The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-07-18
A ROMANCE OF HISTORY.
An Incident Of Mexican Cruelty on
tho Texas Border.

A little restaurant overlooking the
San Antonio river. Two men with
chairs tilted back aud feet against the
projecting rail OF tile balcony. were
smoking their evening cigarettes
The dusk lay above them like bats
wing, ready 70 fail swiftly and sudden.
~, rs IL does la southern latitndes
Both were young andsof goodly pres,
ence. Western suns and winds had
tanned their checks ana burned Ia the
red cf youth to "a rich tfopic hue
Across the brow Of one a brow
whose boyish contour moved women
with mother instincts 10 sudden long
ing TO carcss--lay loose waves Of soft
yellow hair. Beneath looked out eyes
Of dark gray, heavy mithS tho long
thoughts of those early, desperate
days+-days when republic worked
out in blood her long probation. The
other had a fairer countenanee, more
lightsomc and fun Of happy promise.
No dark prophecy brooded In the
sunny shadows OF the briglithlue eyes,
and laughter sprang as lightly to:thc
lip as the blush TO the check az amaid.
Superadded tonight to Ills native
exuberance was some fore gn element
of joyousness, which seemed to master
spirit and muscles alike. lie was fnli
of movement. Tossing away a half
finished cigarette, he cIasped his hands
back q his curly head and broke the
silence with sudden speech
"Ncd..l am too happy 70 smoke; am
the happiest man in all this border
land Nellie liernsian has promised
TO be my wife. It's secret yet, but !
couldn't keep il from you any more
than could keep my love from her
There is not another woman like der,
north, east, south or west Did you
ever noticc tic fold IL her hair? II II
like sunshine spun into thrc;Rla When.
ever look at her J think Of some
quaint old words my noticc used to
read out OF book long years Aiysl
when ! was n boy back ia MY old
Georgia home. They went this yayt
Whose sllecis latciie4 | MIN not worthy
q nnf.ose. stQpsse TIE preachers
would eall that i'regegent. bnt cod
will bear me witness there's no irreg
erehee in my hcatt when think of
her.
At Harvey Armstrong; tirsf words
the color Us washed optof Ned loss
ter's face as NTH asponrs, liis serY
eyes seemnd t3 rale
Bringing the char 10 tie, gfo,ala,
concealinE his face with his hands. III
leaned over the Ealing and looted
down into the sluggish waters az the
river flowing few fcct below
How old and wise they looted, those
waters. in their calm. nnfrcttea flnw
Good for you, old fellow. lie sdd,
as he extended his hand @*'aiay ymr
have eenturicsNof happiness III ans
man deserves her Il Is you, Harvey
This was in the snmmer Of 1891
In the autumn 81 1912, when Prcsi.i
dent Houston ordered out Cen Somef.
we'll 10 the Rio Grande to Organize
troops and avenge the insulting raids
or Y ,sduez and VOL, Ned Foster was
among the FIRST to respond TO the calf
fur volunteers
About one handfed and eighty miles
south of SaltilIo,5 on the road to the
AAk.l NJ AANNgs II al IOIlt huOA VI
in history as the Hacienda Salado.
To this place, Oh the goth Of March.
ls43, were brought the recaptured rem
nant ~ the unfortunate Micr expedi.
tion, that gallant band Of three hun.
dred and sixty men, the flower Of
western militia, who went forth to do
battle for the honor Of the young re-
public and were so treacheronsiy
dealt with BY the followers 81 Santa
Ana, to whom they surrendered as
prisoners Of war All readers Of Texas
history know how the terms OF the
treaty were broken and the betrayed
men shown no mercy but marched into
the interior, subjected to incredible
and finally imprisoned miles
away from home and friends
Feeling keenly the indignity Of their
treatment, and fearing worse at the
hands Of such pcrfidions foes, they
pycrpowered the guard and escaped,
70 be retalxen ten days later and re-
turned to the same Enclosure whence
they had hcd
All this is history, but we have no
~rittcn record Of that interval between
che escape and the recapture, when the
little company wandered, lost and
helpless, among the fastness Of nm
mountains; no record Of those
ten days and nights when the sun ros.
and set but to mark another and dark.
err experience ID the calendar 81 human
PAIN
Ned Foster Sand Harvey Armstrong
were among the number. Stronger
than the multiplied threadsiof the ca.
Bile had grown the bond Of friendship
between these two men in the awful
realism Of danger and su fcring
For-four days the weary and footsore
had travelled down deep canyon
whose steep sides narrowed and mar
rowed until they closed and barred