and from thence, to this very
| bridge on which you now stand was Gov
cred with blood'-(the eye instinctively
followed the direction of his hand but
| however, | will begin at the beginning
and then you will understand me better
At the little town of Altavilla, which per
haps you may know-it is built on the
side of a mountain not far off here, TO.
wards the east, there lived, at the time !
am speaking, the family of a Neapolltan
gentleman, of very good estate, ana de-
scended from the counts OF Montetalcone'
The old gentleman had a son about three
and-twentv years of age, daughter oi
only sixteen. He was a very good man,
uncommonly fond of his daughter ana
his estate-only as proud as Lucifer of his
descent. The young man was just as PROUD
as his father, without half his good guam
ties; but the young lady was beloved 10y
everybody for her kindness and charity
and She was as beautiful as she was good
MANY time have taken her wounded
bird, or ayoung fawn tina. had lost its dam
and she would tend it Ike child. But
those were happy days, and few enough
she had of them.
"It so happened, that one of the in
mates of the mansion was young man
an orphan, who had been brought up from
childhood by the old gentleman, and edu
Gated for some profession or appointment
worthy of his early and promising talents
but no one knew who he was. He was a
handsome and clever a youth as any il
the country; and no one knew better hoy
} to pull a trigger, or tackle wild boa
single-handed. Well, these young pGopl
Z were unfortunately thrown a great dea
| together; for the son was a wild extrava
, CANT young man, and passed most OF HI
7 time at Naples, and the old gentiema
J. was absorbed in books and politics;
b was therefore no wonder that romantl