River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-08-28

| chief lightly around his arm after he
had been wounded. The wound was
now causing him intense pain, and he
was beginning to feel faint from loss of
| blood.
Il fear neither tigers nor banditti,
said Don Francisco, holly, in reply to
Ell Tigere's last remark. II insist that
these men be treated as prisoners of
war"
There's just one reason that will
purchase them, Senior Don, and that
is the hand Of your daughter Dolores"
"Never!" exclaimed Don Francisco.
Il would rather see her married to that
young invader, much as / hate the
whole race of the Americanos, than
to you.
Lieutenant Ives, who was becoming
more and more impressed with the
Donna Dolores, thought to himself that
the don's alternative would not be such
a bad idea after all.
Well we have no time to parley now"
said FL Tigere. 1.-THE Americans will
be down on us before we know it. l
Will take my prisoners with me to a
place OF safety, and in the morning they
| shall die"
At that moment the report of mus
ket was heard outside the house. and Eel
Tigere and his followers rushed to the
doors and windows in alarm A party
of American soldiers was coming up to
Tie house on the double-quick, and the
shot had been fired by one of the Mexi-
can pickets to give warning of their APP
proach. The Mexicans ran to their
horses, which were tethered near the
house, but before they could mount the
Americans were upon them, and fierce
hand to- hand struggle ensued. The
prisoners, being left unguarded, ran out
of the house, and the thongs which
bound their hands being cut by some
who had come to their rescue, they toe
joined IN the fray.
The moon had now risen and looked
down through the palm trees and giant
ferns on the scene of tumult below.
The don and his daughter stood In the
doorway looking helplessly on. To
them it mattered little which side won,
for one party was that of the invaders
whom they hated, and the other that of
the banditti whom they feared. Donna
Dolores, however, secretly hoped that,
whichever way the conflict was decided,
the handsome young lieutenant (who had
seized a sword in his left and was fight
ing as best he could would come out of
the affray in safety. In less time then
it takes to tell all this the Mexicans had
either been killed or put to fight, and
Don Francisco found himself face to face
with Captain Kirkland, who had COM
manded the rescuing party. The cap
tain was for taking the don prisoner,
charging him with having been in league
with the guerillas, and having brought
about the capture of Lieutenant Ives
and his men. The lieutenant, however,
warmly interceded for the don, and
told how he had stood between Ell III
gere and his prisoners short time be-
fore. On hearing this the captain
bowed low to the don and thanked him
in courteous phrases for what he had
done, speaking all the time in English,
however, of which Don Francisco I'M
derstood never a word. Dolores, who
had been educated in England and spoke
English perfectly, translated the pur-
port of the captains words to her faith
er, and then, turning a grateful look
upon Lieutenant Ives, gave her hand to
him. The young man bowed low and
pressed it to his lips. The hand was
quickly withdrawn and the don frowned,
but the Donna Dolores smiled and
blushed. Thus they parted.
Days and weeks passed At length
Vera Cruz fell and General Scott be-
gan his grand march for the capital.
passage of the Cordilleras are matters
of history. Finally the day came when,
over those causeways which furnished
a passase for those glittering cavaliers
of Cortez, Quitman and Worth stormed
the gates of the City of Mexico. Lieu
tenant Ives won much of glory in all
the battles which led up to the, final vic
tory and in that last engagement received
serious wound which placed him in the
hospital. The hospital in which he lay
was within the city, and every day the
good Sisters of Charity, who bestowed
their care alike on friend and foe, came
about, comforting the sick and giving
words of peace to the dying. One day
there came to the hospital with one OF
the sisters a novice, whose white veil
showed that she had not yet taken
those solemn VOWS which separated her
from the world. The sister came and
stood by the bedside of the wounded
lieutenant, and with her the novice.
The young man raised his eyes and
recognized in the novice Dolores
Monteverte. The recognition was mu-
tual and Dolores visited the bedside of
the lieutenant every day after that; he
would have no one else minister to him.
And why should she not? Had she not
resolved to be sister of charity and
spend her life in attending the sick ?
Her father had joined the army, been
killed in battle, and she was an orphan
now. The result was that when, after
q month, Lieutenant Ives was well
enough to return to the United States,
Dolores reconsidering her determine
ton to enter convent, went with him
as his bride, and Edward Ives was no
longer 'the bachelor" of his regiment.