Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-03-03
THE DFSERTER.

name renowned to the end or tme-
Santa Anna sat in the door OF his pavilion,
/ locking out over the land to where the watch
fires Of Taylor and his five thousand burned in
the dim distance.
.ssTo-morrow,o thought Santa Anna, ave
/ viii destroy these Yankee invaders, root
and branch. One single blow shall finish the
/ campaign
Just then bis thoughts were interrupted.
/ Guardsmeu brought into bis presence a man
| with hands bound behind and blood flowing
from 9 sabre-cut in the forehead.
"Tbis is the deserter, Pinon el Rodngo,''
! said they. eve discovered ban In the noun
tain, at an ancient ranch. What shall be bis
/ fate.D
santa Anna glanced at the prisoner. The
/ light Of .he torches fell upon face Of singular
| gentleness and benevolenee Of expression,
[ blended With irmnsss, one Of those beautiful
flees that We sometimes see in portraits Of the
[ old Spanish gentry.
! " Is there any doubt ?D cueried the general.
" He don't deny Il, - was the reply. "Spesk,
! Rodrigo, have you anything 10 say 2"
The prisoner shook bis heEd-sadly, hope
! lessly. He knew that there was no mercy for
I him. Ts plead was useless.
Santa Anna pointed 10 q ravine near at hand
I The soldiers appreciated bis meaning. pri-
I vate had that DAY been shot there for the same
/ ofen-e. All that Santa Anna said was;
] - I cannot paFuou UthtINluu IN presence OF
/ an enemy Let him die at midnight"
No other word was spoken, save that the
7 prisoner threw up his hands as be was led
! away, and sjsculated aloud:
/ 50 o, Iuez, Inez Lost, lost forever 10
That agoaizlng exclamation struck a chill
! 70 the heart Of the most hardened that heard
/ it, and Santa Anna himself, the victor OF a
/ hundred bloooy fights, gazed rsgretfully after
the prisoner til the latter vanished into dark
ness.
Il was midnight santa Anna bad lust dis
missed a council Of officers, and was slons in
/ bis tent. Only at the entrance stood the arm
J ed guards. Suddenly there was a noise. The
/ guardsRen were challenging some new conner.
] There was the sound Of a struggle. A sweet
/ toned voice-the voice OF a woman-cried, {"
I viii psss: l will see him ]" and the next mo-
I ment there burst into the presence Of the chief
a female, and threw herself in supplicating
attitude at bis feet
"Pardon, pardon = she cried, "pardon for
| him. He meant no wrong. It was for me be
| incurred the penalty. Save him-Oh, save
[ him 80
1 Santa Anna looked upon the woman and
saw that she was Young and surprisingly
beautiful Large and dark were her Spanish
| eyes, and as be gGzsd into their jstty, spark
! ling mournful depths, feeling came upon
him like a memory OF something half-forgottsn,
D
sentinel who bad followed the lady into the
tent, found himself motioned back.
81 have vet TO learn for whom it is you
plesd,1 remarked General Santa Anna.
"For Rodrigo-for ny husband % calculated
the lady. ale is no trsitor His colonel Of
farsd me insult. Rodrigo struck him. The
Issb-the lash was ordered for his noble back.
But I cut his bonds, and we fed to the noun
.sins. For me be did it-unworthy ne. Par
don him OF kill me 70
Santa Anna esssyed to raise the Ievsly
.Fomsn. She slipped from bis grasp and
clasped his knees.
"No, uol" she exclaimed, s'not till you par
don him. Let me die for bin, If need be.
Only set hin free. He is brave-he is true.
You must not kill him"
Santa Anna felt distressed. But his voice
and lOok were cold as the SHOWS Of POpocats-
pei He shook his head and said
Though you plead til The break Of the
last dawn L wtll not save him. His fault is
too great for pardon. It is midnight noF-the
hour OF bis doom. While you wait here, the
bullets that are to take bis life may be driven
home in the deadly tubes. You may see bin
if you hasten.1
The lady sprang to her feet with a shrek of
dispair. She looked into the unchanging and
relentless eyes Of Santa Anna, and became
hopeless.
"Let me 20 70 him p, she cried in agony.
&" Take ne to hinl Ny husband-O, "a ke me
to my husband :"
Santa Anna spoks to the guardsmsn.
4" Il is well. Let her see him. Half an hour
more or less, is Of small account. But see
to it that the man is dead when the clock strikes
one. ("
The lady Erung her hands. The Generals
msreilsss words bad hardly died away, when
he was again alone. Tie guard, eager aud
earnest, had departed with The lady; and in
Santa Annals bosom there wssls the memory
OF her agony like haunting spirit.
In the ravine. half an hour after, down
among the dense shadows Of the bushes. haif
dozen torches threw a lurid light on a score Of
bayonets, prisoner stripped Tor execution,
and a fainting woman. The prisoner was
Rodrigo, ste nding there With folded arms.
"Quick ~ be cried, "quick | cannot wit
ness her agony Let the blow fall before sor-
row uumans mel"
o, the dispairing frmness Of that voice
The parting words had all been asid-the part
ing kisses bad all been given, and, faintin-
with despair, the lovely Inez had been torn
from her husbands arms. Now she lay
there upon The ground. her head supported BY
a kneeling soldier, while another was bathing
her hands and brow with water.
"Why this delay ?" calculated Rodrigo. "It
is torture to ne. Let ne give the Word-resdy,
aim, frel''
The soldiers did not obey the prisoner. It
was only when their lieutenant repeated 'he
word ready % that the musket barrels drop
ped from their shoulders to their hands, and
the sharp elink was heard as they cooked their
pieces.
"Aimr' and up the dozen muszets went, and
the soldiers eyes CLEANED along the tubes to
see that the muzzles pointed full at the bosom
Of Pinon el Rcdrigo.
Just then TIE prisoner sPoke-a last sJseu-
lstion:
"My wife. InsE de Rimenas, FAREWELL
Heaven keep youlr
L was the maiien name Of his wife that the
doomed man had uttered. The word "fre1
was Just trembling on the lieutensnt's lips.
"Hod, I command you, on the pain OF
death % Numbered a new voice. A eloaked
form, which had hitherto been concealed in
the shadow OF a tree, came forward. 81 an
your General Platoon, shoulder armsi''
The pieces, undisehsrgeds were thrown to
perpendicular position again, and all present
stood IN fixed surprise.
f'Prisoner," cried Santa Anna, "you called
her Rlmenss. Where was your wife born ?"
"In the hacienda Of los Formio," returned
the astonished prisoner "Her fathers name
was Juan"
"Thank the saintsl thank the saints % cried
Rimenss. Isabel was my beasfaetress years
ago. have a debt Of gratitude to repay.
Inez, Ines de Rimenas, wife Of Rodrigo, arsel''
and be stopped and tenderly took the lsdy's
hand. "Your husband is psrdonsd."
That glad announcement was a potent
charm. A minute only elapsed, and the bus
band and wife were in each others arms, Inez
weeping tssrs - 10Y.
Santa Anna A. 1y withdrew to bis pavilion.
Next day, when the fierce battle Of Buena
Vista was fought, when, FOR many long hours,
less than FIVE thousand Americans bore up
against the repeated charges Of twenty thou
sand Mexicans, ne man was found fighting
[ more bTavely FOR the children Of the sun, than
| the captain Of light infantry, Pinon el Rodrigo.
And when al last, shattered and routed, the
! Mexican army retired, and left the Americans
l to mourn the loss Of large part OF their sf-
I fective force, Capt Rodrigo was found in the
suit Of Santa Anpa-for even in the hour Of
{ defeat tho merciless Mexican chief had rot
failed 10 remember the debt Of gratitude be
I owed to the mother Of Inez-Isabell de Rine-
mas.
/ Thus It is, thai in every msn's career there
] are bright spots 10 be found, that should shine
/ like stars 90 long as his name is remembered
I among men.