REMEMBER THE ALAMO

By Amelia E. Barr

CHAPTER I. THE CITY IN THE WILDERNESS. 

 "What, are you stepping westward?" "Yea. " * * * * * Yet who would stop or fear to advance, Though home or shelter there was none, With such a sky to lead him on!" --WORDSWORTH. 

 "Ah! cool night wind, tremulous stars, Ah! glimmering water, Fitful earth murmur, Dreaming woods!" --ARNOLD. 

In A. D. Sixteen hundred and ninety-two, a few Franciscan monks began tobuild a city. The site chosen was a lovely wilderness hundreds of milesaway from civilization on every side, and surrounded by savage andwarlike tribes. But the spot was as beautiful as the garden of God. Itwas shielded by picturesque mountains, watered by two rivers, carpetedwith flowers innumerable, shaded by noble trees joyful with the notes ofa multitude of singing birds. To breathe the balmy atmosphere was tobe conscious of some rarer and finer life, and the beauty of the sunnyskies--marvellous at dawn and eve with tints of saffron and amethyst andopal--was like a dream of heaven. 

One of the rivers was fed by a hundred springs situated in the midst ofcharming bowers. The monks called it the San Antonio; and on itsbanks they built three noble Missions. The shining white stone of theneighborhood rose in graceful domes and spires above the green trees. Sculptures, basso-relievos, and lines of gorgeous coloring adorned theexteriors. Within, were splendid altars and the appealing charms ofincense, fine vestures and fine music; while from the belfreys, bellssweet and resonant called to the savages, who paused spell-bound andhalf-afraid to listen. 

Certainly these priests had to fight as well as to pray. The Indians didnot suffer them to take possession of their Eden without passionate andpractical protest. But what the monks had taken, they kept; and thefort and the soldier followed the priest and the Cross. Ere long, thebeautiful Mission became a beautiful city, about which a sort of famefull of romance and mystery gathered. Throughout the south and west, upthe great highway of the Mississippi, on the busy streets of New York, and among the silent hills of New England, men spoke of San Antonio, as in the seventeenth century they spoke of Peru; as in the eighteenthcentury they spoke of Delhi, and Agra, and the Great Mogul. 

Sanguine French traders carried thither rich ventures in fancy waresfrom New Orleans; and Spanish dons from the wealthy cities of CentralMexico, and from the splendid homes of Chihuahua, came there to buy. Andfrom the villages of Connecticut, and the woods of Tennessee, andthe lagoons of Mississippi, adventurous Americans entered the Texanterritory at Nacogdoches. They went through the land, buying horsesand lending their ready rifles and stout hearts to every effort ofthat constantly increasing body of Texans, who, even in their swaddlingbands, had begun to cry Freedom!

At length this cry became a clamor that shook even the old viceroyalpalace in Mexico; while in San Antonio it gave a certain pitch to allconversation, and made men wear their cloaks, and set their beavers, and display their arms, with that demonstrative air of independence theycalled los Americano. For, though the Americans were numerically few, they were like the pinch of salt in a pottage--they gave the snap andsavor to the whole community. 

Over this Franciscan-Moorish city the sun set with an incomparableglory one evening in May, eighteen thirty-five. The white, flat-roofed, terraced houses--each one in its flowery court--and the domes and spiresof the Missions, with their gilded crosses, had a mirage-like beautyin the rare, soft atmosphere, as if a dream of Old Spain had beenmaterialized in a wilderness of the New World. 

But human life in all its essentials was in San Antonio, as it was andhas been in all other cities since the world began. Women were in theirhomes, dressing and cooking, nursing their children and dreaming oftheir lovers. Men were in the market-places, buying and selling, talkingof politics and anticipating war. And yet in spite of these fixedattributes, San Antonio was a city penetrated with romantic elements, and constantly picturesque. 

On this evening, as the hour of the Angelus approached, the narrowstreets and the great squares were crowded with a humanity thatassaulted and captured the senses at once; so vivid and so various wereits component parts. A tall sinewy American with a rifle across hisshoulder was paying some money to a Mexican in blue velvet and redsilk, whose breast was covered with little silver images of his favoritesaints. A party of Mexican officers were strolling to the Alamo; some inwhite linen and scarlet sashes, others glittering with color and goldenornaments. Side by side with these were monks of various orders: theFranciscan in his blue gown and large white hat; the Capuchin in hisbrown serge; the Brother of Mercy in his white flowing robes. Add tothese diversities, Indian peons in ancient sandals, women dressed as inthe days of Cortez and Pizarro, Mexican vendors of every kind, Jewishtraders, negro servants, rancheros curvetting on their horses, Apacheand Comanche braves on spying expeditions: and, in this various crowd, yet by no means of it, small groups of Americans; watchful, silent, armed to the teeth: and the mind may catch a glimpse of what thestreets of San Antonio were in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred andthirty-five. 

It was just before sunset that the city was always at its gayestpoint. Yet, at the first toll of the Angelus, a silence like that ofenchantment fell upon it. As a mother cries hush to a noisy child, sothe angel of the city seemed in this evening bell to bespeak a minutefor holy thought. It was only a minute, for with the last note therewas even an access of tumult. The doors and windows of the better houseswere thrown open, ladies began to appear on the balconies, there wasa sound of laughter and merry greetings, and the tiny cloud of thecigarette in every direction. 

But amid this sunset glamour of splendid color, of velvet, and silk, and gold embroidery, the man who would have certainly first attracted astranger's eye wore the plain and ugly costume common at that day to allAmerican gentlemen. Only black cloth and white linen and a row palmettohat with a black ribbon around it; but he wore his simple garmentswith the air of a man having authority, and he returned the continualsalutations of rich and poor, like one who had been long familiar withpublic appreciation. 

It was Dr. Robert Worth, a physician whose fame had penetrated tothe utmost boundaries of the territories of New Spain. He had beentwenty-seven years in San Antonio. He was a familiar friend in everyhome. In sickness and in death he had come close to the hearts in them. Protected at first by the powerful Urrea family, he had found it easy toretain his nationality, and yet live down envy and suspicion. The richhad shown him their gratitude with gold; the poor he had never sentunrelieved away, and they had given him their love. 

When in the second year of his residence he married Dona Maria Flores, he gave, even to doubtful officials, security for his politicalintentions. And his future conduct had seemed to warrant their fullestconfidence. In those never ceasing American invasions between eighteenhundred and three and eighteen hundred and thirty-two, he had been thefriend and succourer of his countrymen, but never their confederate;their adviser, but never their confidant. 

He was a tall, muscular man of a distinguished appearance. His hair waswhite. His face was handsome and good to see. He was laconic in speech, but his eyes were closely observant of all within their range, and theyasked searching questions. He had a reverent soul, wisely tolerant asto creeds, and he loved his country with a passion which absence fromit constantly intensified. He was believed to be a thoroughly practicalman, fond of accumulating land and gold; but his daughter Antonia knewthat he had in reality a noble imagination. When he spoke to her of thewoods, she felt the echoes of the forest ring through the room; when ofthe sea, its walls melted away in an horizon of long rolling waves. 

He was thinking of Antonia as he walked slowly to his home in thesuburbs of the city. Of all his children she was the nearest to him. Shehad his mother's beauty. She had also his mother's upright rectitudeof nature. The Iberian strain had passed her absolutely by. She was anorthern rose in a tropical garden. As he drew near to his own gates, he involuntarily quickened his steps. He knew that Antonia would bewaiting. He could see among the thick flowering shrubs her tall slimfigure clothed in white. As she came swiftly down the dim aisles to meethim, he felt a sentiment of worship for her. She concentrated inherself his memory of home, mother, and country. She embodied, in theperfectness of their mental companionship, that rarest and sweetestof ties--a beloved child, who is also a wise friend and a sympatheticcomrade. As he entered the garden she slipped her hand into his. Heclasped it tightly. His smile answered her smile. There was no need forany words of salutation. 

The full moon had risen. The white house stood clearly out in itsradiance. The lattices were wide open and the parlor lighted. Theywalked slowly towards it, between hedges of white camelias and scarletjaponicas. Vanilla, patchuli, verbena, wild wandering honeysuckle--ahundred other scents--perfumed the light, warm air. As they came nearthe house there was a sound of music, soft and tinkling, with a rhythmicaccent as pulsating as a beating heart. 

"It is Don Luis, father. "

"Ah! He plays well--and he looks well. "

They had advanced to where Don Luis was distinctly visible. He waswithin the room, but leaning against the open door, playing upon amandolin. Robert Worth smiled as he offered his hand to him. It wasimpossible not to smile at a youth so handsome, and so charming--ayouth who had all the romance of the past in his name, his home, his picturesque costume; and all the enchantments of hope and greatenthusiasms in his future. 

"Luis, I am glad to see you; and I felt your music as soon as I heardit. "

He was glancing inquiringly around the room as he spoke; and Antoniaanswered the look:

"Mother and Isabel are supping with Dona Valdez. There is to be a dance. I am waiting for you, father. You must put on your velvet vest. "

"And you, Luis?"

"I do not go. I asked the judge for the appointment. He refused me. Verywell! I care not to drink chocolate and dance in his house. One handwashes the other, and one cousin should help another. "

"Why did he refuse you?"

"Who can tell?" but Luis shrugged his shoulders expressively, and added, "He gave the office to Blas-Sangre. "

"Ah!"

"Yes, it is so--naturally;--Blas-Sangre is rich, and when the devilof money condescends to appear, every little devil rises up to do himhomage. "

"Let it pass, Luis. Suppose you sing me that last verse again. It had ataking charm. The music was like a boat rocking on the water. "

"So it ought to be. I learned the words in New Orleans. The music camefrom the heart of my mandolin. Listen, Senor!

 "'Row young oarsman, row, young oarsman, Into the crypt of the night we float: Fair, faint moonbeams wash and wander, Wash and wander about the boat. Not a fetter is here to bind us, Love and memory lose their spell; Friends that we have left behind us, Prisoners of content, --farewell!'"

"You are a wizard, Luis, and I have had a sail with you. Now, come withus, and show those dandy soldiers from the Alamo how to dance. "

"Pardon! I have not yet ceased to cross myself at the affront of thismorning. And the Senora Valdez is in the same mind as her husband. Ishould be received by her like a dog at mass. I am going to-morrow tothe American colony on the Colorado. "

"Be careful, Luis. These Austin colonists are giving greattrouble--there have been whispers of very strong measures. I speak as afriend. "

"My heart to yours! But let me tell you this about the Americans--theirdrum is in the hands of one who knows how to beat it. "

"As a matter of hearsay, are you aware that three detachments of troopsare on their way from Mexico?"

"For Texas?"

"For Texas. "

"What are three detachments? Can a few thousand men put Texas under lockand key? I assure you not, Senor; but now I must say adieu!"

He took the doctor's hand, and, as he held it, turned his luminous faceand splendid eyes upon Antonia. A sympathetic smile brightened her ownface like a flame. Then he went silently away, and Antonia watched himdisappear among the shrubbery. 

"Come, Antonia! I am ready. We must not keep the Senora waiting toolong. "

"I am ready also, father. " Her voice was almost sad, and yet it had atone of annoyance in it--"Don Luis is so imprudent, " she said. "He isalways in trouble. He is full of enthusiasms; he is as impossible as hisfavorite, Don Quixote. "

"And I thank God, Antonia, that I can yet feel with him. Woe to thecenturies without Quixotes! Nothing will remain to them but--SanchoPanzas. "

CHAPTER II. ANTONIA AND ISABEL. 

 "He various changes of the world had known, And some vicissitudes of human fate, Still altering, never in a steady state Good after ill, and after pain delight, Alternate, like the scenes of day and night. "

 "Ladies whose bright eyes Rain influence. "

 "But who the limits of that power shall trace, Which a brave people into life can bring, Or hide at will, for freedom combating By just revenge inflamed?"

For many years there had never been any doubt in the mind of RobertWorth as to the ultimate destiny of Texas, though he was by no meansan adventurer, and had come into the beautiful land by a sequence ofnatural and business-like events. He was born in New York. In that cityhe studied his profession, and in eighteen hundred and three began itspractice in an office near Contoit's Hotel, opposite the City Park. Oneday he was summoned there to attend a sick man. His patient proved tobe Don Jaime Urrea, and the rich Mexican grandee conceived a warmfriendship for the young physician. 

At that very time, France had just ceded to the United States theterritory of Louisiana, and its western boundary was a subject aboutwhich Americans were then angrily disputing. They asserted that it wasthe Rio Grande; but Spain, who naturally did not want Americans sonear her own territory, denied the claim, and made the Sabine Riverthe dividing line. And as Spain had been the original possessor ofLouisiana, she considered herself authority on the subject. 

The question was on every tongue, and it was but natural that itshould be discussed by Urrea and his physician. In fact, they talkedcontinually of the disputed boundary, and of Mexico. And Mexico was thena name to conjure by. She was as yet a part of Spain, and a sharer inall her ancient glories. She was a land of romance, and her very nametasted on the lips, of gold, and of silver, and of precious stones. Urrea easily persuaded the young man to return to Mexico with him. 

The following year there was a suspicious number of American visitorsand traders in San Antonio, and one of the Urreas was sent with aconsiderable number of troops to garrison the city. For Spain was wellaware that, however statesmen might settle the question, the youngand adventurous of the American people considered Texas United Statesterritory, and would be well inclined to take possession of it by forceof arms, if an opportunity offered. 

Robert Worth accompanied General Urrea to San Antonio, and the visitwas decisive as to his future life. The country enchanted him. He wassmitten with love for it, as men are smitten with a beautiful face. And the white Moorish city had one special charm for him--it was seldomquite free from Americans, Among the mediaeval loungers in the narrowstreets, it filled his heart with joy to see at intervals two or threebig men in buckskin or homespun. And he did not much wonder that theMorisco-Hispano-Mexican feared these Anglo-Americans, and suspected themof an intention to add Texan to their names. 

His inclination to remain in San Antonio was settled by his marriage. Dona Maria Flores, though connected with the great Mexican families ofYturbide and Landesa, owned much property in San Antonio. She had beenborn within its limits, and educated in its convent, and a visit toMexico and New Orleans had only strengthened her attachment to her owncity. She was a very pretty woman, with an affectionate nature, but shewas not intellectual. Even in the convent the sisters had not consideredher clever. 

But men often live very happily with commonplace wives, and Robert Worthhad never regretted that his Maria did not play on the piano, and painton velvet, and work fine embroideries for the altars. They had passednearly twenty-six years together in more than ordinary content andprosperity. Yet no life is without cares and contentions, and RobertWorth had had to face circumstances several times, which had brought thereal man to the front. 

The education of his children had been such a crisis. He had two sonsand two daughters, and for them he anticipated a wider and grandercareer than he had chosen for himself. When his eldest child, Thomas, had reached the age of fourteen, he determined to send him to New York. He spoke to Dona Maria of this intention. He described Columbia to herwith all the affectionate pride of a student for his alma mater. Theboy's grandmother also still lived in the home wherein, he himself hadgrown to manhood. His eyes filled with tears when he remembered the redbrick house in Canal Street, with its white door and dormer windows, andits one cherry tree in the strip of garden behind. 

But Dona Maria's national and religious principles, or ratherprejudices, were very strong. She regarded the college of San Juan deLateran in Mexico as the fountainhead of knowledge. Her confessor hadtold her so. All the Yturbides and Landesas had graduated at San Juan. 

But the resolute father would have none of San Juan. "I know all aboutit, Maria, " he said. "They will teach Thomas Latin very thoroughly. Theywill make him proficient in theology and metaphysics. They will let himdabble in algebra and Spanish literature; and with great pomp, they willgive him his degree, and 'the power of interpreting Aristotle all overthe world. ' What kind of an education is that, for a man who may have tofight the battles of life in this century?"

And since the father carried his point it is immaterial what precisemethods he used. Men are not fools even in a contest with women. Theyusually get their own way, if they take the trouble to go wisely andkindly about it. Two years afterwards, Antonia followed her brother toNew York, and this time, the mother made less opposition. Perhaps shedivined that opposition would have been still more useless than in thecase of the boy. For Robert Worth had one invincible determination; itwas, that this beautiful child, who so much resembled a mother whomhe idolized, should be, during the most susceptible years of her life, under that mother's influence. 

And he was well repaid for the self-denial her absence entailed, when Antonia came back to him, alert, self-reliant, industrious, anintelligent and responsive companion, a neat and capable housekeeper, who insensibly gave to his home that American air it lacked, and who setupon his table the well-cooked meats and delicate dishes which he hadoften longed for. 

John, the youngest boy, was still in New York finishing his course ofstudy; but regarding Isabel, there seemed to be a tacit relinquishmentof the purpose, so inflexibly carried out with her brothers and sister. Isabel was entirely different from them. Her father had watched hercarefully, and come to the conviction that it would be impossible tomake her nature take the American mintage. She was as distinctly Iberianas Antonia was Anglo-American. 

In her brothers the admixture of races had been only as alloy to metal. Thomas Worth was but a darker copy of his father. John had the romanceand sensitive honor of old Spain, mingled with the love of liberty, andthe practical temper, of those Worths who had defied both Charles theFirst and George the Third. But Isabel had no soul-kinship with herfather's people. Robert Worth had seen in the Yturbide residenciain Mexico the family portraits which they had brought with them fromCastile. Isabel was the Yturbide of her day. She had all their physicaltraits, and from her large golden-black eyes the same passionate soullooked forth. He felt that it would be utter cruelty to send her amongpeople who must always be strangers to her. 

So Isabel dreamed away her childhood at her mother's side, or withthe sisters in the convent, learning from them such simple and uselessmatters as they considered necessary for a damosel of family andfortune. On the night of the Senora Valdez's reception, she hadastonished every one by the adorable grace of her dancing, and thecaptivating way in which she used her fan. Her fingers touched theguitar as if they had played it for a thousand years. She sang a SpanishRomancero of El mio Cid with all the fire and tenderness of a Castilianmaid. 

Her father watched her with troubled eyes. He almost felt as if he hadno part in her. And the thought gave him an unusual anxiety, for heknew this night that the days were fast approaching which would test toextremity the affection which bound his family together. He contrived todraw Antonia aside for a few moments. 

"Is she not wonderful?" he asked. "When did she learn these things? Imean the way in which she does them?"

Isabel was dancing La Cachoucha, and Antonia looked at her little sisterwith eyes full of loving speculation. Her answer dropped slowly from herlips, as if a conviction was reluctantly expressed:

"The way must be a gift from the past--her soul has been at schoolbefore she was born here. Father, are you troubled? What is it? NotIsabel, surely?"

"Not Isabel, primarily. Antonia, I have been expecting something fortwenty years. It is coming. "

"And you are sorry?"

"I am anxious, that is all. Go back to the dancers. In the morning wecan talk. "

In the morning the doctor was called very early by some one needing hisskill. Antonia heard the swift footsteps and eager voices, and watchedhim mount the horse always kept ready saddled for such emergencies, andride away with the messenger. The incident in itself was a usualone, but she was conscious that her soul was moving uneasily andquestioningly in some new and uncertain atmosphere. 

She had felt it on her first entrance into Senora Valdez's gran sala--asomething irrepressible in the faces of all the men present. Sheremembered that even the servants had been excited, and that theystood in small groups, talking with suppressed passion and with muchdemonstrativeness. And the officers from the Alamo! How conscious theyhad been of their own importance! What airs of condescension and of analmost insufferable protection they had assumed! Now, that she recalledthe faces of Judge Valdez, and other men of years and position, sheunderstood that there had been in them something out of tone with theoccasion. In the atmosphere of the festa she had only felt it. In thesolitude of her room she could apprehend its nature. 

For she had been born during those stormy days when Magee and Bernardo, with twelve hundred Americans, first flung the banner of Texanindependence to the wind; when the fall of Nacogdoches sent a thrill ofsympathy through the United States, and enabled Cos and Toledo, and theother revolutionary generals in Mexico, to carry their arms against OldSpain to the very doors of the vice-royal palace. She had heard fromher father many a time the whole brave, brilliant story--the same storywhich has been made in all ages from the beginning of time. Onlythe week before, they had talked it over as they sat under the greatfig-tree together. 

"History but repeats itself, " the doctor had said then; "for whenthe Mexicans drove the Spaniards, with their court ceremonies, theirmonopolies and taxes, back to Spain, they were just doing what theAmerican colonists did, when they drove the English royalists backto England. It was natural, too, that the Americans should help theMexicans, for, at first, they were but a little band of patriots; andthe American-Saxon has like the Anglo-Saxon an irresistible impulse tohelp the weaker side. And oh, Antonia! The cry of Freedom! Who that hasa soul can resist it?"

She remembered this conversation as she stood in the pallid dawning, andwatched her father ride swiftly away. The story of the long struggle inall its salient features flashed through her mind; and she understoodthat it is not the sword alone that gives liberty--that there must bepatience before courage; that great ideas must germinate for years inthe hearts of men before the sword can reap the harvest. 

The fascinating memory of Burr passed like a shadow across her dreaming. The handsome Lafayettes--the gallant Nolans--the daring Hunters--thethousands of forgotten American traders and explorers--bold andenterprising--they had sown the seed. For great ideas are as catching asevil ones. A Mexican, with the iron hand of Old Spain upon him and theshadow of the Inquisition over him, could not look into the face of anAmerican, and not feel the thought of Freedom stirring in his heart. 

It stirred in her own heart. She stood still a moment to feelconsciously the glow and the enlargement. Then with an impulse natural, but neither analyzed nor understood, she lifted her prayer-book, andbegan to recite "the rising prayer. " She had not said to herself, "fromthe love of Freedom to the love of God, it is but a step, " but sheexperienced the emotion and felt all the joy of an adoration, simple andunquestioned, springing as naturally from the soul as the wild flowerfrom the prairie. 

As she knelt, up rose the sun, and flooded her white figure and her fairunbound hair with the radiance of the early morning. The matin bellschimed from the convent and the churches, and the singing birds began toflutter their bright wings, and praise God also, "in their Latin. "

She took her breakfast alone. The Senora never came downstairs soearly. Isabel had wavering inclinations, and generally followed them. Sometimes, even her father had his cup of strong coffee alone in hisstudy; so the first meal of the day was usually, as perhaps it oughtto be, a selfishly-silent one. "Too much enthusiasm and chattering atbreakfast, are like too much red at sunrise, " the doctor always said;"a dull, bad day follows it"--and Antonia's observation had turned thelittle maxim into a superstition. 

In the Senora's room, the precept was either denied, or defied. Antoniaheard the laughter and conversation through the closed door, and easilydivined the subject of it. It was, but natural. The child had a triumph;one that appealed strongly to her mother's pride and predilections. It was a pleasant sight to see them in the shaded sunshine exultingthemselves happily in it. 

The Senora, plump and still pretty, reclined upon a large gilded bed. Its splendid silk coverlet and pillows cased in embroidery and lace madean effective background for her. She leaned with a luxurious indolenceamong them, sipping chocolate and smoking a cigarrito. Isabel was on acouch of the same description. She wore a satin petticoat, and a looselinen waist richly trimmed with lace. It showed her beautiful shouldersand arms to perfection. Her hands were folded above her head. Her tinyfeet, shod in satin, were quivering like a bird's wings, as if they werekeeping time with the restlessness of her spirit. 

She had large eyes, dark and bright; strong eyebrows, a pale complexionwith a flood of brilliant color in the checks, dazzling even teeth, and a small, handsome mouth. Her black hair was loose and flowing, andcaressed her cheeks and temples in numberless little curls and tendrils. Her face was one flush of joy and youth. She had a look half-earnest andhalf-childlike, and altogether charming. Antonia adored her, and shewas pleased to listen to the child, telling over again the pretty thingsthat had been said to her. 

"Only Don Luis was not there at all, Antonia. There is always somethingwanting, " and her voice fell with those sad inflections that are oftenonly the very excess of delight. 

The Senora looked sharply at her. "Don Luis was not desirable. He wasbetter away--much better!"

"But why?"

"Because, Antonia, he is suspected. There is an American called Houston. Don Luis met him in Nacogdoches. He has given his soul to him, I think. He would have fought Morello about him, if the captain could have drawnhis sword in such a quarrel. I should not have known about the affairhad not Senora Valdez told me. Your father says nothing against theAmericans. "

"Perhaps, then, he knows nothing against them. "

"You will excuse me, Antonia; not only the living but the dead must haveheard of their wickedness. They are a nation of ingrates. Ingrates arecowards. It was these words Captain Morello said, when Don Luis drew hissword, made a circle with its point and stood it upright in the centre. It was a challenge to the whole garrigon, and about this fellow Houston, whom he calls his friend! Holy Virgin preserve us from such Mexicans!"

"It is easier to talk than to fight. Morello's tongue is sharper thanhis sword. "

"Captain Morello was placing his sword beside that of Don Luis, when theCommandant interfered. He would not permit his officers to fight in sucha quarrel. 'Santo Dios!' he said, 'you shall all have your opportunityvery soon, gentlemen. ' Just reflect upon the folly of a boy like DonLuis, challenging a soldier like Morello!"

"He was in no danger, mother, " said Antonia scornfully. "Morello is abully, who wears the pavement out with his spurs and sabre. His weaponsare for show. Americans, at least, wear their arms for use, and not forornament. "

"Listen, Antonia! I will not have them spoken of. They are Jews--or atleast infidels, all of them!--the devil himself is their father--thebishop, when he was here last confirmation, told me so. "

"Mother!"

"At least they are unbaptized Christians, Antonia. If you are notbaptized, the devil sends you to do his work. As for Don Luis, he is avery Judas! Ah, Maria Santissima! how I do pity his good mother!"

"Poor Don Luis!" said Isabel plaintively. 

"He is so handsome, and he sings like a very angel. And he loves myfather; he wanted to be a doctor, so that he could always be with him. I dare say this man called Houston is no better than a Jew, and perhapsvery ugly beside. Let us talk no more about him and the Americans. Iam weary of them; as Tia Rachella says, 'they have their spoon in everyone's mess. '"

And Antonia, whose heart was burning, only stooped down and closed hersister's pretty mouth with a kiss. Her tongue was impatient to speak forthe father, and grandmother, and the friends, so dear to her; but shepossessed great discretion, and also a large share of that rarest of allwomanly graces, the power under provocation, of "putting on Patience thenoble. "

CHAPTER III. BUILDERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 

 "Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep and shaking her invincible locks. Methinks I see her as an eagle mewing her mighty youth and kindling her undazzled eye in the full mid-day beam. " --MILTON. 

 "And from these grounds, concluding as we doe, Warres causes diuerse, so by consequence Diuerse we must conclude their natures too: For war proceeding from Omnipotence, No doubt is holy, wise, and without error; The sword, of justice and of sin, the terror. " --LORD BROOKE. 

It is the fashion now to live for the present but the men of fiftyyears ago, the men who builded the nation, they reverenced the past, andtherefore they could work for the future. As Robert Worth rode throughthe streets of San Antonio that afternoon, he was thinking, not of hisown life, but of his children's and of the generations which should comeafter them. 

The city was flooded with sunshine, and crowded with a pack-train goingto Sonora; the animals restlessly protesting against the heat and flies;their Mexican drivers in the pulqueria, spending their last peso withtheir compadres, or with the escort of soldiers which was to accompanythem--a little squad of small, lithe men, with round, yellow, beardlessfaces, bearing in a singular degree the stamp of being native tothe soil. Their lieutenant, a gorgeously clad officer with a verydistinguished air, was coming slowly down the street to join them. Hebowed, and smiled pleasantly to the doctor as he passed him, and thenin a few moments the word of command and the shouting of men and theclatter of hoofs invaded the enchanted atmosphere like an insult. 

But the tumult scarcely jarred with the thoughts of his mind. Theyhad been altogether of war and rumors of war. Every hour that subtileconsciousness of coming events, which makes whole communities attimes prescient, was becoming stronger. "If the powers of the air haveanything to do with the destinies of men, " he muttered, "there must beunseen battalions around me. The air I am breathing is charged with thefeeling of battle. "

After leaving the city there were only a few Mexican huts on the shadyroad leading to his own house. All within them were asleep, eventhe fighting cocks tied outside were dozing on their perches. He wasunusually weary, he had been riding since dawn, and his heart hadnot been in sympathy with his body, it had said no good cheer to it, whispered no word of courage or promise. 

All at once his physical endurance seemed exhausted, and he saw thewhite wall and arched gateway of his garden and the turrets of his homewith an inexpressible relief. But it was the hour of siesta, and he wasalways careful not to let the requirements of his profession disturb hishousehold. So he rode quietly to the rear, where he found a peon noddingwithin the stable door. He opened his eyes unnaturally wide, and rose toserve his master. 

"See thou rub the mare well down, and give her corn and water. "

"To be sure, Senior, that is to be done. A stranger has been hereto-day; an American. "

"What did he say to thee?"

"That he would call again, Senor. "

The incident was not an unusual one, and it did not trouble the doctor'smind. There was on the side of the house a low extension containing tworooms. These rooms belonged exclusively to him. One was his study, hisoffice, his covert, the place to which he went when he wanted to bealone with his own soul. There were a bed and bath and refreshments inthe other room. He went directly to it, and after eating and washing, fell into a profound sleep. 

At the hour before Angelus the house was as noisy and busy as if it hadbeen an inn. The servants were running hither and thither, all of themexpressing themselves in voluble Spanish. The cooks were quarrelling inthe kitchen. Antonia was showing the table men, as she had to do afreshevery day, how to lay the cloth and serve the dishes in the Americanfashion. When the duty was completed, she went into the garden to listenfor the Angelus. The young ladies of to-day would doubtless consider hertoilet frightfully unbecoming; but Antonia looked lovely in it, thoughbut a white muslin frock, with a straight skirt and low waist and short, full sleeves. It was confined by a blue belt with a gold buckle, and herfeet were in sandalled slippers of black satin. 

The Angelus tolled, and the thousands of Hail Maries! which blended withits swinging vibrations were uttered, and left to their fate, as allspoken words must be. Antonia still observed the form. It lent for amoment a solemn beauty to her face. She was about to re-enter the house, when she saw a stranger approaching it. He was dressed in a handsomebuckskin suit, and a wide Mexican hat, but she knew at once that he wasan American, and she waited to receive him. 

As soon as he saw her, he removed his hat and approached with it inhis hand. Perhaps he was conscious that the act not only did homage towomanhood, but revealed more perfectly a face of remarkable beauty andnobility. For the rest, he was very tall, powerfully built, elegantlyproportioned, and his address had the grace and polish of a culturedgentleman. 

"I wish to see Dr. Worth, Dona. "

With a gentle inclination of the head, she led him to the door of herfather's office. She was the only one in the Doctor's family at allfamiliar with the room. The Senora said so many books made her feel asif she were in a church or monastery; she was afraid to say anythingbut paternosters in it. Isabel cowered before the poor skeleton in thecorner, and the centipedes and snakes that filled the bottles on theshelves. There was not a servant that would enter the room. 

But Antonia did not regard books as a part of some vague spiritualpower. She knew the history of the skeleton. She had seen the death ofmany of those "little devils" corked up in alcohol. She knew that atthis hour, if her father were at home he was always disengaged, and sheopened the door fearlessly, saying, "Father, here is a gentleman whowishes to see you. "

The doctor had quite refreshed himself, and, in a house-suit of clean, white linen, was lying on a couch reading. He arose with alacrity, andwith his pleasant smile seemed to welcome the intruder, as he steppedbehind him and closed the door. Antonia had disappeared. They were quitealone. 

"You are Doctor Robert Worth, sir?"

Their eyes met, their souls knew each other. 

"And you are Sam Houston?"

The questions were answered in a hand grip, a sympathetic smile on bothfaces--the freemasonry of kindred spirits. 

"I have a letter from your son Thomas, doctor, and I think, also, thatyou will have something to say to me, and I to you. "

The most prudent of patriots could not have resisted this man. He hadthat true imperial look which all born rulers of men possess--that lookthat half coerces, and wholly persuades. Robert Worth acknowledged itspower by his instant and decisive answer. 

"I have, indeed, much to say to you. We shall have dinner directly, thenyou will give the night to me?"

After a short conversation he led him into the sala and introduced himto Antonia. He himself had to prepare the Senora for her visitor, andhe had a little quaking of the heart as he entered her room. She wasdressed for dinner, and turned with a laughing face to meet him. 

"I have been listening to the cooks quarrelling over the olla, Roberto. But what can my poor Manuel say when your Irishwoman attacks him. Listento her! 'Take your dirty stew aff the fire then! Shure it isn't fit fora Christian to ate at all!'"

"I hope it is, Maria, for we have a visitor to-night. "

"Who, then, my love?"

"Mr. Houston. "

"Sam Houston? Holy Virgin of Guadalupe preserve us! I will not see theman. "

"I think you will, Maria. He has brought this letter for you from ourson Thomas; and he has been so kind as to take charge of some finehorses, and sell them well for him in San Antonio. When a man does us akindness, we should say thank you. "

"That is truth, if the man is not the Evil One. As for this Sam Houston, you should have heard what was said of him at the Valdez's. "

"I did hear. Everything was a lie. "

"But he is a very common man. "

"Maria, do you call a soldier, a lawyer, a member of the United StatesCongress, a governor of a great State like Tennessee, a common man?Houston has been all of these things. "

"It is, however, true that he has lived with Indians, and with thoseAmericans, who are bad, who have no God, who are infidels, and perhapseven cannibals. If he is a good man, why does he live with bad men? Noteven the saints could do that. A good man should be in his home. Whydoes he not stay at home. "

"Alas! Maria, that is a woman's fault. He loved a beautiful girl. Hemarried her. My dear one, she did not bless his life as you have blessedmine. No one knows what his sorrow was, for he told no one. And he neverblamed her, only he left his high office and turned his back forever onhis home. "

"Ah! the cruel woman. Holy Virgin, what hard hearts thou hast to prayfor!"

"Come down and smile upon him, Maria. I should like him to see ahigh-born Mexican lady. Are they not the kindest and fairest among allGod's women? I know, at least, Maria, that you are kind and fair"; andhe took her hands, and drew her within his embrace. 

What good wife can resist her husband's wooing? Maria did not. Shelifted her face, her eyes shone through happy tears, she whisperedsoftly: "My Robert, it is a joy to please you. I will be kind; I willbe grateful about Thomas. You shall see that I will make a pleasantevening. "

So the triumphant husband went down, proud and happy, with his smilingwife upon his arm. Isabel was already in the room. She also wore a whitefrock, but her hair was pinned back with gold butterflies, and she hada beautiful golden necklace around her throat. And the Senora kepther word. She paid her guest great attention. She talked to him of hisadventures with the Indians. She requested her daughters to sing to him. She told him stories of the old Castilian families with which she wasconnected, and described her visit to New Orleans with a great deal ofpleasant humor. She felt that she was doing herself justice; that shewas charming; and, consequently, she also was charmed with the guest andthe occasion which had been so favorable to her. 

After the ladies had retired, the doctor led his visitor into his study. He sat down silently and placed a chair for Houston. Both men hesitatedfor a moment to open the conversation. Worth, because he was treadingon unknown ground; Houston, because he did not wish to force, even by aquestion, a resolution which he felt sure would come voluntarily. 

The jar of tobacco stood between them, and they filled their pipessilently. Then Worth laid a letter upon the table, and said: "Iunstand{sic} from this, that my son Thomas thinks the time has come fordecisive action. "

"Thomas Worth is right. With such souls as his the foundation of thestate must be laid. "

"I am glad Thomas has taken the position he has; but you must remember, sir, that he is unmarried and unembarrassed by many circumstances whichrender decisive movement on my part a much more difficult thing. Yet noman now living has watched the Americanizing of Texas with the interestthat I have. "

"You have been long on the watch, sir. "

"I was here when my countrymen came first, in little companies of fiveor ten men. I saw the party of twenty, who joined the priest Hidalgo ineighteen hundred and ten, when Mexico made her first attempt to throwoff the Spanish yoke. "

"An unsuccessful attempt. "

"Yes. The next year I made a pretended professional journey toChihuahua, to try and save their lives. I failed. They were shot withHidalgo there. "

"Yet the strife for liberty went on. "

"It did. Two years afterwards, Magee and Bernardo, with twelve hundredAmericans, raised the standard of independence on the Trinity River. Isaw them them{sic} take this very city, though it was ably defended bySalcedo. They fought like heroes. I had many of the wounded in my house. I succored them with my purse. 

"It was a great deed for a handful of men. "

"The fame of it brought young Americans by hundreds here. To a man theyjoined the Mexican party struggling to free themselves from the tyrannyof old Spain. I do not think any one of them received money. The loveof freedom and the love of adventure were alike their motive and theirreward. "

"Mexico owed these men a debt she has forgotten. "

"She forgot it very quickly. In the following year, though they hadagain defended San Antonio against the Spaniards, the Mexicans drove allthe Americans out of the city their rifles had saved. "

"You were here; tell me the true reason. "

"It was not altogether ingratitude. It was the instinct ofself-preservation. The very bravery of the Americans made the men whomthey had defended hate and fear them; and there was a continual influxof young men from the States. The Mexicans said to each other: 'There isno end to these Americans. Very soon they will make a quarrel and turntheir arms against us. They do not conform to our customs, and they willnot take an order from any officer but their own. '"

Houston smiled. "It is away the Saxon race has, " he said. "The oldBritons made the same complaint of them. They went first to England tohelp the Britons fight the Romans, and they liked the country so well, they determined to stay there. If I remember rightly the old Britons hadto let them do so. "

"It is an old political situation. You can go back to Genesis and findPharaoh arguing about the Jews in the same manner. "

"What happened after this forcible expulsion of the American elementfrom Texas?"

"Mexican independence was for a time abandoned, and the Spanish viceroyswere more tyrannical than ever. But Americans still came, though theypursued different tactics. They bought land and settled on the greatrivers. In eighteen twenty-one, Austin, with the permission of theSpanish viceroy in Mexico, introduced three hundred families. "

"That was a step in the right direction; but I am astonished the viceroysanctioned it. "

"Apodoca, who was then viceroy, was a Spaniard of the proudest type. He had very much the same contempt for the Mexicans that an old Englishviceroy in New York had for the colonists he was sent to govern. I daresay any of them would have permitted three hundred German families tosettle in some part of British America, as far from New York as Texasis from Mexico. I do not need to tell you that Austin's colonists area band of choice spirits, hardy working men, trained in the districtschools of New England and New York--nearly every one of them a farmeror mechanic. "

"They were the very material liberty needed. They have made homes. "

"That is the truth. The fighters who preceded them owned nothing buttheir horses and their rifles. But these men brought with them theirwives and their children, their civilization, their inborn love offreedom and national faith. They accepted the guarantee of the Spanishgovernment, and they expected the Spanish government to keep itspromises. "

"It did not. "

"It had no opportunity. The colonists were hardly settled when thestandard of revolt against Spain was again raised. Santa Anna tookthe field for a republican form of government, and once more a body ofAmericans, under the Tennesseean, Long, joined the Mexican army. "

"I remember that, well. "

"In eighteen twenty-four, Santa Anna, Victoria and Bravo drove theSpaniards forever from Mexico, and then they promulgated the famousconstitution of eighteen twenty-four. It was a noble constitution, purely democratic and federal, and the Texan colonists to a mangladly swore to obey it. The form was altogether elective, and whatparticularly pleased the American element was the fact that the localgovernment of every State was left to itself. "

Houston laughed heartily. "Do you know, Worth, " he said, "State Rightsis our political religion. The average American citizen would expect theAlmighty to conform to a written constitution, and recognize the rightsof mankind. "

"I don't think he expects more than he gets, Houston. Where is there agrander constitution than is guaranteed to us in His Word; or one thatmore completely recognizes the rights of all humanity?"

"Thank you, Worth. I see that I have spoken better than I knew. I wassitting in the United States Congress, when this constitution passed, and very much occupied with the politics of Tennessee. "

"I will not detain you with Mexican politics. It may be briefly saidthat for the last ten years there has been a constant fight betweenPedraza, Guerrero, Bustamante and Santa Anna for the Presidency ofMexico. After so much war and misery the country is now ready to resignall the blessings the constitution of eighteen twenty-four promised her. For peace she is willing to have a dictator in Santa Anna. "

"If Mexicans want a dictator let them bow down to Santa Anna! But do youthink the twenty thousand free-born Americans in Texas are going to havea dictator? They will have the constitution of eighteen twenty-four--orthey will have independence, and make their own constitution! Yes, sir!"

"You know the men for whom you speak?"

"I have been up and down among them for two years. Just after I cameto Texas I was elected to the convention which sent Stephen Austin toMexico with a statement of our wrongs. Did we get any redress? No, sir!And as for poor Austin, is he not in the dungeons of the Inquisition? Wehave waited two years for an answer. Great heavens Doctor, surely thatis long enough!"

"Was this convention a body of any influence?"

"Influence! There were men there whose names will never be forgotten. They met in a log house; they wore buckskin and homespun; but I tellyou, sir, they were debating the fate of unborn millions. "

"Two years since Austin went to Mexico?"

"A two years' chapter of tyranny. In them Santa Anna has quiteoverthrown the republic of which we were a part. He has made himselfdictator, and, because our authorities have protested against thechange, they have been driven from office by a military force. I tellyou, sir, the petty outrages everywhere perpetrated by petty officialshave filled the cup of endurance. It is boiling over. Now, doctor, whatare you going to do? Are you with us, or against us?"

"I have told you that I have been with my countrymen always--heart andsoul with them. "

The doctor spoke with some irritation, and Houston laid his closed handhard upon the table to emphasize his reply:

"Heart and soul! Very good! But we want your body now. You must tuckyour bowie-knife and your revolvers in your belt, and take your rifle inyour hand, and be ready to help us drive the Mexican force out of thisvery city. "

"When it comes to that I shall be no laggard. "

But he was deathly pale, for he was suffering as men suffer who feel thesweet bonds of wife and children and home, and dread the rending ofthem apart. In a moment, however, the soul behind his white face madeit visibly luminous. "Houston, " he said, "whenever the cause of freedomneeds me, I am ready. I shall want no second call. But is it notpossible, that even yet--"

"It is impossible to avert what is already here. Within a few days, perhaps to-morrow, you will hear the publication of an edict from SantaAnna, ordering every American to give up his arms. "

"What! Give up our arms! No, no, by Heaven! I will die fighting formine, rather. "

"Exactly. That is how every white man in Texas feels about it. And ifsuch a wonder as a coward existed among them, he understands that hemay as well die fighting Mexicans, as die of hunger or be scalped byIndians. A large proportion of the colonists depend on their rifles fortheir daily food. All of them know that they must defend their ownhomes from the Comanche, or see them perish. Now, do you imagine thatAmericans will obey any such order? By all the great men of seventeenseventy-five, if they did, I would go over to the Mexicans and help themto wipe the degenerate cowards out of existence!"

He rose as he spoke; he looked like a flame, and his words cut like asword. Worth caught fire at his vehemence and passion. He clasped hishands in sympathy as he walked with him to the door. They stood silentlytogether for a moment on the threshold, gazing into the night. Over theglorious land the full moon hung, enamoured. Into the sweet, warm airmockingbirds were pouring low, broken songs of ineffable melody. Thewhite city in the mystical light looked like an enchanted city. It wasso still that the very houses looked asleep. 

"It is a beautiful land, " said the doctor. 

"It is worthy of freedom, " answered Houston. Then he went with long, swinging steps down the garden, and into the shadows beyond, and Worthturned in and closed the door. 

He had been watching for this very hour for twenty years; and yet hefound himself wholly unprepared for it. Like one led by confused anduncertain thoughts, he went about the room mechanically locking up hispapers, and the surgical instruments he valued so highly. As he did sohe perceived the book he had been reading when Houston entered. It waslying open where he had laid it down. A singular smile flitted overhis face. He lifted it and carried it closer to the light. It was hiscollege Cicero. 

"I was nineteen years old when I marked that passage, " he said; "and Ido not think I have ever read it since, until to-night. I was reading itwhen Houston came into the room. Is it a message, I wonder?--

"'But when thou considerest everything carefully and thoughtfully; ofall societies none is of more importance, none more dear, than thatwhich unites us with the commonwealth. Our parents, children, relationsand neighbors are dear, but our fatherland embraces the whole round ofthese endearments. In its defence, who would not dare to die, if only hecould assist it?"

CHAPTER IV. THE SHINING BANDS OF LOVE. 

 "O blest be he! O blest be he! Let him all blessings prove, Who made the chains, the shining chains, The holy chains of love!" --Spanish Ballad. "If you love a lady bright, Seek, and you shall find a way All that love would say, to say If you watch the occasion right. " --Spanish Ballad. 

In the morning Isabel took breakfast with her sister. This was alwaysa pleasant event to Antonia. She petted Isabel, she waited upon her, sweetened her chocolate, spread her cakes with honey, and listened toall her complaints of Tia Rachela. Isabel came gliding in when Antoniawas about half way through the meal. Her scarlet petticoat was gorgeous, her bodice white as snow, her hair glossy as a bird's wing, but her lipsdrooped and trembled, and there was the shadow of tears in her eyes. Antonia kissed their white fringed lids, held the little form closein her arms, and fluttered about in that motherly way which Isabel hadlearned to demand and enjoy. 

"What has grieved you this morning, little dove?"

"It is Tia Rachela, as usual. The cross old woman! She is going to tellmi madre something. Antonia, you must make her keep her tongue betweenher teeth. I promised her to confess to Fray Ignatius, and she saidI must also tell mi madre. I vowed to say twenty Hail Marias and tenGlorias, and she said 'I ought to go back to the convent. '"

"But what dreadful thing have you been doing, Iza?"

Iza blushed and looked into her chocolate cup, as she answeredslowly: "I gave--a--flower--away. Only a suchil flower, Antonia, that--I--wore--at--my--breast--last--night. "

"Whom did you give it to, Iza?"

Iza hesitated, moved her chair close to Antonia, and then hid her faceon her sister's breast. 

"But this is serious, darling. Surely you did not give it to SenorHouston?"

"Could you think I was so silly? When madre was talking to him lastnight, and when I was singing my pretty serenade, he heard nothing atall. He was thinking his own thoughts. "

"Not to Senor Houston? Who then? Tell me, Iza. "

"To--Don Luis. "

"Don Luis! But he is not here. He went to the Colorado. "

"How stupid are you, Antonia! In New York they did not teach you toput this and that together. As soon as I saw Senor Houston, I said tomyself: 'Don Luis was going to him; very likely they have met each otheron the road; very likely Don Luis is back in San Antonio. He wouldnot want to go away without bidding me good-by, ' and, of course, I wasright. "

"But when did you see him last night? You never left the room. "

"So many things are possible. My heart said to me when the talk was goingon, 'Don Luis is waiting under the oleanders, ' and I walked on to thebalcony and there he was, and he looked so sad, and I dropped mysuchil flower to him; and Rachela saw me, for I think she has a millioneyes, --and that is the whole matter. "

"But why did not Don Luis come in?"

"Mi madre forbade me to speak to him. That is the fault of theValdez's. "

"Then you disobeyed mi madre, and you know what Fray Ignatius and theSisters have taught you about the fourth command. "

"Oh, indeed, I did not think of the fourth command! A sin withoutintention has not penance; and consider, Antonia, I am now sixteen, and they would shut me up like a chicken in its shell. Antonia, sweetAntonia, speak to Rachela, and make your little Iza happy. Fear is sobad for me. See, I do not even care for my cakes and honey this morning. 

"I will give Rachela the blue silk kerchief I brought from New York. Shewill forget a great deal for that, and then, Iza, darling, you must tellFray Ignatius of your sin, because it is not good to have an unconfessedsin on the soul. "

"Antonia, do not say such cruel things. I have confessed to you. FrayIgnatius will give me a hard penance. Perhaps he may say to mi madre:'That child had better go back to the convent. I say so, because Ihave knowledge. ' And now I am tired of that life; I am almost a woman, Antonia, am I not?"

Antonia looked tenderly into her face. She saw some inscrutable changethere. All was the same, and all was different. She did not understandthat it was in the eyes, those lookouts of the soul. They had lost thefrank, inquisitive stare of childhood; they were tender and misty;they reflected a heart passionate and fearful, in which love was makinghimself lord of all. 

Antonia was not without experience. There was in New York a gay, handsome youth, to whom her thoughts lovingly turned. She had promisedto trust him, and to wait for him, and neither silence nor distancehad weakened her faith or her affection. Don Luis had also made herunderstand how hard it was to leave Isabel, just when he had hoped towoo and win her. He had asked her to watch over his beloved, and to saya word in his favor when all others would be condemning him. 

Her sympathy had been almost a promise, and, indeed, she thought Isabelcould hardly have a more suitable lover. He was handsome, gallant, rich, and of good morals and noble family. They had been much together intheir lives; their childish affection had been permitted; she felt quitesure that the parents of both had contemplated a stronger affection anda more lasting tie between them. 

And evidently Don Luis had advanced further in his suit than the Senorawas aware of. He had not been able to resist the charm of secretlywooing the fresh young girl he hoped to make his wife. Their love mustbe authorized and sanctioned; true, he wished that; but the charmof winning the prize before it was given was irresistible. Antoniacomprehended all without many words; but she took her sister into thegarden, where they could be quite alone, and she sought the girl'sconfidence because she was sure she could be to her a loving guide. 

Isabel was ready enough to talk, and the morning was conducive toconfidence. They strolled slowly between the myrtle hedges in thesweet gloom of overshadowing trees, hearing only like a faint musicalconfusion the mingled murmur of the city. 

"It was just here, " said Isabel. "I was walking and sitting and doingnothing at all but looking at the trees and the birds and feeling happy, and Don Luis came to me. He might have come down from the skies, I wasso astonished. And he looked so handsome, and he said such words! Oh, Antonia! they went straight to my heart. "

"When was this, dear?"

"It was in the morning. I had been to mass with Rachela. I had saidevery prayer with my whole heart, and Rachela told me I might stay inthe garden until the sun grew hot. And as soon as Rachela was gone, DonLuis came--came just as sudden as an angel. "

"He must have followed you from mass. "

"Perhaps. "

"He should not have done that. "

"If a thing is delightful, nobody should do it. Luis said he knew thatit was decided that we should marry, but that he wanted me to be hiswife because I loved him. His face was shining with joy, his eyes werelike two stars, he called me his life, his adorable mistress, his queen, and he knelt down and took my hands and kissed them. I was too happy tospeak. "

"Oh, Iza!"

"Very well, Antonia! It is easy to say 'Oh, Iza'; but what would youhave done? And reflect on this; no one, not even Rachela, saw him. Sothen, our angels were quite agreeable and willing. And I--I was in suchjoy, that I went straight in and told Holy Maria of my happiness. Butwhen a person has not been in love, how can they know; and I see thatyou are going to say as Sister Sacrementa said to Lores Valdez--'You area wicked girl, and such things are not to be spoken of!'"

"Oh, my darling one, I am not so cruel. I think you did nothing verywrong, Iza. When love comes into your soul, it is like a new life. If itis a pure, good love, it is a kind of murder to kill it in any way. "

"It has just struck me, Antonia, that you may be in love also. "

"When I was in New York, our brother Jack had a friend, and he loved me, and I loved him. "

"But did grandmamma let him talk to you?"

"He came every night. We went walking and driving. In the summer wesailed upon the river; in the winter we skated upon the ice. He helpedme with my lessons. He went with me to church. "

"And was grandmamma with you?"

"Very seldom. Often Jack was with us; more often we were quite alone. "

"Holy Virgin! Who ever heard tell of such good fortune? ConsueloLadrello had never been an hour alone with Don Domingo before they weremarried. "

"A good girl does not need a duenna to watch her; that is what I think. And an American girl, pure and free, would not suffer herself to bewatched by any woman, old or young. Her lover comes boldly into herhome; she is too proud, to meet him in secret. "

"Ah! that would be a perfect joy. That is what I would like! But fancywhat Rachela would say; and mi madre would cover her eyes and refuseto see me if I said such words. Believe this. It was in the spring Luistold me that he loved me, and though I have seen him often since, hehas never found another moment to speak to me alone, not for one fiveminutes. Oh, Antonia! let me have one five minutes this afternoon! Heis going away, and there is to be war, and I may never, never see himagain!"

"Do not weep, little dove. How can you see him this afternoon?"

"He will be here, in this very place, I know he will. When he put thesuchil flower to his lips last night he made me understand it. Thisafternoon, during the hour of siesta, will you come with me? Only forfive minutes, Antonia! You can manage Rachela, I am sure you can. "

"I can manage Rachela, and you shall have one whole hour, Iza. Onewhole hour! Come, now, we must make a visit to our mother. She will bewondering at our delay. "

The Senora had not yet risen. She had taken her chocolate and smoked hercigarito, but was still drowsing. "I have had a bad night, children, "she said full of dreadful dreams. "It must have been that American. Yet, Holy Mother, how handsome he is! And I assure you that he has the goodmanners of a courtier. Still, it was an imprudence, and Senora Valdezwill make some great thing of it. "

"You were in your own house, mother. What has Senora Valdez to do withthe guest in it? We might as well make some great thing about CaptainMorello being present at her party. "

"I have to say to you, Antonia, that Morello is a Castilian; his familyis without a cross. He has the parchments of his noble ancestry toshow. "

"And Senor Houston is an American--Scotch-American, he said, last night. Pardon, my mother, but do you know what the men of Scotland are?"

"Si!, They are monsters! Fray Ignatius has told me. They are hereticsof the worst kind. It is their special delight to put to death goodCatholic priests. I saw that in a book; it must be true. "

"Oh, no, mother! It is not true! It is mere nonsense. Scotchmen do notmolest priests, women, and children. They are the greatest fighters inthe world. "

"Quien sabe? Who has taught you so much about these savages?"

"Indeed, mother, they are not savages. They are a very learned race ofmen, and very pious also. Jack has many Scotch-American friends. I knowone of them very well"; and with the last words her face flushed, andher voice fell insensibly into slow and soft inflections. 

"Jack knows many of them! That is likely. Your father would send him toNew York. All kinds of men are in New York. Fray Ignatius says they haveto keep an army of police there. No wonder! And my son is so fullof nobilities, so generous, so honorable, he will not keep himselfexclusive. He is the true resemblance of my brother Don Juan Flores. Juan was always pitying the poor and making friends with those beneathhim. At last he went into the convent of the Bernardines and died like avery saint. "

"I think our Jack will be more likely to die like a very hero. If thereis any thing Jack hates, it is oppression. He would right a beggar, ifhe saw him wronged. "

"Poco a poco! I am tired of rights and wrongs. Let us talk a littleabout our dresses, for there will be a gay winter. Senora Valdez assuredme of it; many soldiers are coming here, and we shall have parties, andcock-fights, and, perhaps, even a bull-feast. "

"Oh!" cried Isabel clapping her hands enthusiastically; "a bull-feast!That is what I long to see!"

At this moment the doctor entered the room, and Isabel ran to meethim. No father could have resisted her pretty ways, her kisses, herendearments, her coaxing diminutives of speech, her childlike lovelinessand simplicity. 

"What is making you so happy, Queridita?" [1]

"Mi madre says there is perhaps to be a bullfeast this winter. HolyVirgin, think of it! That is the one thing I long to see!"

With her clinging arms around him, and her eager face lifted to his forsympathy, the father could not dash the hope which he knew in his heartwas very unlikely to be realized. Neither did he think it necessaryto express opposition or disapproval for what had as yet no tangibleexistence. So he answered her with smiles and caresses, and a littlequotation which committed him to nothing:

 "As, Panem et Circenses was the cry Among the Roman populace of old; So, Pany Toros! is the cry of Spain. "

The Senora smiled appreciatively and put out her hand. "Pan y Toros!"she repeated. "And have you reflected, children, that no other nationin the world cries it. Only Spain and her children! That is becauseonly men of the Spanish race are brave enough to fight bulls, and onlySpanish bulls are brave enough to fight men. "

She was quite pleased with herself for this speech, and finding no oneinclined to dispute the statement, she went on to describe a festivalof bulls she had been present at in the city of Mexico. The subjectdelighted her, and she grew eloquent over it; and, conscious only ofIsabel's shining eyes and enthusiastic interest, she did not notice theair of thoughtfulness which had settled over her husband's face, nor yetAntonia's ill-disguised weariness and anxiety. 

On the night of the Valdez's party her father had said he would talkwith her. Antonia was watching for the confidence, but not with anygreat desire. Her heart and her intelligence told her it would meantrouble, and she had that natural feeling of youth which gladlypostpones the evil day. And while her father was silent she believedthere were still possibilities of escape from it. So she was not sorrythat he again went to his office in the city without any special wordfor her. It was another day stolen from the uncertain future, for thecalm usage of the present, and she was determined to make happiness init. 

When all was still in the afternoon Isabel came to her. She would notput the child to the necessity of again asking her help. She rose atonce, and said:

"Sit here, Iza, until I have opened the door for us. Then she took arich silk kerchief, blue as the sky, in her hand, and went to the wide, matted hall. There she found Rachela, asleep on a cane lounge. Antoniawoke her. 

"Rachela, I wish to go into the garden for an hour. "

"The Senorita does the thing she wants to, Rachela would not presume tointerfere. The Senorita became an Americano in New York. "

"There are good things in New York, Rachela; for instance, thiskerchief. "

"That is indeed magnificent!"

"If you permit my sister to walk in the garden with me, I shall give itto you this moment. "

"Dona Isabel is different. She is a Mexicaine. She must be watchedcontinually. "

"For what reason? She is as innocent as an angel. "

"Let her simply grow up, and you will see that she is not innocent asthe angels. Oh, indeed! I could say something about last night! DonaIsabel has no vocation for a nun; but, gracias a Dios! Rachela is notyet blind or deaf. "

"Let the child go with me for an hour, Rachela. The kerchief will be sobecoming to you. There is not another in San Antonio like it. "

Rachela was past forty, but not yet past the age of coquetry. "It willlook gorgeous with my gold ear-rings, but--"

"I will give you also the blue satin bow like it, to wear at yourbreast. "

"Si, si! I will give the permission, Senorita--for your sake alone. Thekerchief and bow are a little thing to you. To me, they will be a greatadornment. You are not to leave the garden, however, and for one hour'swalk only, Senorita; certainly there is time for no more. "

"I will take care of Isabel; no harm shall come to her. You may keepyour eyes shut for one hour, Rachela, and you may shut your ears also, and put your feet on the couch and let them rest. I will watch Isabelcarefully, be sure of that. "

"The child is very clever, and she has a lover already, I fear. Keepyour eyes on the myrtle hedge that skirts the road. I have to saythis--it is not for nothing she wants to walk with you this afternoon. She would be better fast asleep. "

In a few moments the kerchief and the bow were safely folded in thecapacious pocket of Rachela's apron, and Isabel and Antonia were softlytreading the shady walk between the myrtle hedges. Rachela's eyes wereapparently fast closed when the girls pased{sic} her, but she did notfail to notice how charmingly Isabel had dressed herself. She wore, itis true, her Spanish costume; but she had red roses at her breast, andher white lace mantilla over her head. 

"Ah! she is a clever little thing!" Rachela muttered. "She knows thatshe is irresistible in her Castilian dress. Bah! those French frocks areenough to drive a man a mile away. I can almost forgive her now. Had sheworn the French frock I would not have forgiven her. I would never haveyielded again, no, not even if the Senorita Antonia should offer me herscarlet Indian shawl worked in gold. I was always a fool--Holy Motherforgive me! Well, then; I used to have my own lovers--plenty ofthem--handsome young arrieros and rancheros: there was Tadeo, a valentoof the first class: and Buffa--and--well, I will sleep; they do notremember me, I dare say; and I have forgotten their names. "

In the mean time the sisters sat down beneath a great fig-tree. Nosunshine, no shower, could penetrate its thick foliage. The wide spacebeneath the spreading branches was a little parlor, cool and sweet, and full of soft, green lights, and the earthy smell of turf, and thewandering scents of the garden. 

Isabel's eyes shone with an incomparable light. She was pale, butexquisitely beautiful, and even her hands and feet expressed the idea ofexpectation. Antonia had a piece of needlework in her hand. She affectedthe calmness she did not feel, for her heart was trembling for thetender little heart beating with so much love and anxiety beside her. 

But Isabel's divination, however arrived at, was not at fault. In afew moments Don Luis lightly leaped the hedge, and without a moment'shesitation sought the shadow of the fig-tree. As he approached, Antonialooked at him with a new interest. It was not only that he loved Isabel, but that Isabel loved him. She had given him sympathy before, now shegave him a sister's affection. 

"How handsome he is!" she thought. "How gallant he looks in his velvetand silver and embroidered jacket! And how eager are his steps! And howjoyful his face! He is the kind of Romeo that Shakespeare dreamed about!Isabel is really an angel to him. He would really die for her. Whathas this Spanish knight of the sixteenth century to do in Texas in thenineteenth century?"

He answered her mental question in his own charming way. He was sohappy, so radiantly happy, so persuasive, so compelling, that Antoniagranted him, without a word, the favor his eyes asked for. And thelovers hardly heard the excuse she made; they understood nothing of it, only that she would be reading in the myrtle walk for one hour, and, byso doing, would protect them from intrusion. 

One whole hour! Isabel had thought the promise a perfect magnificence ofopportunity{. ??} But how swiftly it went. Luis had not told her the halfof his love and his hopes. He had been forced to speak of politics andbusiness, and every such word was just so many stolen from far sweeterwords--words that fell like music from his lips, and were repeated withinfinite power from his eyes. Low words, that had the pleading of athousand voices in them; words full of melody, thrilling with romance;poetical, and yet real as the sunshine around them. 

In lovers of a colder race, bound by conventional ties, and a dressrigorously divested of every picturesque element, such wooing might haveappeared ridiculous; but in Don Luis, the most natural thing aboutit was its extravagance. When he knelt at the feet of his belovedand kissed her hands, the action was the unavoidable outcome of histemperament. When he said to her, "Angel mio! you are the light of mydarkness, the perfume of all flowers that bloom for me, the love of myloves, my life, my youth, my lyre, my star, had I a thousand souls withwhich to love, I would give them all to you!" he believed every word heuttered, and he uttered every word with the passion of a believer. 

He stirred into life also in the heart of Isabel a love as living ashis own. In that hour she stepped outside all of her childhood'simmaturities. She became a woman. She accepted with joyful tears awoman's lot of love and sorrow. She said to Antonia:

"Luis was in my heart before; now, I have put him in my soul. My soulwill never die. So I shall never forget him--never cease to love him. "

Rachela faithfully kept her agreement. For one hour she was asleep toall her charge did, and Isabel was in her own room when the precioussixty minutes were over. Happy? So happy that her soul seemed to havepushed her body aside, as a thing not to be taken into account. Shesang like a bird for very gladsomeness. It was impossible for her tobe still, and as she went about her room with little dancing, balancingmovements of her hands and feet, Antonia knew that they were keepingtheir happy rhythmic motion to the melody love sang in her heart. 

And she rejoiced with her little sister, though she was not free froma certain regret for her concession, for it is the after-reckoning withconscience that is so disagreeably strict and uncomfortable. And yet, why make an element of anger and suspicion between Isabel and her motherwhen there appeared to be no cause to do so? Don Luis was going away. Hewas in disgrace with his family--almost disinherited; the country was onthe point of war, and its fortunes might give him some opportunities noone now foresaw. But if Isabel's mother had once declared that she would"never sanction the marriage, " Antonia knew that, however she mightafterwards regret her haste and prejudice, she would stand passionatelyby her decision. Was it not better, then, to prevent words being saidwhich might cause sorrow and regret in the future?

But as regarded Isabel's father, no such reason existed. The happinessof his children was to him a more sacred thing than his own prejudices. He liked Don Luis, and his friendship with his mother, the SenoraAlveda, was a long and tried one. The youth's political partialities, though bringing him at present into disgrace, were such as he himselfhad largely helped to form. Antonia was sure that her father wouldsympathize with Isabel, and excuse in her the lapse of duty which hadgiven his little girl so much happiness. Yes, it would be right to tellhim every thing, and she did not fear but Isabel would agree in herdecision. 

At this moment Rachela entered. The Senora wished her daughters tocall upon the American manteau-maker for her, and the ride in the opencarriage to the Plaza would enable them to bow to their acquaintances, and exhibit their last new dresses from New Orleans. Rachela was alreadyprepared for the excursion, and she was not long in attiring Isabel. 

"To be sure, the siesta has made you look charming this afternoon, " shesaid, looking steadily into the girl's beaming, blushing face, "and thisrose silk is enchanting. Santa Maria, how I pity the officers who willhave the great fortune to see you this afternoon, and break their heartsfor the sight! But you must not look at them, mark! I shall tell theSenora if you do. It is enough if they look at you. And the American wayof the Senorita Antonia, which is to bow and smile to every admirer, it will but make more enchanting the becoming modesty of the high-bornMexicaine. "

"Keep your tongue still, Rachela. Ah! if you strike me, I will go tomy father. He will not permit it. I am not a child to be struck andscolded, and told when to open and shut my eyes. I shall do as my sisterdoes, and the Holy Mother herself will be satisfied with me!"

"Chito! Chito!! You wicked one! Oh, Maria Santissima, cast on this childa look of compassion! The American last night has bewitched her! I saidthat he looked like a Jew. "

"I am not wicked, Rachela; and gracias a Dios, there is no Inquisitionnow to put the question!"

Isabel was in a great passion, or the awful word that had made lipsparch and blanch to utter it for generations would never have beenlaunched at the offending woman's head. But its effect was magical. Rachela put up her hands palm outwards, as if to shield herself froma blow, and then without another word stooped down and tied the satinsandals on Isabel's restless feet. She was muttering prayers during thewhole action, for Isabel had been quick to perceive her advantage, and was following it up by a defiant little monologue of rebelliousspeeches. 

In the midst of this scene, Antonia entered. She was dressed for thecarriage, and the carriage stood at the door waiting; but her face wasfull of fear, and she said, hurriedly:

"Rachela, can you not make some excuse to my mother which will permit usto remain at home? Hark! There is something wrong in the city. "

In a moment the three women were on the balcony, intently, anxiouslylistening. Then they were aware of a strange confusion in the subtle, amber atmosphere. It was as if they heard the noise of battle afaroff; and Rachela, without a word, glided away to the Senora. Isabel andAntonia stood hand in hand, listening to the vague trouble and the echoof harsh, grating voices, mingled with the blare of clarions, the rollof drums, and the rattle of scattering rifle-shots. Yet the noises wereso blended together, so indistinct, so strangely expressive of bothlaughter and defiance, that it was impossible to identify or describethem. 

Suddenly a horseman came at a rapid pace towards the house, and Antonia, leaning over the balcony, saw him deliver a note to Rachela, and thenhurry away at the same reckless speed. The note was from the doctor tohis wife, and it did not tend to allay their anxiety. "Keep within thehouse, " it said; "there are difficulties in the city. In an hour or twoI will be at home. "

But it was near midnight when he arrived, and Antonia saw that he wasa different man. He looked younger. His blue eyes shone with thelight behind them. On his face there was the impress of an invincibledetermination. His very walk had lost its listless, gliding tread, andhis steps were firm, alert and rapid. 

No one had been able to go to bed until he arrived, though Isabel sleptrestlessly in her father's chair, and the Senora lay upon the couch, drowsing a little between her frequent attacks of weeping and angryanticipation. For she was sure it was the Americans. "Anything waspossible with such a man as Sam Houston near the city. "

"Perhaps it is Santa Anna, " at length suggested Antonia. "He has beenmaking trouble ever since I can remember. He was born with a sword inhis hand, I think. "

"Ca! And every American with a rifle in his hand! Santa Anna is amonster, but at least he fights for his own country. Texas is not thecountry of the Americans. "

"But, indeed, they believe that Texas is their country"; and to thesewords Doctor Worth entered. 

"What is the matter? What is the matter, Roberto? I have been made sickwith these uncertainties. Why did you not come home at the Angelus?"

"I have had a good reason for my delay, Maria. About three o'clock Ireceived a message from the Senora Alveda, and I visited her. She isin great trouble, and she had not been able to bear it with her usualfortitude. She bad fainted. "

"Ah, the poor mother! She has a son who will break her heart. "

"She made no complaint of Luis. She is distracted about her country, andas I came home I understood why. For she is a very shrewd woman, and sheperceives that Santa Anna is preparing trouble enough for it. "

"Well, then, what is it?"

"When I left her house, I noticed many Americans, as well as manyMexicans, on the streets. They were standing together, too; and therewas something in their faces, and in the way their arms were carried, which was very striking and portentous. I fancied they looked coldlyon me, and I was troubled by the circumstance. In the Plaza I saw themilitary band approaching, accompanied by half a dozen officers and afew soldiers. The noise stopped suddenly, and Captain Morello proclaimedas a bando (edict) of the highest authority, an order for all Americansto surrender their arms of every description to the officials and at theplaces notified. "

"Very good!"

"Maria, nothing could be worse! Nothing could be more shameful anddisastrous. The Americans had evidently been expecting this uselessbombast, and ere the words were well uttered, they answered them witha yell of defiance. I do not think more than one proclamation wasnecessary, but Morello went from point to point in the city and theAmericans followed him. I can tell you this, Maria: all the millionsin Mexico can not take their rifles from the ten thousand Americans inTexas, able to carry them. "

"We shall see! We shall see! But, Roberto, you at least will notinterfere in their quarrels. You have never done so hitherto. "

"No one has ever proposed to disarm me before, Maria. I tell youfrankly, I will not give up a single rifle, or revolver, or weapon ofany kind, that I possess. I would rather be slain with them. I havenever carried arms before, but I shall carry them now. I apologize to mycountrymen for not having them with me this afternoon. My dearest wife!My good Maria! do not cry in that despairing way. "

"You will be killed, Roberto! You will be a rebel! You will be shot likea dog, and then what will become of me and my daughters?"

"You have two sons, Maria. They will avenge their father, and protecttheir mother and sisters. "

"I shall die of shame! I shall die of shame and sorrow!"

"Not of shame, Maria. If I permitted these men to deprive me of my arms, you might well die of shame. "

"What is it? Only a gun, or a pistol, that you never use?"

"Great God, Maria! It is everything! It is honor! It is liberty! It isrespect to myself! It is loyalty to my country! It is fidelity tomy countrymen! It is true that for many years the garrison has fullyprotected us, and I have not needed to use the arms in my house. Butthousands of husbands and fathers need them hourly, to procure food fortheir children and wives, and to protect them from the savages. Onetie binds us. Their cause is my cause. Their country is my country, andtheir God is my God. Children, am I right or wrong?"

They both stepped swiftly to his side. Isabel laid her cheek againsthis, and answered him with a kiss. Antonia clasped his hand, stood closeto him, and said: "We are all sure that you are right, dear father. Mymother is weary and sick with anxiety, but she thinks so too. Motheralways thinks as you do, father. Dear mother, here is Rachela with a cupof chocolate, and you will sleep and grow strong before morning. "

But the Senora, though she suffered her daughter's caresses, did notanswer them, neither did she speak to her husband, though he opened thedoor for her and stood waiting with a face full of anxious love for aword or a smile from her. And the miserable wife, still more miserablethan her husband, noticed that Isabel did not follow her. Never beforehad Isabel seemed to prefer any society to her mother's, and the unhappySenora felt the defection, even amid her graver trouble. 

But Isabel had seen something new in her father that night; somethingthat touched her awakening soul with admiration. She lingered with himand Antonia, listening with vague comprehension to their conversation, until Rachela called her angrily; and as she was not brave enough for asecond rebellion that night, she obediently answered her summons. 

An hour afterwards, Antonia stepped cautiously within her room. She wassleeping, and smiling in her sleep. Where was her loving, innocent soulwandering? Between the myrtle hedges and under the fig-tree with herlover? Oh, who can tell where the soul goes when sleep gives it somerelease? Perhaps it is at night our angels need to watch us mostcarefully. For the soul, in dreams, can visit evil and sorrowful places, as well as happy and holy ones. But Isabel slept and smiled, and Antoniawhispered a prayer at her side ere she went to her own rest. 

And the waning moon cast a pathetic beauty over the Eden-like land, tilldawn brought that mystical silence in which every new day is born. ThenRobert Worth rose from the chair in which he had been sitting so long, remembering the past and forecasting the future. He walked to thewindow, opened it, and looked towards the mountains. They had anethereal hue, a light without rays, a clearness almost polar in itsseverity. But in some way their appearance infused into his soulcalmness and strength. 

"Liberty has always been bought with life, and the glory of the greatestnations handseled with the blood of their founders. " This was thethought in his heart, as looking far off to the horizon, he askedhopefully:

 "What then, O God, shall this good land produce That Thou art watering it so carefully?"

CHAPTER V. A FAMOUS BARBECUE. 

 "So when fierce zeal a nation rends, And stern injustice rules the throne, Beneath the yoke meek virtue bends, And modest truth is heard to groan. But when fair Freedom's star appears, Then hushed are sighs, and calmed are fears. And who, when nations long opprest, Decree to curb the oppressor's pride, And patriot virtues fire the breast, Who shall the generous ardor chide? What shall withstand the great decree, When a brave nation will be free?

It is flesh and blood that makes husbands and wives, fathers andchildren, and for the next few days these ties were sorely wounded inRobert Worth's house. The Senora was what Rachela called "difficult. " Inreality, she was angry and sullen. At such times she always went earlyto mass, said many prayers, and still further irritated herself byunnecessary fasting. But there are few homes which totally escape thevisitations of this 'pious temper' in some form or other. And no creedmodifies it; the strict Calvinist and strict Catholic are equallydisagreeable while under its influence. 

Besides, the Senora, like the ill-tempered prophet, thought she "didwell to be angry. " She imagined herself deserted and betrayed in allher tenderest feelings, her husband a rebel, her home made desolate, hersons and daughters supporting their father's imprudent views. She couldonly see one alternative before her; she must choose between her countryand her religion, or her husband and children. 

True, she had not yet heard from her sons, but she would listen to noneof Rachela's hopes regarding them. Thomas had always said yes to all hisfather's opinions. How could she expect anything from John when he wasbeing carefully trained in the very principles which everywhere made theAmericans so irritating to the Mexican government. 

Her husband and Antonia she would not see. Isabel she received in herdarkened room, with passionate weeping and many reproaches. The unhappyhusband had expected this trouble at the outset. It was one of thosedomestic thorns which fester and hamper, but to which the very bestof men have to submit. He could only send pleasant and affectionatemessages by Rachela, knowing that Rachela would deliver them with herown modifications of tone and manner. 

"The Senor sends his great love to the Senora. Grace of Mary! If hewould do a little as the most wise and tender of spouses wishes him!That would be for the good fortune of every one. 

"Ah, Rachela, my heart is broken! Bring me my mantilla. I will go toearly mass, when one's husband and children forsake them, who, then, ispossible but the Holy Mother?

"My Senora, you will take cold; the morning is chill; besides, I have tosay the streets will be full of those insolent Americans. "

"I shall be glad to take cold, perhaps even to die. And the Americans donot offend women. Even the devil has his good points. "

"Holy Virgin! Offend women! They do not even think us worth lookingat. But then it is an intolerable offence to see them standing in ourstreets, as if they had made the whole land. "

But this morning, early as it was, the streets were empty of Americans. There had been hundreds of them there at the proclamation; there was notone to be seen twelve hours afterwards. But at the principal rendezvousof the city, and on the very walls of the Alamo, they had left thischaracteristic notice:

 "To SANTA ANNA:

 "If you want our arms-take them. 

 "TEN THOUSAND AMERICAN TEXANS. "

Robert Worth saw it with an irrepressible emotion of pride andsatisfaction. He had faithfully fulfilled his promise to his conscience, and, with his rifle across his shoulder, and his revolvers and knifein his belt, was taking the road to his office with a somewhat markeddeliberation. He was yet a remarkably handsome man; and what man isthere that a rifle does not give a kind of nobility to? With an up-headcarriage and the light of his soul in his face, he trod the narrow, uneven street like a soldier full of enthusiasm at his own commission. 

No one interfered with his solitary parade. He perceived, indeed, a marked approval of it. The Zavalas, Navarros. Garcias, and otherprominent citizens, addressed him with but a slightly repressedsympathy. They directed his attention with meaning looks to thecounter-proclamation of the Americans. They made him understand by thepressure of their hands that they also were on the side of liberty. 

As he did not hurry, he met several officers, but they wisely affectednot to see what they did not wish to see. For Doctor Worth was a personto whom very wide latitude might be given. To both the military andthe civilians his skill was a necessity. The attitude he had taken wasprivately discussed, but no one publicly acted or even commented uponit. Perhaps he was a little disappointed at this. He had come to a pointwhen a frank avowal of his opinions would be a genuine satisfaction;when, in fact, his long-repressed national feeling was imperious. 

On the third morning, as he crossed the Plaza, some one called him. Thevoice made his heart leap; his whole nature responded to it like thestrings of a harp to the sweep of a skilful hand. He turned quickly, and saw two young men galloping towards him. The foremost figure was hisson--his beloved youngest son--whom he had just been thinking of as wellout of danger, safe and happy in the peaceful halls of Columbia. And lo!here he was in the very home of the enemy; and he was glad of it. 

"Why, Jack!" he cried; "Why, Jack, my boy! I never thought of you here. "He had his hand on the lad's shoulder, and was gazing into his brightface with tears and smiles and happy wonder. 

"Father, I had to come. And there are plenty more coming. And here ismy other self--the best fellow that ever lived: Darius Grant. 'Dare'we call him, father, for there is not anything he won't venture if hethinks it worth the winning. And how is mi madre and Antonia, and Iza?And isn't it jolly to see you with a rifle?"

"Well, Dare; well, Jack; you are both welcome; never so welcome to Texasas at this hour. Come home at once and, refresh yourselves. "

There was so much to tell that at first the conversation was infragments and exclamations, and the voices of the two young men, pitchedhigh and clear in their excitement, went far before them as if impatientof their welcome. Antonia heard them first. She was on the balcony, standing thoughtful and attent. It seemed to her as if in those days shewas always listening. Jack's voice was the loudest, but she heard Dare'sfirst. It vibrated in midair and fell upon her consciousness, clear andsweet as a far-away bell. 

"That is Dare's voice--HERE. "

She leaned forward, her soul hearkened after the vibrations, and againthey called her. With swift steps she reached the open door. Rachela satin her chair within it. 

"The Senorita had better remain within, " she said, sullenly; "the sungrows hot. "

"Let me pass, Rachela, I am in a hurry. "

"To be sure, the Senorita will have her way--good or bad. "

Antonia heeded her not; she was hastening down the main avenue towardthe gateway. This avenue was hedged on each side with oleanders, andthey met in a light, waving arch above her head. At this season theywere one mass of pale pink blossoms and dark glossy leaves. The vividsunshine through them made a rosy light which tinged her face and herwhite gown with an indescribable glow. If a mortal woman can ever looklike an angel, the fair, swiftly moving Antonia had at that moment theangelic expression of joy and love; the angelic unconsciousness of rapidand graceful movement; the angelic atmosphere that was in itself a dreamof paradise; rose-tinted, divinely sweet and warm. 

Dare saw her coming, and suddenly ceased speaking{. ??} He was in themidst of a sentence, but he forgot what he was saying. He forgot wherehe was. He knew nothing, felt nothing, saw nothing, heard nothing butAntonia. And yet he did not fall at her feet, and kiss her hands andwhisper delightful extravagances; all of which things an Iberian loverwould have done, and felt and looked in the doing perfectly graceful andnatural. 

Dare Grant only clasped both the pretty hands held out to him; onlysaid "Antonia! Antonia!" only looked at her with eyes full of a lovingquestion, which found its instant answer in her own. In that moment theyrevealed to each other the length and breadth, the height and the depthof their affection. They had not thought of disguising it; they made noattempt to do so; and Robert Worth needed not the confession which, afew hours later, Grant thought it right to make to him. 

When they entered the house together, a happy, noisy group, Rachela hadleft her chair and was going hurriedly upstairs to tell the Senora hersurmise; but Jack passed her with a bound, and was at his mother's sidebefore the heavy old woman had comprehended his passing salutation. 

"Madre! Mother, I am here!"

The Senora was on her couch in her darkened room. She had been at thevery earliest mass, had a headache, and had come home in a state ofrebellion against heaven and earth. But Jack was her idol, the one childfor whose presence she continually pined, the one human creature towhose will and happiness she delighted to sacrifice her own. When sheheard his voice she rose quickly, crying out:

"A miracle! A miracle! Grace of God and Mary, a miracle! Only thismorning, my precious, my boy! I asked the Holy Mother to pity mysorrows, and send you to me. I vow to Mary a new shrine. I vow to keepit, and dress it for one whole year. I will give my opal ring to thepoor. Oh, Juan! Juan! Juan I am too blessed. "

Her words were broken into pieces by his kisses. He knelt at her knees, and stroked her face, and patted her hands, and did all with suchnatural fervor and grace, that anything else, or anything less, musthave seemed cold and unfilial. 

"Come, my beautiful mother, and see my friend. I have told him so muchabout you; and poor Dare has no mother. I have promised him that youwill be his mother also. Dare is so good--the finest fellow in all theworld; come down and see Dare, and let us have a real Mexican dinner, madre. I have not tasted an olla since I left you. "

She could not resist him. She made Rachela lay out her prettiest dress, and when Jack said "how beautiful your hair is, mother; no one has hairlike you!" she drew out the great shell pins, and let it fall like acloud around her, and with a glad pride gave Rachela the order to getout her jewelled comb and gilded fan and finest mantilla. And oh! howhappy is that mother who has such pure and fervent admiration from herson; and how happy is that son to whom his mother is ever beautiful!

Jack's presence drove all the evil spirits out of the house. The windowswere thrown open; the sunshine came in. He was running after Isabel, hewas playing the mandolin; his voice, his laugh, his quick footstep, wereeverywhere. 

In spite of the trouble in the city, there was a real festival inthe house. The Senora came down in her sweetest temper and her finestgarments. She arranged Jack's dinner herself, selected the dishes andgave strict orders about their serving. She took Jack's friend at onceinto her favor, and Dare thought her wonderfully lovely and gracious. Hesat with her on the balcony, and talked of Jack, telling her how cleverhe was, and how all his comrades loved him for his sunny temper andaffectionate heart. 

It was a happy dinner, lengthened out with merry conversation. Every onethought that a few hours might be given to family love and family joy. It would be good to have the memory of them in the days that were fastcoming. So they sat long over the sweetmeats, and fresh figs, andthe pale wines of Xeres and Alicante. And they rose up with laughter, looking into each others' faces with eyes that seemed to bespeak loveand remembrance. And then they went from the table, and saw not Destinystanding cold and pitiless behind them, marking two places for evermorevacant. 

There was not much siesta that day. The Senora, Isabel and Jacksat together; the Senora dozed a little, but not enough to loseconsciousness of Jack's presence and Jack's voice. The father, happy, and yet acutely anxious, went to and fro between his children and hisstudy. Antonia and Dare were in the myrtle walk or under the fig-tree. This hour was the blossoming time of their lives. And it was not theless sweet and tender because of the dark shadows on the edge of thesunshine. Nor were they afraid to face the shadows, to inquire of them, and thus to taste the deeper rapture of love when love is gemmed withtears. 

It was understood that the young men were going away in the morning veryearly; so early that their adieus must be said with their good-nights. It was at this hour that the Senora found courage to ask:

"My Juan, where do you go?

"To Gonzales, mi madre. "

"But why? Oh, Juan, do not desert your madre, and your country!

"Desert you, madre! I am your boy to my last breath! My country I lovewith my whole soul. That is why I have come back to you and to her! Sheis in trouble and her sons must stand by her. "

"Do not talk with two meanings. Oh, Juan! why do you go to Gonzales?"

"We have heard that Colonel Ugartchea is to be there soon, and totake away the arms of the Americans. That is not to be endured. If youyourself were a man, you would have been away ere this to help them, Iam sure. "

"ME!! The Blessed Virgin knows I would cut off my hands and feet first. Juan, listen to me dear one! You are a Mexican. "

"My heart is Mexican, for it is yours. But I must stand with my fatherand with my brother, and with my American compatriots. Are we slaves, that we must give up our arms? No, but if we gave them up we shoulddeserve to be slaves. "

"God and the saints!" she answered, passionately. "What a trouble abouta few guns! One would think the Mexicans wanted the wives and children, the homes and lands of the Americans. They cry out from one end of Texasto the other. "

"They cry out in old England and in New England, in New York, in NewOrleans, and all down the Mississippi. And men are crying back tothem: 'Stand to your rifles and we will come and help you!' The idea ofdisarming ten thousand Americans!" Jack laughed with scornful amusementat the notion. "What a game it will be! Mother, you can't tell how aman gets to love his rifle. He that takes our purse takes trash; but ourrifles! By George Washington, that's a different story!"

Juan, my darling, you are my last hope. Your brother was born with anAmerican heart. He has even become a heretic. Fray Ignatius says he wentinto the Colorado and was what they call immersed; he that was baptizedwith holy water by the thrice holy bishop of Durango. My beloved one, goand see Fray Ignatius; late as it is, he will rise and counsel you. 

"My heart, my conscience, my country, my father, my brother, SantaAnna's despotism, have already counselled me. "

"Speak no more. I see that you also are a rebel and a heretic. Mother ofsorrows, give me thy compassion!" Then, turning to Juan, she cried out:"May God pardon me for having brought into this world such ingrates! Gofrom me! You have broken my heart!"

He fell at her feet, and, in spite of her reluctance, took her hands--

"Sweetest mother, wait but a little while. You will see that we areright. Do not be cross with Juan. I am going away. Kiss me, mother. Kissme, and give me your blessing. "

"No, I will not bless you. I will not kiss you. You want what isimpossible, what is wicked. "

"I want freedom. "

"And to get freedom you tread upon your mother's heart. Let loose myhands. I am weary to death of this everlasting talk of freedom. I thinkindeed that the Americans know but two words: freedom and dollars. Ringfor Rachela. She, at least, is faithful to me. "

"Not till you kiss me, mother. Do not send me away unblessed andunloved. That is to doom me to misfortune. Mi madre, I beg this favorfrom you. " He had risen, but he still held her hands, and he was weepingas innocent young men are not ashamed to weep. 

If she had looked at him! Oh, if she had but once looked at his face, she could not have resisted its beauty, its sorrow, its imploration! Butshe would not look. She drew her hands angrily away from him. She turnedher back upon her suppliant son and imperiously summoned Rachela. 

"Good-by, mi madre. "

"Good-by, mi madre!"

She would not turn to him, or answer him a word. 

"Mi madre, here comes Rachela! Say 'God bless you, Juan. ' It is my lastword, sweet mother!"

She neither moved nor spoke. The next moment Rachela entered, and thewretched woman abandoned herself to her care with vehement sobs andcomplainings. 

Jack was inexpressibly sorrowful. He went into the garden, hoping in itssilence and solitude to find some relief. He loved his mother with hisstrongest affection. Every one of her sobs wrung his heart. Was it rightto wound and disobey her for the sake of--freedom? Mother was a certaingood; freedom only a glorious promise. Mother was a living fact; freedoman intangible idea. 

Ah, but men have always fought more passionately for ideas than forfacts! Tyrants are safe while they touch only silver and gold; but whenthey try to bind a man's ideals--the freedom of his citizenship--thepurity of his faith--he will die to preserve them in their integrity. 

Besides, freedom for every generation has but her hour. If that hour isnot seized, no other may come for the men who have suffered it to pass. But mother would grow more loving as the days went by. And this was everthe end of Jack's reasoning; for no man knows how deep the roots of hisnature strike into his native land, until he sees her in the grasp of atyrant, and hears her crying to him for deliverance. 

The struggle left the impress on his face. He passed a boundary in it. Certain boyish feelings and graces would never again be possible to him. He went into the house, weary, and longing for companionship that wouldcomfort or strengthen him. Only Isabel was in the parlor. She appearedto be asleep among the sofa cushions, but she opened her eyes wide as hetook a chair beside her. 

"I have been waiting to kiss you again, Juan; do you think this troublewill last very long?"

"It will be over directly, Iza. Do not fret yourself about it, angelmio. The Americans are great fighters, and their quarrel is just. Well, then, it will be settled by the good God quickly. "

"Rachela says that Santa Anna has sent off a million of men to fight theAmericans. Some they will cut in pieces, and some are to be sent to themines to work in chains. "

"God is not dead of old age, Iza. Santa Anna is a miraculous tyrant. Hehas committed every crime under heaven, but I think he will not cut theAmericans in pieces. "

"And if the Americans should even make him go back to Mexico!"

"I think that is very possible. "

"What then, Juan?"

"He would pay for some of his crimes here the rest he would settle forin purgatory. And you, too, Iza, are you with the Americans?"

"Luis Alveda says they are right. "

"Oh-h! I see! So Luis is to be my brother too. Is that so, little dear?"

"Have you room in your heart for him? Or has this Dare Grant filled it?"

"If I had twenty sisters, I should have room for twenty brothers, ifthey were like Dare and Luis. But, indeed, Luis had his place therebefore I knew Dare. "

"And perhaps you may see him soon; he is with Senor Sam Houston. SenorHouston was here not a week ago. Will you think of that? And the motherand uncle of Luis are angry at him; he will be disinherited, and weshall be very poor, I think. But there is always my father, who lovesLuis. "

"Luis will win his own inheritance. I think you will be very rich. "

"And, Juan, if you see Luis, say to him, 'Iza thinks of youcontinually. '"

At this moment Rachela angrily called her charge--

"Are you totally and forever wicked, disobedient one? Two hours I havebeen kept waiting. Very well! The Sisters are the only duenna for you;and back to the convent you shall go to-morrow. The Senora is of mymind, also. "

"My father will not permit it. I will go to my father. And think ofthis, Rachela: I am no longer to be treated like a baby. " But she kissedJuan 'farewell, ' and went away without further dispute. 

The handsome room looked strangely lonely and desolate when the door hadclosed behind her. Jack rose, and roughly shook himself, as if by thatmeans he hoped to throw off the oppression and melancholy that wasinvading even his light heart. Hundreds of moths were dashing themselvesto death against the high glass shade that covered the blowing candlesfrom them. He stood and looked at their hopeless efforts to reach theflame. He had an unpleasant thought; one of those thoughts which havethe force of a presentiment. He put it away with annoyance, muttering, "It is time enough to meet misfortune when it comes. "

The sound of a footstep made him stand erect and face the door. 

It was only a sleepy peon with a request that he would go to hisfather's study. A different mental atmosphere met him there. The doctorwas walking up and down the room, and Dare and Antonia sat together atthe open window. 

"Your father wants to hear about our journey, Jack. Take my chair andtell him what happened. Antonia and I will walk within hearing; a roofmakes me restless such a night as this"; for the waning moon had risen, and the cool wind from the Gulf was shaking a thousand scents from thetrees and the flowering shrubs. 

The change was made with the words, and the doctor sat down beside hisson. "I was asking, Jack, how you knew so much about Texan affairs, andhow you came so suddenly to take part in them?"

"Indeed, father, we could not escape knowing. The Texan fever was moreor less in every young man's blood. One night Dare had a supper at hisrooms, and there were thirty of us present. A man called Faulkner--afine fellow from Nacogdoches--spoke to us. How do you think he spoke, when his only brother, a lad of twenty, is working in a Mexican mineloaded with chains?"

"For what?"

"He said one day that 'the natural boundaries of the United Statesare the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. ' He was sent to the mines for thewords. Faulkner's only hope for him is in the independence of Texas. He had us on fire in five minutes--all but Sandy McDonald, who loves toargue, and therefore took the Mexican side. "

"What could he say for it?"

"He said it was a very unjustlike thing to make Mexico give her Americansettlers in Texas two hundred and twenty-four millions of acres becauseshe thought a change of government best for her own interests. "

"The Americans settled in Texas under the solemn guarantee of theconstitution of eighteen twenty-four. How many of them would have builthomes under a tyrannical despotism like that Santa Anna is now forcingupon them?" asked the doctor, warmly. 

"McDonald said, 'There is a deal of talk about freedom among youAmericans, and it just means nothing at all. ' You should have seenFaulkner! He turned on him like a tornado. 'How should you know anythingabout freedom, McDonald?' he cried. 'You are in feudal darkness in theHighlands of Scotland. You have only just emigrated into freedom. Butwe Americans are born free! If you can not feel the difference betweena federal constitution and a military and religious despotism, there issimply no use talking to you. How would you like to find yourself in acountry where suddenly trial by jury and the exercise of your religionwas denied you? Of course you could abandon the home you had built, andthe acres you had bought and put under cultivation, and thus make someMexican heir to your ten years' labor. Perhaps a Scot, for conscience'sake, would do this. '"

"And what answer made he? He said, 'A Scot kens how to grip tight toten years' labor as well as yoursel', Faulkner; and neither man norde'il can come between him and his religion; but--' 'BUT, ' shoutedFaulkner; 'there is no BUT! It is God and our right! God and our right, against priestcraft and despotism!'"

"Then every one of us leaped to our feet, and we swore to followFaulkner to Texas at an hour's notice; and Sandy said we were 'a parcelof fools'; and then, would you believe it, father, when our boat wasleaving the pier, amid the cheers and hurrahs of thousands, Sandy leapedon the boat and joined us?"

"What did he say then?"

"He said, 'I am a born fool to go with you, but I think there is a kindo' witchcraft in that word TEXAS. It has been stirring me up morning andnight like the voice o' the charmer, and I be to follow it though I kenwell enough it isna leading me in the paths o' peace and pleasantness!'"

"Did you find the same enthusiasm outside of New York?"

"All along the Ohio and Mississippi we gathered recruits; and atRandolph, sixty miles above Memphis, we were joined by David Crockett. "

"Jack!"

"True, father! And then at every landing we took on men. For at everylanding Crockett spoke to the people; and, as we stopped very often, wewere cheered all the way down the river. The Mediterranean, though thebiggest boat on it, was soon crowded; but at Helena, Crockett and agreat number of the leading men of the expedition got off. And as Dareand Crockett had become friends, I followed them. "

"Where did you go to?"

"We went ostensibly to a big barbecue at John Bowie's plantation, whichis a few miles below Helena. Invitations to this barbecue had been senthundreds of miles throughout the surrounding country. We met partiesfrom the depths of the Arkansas wilderness and the furthest boundariesof the Choctaw nation coming to it. There were raftsmen from theMississippi, from the White, and the St. Francis rivers. There wereplanters from Lousiana and Tennessee. There were woodsmen from Kentucky. There were envoys from New Orleans, Washington, and all the greatEastern cities. "

"I had an invitation myself, Jack. "

"I wish you had accepted it. It was worth the journey. There never wasand there never will be such a barbecue again. Thousands were present. The woods were full of sheds and temporary buildings, and platforms forthe speakers. "

"Who were the speakers?"

"Crockett, Hawkins, General Montgomery, Colonel Beauford, the threebrothers Cheatham, Doc. Bennet, and many others. When the woods wereilluminated at night with pine knots, you may imagine the scene and thewild enthusiasm that followed their eloquence. "

"Doc. Bennet is a good partisan, and he is enormously rich. "

"And he has a personal reason for his hatred of Mexico. An insatiablerevenge possesses him. His wife and two children were barbarouslymurdered by Mexicans. He appealed to those who could not go to thefight to give money to aid it, and on the spot laid down ten thousanddollars. "

"Good!"

"Nine other men, either present or there by proxy, instantly gave a likesum, and thirty thousand in smaller sums was added to it. Every donationwas hailed with the wildest transports, and while the woods were ringingwith electrifying shouts, Hawkins rallied three hundred men round himand went off at a swinging galop for the Brazos. "

"Oh, Jack! Jack!"

In another hour, the rest of the leaders had gathered their detachments, and every man had turned his face to the Texan prairies. Crockett wasalready far advanced on the way. Sam Houston was known to be kindlingthe fire on the spot; "and I suppose you know, father, " said Jack, sinking his voice to a whisper, "that we have still more powerfulbackers. "

"General Gaines?"

"Well, he has a large body of United States troops at Nacogdoches. Hesays they are to protect the people of Navasola from the Indians. "

"But Navasola is twenty-nine miles west of Nacogdoches. "

"Navasola is in Texas. Very well! If the United States feel it to betheir duty to protect the people of Navasola, it seems they alreadyconsider Texas within their boundary. "

"You think the Indians a mere pretext?"

"Of course. Crockett has with him an autograph letter from PresidentJackson, introducing him as 'a God-chosen patriot. ' President Jacksonalready sees Texas in the Union, and Gaines understands that if theAmerican-Texans should be repulsed by Santa Anna, and fall back uponhim, that he may then gather them under his standard and lead themforward to victory--and the conquest of Texas. Father, you will see theStars and Stripes on the palaces of Mexico. "

"Do not talk too fast, Jack. And now, go lie down on my bed. In fourhours you must leave, if you want to reach Gonzales to-night!"

Then Dare was called, and the lovers knew that their hour of parting wascome. They said nothing of the fears in their hearts; and on Antonia'slifted face there was only the light of love and of hope. 

"The fight will soon be over, darling, and then!"

"And then? We shall be so happy. "

CHAPTER VI. ROBERT WORTH IS DISARMED. 

 "Strange sons of Mexico, and strange her fate; They fight for freedom who were never free; A kingless people for a nerveless state. "

 * * * * *

 "Not all the threats or favors of a crown, A Prince's whisper, or a tyrant's frown, Can awe the spirit or allure the mind Of him, who to strict Honor is inclined. Though all the pomp and pleasure that does wait On public places, and affairs of state; Though all the storms and tempests should arise, That Church magicians in their cells devise, And from their settled basis nations tear: He would, unmoved, the mighty ruin bear. Secure in innocence, contemn them all, And, decently arrayed, in honor fall. "

 * * * * *

 "Say, what is honor? 'Tis the finest sense Of justice which the human mind can frame. "

The keenest sufferings entailed by war are not on the battle-field, nor in the hospital. They are in the household. There are the maimedaffections, the slain hopes, the broken ties of love. And before a shothad been fired in the war of Texan independence, the battle had begun inRobert Worth's household. 

The young men lay down to rest, but he sat watching the night away. There was a melancholy sleepiness in it; the mockingbirds had ceasedsinging; the chirping insects had become weary. Only the clock, with itsregular "tick, tick, " kept the watch with him. 

When it was near dawn, he lifted a candle and went into the room whereJack and Dare were sleeping. Dare did not move; Jack opened his eyeswide, and smiled brightly at the intruder. 

"Well, father?"

"It is time to get up, Jack. Tell Dare. "

In a few minutes both came to him. A bottle of wine, some preservedbears' paws, and biscuits were on the table. They ate standing, speakingvery little and almost in whispers; and then the doctor went withthem to the stable. He helped Jack to saddle his horse. He found a sadpleasure in coming so close to him. Once their cheeks touched, and thetouch brought the tears to his eyes and sent he blood to his heart. 

With his hand on the saddle, Jack paused and said, softly, "Father, dear, tell mi madre my last look at the house, my last thought inleaving it, was for her. She would not kiss me or bless me last night. Ask her to kiss you for me, " and then the lad broke fairly down. Themoment had come in which love could find no utterance, and must act. Heflung his arm around his father's neck and kissed him. And the fatherwept also, and yet spoke brave words to both as he walked with themto the gate and watched them ride into the thick mist lying upon theprairie like a cloud. They were only darker spots in it. It swallowedthem up. They were lost to sight. 

He thought no one had seen the boys leave but himself. But through thelattices two sorrowful women also watched their departure. The Senora, as wakeful as her husband, had heard the slight movements, the unusualnoises of that early hour, and had divined the cause of them. She lookedat Rachela. The woman had fallen into the dead sleep of exhaustion, andshe would not have to parry her objections and warnings. Unshod, andin her night-dress, she slipped through the corridor to the back of thehouse, and tightly clasping her rosary in her hands, she stood behindthe lattice and watched her boy away. 

He turned in his saddle just before he passed the gate, and she saw hisyoung face lifted with an unconscious, anxious love, to the very latticeat which she stood: In the dim light it had a strange pallor. The mistyair blurred and made all indistinct. It was like seeing her Jack in somewoful dream. If he had been dead, such a vision of him might have cometo her from the shadow land. 

Usually her grief was noisy and imperative of sympathy. But this morningshe could not cry nor lament. She went softly back to her room and satdown, with her crucifix before her aching eyes. Yet she could notsay her usual prayers. She could not remember anything but Jack'sentreaty--"Kiss me, mi madre! Bless me, mi madre!" She could not seeanything but that last rapid turn in the saddle, and that piteous youngface, showing so weird and dreamlike through the gray mist of the earlydawn. 

Antonia had watched with her. Dare, also, had turned, but there hadbeen something about Dare's attitude far more cheery and hopeful. On theprevious night Antonia had put some sprays of rosemary in his hat band"to bring good, and keep away evil on a journey"; and as he turned andlifted his hat he put his lips to them. He had the belief that from somepoint his Antonia was watching him. He conveyed to her, by the strengthof his love and his will, the assurance of all their hopes. 

That day Doctor Worth did not go out. The little bravado of carryingarms was impossible to him. It was not that his courage had failed, orthat he had lost a tittle of his convictions, but he was depressedby the uncertainty of his position and duty, and he was, besides, thethrall of that intangible anxiety which we call PRESENTIMENT. 

Yet, however dreary life is, it must go on. The brave-hearted cannotdrop daily duty. On the second day the doctor went to his office again, and Antonia arranged the meals and received company, and did her bestto bring the household into peaceful accord with the new elementsencroaching on it from all sides. 

But the Senora was more "difficult" than even Rachela had ever seen herbefore. She did not go to church, but Fray Ignatius spent a great dealof time with her; and his influence was not any more conciliating thanthat of early masses and much fasting. 

He said to her, indeed: "My daughter, you have behaved with thefortitude of a saint. It would have been more than a venial sin, if youhad kissed and blessed a rebel in the very act of his rebellion. TheHoly Mary will reward and comfort you. "

But the Senora was not sensible of the reward and comfort; and she didfeel most acutely the cruel wound she had given her mother love. Neitherprayers nor penance availed her. She wanted to see Jack. She wanted tokiss him a hundred times, and bless him with every kiss. And it did nothelp her to be told that these longings were the suggestions of the EvilOne, and not to be listened to. 

The black-robed monk, gliding about his house with downcast eyes andfolded hands, had never seemed to Robert Worth so objectionable. Heknew that he kept the breach open between himself and his wife--thathe thought it a point of religious duty to do so. He knew that he wasgradually isolating the wretched woman from her husband and children, and that the continual repetition of prayers and penances did not giveher any adequate comfort for the wrong she was doing her affections. 

The city was also in a condition of the greatest excitement. Thesoldiers in the Alamo were under arms. Their officers had evidentlyreceived important advices from Mexico. General Cos, the brother-in-lawof Santa Anna, was now in command, and it was said immensereinforcements were hourly looked for. The drifting American populationhad entirely vanished, but its palpable absence inspired the mostthoughtful of the people with fear instead of security. 

Nor were the military by any means sure of the loyalty of the city. Itwas well known that a large proportion of the best citizens hated thedespotism of Santa Anna; and that if the Americans attacked SanAntonio, they would receive active sympathy. Party feeling was nolonger controllable. Men suspected each other. Duels were of constantoccurrence, and families were torn to pieces; for the monks supportedSanta Anna with all their influence, and there were few women who daredto disobey them. 

Into the midst of this turbulent, touchy community, there fell onemorning a word or two which set it on fire. Doctor Worth was talking onthe Plaza with Senor Lopez Navarro. A Mexican soldier, with his yellowcloak streaming out behind him, galloped madly towards the Alamo andleft the news there. It spread like wildfire. "There had been a fight atGonzales, and the Americans had kept their arms. They had also put theMexicans to flight. "

"And more, " added a young Mexican coming up to the group of which RobertWorth was one, "Stephen Austin has escaped, and he arrived at Gonzalesat the very moment of victory. And more yet: Americans are pouring intoGonzales from every quarter. "

An officer tapped Doctor Worth on the shoulder. "Senor Doctor, yourarms. General Cos hopes, in the present extremity, you will set anexample of obedience. "

"I will not give up my arms. In the present extremity my arms are thegreatest need I have. "

"Then Senor, --it is a great affliction to me--I must arrest you. "

He was led away, amid the audible murmurs of the men who filled thestreets. There needed but some one to have said the word, and they wouldhave taken him forcibly from the military. A great crowd followed him tothe gates of the Alamo. For there was scarcely a family in San Antonioof which this good doctor was not an adopted member. The arrest of theirfavorite confessor would hardly have enraged them more. 

Fray Ignatius brought the news to the Senora. Even he was affected byit. Never before had Antonia seen him walk except with thoughtful anddeliberate steps. She wondered at his appearance; at its suppressedhurry; at a something in it which struck her as suppressed satisfaction. 

And the priest was in his heart satisfied; though he was consciouslytelling himself that "he was sorry for the Senora, and that he wouldhave been glad if the sins of her husband could have been set againstthe works of supererogation which the saints of his own convent hadamassed. "

"But he is an infidel; he believes not in the saints, " he muttered;"then how could they avail him!"

Antonia met him at the door. He said an Ave Maria as he crossed thethreshold, and gave her his hand to kiss. She looked wonderingly in hisface, for unless it was a special visit, he never called so near theAngelus. Still, it is difficult to throw off a habit of obedience formedin early youth; and she did not feel as if she could break through thechill atmosphere of the man and ask: "For what reason have you come, father?"

A long, shrill shriek from the Senora was the first answer to thefearful question in her heart. In a few moments she was at her mother'sdoor. Rachela knelt outside it, telling her rosary. She stolidlykept her place, and a certain instinct for a moment prevented Antoniainterrupting her. But the passionate words of her mother, blending withthe low, measured tones of the priest, were something far more positive. 

"Let me pass you, Rachela. What is the matter with my mother?"

The woman was absorbed in her supplications, and Antonia opened thedoor. Isabel followed her. They found themselves in the the{sic}presence of an angry sorrow that appalled them. The Senora had torn herlace mantilla into shreds, and they were scattered over the room as shehad flung them from her hands in her frantic walk about it. The largeshell comb that confined her hair was trodden to pieces, and its longcoils had fallen about her face and shoulders. Her bracelets, her chainof gold, her brooch and rings were scattered on the floor, and she wasstanding in the centre of it, like an enraged creature; tearingher handkerchief into strips, as an emphasis to her passionatedenunciations. 

"It serves him right! JESUS! MARIA! JOSEPH! It serves him right! He mustcarry arms! HE, TOO! when it was forbidden! I am glad he is arrested!Oh, Roberto! Roberto!"

"Patience, my daughter! This is the hand of God. What can you do butsubmit?"

"What is it, mi madre?" and Isabel put her arms around her mother withthe words mi madre. "Tell Isabel your sorrow. "

"Your father is arrested--taken to the Alamo--he will be sent to themines. I told him so! I told him so! He would not listen to me! Howwicked he has been!"

"What has my father done, Fray Ignatius? Why have they arrested him?"

The priest turned to Antonia with a cold face. He did not like her. Hefelt that she did not believe in him. 

"Senorita, he has committed a treason. A good citizen obeys the law;Senor Worth has defied it. "

"Pardon, father, I cannot believe it. "

"A great forbearance has been shown him, but the end of mercy comes. As he persisted in wearing arms, he has been taken to the Alamo anddisarmed. "

"It is a great shame! An infamous shame and wrong!" cried Antonia. "Whatright has any one to take my father's arms? No more than they have totake his purse or his coat. "

"General Santa Anna--"

"General Santa Anna is a tyrant and a thief. I care not who saysdifferent. "

"Antonia! Shameless one!"

"Mother, do not strike me. " Then she took her mother's hands in her own, and led her to a couch, caressing her as she spoke--

"Don't believe any one--ANY ONE, mother, who says wrong of my father. You know that he is the best of men. Rachela! Come here instantly. Therosary is not the thing, now. You ought to be attending to the Senora. Get her some valerian and some coffee, and come and remove her clothing. Fray Ignatius, we will beg you to leave us to-night to ourselves. "

"Your mother's sin, in marrying a heretic, has now found her out. It ismy duty to make her see her fault. "

"My mother had a dispensation from one greater than you. "

"Oh, father, pray for me! I accuse myself! I accuse myself! Oh, wretchedwoman! Oh, cruel husband!"

"Mother, you have been a very happy woman. You have had the best husbandin the world. Do not reproach my father for the sins of others. Do notdesert him when he is in the power of a human tiger. My God, mother! letus think of something to be done for his help! I will see the Navarros, the Garcias, Judge Valdez; I will go to the Plaza and call on thethousands he has cured and helped to set him free. "

"You will make of yourself something not to be spoken of. This is thejudgment of God, my daughter. "

"It is the judgment of a wicked man, Fray Ignatius. My mother is not nowable to listen to you. Isabel, come here and comfort her. " Isabel puther cheek to her mother's; she murmured caressing words; she kissed herface, and coiled up her straggling hair, and with childlike trust amidall, solicited Holy Mary to console them. 

Fray Ignatius watched her with a cold scrutiny. He was saying tohimself, "It is the fruit of sin. I warned the Senora, when she marriedthis heretic, that trouble would come of it. Very well, it has come. "Then like a flash a new thought invaded his mind--If the Senor Doctordisappeared forever, why not induce the Senora and her daughters togo into a religious house? There was a great deal of money. The churchcould use it well. 

Antonia did not understand the thought, but she understood its animus, and again she requested his withdrawal. This time she went close to him, and bravely looked straight into his eyes. Their scornful gleam senta chill to her heart like that of cold steel. At that moment sheunderstood that she had turned a passive enemy into an active one. 

He went, however, without further parley, stopping only to warn theSenora against the sin "of standing with the enemies of God and theHoly Church, " and to order Isabel to recite for her mother's pardon andcomfort a certain number of aves and paternosters. Antonia went withhim to the door, and ere he left he blessed her, and said: "The Senoritawill examine her soul and see her sin. Then the ever merciful Churchwill hear her confession, and give her the satisfying penance. "

Antonia bowed in response. When people are in great domestic sorrow, self-examination is a superfluous advice. She listened a moment tohis departing footsteps, shivering as she stood in the darkness, for anorther had sprung up, and the cold was severe. She only glanced intothe pleasant parlor where the table was laid for dinner, and a greatfire of cedar logs was throwing red, dancing lights over the white linenand the shining silver and glass. The chairs were placed aroundthe table; her father's at the head. It had a forsaken air that wasunendurable. 

The dinner hour was now long past. It would be folly to attempt themeal. How could she and Isabel sit down alone and eat, and her father inprison, and her mother frantic with a loss which she was warned it wassinful to mourn over. Antonia had a soul made for extremities and notafraid to face them, but invisible hands controlled her. What coulda woman do, whom society had forbidden to do anything, but endure thepangs of patience?

The Senora could offer no suggestions. She was not indeed in a mood tothink of her resources. A spiritual dread was upon her. And with thismingled an intense sense of personal wrong from her husband. "Had shenot begged him to be passive? And he had put an old rifle before herand her daughters! It was all that Senor Houston's doing. She had anassurance of that. " She invoked a thousand maledictions on him. Sherecalled, with passionate reproaches, Jack's infidelity to her andhis God and his country. Her anger passed from one subject to anotherconstantly, finding in all, even in the lukewarmness of Antonia andIsabel, and in their affection for lovers, who were also rebels, anaccumulating reason for a stupendous reproach against herself, herhusband, her children, and her unhappy fate. Her whole nature was inrevolt--in that complete mental and moral anarchy from which springstragedy and murder. 

Isabel wept so violently that she angered still further the tearlesssuffering of her mother. "God and the saints!" she cried. "What are youweeping for? Will tears do any good? Do I weep? God has forbidden meto weep for the wicked. Yet how I suffer! Mary, mother of sorrows, pityme!"

She sent Isabel away. Her sobs were not to be borne. And very soonshe felt Antonia's white face and silent companionship to be just asunendurable. She would be alone. Not even Rachela would she have nearher. She put out all the lights but the taper above a large crucifix, and at its foot she sat down in tearless abandon, alone with herreproaches and her remorse. 

Antonia watched with her mother, though shut out from her presence. She feared for a state of mind so barren of affection, so unsoftenedby tears. Besides, it was the climax of a condition which had continuedever since she had sent her boy away without a word of love. In thedim corridor outside she sat still, listening for any noise or movementwhich might demand help or sympathy. It was not nine o'clock; but thetime lengthened itself out beyond endurance. Even yet she had hope ofsome word from her father. Surely, they would let him send some word tothem!

She heard the murmur of voices downstairs, and she thought angrily ofRachela, and Molly, and Manuel, "making a little confidence together"over their trouble, and spicing their evening gossip with the strangething that had happened to the Senor Doctor. She knew that Rachela andManuel would call him heretic and Americano, and, by authority of thesetwo words, accuse him of every crime. 

Thinking with a swelling heart of these things, she heard the door open, and a step slowly and heavily ascend the stairs. Ere she had time towonder at it, her father came in sight. There was a shocking change inhis air and appearance, but as he was evidently going to her mother'sroom, she shrank back and sat motionless so as not to attract hisattention. 

Then she went to the parlor, and had the fire renewed and food put uponthe table. She was sure that he would need it, and she believed he wouldbe glad to talk over with her the events of the afternoon. 

The Senora was still sitting at the foot of the crucifix when herhusband opened the door. She had not been able to pray; ave andpaternoster alike had failed her. Her rebellious grief filled everycorner of her heart. She understood that some one had entered the room, and she thought of Rachela; but she found a kind of comfort in the dullstupor of grief she was indulging, and she would not break its spell bylifting her head. 

"Maria. "

She rose up quickly and stood gazing at him. 

She did not shriek or exclaim; her surprise controlled her. And also herterror; for his face was white as death, and had an expression of angrydespair that terrified her. 

"Roberto! Roberto! Mi Roberto! How you have tortured me! I have nearlydied! Fray Ignatius said you had been sent to prison. "

She spoke as calmly as a frightened child; sad and hesitating. If he hadtaken her in his arms she would have sobbed her grief away there. 

But Robert Worth was at that hour possessed by two master passions, tyrannical and insatiable--they would take notice of nothing that didnot minister to them. 

"Maria, they have taken my arms from me. Cowards! Cowards! Miserablecowards! I refused to give them up! They held my hands and robbedme--robbed me of my manhood and honor! I begged them to shoot me erethey did it, and they spoke courteously and regretted this, and hopedthat, till I felt that it would be a joy to strangle them. "

"Roberto! Mi Roberto! You have me!"

"I want my rifle and all it represents. I want myself back again. Maria, Maria, until then, I am not worthy to be any good woman's husband!"

"Roberto, dearest! It is not your fault. "

"It is my fault. I have waited too long. My sons showed me my duty--mysoul urged me to do it. I deserve the shame, but I will wipe it out withcrimson blood. "

The Senora stood speechless, wringing her hands. Her own passion waspuny beside the sternness, the reality, and the intensity of the quietrage before her. She was completely mastered by it. She forgot all butthe evident agony she could neither mistake nor console. 

"I have come to say 'farewell, ' Maria. We have been very happytogether--Maria--our children--dearest--"

"Oh, Roberto! My husband! My soul! My life! Leave me not. "

"I am going for my arms. I will take them a hundredfold from those whohave robbed me. I swear I will!"

"You do not love me. What are these Americans to you? I am your wife. Your Maria--"

"These Americans are my brothers--my sons. My mother is an Americanwoman. "

"And I?"

"You are my wife--my dear wife! I love you--God Almighty knows how wellI love you; but we must part now, at least for a short time. Maria, mydear one, I must go. "

"Go? Where to?"

"I am going to join General Houston. "

"I thought so. I knew it. The accursed one! Oh that I had him hereagain! I would bury my stiletto in his heart! Over the white hiltI would bury it! I would wash my hands in his blood, and think themblessed ever afterwards! Stay till daylight, Roberto. I have so much tosay, dearest. "

"I cannot. I have stayed too long. And now I must ride without a gunor knife to protect me. Any Indian that I meet can scalp me. Do youunderstand now what disarming means, Maria? If I had gone with my boy, with my brave Jack, I could at least have sold my life to its lastdrop. "

"In the morning, Roberto, Lopez Navarro will get you a gun. Oh, if youmust go, do not go unarmed! There are ten thousand Comanche between hereand the Brazos. "

"How could I look Lopez Navarro in the face? Or any other man? No, no!I must win back my arms, before I can walk the streets of San Antonioagain. "

He took her in his arms, he kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her lips, murmuring tender little Spanish words that meant, oh, so much, to thewretched woman!--words she had taught him with kisses--words he neverused but to her ears only. 

She clung to his neck, to his hands, to his feet; she made his farewellan unspeakable agony. At last he laid her upon her couch, sobbing andshrieking like a child in an extremity of physical anguish. But he didnot blame her. Her impetuosities, her unreasonable extravagances, werea part of her nature, her race, and her character. He did not expect aweak, excitable woman to become suddenly a creature of flame and steel. 

But it was a wonderful rest to his exhausted body and soul to turn fromher to Antonia. She led him quietly to his chair by the parlor fire. She gave him food and wine. She listened patiently, but with a livingsympathy, to his wrong. She endorsed, with a clasp of his hand and asmile, his purpose. And she said, almost cheerfully:

"You have not given up all your arms, father. When I first heard of theedict, I hid in my own room the rifle, the powder and the shot, whichwere in your study. Paola has knives in the stable; plenty of them. Getone from him. "

Good news is a very relative thing. This information made the doctorfeel as if all were now easy and possible. The words he said to her, Antonia never forgot. They sang in her heart like music, and led her onthrough many a difficult path. The conversation then turned upon moneymatters, and Antonia received the key of his study, and full directionsas to the gold and papers secreted there. 

Then Isabel was awakened, and the rifle brought down; and Paola saddledthe fleetest horse in the stable, and after one solemn five minutes withhis daughter, Robert Worth rode away into the midnight darkness, andinto a chaos of public events of which no man living could forecast theoutcome. 

Rode away from wife and children and home; leaving behind him the loveand labor of his lifetime--

 "The thousand sweet, still joys of such As hand in hand face earthly life. "

For what? For justice, for freedom of thought and action, for the rightsof his manhood, for the brotherhood of race and religion and country. Antonia and Isabel stood hand in hand at the same lattice from which theSenora had watched her son away, and in a dim, uncertain manner thesethoughts connected themselves in each mind with the same mournfulinquiry--Is it worth while?

As the beat of the horse's hoofs died away, they turned. The night wascold but clear, and the sky appeared so high that their eyes throbbedas they gazed upward at the grand arch, sprinkled with suns and worlds. Suddenly into the tranquil spaces there was flung a sound of joy andrevelry; and the girls stepped to a lattice at the end of the corridorand looked out. 

The residencia of Don Salvo Valasco was clearly visible from this site. They saw that it was illuminated throughout. Lovely women, shining withjewels, and soldiers in scarlet and gold, were chatting through thegraceful movements of the danza, or executing the more brilliant JotaAragonesa. The misty beauty of white lace mantillas, the glitter andcolor of fans and festival dresses, made a moving picture of greatbeauty. 

And as they watched it there was a cessation of the dance, followed bythe rapid sweep of a powerful hand over the strings of a guitar. Then agroup of officers stepped together, and a great wave of melodious song, solemn and triumphant, thrilled the night. It was the national hymn. Antonia and Isabel knew it. Every word beat upon their hearts. The powerof association, the charm of a stately, fervent melody was upon them. 

"It is Senor Higadillos who leads, " whispered Isabel, as a resonantvoice, powerful and sweet, cried--

 "O list to the summons! The blood of our sires, Boils high in our veins, and to vengeance inspires! Who bows to the yoke? who bends to the blow?"

and, without a moment's hesitation, the answer came in a chorus ofenthusiastic cadences--

 "No hero will bend, no Mexican bow; Our country in tears sends her sons to the fight, To conquer, or die, for our land and our right. "

"You see, the Mexicans think THEY are in the right--THEY are patriotsalso, Antonia. "

The sorrowful girl spoke like a puzzled child, fretfully anduncertainly, and Antonia led her silently away. What could she answer?And when she remembered the dear fugitive, riding alone through themidnight--riding now for life and liberty--she could not help theuprising again of that cold benumbing question--"Is it worth while?"

CHAPTER VII. A MEETING AT MIDNIGHT. 

 "All faiths are to their own believers just, For none believe because they will, but must; The priest continues what the nurse began, And thus the child imposes on the man. " --DRYDEN. 

 "--if he be called upon to face Some awful moment, to which heaven has joined Great issues good or bad for humankind, Is happy as a lover; and attired With sudden brightness, like a man inspired; And through the heat of conflict keeps the law In calmness made; and sees what he foresaw, Or, if an unexpected call succeed, Come when it will, is equal to the need. " --WORDSWORTH. 

 "Ah! love, let us be true To one another, through the world which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams!"

The gathering at Don Valasco's was constantly repeated in variousdegrees of splendor among the loyal Mexicans of the city. They were asfully convinced of the justice of their cause as the Americans were. "They had graciously permitted Americans to make homes in their country;now they wanted not only to build heretic churches and sell hereticbibles, but also to govern Texas after their own fashion. " From aMexican point of view the American settlers were a godless, atheistical, quarrelsome set of ingrates. For eaten bread is soon forgotten, andMexicans disliked to remember that their own independence had beenwon by the aid of the very men they were now trying to force intosubjection. 

The two parties were already in array in every house in the city. TheSenora at variance with her daughters, their Irish cook quarrellingwith their Mexican servants, only represented a state of things nearlyuniversal. And after the failure of the Mexicans at Gonzales to disarmthe Americans, the animosity constantly increased. 

In every church, the priests--more bitter, fierce and revengeful thaneither the civil or military power--urged on the people an exterminatingwar. A black flag waved from the Missions, and fired every heart withan unrelenting vengeance and hatred. To slay a heretic was a free passthrough the dolorous pains of purgatory. For the priesthood foresawthat the triumph of the American element meant the triumph of freedomof conscience, and the abolition of their own despotism. To them thestruggle was one involving all the privileges of their order; and theyurged on the fight with passionate denunciations of the foe, and withmagnificent promises of spiritual favors and blessings. In the fortress, the plaza, the houses, the churches, the streets, their fiery words keptsociety in a ferment. 

But through all this turmoil the small duties of life went on. Soldierswere parading the streets, and keeping watch on the flat roofs of thehouses; men were solemly{sic} swearing allegiance to Santa Anna, orflying by night to the camp of the Americans; life and death were heldat a pin's fee; but eating and dressing, dancing and flirting werepursued with an eagerness typical of pleasure caught in the passing. 

And every hour these elements gathered intensity. The always restlesspopulace of San Antonio was at a feverish point of impatience. Theywanted the war at their own doors. They wanted the quarrel fought out ontheir own streets. Business took a secondary place. Men fingered weaponsand dreamed of blood, until the temper of the town was as boisterous andvehement as the temper of the amphitheatre when impatiently waiting forthe bulls and the matadores. 

Nor was it possible for Antonia to lock the door upon this pervadingspirit. After Doctor Worth's flight, it became necessary for her toassume control over the household. She had promised him to do so, and she was resolved, in spite of all opposition, to follow out hisinstructions. But it was by no means an easy task. 

Fray Ignatius had both the Senora and Rachela completely under hissubjection. Molly, the Irish cook, was already dissatisfied. The doctorhad saved her life and given her a good home and generous wages, and while the doctor was happy and prosperous Molly was accordinglygrateful. But a few words from the priest set affairs in a farpleasanter light to her. She was a true Catholic; the saints sent theheretic doctor to help. It was therefore the saints to whom gratitudewas due. Had she not earned her good wage? And would not Don AngelSandoval give her a still larger sum? Or even the Brothers at theMission of San Jose? Molly listened to these words with a complacentpleasure. She reflected that it would be much more agreeable to her tobe where she could entirely forget that she had ever been hungry andfriendless, and lying at death's door. 

Antonia knew also that Rachela was at heart unfaithful, and soon theconviction was forced on her that servants are never faithful beyond theline of their own interest--that it is, indeed, against certain primarylaws of nature to expect it. Certainly, it was impossible to doubtthat there was in all their dependents a kind of satisfaction in theirmisfortunes. 

The doctor had done them favors--how unpleasant was their memory!The Senora had offended them by the splendor of her dress, and hercomplacent air of happiness. Antonia's American ways and her habit ofsitting for hours with a book in her hand were a great irritation. 

"She wishes to be thought wiser than other women--as wise as even a holypriest--SHE! that never goes to mass, and is nearly a heretic, " said thehouse steward; "and as for the Senorita Isabel, a little trouble will begood for her! Holy Mary! the way she has been pampered and petted! Itis an absurdity. 'Little dear, ' and 'angel, ' are the hardest words shehears. Si! if God did not mercifully abate a little the rich they wouldgrow to be 'almightys. '"

This was the tone of the conversation of the servants of the household. It was not an unnatural tone, but it was a very unhappy one. Peoplecannot escape from the mood of mind they habitually indulge, and fromthe animus of the words they habitually use; and Antonia felt andunderstood the antagonistic atmosphere. For the things which we knowbest of all are precisely the things which no one has ever told us. 

The Senora, in a plain black serge gown, and black rebozo over her head, spent her time in prayers and penances. The care of her household hadalways been delegated to her steward, and to Rachela; while the dutiesthat more especially belonged to her, had been fulfilled by her husbandand by Antonia. In many respects she was but a grown-up baby. And so, inthis great extremity, the only duty which pressed upon her was the ideaof supplicating the saints to take charge of her unhappy affairs. 

And Fray Ignatius was daily more hard with her. Antonia even suspectedfrom his growing intolerance and bitterness, that the Americanswere gaining unexpected advantages. But she knew nothing of what washappening. She could hear from afar off the marching and movements ofsoldiers; the blare of military music; the faint echoes of hurrahingmultitudes; but there was no one to give her any certain information. Still, she guessed something from the anger of the priest and thereticence of the Mexican servants. If good fortune had been withSanta Anna, she was sure she would have heard of "The glorious! Theinvincible! The magnificent Presidente de la Republica Mexicana! TheNapoleon of the West!"

It was not permitted her to go into the city. A proposal to do so hadbeen met with a storm of angry amazement. And steam and electricityhad not then annihilated distance and abolished suspense. She could butwonder and hope, and try to read the truth from a covert inspection ofthe face and words of Fray Ignatius. 

Between this monk and herself the breach was hourly widening. With angrypain she saw her mother tortured between the fact that she loved herhusband, and the horrible doubt that to love him was a mortal sin. Sheunderstood the underlying motive which prompted the priest to urge uponthe Senora the removal of herself and her daughters to the convent. His offer to take charge of the Worth residencia and estate was in herconviction a proposal to rob them of all rights in it. She felt certainthat whatever the Church once grasped in its iron hand, it would everretain. And both to Isabel and herself the thought of a convent was nowhorrible. "They will force me to be a nun, " said Isabel; "and then, whatwill Luis do? And they will never tell me anything about my father andmy brothers. I should never hear of them. I should never see them anymore; unless the good God was so kind as to let me meet them in hisheaven. "

And Antonia had still darker and more fearful thoughts. She had notforgotten the stories whispered to her childhood, of dreadful fatesreserved for contumacious and disobedient women. Whenever FrayIgnatius looked at her she felt as if she were within the shadow of theInquisition. 

Never had days passed so wearily and anxiously. Never had nights been soterrible. The sisters did not dare to talk much together; they doubtedRachela; they were sure their words were listened to and repeated. They were not permitted to be alone with the Senora. Fray Ignatius hadparticularly warned Rachela to prevent this. He was gradually bringingthe unhappy woman into what he called "a heavenly mind"--the influenceof her daughters, he was sure, would be that of worldly affections andsinful liberty. And Rachela obeyed the confessor so faithfully, that theSenora was almost in a state of solitary confinement. Every day her willwas growing weaker, her pathetic obedience more childlike and absolute. 

But at midnight, when every one was asleep, Antonia stepped softly intoher sister's room and talked to her. They sat in Isabel's bed claspingeach other's hand in the dark, and speaking in whispers. Then Antoniawarned and strengthened Isabel. She told her all her fears. Shepersuaded her to control her wilfulness, to be obedient, and to assumethe childlike thoughtlessness which best satisfied Fray Ignatius. "Hetold you to-day to be happy, that he would think for you. My darling, let him believe that is the thing you want, " said Antonia. "I assure youwe shall be the safer for it. "

"He said to me yesterday, when I asked him about the war, 'Do notinquire, child, into things you do not understand. That is to beirreligious, ' and then he made the cross on his breast, as if I hadput a bad thought into his heart. We are afraid all day, and we sitwhispering all night about our fears; that is the state we are in. TheLord sends us nothing but misfortunes, Antonia. "

"My darling, tell the Lord your sorrow, then, but do not repine toRachela or Fray Ignatius. That is to complain to the merciless of theAll-Merciful. "

"Do you think I am wicked, Antonia? What excuse could I offer to HisDivine Majesty, if I spoke evil to him of Rachela and Fray Ignatius?"

"Neither of them are our friends; do you think so?"

"Fray Ignatius looks like a goblin; he gives me a shiver when he looksat me; and as for Rachela--I already hate her!"

"Do not trust her. You need not hate her, Isabel. "

"Antonia, I know that I shall eternally hate her; for I am sure that ourangels are at variance. "

In conversations like these the anxious girls passed the long, andoften very cold, nights. The days were still worse, for as November wentslowly away the circumstances which surrounded their lives appeared toconstantly gather a more decided and a bitterer tone. December, thathad always been such a month of happiness, bright with Christmasexpectations and Christmas joys, came in with a terribly severe, wetnorther. The great log fires only warmed the atmosphere immediatelysurrounding them, and Isabel and Antonia sat gloomily within it all day. It seemed to Antonia as if her heart had come to the very end of hope;and that something must happen. 

The rain lashed the earth; the wind roared around the house, and filledit with unusual noises. The cold was a torture that few found themselvesable to endure. But it brought a compensation. Fray Ignatius did notleave the Mission comforts; and Rachela could not bear to go prowlingabout the corridors and passages. She established herself in theSenora's room, and remained there. And very early in the evening shesaid "she had an outrageous headache, " and went to her room. 

Then Antonia and Isabel sat awhile by their mother's bed. They talked inwhispers of their father and brothers, and when the Senora cried, theykissed her sobs into silence and wiped her tears away. In that hour, ifFray Ignatius had known it, they undid, in a great measure, the work towhich he had given more than a month of patient and deeply-reflectivelabor. For with the girls, there was the wondrous charm of love andnature; but with the priest, only a splendid ideal of a Church universalthat was to swallow up all the claims of love and all the ties ofnature. 

It was nearly nine o'clock when Antonia and Isabel returned to theparlor fire. Their hearts were full of sorrow for their mother, andof fears for their own future. For this confidence had shown them howfirmly the refuge of the convent had been planted in the anxious ideasof the Senora. Fortunately, the cold had driven the servants either tothe kitchen fire or to their beds, and they could talk over the subjectwithout fear of interference. 

"Are you sleepy, queridita?"--(little dear). 

"I think I shall never go to sleep again, Antonia. If I shut my eyes Ishall find myself in the convent; and I do not want to go there even ina dream. Do you know Mother Teresa? Well then, I could tell you things. And she does not like me, I am sure of that; quite sure. "

"My darling, I am going to make us a cup of tea. It will do us good. "

"If indeed it were chocolate!"

"I cannot make chocolate now; but you shall have a great deal of sugarin your cup, and something good to eat also. There, my darling, putyour chair close to the fire, and we will sit here until we are quitesleepy. "

With the words she went into the kitchen. Molly was nodding over herbeads, in the comfortable radius made by the blazing logs; no one elsewas present but a young peon. He brought a small kettle to the parlorfire, and lifted a table to the hearth, and then replenished the pileof logs for burning during the night. Isabel, cuddling in a large chair, watched Antonia, as she went softly about putting on the table suchdelicacies as she could find at that hour. Tamales and cold duck, sweetcake and the guava jelly that was Isabel's favorite dainty. There wasa little comfort in the sight of these things; and also, in the brightsilver teapot standing so cheerfully on the hearth, and diffusingthrough the room a warm perfume, at once soothing and exhilarating. 

"I really think I shall like that American tea to-night, Antonia, butyou must half fill my cup with those little blocks of sugar--quite halffill it, Antonia; and have you found cream, my dear one? Then a greatdeal of cream. "

Antonia stood still a moment and looked at the drowsy little beauty. Hereyes were closed, and her head nestled comfortably in a corner of thepadded chair. Then a hand upon the door-handle arrested her attention, and Antonia turned her eyes from Isabel and watched it. Ortiz, the peon, put his head within the room, and then disappeared; but oh, wonder andjoy! Don Luis entered swiftly after him; and before any one could saya word, he was kneeling by Isabel kissing her hand and mingling hisexclamations of rapture with hers. 

Antonia looked with amazement and delight at this apparition. How had hecome? She put her hand upon his sleeve; it was scarcely wet. His dresswas splendid; if he had been going to a tertullia of the highest class, he could not have been more richly adorned. And the storm was yetraging! It was a miracle. 

"Dear Luis, sit down! Here is a chair close to Iza! Tell her yoursecrets a few minutes, and I will go for mi madre. O yes! She will come!You shall see, Iza! And then, Luis, we shall have some supper. "

"You see that I am in heaven already, Antonia; though, indeed, I am alsohungry and thirsty, my sister. "

Antonia was not a minute in reaching her mother's room. The unhappy ladywas half-lying among the large pillows of her gilded bed, wide awake. Her black eyes were fixed upon a crucifix at its foot, and she wasslowly murmuring prayers upon her rosary. 

"Madre! Madre! Luis is here, Luis is here! Come quick, mi madre. Hereare your stockings and slippers, and your gown, and your mantilla--no, no, no, do not call Rachela. Luis has news of my father, and of Jack!Oh, madre, he has a letter from Jack to you! Come dear, come, in a fewminutes you will be ready. "

She was urging and kissing the trembling woman, and dressing her indespite of her faint effort to delay--to call Rachela--to bring Luisto her room. In ten minutes she was ready. She went down softly, like afrightened child, Antonia cheering and encouraging her in whispers. 

When she entered the cheerful parlor the shadow of a smile flittedover her wan face. Luis ran to meet her. He drew the couch close to thehearth; he helped Antonia arrange her comfortably upon it. He made hertea, and kissed her hands when he put it into them. And then Isabel madeLuis a cup, and cut his tamales, and waited upon him with such prettyservice, that the happy lover thought he was eating a meal in Paradise. 

For a few minutes it had been only this ordinary gladness of reunion;but it was impossible to ignore longer the anxiety in the eyes thatasked him so many questions. He took two letters from his pockets andgave them to the Senora. They were from her husband and Jack. Her handstrembled; she kissed them fervently; and as she placed them in herbreast her tears dropped down upon them. 

Antonia opened the real conversation with that never-failing wedge, the weather. "You came through the storm, Luis? Yet you are not wet, scarcely? Now then, explain this miracle. "

"I went first to Lopez Navarro's. Do you not know this festa dress? Itis the one Lopez bought for the feast of St. James. He lent it to me, for I assure you that my own clothing was like that of a beggar man. Itwas impossible that I could see my angel on earth in it. "

"But in such weather? You can not have come far to-day?"

"Senorita, there are things which are impossible, quite impossible!That is one of them. Early this morning the north wind advanced uponus, sword in hand. It will last fifty hours, and we shall knowsomething more about it before they are over. Very well, but it was alsoabsolutely necessary that some one should reach San Antonio to-night;and I was so happy as to persuade General Burleson to send me. The HolyLady has given me my reward. "

"Have you seen the Senor Doctor lately; Luis, " asked the Senora. 

"I left him at nightfall. "

"At nightfall! But that is impossible!"

"It is true. The army of the Americans is but a few miles from SanAntonio. "

"Grace of God! Luis!"

"As you say, Senora. It is the grace of God. Did you not know?"

"We know nothing but what Fray Ignatius tells us--that the Americanshave been everywhere pulling down churches, and granting martyrdom tothe priests, and that everywhere miraculous retributions have pursuedthem. "

"Was Gonzales a retribution? The Senor Doctor came to us while we werethere. God be blessed; but he startled us like the rattle of rifle-shotsin the midnight! 'Why were you not at Goliad?' he cried. 'There werethree hundred stand of arms there, and cannon, and plenty of provisions. Why were they not yours?' You would have thought, Senora, he had been asoldier all his life. The men caught fire when he came near them, and wewent to Goliad like eagles flying for their prey. We took the town, and the garrison, and all the arms and military stores. I will tell yousomething that came to pass there. At midnight, as I and Jack stoodwith the Senor Doctor by the camp-fire, a stranger rode up to us. It wasColonel Milam. He was flying from a Mexican prison and had not heardof the revolt of the Americans. He made the camp ring with his shoutof delight. He was impatient for the morning. He was the first man thatentered the garrison. Bravissimo! What a soldier is he!"

"I remember! I remember!" cried the Senora. "Mi Roberto brought him hereonce. So splendid a man I never saw before. So tall, so handsome, sogallant, so like a hero. He is an American from--well, then, I haveforgotten the place. "

"From Kentucky. He fought with the Mexicans when they were fighting fortheir liberty; but when they wanted a king and a dictator he resignedhis commision{sic} and was thrown into prison. He has a long billagainst Santa Anna. "

"We must not forget, Luis, " said the Senora with a little flash of herold temper, "that Santa Anna represents to good Catholics the triumph ofHoly Church. "

Luis devoutly crossed himself. "I am her dutiful son, I assure you, Senora--always. "

A warning glance from Antonia changed the conversation. There was plentyto tell which touched them mainly on the side of the family, and theSenora listened, with pride which she could not conceal, to the exploitsof her husband and sons, though she did not permit herself toconfess the feeling. And her heart softened to her children. Withoutacknowledging the tie between Isabel and Luis, she permitted or wasoblivious to the favors it allowed. 

Certainly many little formalities could be dispensed with, in a meetingso unexpected and so eventful. When the pleasant impromptu meal wasover, even the Senora had eaten and drunk with enjoyment. Then Luis setthe table behind them, and they drew closer to the fire, Luis holdingIsabel's hand, and Antonia her mother's. The Senora took a cigarettefrom Luis, and Isabel sometimes put that of Luis between her rosylips. At the dark, cold midnight they found an hour or two of sweetestconsolation. It was indeed hard to weary these three heart-starvedwomen; they asked question after question, and when any brought outthe comical side of camp life they forget their pleasure was almost aclandestine one, and laughed outright. 

In the very midst of such a laugh, Rachela entered the room. She stoodin speechless amazement, gazing with a dark, malicious face upon thehappy group. "Senorita Isabel!" she screamed; "but this is abominable!At the midnight also! Who could have believed in such wickedness? Graceof Mary, it is inconceivable!"

She laid her hand roughly on Isabel's shoulder, and Luis removed it withas little courtesy. "You were not called, " he said, with the haughtyinsolence of a Mexican noble to a servant--"Depart. "

"My Senora! Listen! You yourself also--you will die. You that are reallyweak--so broken-hearted--"

Then a miracle occurred. The Senora threw off the nightmare of selfishsorrow and spiritual sentimentality which had held her in bondage. Shetook the cigarito from her lips with a scornful air, and repeated thewords of Luis:

"You were not called. Depart. "

"The Senorita Isabel?"

"Is in my care. Her mother's care! do you understand?"

"My Senora, Fray Ignatius--"

"Saints in heaven! But this is intolerable! Go. "

Then Rachela closed the door with a clang which echoed through thehouse. And say as we will, the malice of the wicked is never quitefutile. It was impossible after this interruption to recall the happyspirit dismissed by it; and Rachela had the consolation, as she mutteredbeside the fire in the Senora's room, this conviction. So that when sheheard the party breaking up half an hour afterwards, she complimentedherself upon her influence. 

"Will Jack come and see me soon, and the Senor Doctor?" questioned theSenora, anxiously, as she held the hand of Luis in parting. 

"Jack is on a secret message to General Houston. His return advices willfind us, I trust, in San Antonio. But until we have taken the city, noAmerican can safely enter it. For this reason, when it was necessary togive Lopez Navarro certain instructions, I volunteered to bring them. By the Virgin of Guadalupe! I have had my reward, " he said, lifting theSenora's hand and kissing it. 

"But, then, even you are in danger. "

"Si! If I am discovered; but, blessed be the hand of God! Luis Alvedaknows where he is going, and how to get there. "

"I have heard, " said the Senora in a hushed voice, "that there are to beno prisoners. That is Santa Anna's order. "

"I heard it twenty days ago, and am still suffocating over it. "

"Ah, Luis, you do not know the man yet! I heard Fray Ignatius say that. "

"We know him well; and also what he is capable of"; and Luis plucked hismustache fiercely, as he bowed a silent farewell to the ladies. 

"Holy Maria! How brave he is!" said Isabel, with a flash of pride thatconquered her desire to weep. "How brave he is! Certainly, if he meetsSanta Anna, he will kill him. "

They went very quietly up-stairs. The Senora was anticipating theinterview she expected with Rachela, and, perhaps wisely, she isolatedherself in an atmosphere of sullen and haughty silence. She wouldaccept nothing from her, not even sympathy or flattery; and, in a curtdismission, managed to make her feel the immeasurable distance betweena high-born lady of the house of Flores, and a poor manola that she hadtaken from the streets of Madrid. Rachela knew the Senora was thinkingof this circumstance; the thought was in her voice, and it cowed andsnubbed the woman, her nature being essentially as low as her birth. 

As for the Senora, the experience did her a world of good. She waitedupon herself as a princess might condescend to minister to her ownwants--loftily, with a smile at her own complaisance. The very knowledgethat her husband was near at hand inspired her with courage. She went tosleep assuring herself "that not even Fray Ignatius should again speakevil of her beloved, who never thought of her except with a loyalaffection. " For in married life, the wife can sin against love as wellas fidelity; and she thought with a sob of the cowardice which hadpermitted Fray Ignatius to call her dear one "rebel and heretic. "

"Santa Dios!" she said in a passionate whisper; "it is not a mortal sinto think differently from Santa Anna"--and then more tenderly--"thosewho love each other are of the same faith. "

And if Fray Ignatius had seen at that moment the savage whiteness of hersmall teeth behind the petulant pout of her parted lips, he mighthave understood that this woman of small intelligence had also theunreasoning partisanship and the implacable sense of anger whichgenerally accompanies small intelligence, and which indicates a naturegoverned by feeling, and utterly irresponsive to reasoning which feelingdoes not endorse. 

CHAPTER VIII. MOTHER AND PRIEST. 

 . . . . "witness, When the dark-stoled priestly crew, Came swift trooping where the trumpet Of foul Santa Anna blew. " * * * * *

 "Rouse thee, Wrath, and be a giant; People's Will, that hath been pliant, Long, too long;

 Up, and snap the rusty chaining, Brittle bond for thy restraining, Know the hour, the weak are reigning Thou art strong. 

 * * * * *

 "Rise and right the wrongs of ages; Balance Time's unequal pages With the sword. "

It was nearly two o'clock when Don Luis mounted his horse and left theWorth residencia. The storm still raged, the night was dark, the coldintense, but the home of Lopez Navarro was scarce a quarter of a mileaway; and he found him waiting his return. 

"You have still an hour, Luis. Come in and sit with me. "

"As you say; and I wish to show you that I am capable of a great thing. You do not believe me? Well, then give me again my own clothes. I willresign these. "

"You are most welcome to them, Luis. "

"But no; I am in earnest. The fight is at hand--they are too fine. "

"Yes, but I will tell you--I can say anything to you--there is to be agrand day for freedom; well, then, for a festa one puts on the best thatis to be got. I will even lend you my Cross of Saint James, if you wish. A young hero should be dressed like a hero. Honor my poor clothes so faras to wear them in the fight. "

"Thank you, Lopez. I will not disgrace them"; and he bent forward andlooked into his friend's eyes. His glance prolonged his words--wentfurther than speech--went where speech could not reach. 

"Listen to me, Luis. As a matter of precision, where now are theAmericans?"

"At the mission of Espada. "

"La Espada?--the sword--the name is ominous. "

"Of success, Lopez. "

"Is Houston, then, with you?"

"Until a few days ago. He and General Austin have gone to San Felipe. "

"For what? Is not San Antonio the most important point?"

"It was decided by the vote of the army to send them there to frame aprovisional government. There are plenty of fighters with us, but notone statesman but Houston. And now it is necessary that we should havelegal authority to obtain loans, maintain the army in the field, andmany other such things vital to our cause. Austin is to go to the UnitedStates. He will bring back men and money. Houston must draw up ourdeclaration and manifestoes; direct the civil government; forwardtroops; and, in fact, set a new government in motion. "

"He is the loadstone in the bosom! [2] I wonder that the Americanspermitted that he should leave them. "

"He, and he only, was the man to go. Ere he left, he said some strangewords. I shall not, as a Mexican, forget them. In the midst of the menhe stood like a god, with his great stature, and his bright, strongface. One cannot think of him as of a common mortal. Indeed, I willconfess that I could only compare him with the Efreet in the Arabiantale, 'whose nostrils were like trumpets, his eyes like lamps, and whohad dishevelled, dust colored hair'"

"But, to proceed; what were the strange words?"

"Thus he spoke, and his voice rang out like a clarion:

"'You will fight as men fight for their homes, and their wives, andtheir children, but also--remember this--the idea of Texas is in theAmerican heart! Two generations they have carried it there! It is yourdestiny to make the idea a fact! As far back as eighteen nineteen, Adamswanted Texas. When Adams became president, he told Poinsett to offerMexico a million of dollars for Texas. Clay would have voted threemillions. Van Buren, in eighteen twenty-nine, told Poinsett to offerfive millions for Texas. I went to Washington that year, and proposed torevolutionize Texas. I declare to you that the highest men in the landwere of my mind. Only last July President Jackson offered an additionalhalf million dollars for the Rio Grande boundary; and Mr. SecretaryForsyth said, justly or unjustly, by hook, or by crook, Texas mustbecome part of our country. We have been longing for it for fifty years!Now, then, brothers-in-arms!' he cried, 'You are here for your homesand your freedom; but, more than that, you are here for your country!'Remember the thousands of Americans who have slipped out of history andout of memory, who have bought this land with their blood! We have helda grip on Texas for fifty years. By the soul of every American who hasperished here, I charge you, No Surrender!'

"You should have heard the shout that answered the charge. Jesu, Maria!It made my heart leap to my bosom. And ever since, the two words havefilled the air. You could see men catching them on their lips. Theyare in their eyes, and their walk. Their hands say them. The up-toss oftheir heads says them. When they go into battle they will see Houston infront of them, and hear him call back 'No surrender!' Mexico cannot holdTexas against such a determined purpose, carried out by such determinedmen. "

Lopez did not answer. He was a melancholy, well-read man, who hadtravelled, and to whom the idea of liberty was a passion. But thefeeling of race was also strong in him, and he could not help regrettingthat liberty must come to Texas through an alien people--"heretics, too"--he muttered, carrying the thought out aloud. It brought othersequally living to him, and he asked, "Where, then, is Doctor Worth?"

"At Espada. The army wished him to go to San Felipe with Houston, buthe declined. And we want him most of all, both as a fighter and aphysician. His son Thomas went in his place. "

"I know not Thomas. "

"Indeed, very few know him. He is one that seldom speaks. But his riflehas its word always ready. "

"And Jack?"

"Jack also went to San Felipe. He is to bring back the first despatches. Jack is the darling of the camp. Ah, what a happy soul he has! One wouldthink that it had just come from heaven, or was just going there. "

"Did you see Senorita Antonia to-night?"

"Si! She is a blessing to the eyesight. So brave a young girl, so sweet, so wise; she is a miracle! If I loved not Isabel with my whole soul, Iwould kneel at Antonia's feet. "

"That is where I also would kneel. "

"Hark! how the wind roars, and how the rain thrashes the house! But ourmen have the shelter of one of the Panchos. You should have heard thepadre threaten them with the anger of heaven and hell and General Cos. Good-bye, Lopez. I have stayed my last moment now. "

"Your horse has been well fed. Listen, he is neighing for you; to DoctorWorth give my honorable regards. Is Senor Parades with you? and PerezMexia? Say to them I keep the vow I made in their behalf. Farewell, Luis!" and Luis, who had been mounting as his friend talked, stoopedfrom his saddle and kissed him. 

It was just dawn when he reached camp, and he found Doctor Worth waitinghis arrival. Fortunately there was nothing but good news for the doctor. Luis had seen everything through the medium of his own happiness, and hedescribed the midnight meal and the Senora's amiability with the utmostfreedom from anything unpleasant. Rachela's interference he treated withscornful indifference; and yet it affected Worth's mind unpleasantly. For it went straight to the source of offence. "She must have had FrayIgnatius behind her. And my poor Maria, she will be as dough for them toknead as they desire to!"

And, in fact, as he was thus thinking, the Senora was lying awake in herbed, anticipating her confessor's next visit. She was almost glad thenorther was still blowing. It would give her another day's respite; and"so many things happen as the clock goes round, " she reflected. Perhapseven her Roberto might arrive; it would not be more wonderful than thevisit of Luis Alveda. 

But very early in the day she saw the father hurrying up the oleanderavenue. The wind tossed his gown, and blew his hat backward andsideways, and compelled him to make undignified haste. And such littlethings affect the mental poise and mood! The Senora smiled at the funnyfigure he made; and with the smile came a feeling of resistance to histyranny, and a stubborn determination to defend her own conduct. 

He came into her room with a doleful countenance, saying, as he crossedhimself, "God be here!"

"And with you, father, " answered the Senora, cheerfully--a mood she hadassumed at the last moment, by a kind of instinct. 

"There is evil news on every hand my daughter. The heretics are swarminglike wolves around the Missions. Several of our holy brothers haveendured the last extremity. These wolves will even enter the city, andyou will be in danger. I have come to take you to the convent. There, Holy Mary will be your safety. "

"But these wolves might attack the convent, father!"

"Our Blessed Lady is stronger than they. She has always kept her own. "

"Blessed be the hand of God and Mary! will trust in them. Ah, Antonia!Listen to Fray Ignatius! He says we must go to the convent--the hereticsare coming. They have even slain some priests at the Mission. "

"Fray Ignatius has been misinformed, dear mother. When a man wears agown and has no arms Americans do not molest him. That is certain. Asfor the convent it is impossible. My father forbade it. If the Americansenter the city, he is with them. He will protect us, if we should needit, which is not likely. "

"Disobedient one!"

"Pardon. I wish only to obey the commands of my father. "

"I absolve you from them. "

"They are between God and my soul. There is no absolution from duty. "

"Grace of God! Hear you, Senora! Hear you the rebellious and disobedientone! She has defied me to my face! She is near to being anathema! She isnot your daughter! She is bewitched. Some evil spirit has possession ofher. Let no one touch her or speak to her; it shall be a mortal sin. "

Antonia fell at her mother's knee. "Mi madre! I am your daughter, yourAntonia, that you carried in your breast, and that loves you better thanlife. Permit me not to be accused of sin--to be called a devil. Mother, speak for me. "

At this moment Isabel entered. Seeing the distress of her mother andsister she hastened to them; but Fray Ignatius stepped between, andextending his arms forbade her nearer approach. 

"I forbid you to speak to your sister. I forbid you to touch her, togive her food, or water, or sympathy, until she has humbled herself, andobtained the forgiveness of her sin. "

Then mother love stood up triumphant over superstition. "I and mydaughter are the same, " said the Senora, and she gave her hand toAntonia. "If she has sinned, we will bear the penance together; she andI together. "

"I command you to stand apart. For the good of Antonia's sinful soul, Icommand you to withdraw yourself from her. "

"She is my daughter, father. I will bear the sin and the punishment withher. The Holy Mother will understand me. To her I will go. "

The door of her room was at hand; she stepped swiftly to it, and puttingher daughters before her, passed in and turned the key. 

The movement took the priest by surprise, and yet he was secretlysatisfied with it. He had permitted himself to act with an imprudencemost unusual. He had allowed the Senora to find out her own moralstrength, and made a situation for her in which she had acted not onlywithout his support, but against his authority. 

"And yet, " he muttered, "so much depends upon my persuading her intothe convent; however, nothing now is to be done to-day, except to seeRachela. Saint Joseph! if these American heretics were only in my power!What a long joy I would make of them! I would cut a throat--just onethroat--every day of my life. "

The hatred which could contemplate a vengeance so long drawn out was onhis dark face; yet, it is but justice to say, that he sincerely believedit to be a holy hatred. The foes of the church, he regarded as the foesof God; and his anger as a just zeal for the honor of the Lord of Hosts. Beside which, it included a far more tangible cause. 

The accumulated treasures of the Missions; their gold and gems, theircostly vestments and holy vessels, had been removed to the convent forsafety. "These infidels of Americans give to women the honor they shouldgive to God and Holy Church, " he said to his brethren. "They will notsuffer the Sisters to be molested; and our wealth will be safe whereverthey are. "

But this wealth was really so immense, that he believed it might bewell to secure it still further, and knowing the position Dr. Worth heldamong his countrymen, he resolved to induce his wife and daughtersto seek refuge within the convent. They were, in fact, to be held ashostages, for the protection of the property of the Church. 

That he should fail in his plan was intolerable to him. He had beenso confident of success. He imagined the smile on the face of FraySarapiam, and the warning against self-confidence he would receive fromhis superior; and he vowed by Saint Joseph that he would not sufferhimself to be so mortified by three women. 

Had he seen the Senora after the first excitement of her rebellion wasover, he would have been satisfied of the validity of his authority, at least as regarded her. She flung herself at the foot of her altar, weeping and beating her breast in a passion of self-accusation andcontrition. Certainly, she had stood by her daughter in the presence ofthe priest; but in her room she withdrew herself from the poor girl asif she were a spiritual leper. 

Antonia at a distance watched the self-abasement of her mother. Shecould not weep, but she was white as clay, and her heart was swollenwith a sense of wrong and injustice, until breathing was almostsuffocation. She looked with a piteous entreaty at Isabel. Her littlesister had taken a seat at the extremity of the room away from her. Shewatched Antonia with eyes full of terror. But there was no sympathy inher face, only an uncertainty which seemed to speak to her--to touchher--and her mother was broken-hearted with shame and grief. 

The anxiety was also a dumb one. Until the Senora rose from her knees, there was not a movement made, not a word uttered. The girls waitedshivering with cold, sick with fear, until she spoke. Even then herwords were cold as the wind outside:

"Go to your room, Antonia. You have not only sinned; you have made mesin also. Alas! Alas! Miserable mother! Holy Maria! pray for me. "

"Mi madre, I am innocent of wrong. I have committed no sin. Is it a sinto obey my father? Isabel, darling, speak for me. "

"But, then, what have you done, Antonia?"

"Fray Ignatius wants us to go to the convent. I refused. My father mademe promise to do so. Is not our first duty to our father? Mother, is itnot?

"No, no; to God--and to Fray Ignatius, as the priest of God. He says weought to go to the convent. He knows best. We have been disobedient andwicked. "

"Isabel, speak, my dear one. Tell mi madre if you think we should go. "

There was a moment's wavering, and then Isabel went to her mother andcaressed her as only Isabel could caress her, and with the kisses, shesaid boldly: "Mi madre, we will not go to the convent. Not any of us. Itis a dreadful place, even for a happy child. Oh, how cold and still arethe Sisters! They are like stone figures that move about. "

"Hush, child! I cannot listen to you! Go away! I must be alone. I mustthink. I must pray. Only the Mother of Sorrows can help me. "

It was a miserable sequence to the happy night, and Antonia was reallyterrified at the position in which she found herself. If the Americansshould fall, nothing but flight, or uncompromising submission to FrayIgnatius, remained for her. She knew only too well how miserableher life could be made; what moral torture could be inflicted; whatspiritual servitude exacted. In a moment of time she had comprehendedher danger, and her heart sank and sickened with a genuine physicalterror. 

The cold was still severe, and no one answered her call for wood. Isabelcrouched, white and shivering, over the dying embers, and it was she whofirst uttered the fear Antonia had refused to admit to herself--"Supposethe servants are forbidden to wait upon us!"

"I will bring wood myself, dearest. " She was greatly comforted bythe word "us. " She could almost have wept for joy of the sympathy itincluded. For thought is rapid in such crucial moments, and she haddecided that even flight with her would be a kinder fate for Isabel, than the cruel tender mercies of the Sisters and the convent. 

They could not talk much. The thought of their mother's anguish, andof the separation put between them and their household, shocked andterrified them. Vainly they called for fuel. At dinner time no table waslaid, and no preparations made for the meal. Then Antonia went into thekitchen. She took with her food, and cooked it. She brought wood intothe parlor, and made up the fire. Fortunately, her northern educationhad given her plenty of resources for such emergencies. Two or threesavory dishes were soon ready, and the small table set upon a warm, bright hearth. 

The Senora had evidently not been included in the ban, for Rachelaattended with ostentatious care to her comfort; but Isabel had rolledherself up in a wadded silk coverlet and gone to sleep. Antonia awakenedher with a kiss. "Come, queridita, and get your dinner. "

"But is it possible? I thought Fray Ignatius had forbidden it. "

"He cannot forbid me to wait upon you, my darling one. And he cannotturn the flour into dust, and the meat into stone. There is a gooddinner ready; and you are hungry, no doubt. "

"For three hours I have been faint. Ah! you have made me a custard also!You are a very comforter. "

But the girl was still and sad, and Antonia was hard pressed to findany real comfort for her. For she knew that their only hope lay in theimmediate attack of the American force, and its success; and she did notthink it wise to hide from her sister the alternatives that lay beforethem if the Americans failed. 

"I am afraid, " said Isabel; "and so unhappy. A very sad business islife. I cannot think how any one can care to live. "

"Remember Luis, and our father, and Jack, and Thomas, and our dearmother, who this morning stood between us and Fray Ignatius. Will youlet this priest turn the sky black above you?"

"And also, men will fight. What for? Who can tell? The Americans wantso much of everything. Naturally they do not get all they want. What dothey do? Fight, and get killed. Then they go into the next world, andcomplain of people. As for Luis, I do not expect to see him again. "

Fortunately, the norther moderated at sunset. Life then seemed so muchmore possible. Adverse elements intensify adverse fortune, and thephysical suffering from the cold had also benumbed Antonia's spirits, and made her less hopeful and less clear-visioned. But when she awokeat the gray dawn of the next day, she awoke with a different spirit. Shehad regained herself. She rose quietly, and looked out towards the city. The black flag from the Alamo and the Missions hung above it. She lookedat the ominous standards, and then the tears sprang to her eyes; shelifted her face and her hands to heaven, and a few words, swifterthan light, sprang from her soul into the ear of the Eternal Father ofSpirits. 

The answer came with the petition--came with the crack of rifle shots;precise, regular, unceasing. 

"Oh God! I thank Thee! Lord of Hosts, Thou art a great multitude!Isabel! Isabel! The Americans are attacking the city! Our father willfight his way back to his home! Fray Ignatius can not come to-day. Oh, I am so happy! So happy! Listen! How the Mexicans are shouting! They arecheering on the men! What a turmoil!"

"Jesu, Maria, have mercy!" cried Isabel, clasping her crucifix andfalling upon her knees. 

"Oh, Isabel, pray for our father, that his angel may overshadow him withstrong wings. "

"And Luis?"

"And Luis, and Thomas, and Jack, and Dare. There are prayers for themall, and love enough to make them. Hark! there are the drums, and thetrumpets, and the gallop of the cavalry. Come, dearest, let us go to ourmother. To day, no one will remember Fray Ignatius. "

CHAPTER IX. THE STORMING OF THE ALAMO. 

 "Now, hearts, Be ribbed with iron for this one attempt: Set ope' your sluices, send the vigorous blood Through every active limb for our relief. "

 "Now they begin the tragic play, And with their smoky cannon banish day. "

 "Endure and conquer. God will soon dispose To future good our past and present woes: Resume your courage, and dismiss your care; An hour will come with pleasure to relate Your sorrows past, as benefits of Fate. "

The Senora was already dressed. She turned with a face full of fear andanger to her daughters as they entered her room--

"These American diablos! They are attacking the city. They will takeit--that is to be expected--who can fight diablos? And what is to becomeof us? Oh, Antonia! Why did you prevent Fray Ignatius? We might now havebeen safe in the convent", and Rachela nodded her head in assent, withan insufferable air of reproof and toleration. 

Antonia saw that the time had not yet come for pleading her own cause. She left Isabel with her mother. The Senora's breakfast was waiting, and she offered to share it with her youngest daughter. Antonia wentdownstairs to prepare for herself some coffee. She was surprised andpleased to find it made. For a certain thought had come to Molly in thenight and she had acted upon it--

"The praist is a strange praist, and almost as black as a nagur; and I'dbe a poor body, I think, to let him be meddling wid my work. Shure, I never heard of the like of such interfering in Ireland, nor in theStates at all!" Then turning to the Mexican cook, Manuel--"You may lavethe fire alone till I bees done wid it. "

"Fray Ignatius will not give you absolution if you disobey him. "

"He can be kaping the same then. There is an Irish praist at SanPatricio, and I'll be going there for my absolution; and I'll be gettingnone any nearer that an Irish soul will be a pin the better for. I'llsay that, standing in the church, to the saints themselves; and so beaff wid you and let the fire alone till I bees done wid it. "

But it was not Molly's place to serve the food she cooked, and she didnot trouble herself about the serving. When she had asserted her rightto control her own work, and do it or neglect it as it seemed good toherself alone, she was satisfied. Over Antonia--who was at least halfa Mexican--she acknowledged a Mexican priest to have authority; and shehad no intention of interfering between Fray Ignatius and his lawfulflock. She was smoking her pipe by the fire when Antonia entered thekitchen, and she neither lifted her eyes nor spoke to her. 

Against such unreasonable isolation Antonia could not help a feeling ofanger; and she heard with satisfaction the regular crack of the rifles. Her thought was--"They will make these people find their tongues also, very soon. " She was exceedingly anxious for information; and, as she ateher roll and drank her coffees she was considering how they could gainit. For even if Fray Ignatius were able to visit them, his report wouldbe colored by his prejudices and his desires, and could not be reliedon. 

Her heart fluttered and sank; she was hot and cold, sanguine andfearful. She could not endure the idea of a suspense unrelieved byany reliable word. For the siege might be a long one. San Antonio wasstrongly walled and defended. The Alamo fortress stood in its centre. It had forty-eight cannon, and a garrison of a thousand men. Before itcould be reached, the city had to be taken; and the inhabitants would inthe main fight desperately for their homes. 

As soon as she was alone with her mother, she pointed out these facts toher. "Let me write to Lopez Navarro, mi madre. He is a friend. "

"Of the Americans! Si. "

"Of freedom. He will send us word. "

"Are you forgetful of what is moral and respectable, Antonia? That ayoung lady should write to Lopez Navarro--a man that is unmarried--issuch a thing as never before happened! He would think the world had cometo an end, or worse. "

"Dear mother! In a time of trouble like this, who would think wrong ofus? Surely you might write. "

"As you say, Antonia. Tell me, then, who will take the letter. "

"The peon Ortiz will take it. This morning he brought in wood andkindled the fire, and I saw in his face the kindness of his heart. "

After some further persuasion, the Senora agreed to write; and Ortizundertook the commission, with a nod of understanding. Then thereremained nothing to be done but to listen and to watch. Fortunately, however, Rachela found the centre of interest among the servants inthe kitchen; and the Senora and her daughter could converse withoutespionage. 

Just after sunset a letter arrived from Navarro. Rachela lingered in theroom to learn its contents. But the Senora, having read them, passed theletter to Antonia and Isabel; and Rachela saw with anger that Antonia, having carefully considered it, threw it into the fire. And yet the newsit brought was not unfavorable:

 "SENORA MARIA FLORES WORTH:

 "I send this on December the fifth, in the year of our Blessed Lord and Lady 1835. It is my honor and pleasure to tell you that the Americans, having performed miracles of valor, reached the Plaza this afternoon. Here the main body of the Mexican troops received them, and there has been severe fighting. At sunset, the Mexicans retreated within the Alamo. The Texans have taken possession of the Veramendi House, and the portion of the city surrounding it. There has been a great slaughter of our poor countrymen. I charge myself whenever I pass the Plaza, to say a paternoster for the souls who fell there. Senora Maria Flores Worth, I kiss your hands. I kiss also the hands of the Senorita Antonia, and the hands of the Senorita Isabel, and I make haste to sign myself, "Your servant, "LOPEZ NAVARRO. "

This little confidence between mother and daughters restored the toneof feeling between them. They had something to talk of, personaland exclusive. In the fear and uncertainty, they forgot priestlyinterdiction and clung to each other with that affection which is thestrength of danger and the comforter of sorrow. 

On the following day the depression deepened. The sounds of battlewere closer at hand. The Mexican servants had an air of insolence andtriumph. Antonia feared for the evening's report--if indeed Navarroshould be able to send one. She feared more when she saw the messengerearly in the afternoon. "Too early is often worse than too late. " Theproverb shivered upon her trembling lips as she took the letter fromhim. The three women read it together, with sinking hearts:

 "SENORA MARIA FLORES WORTH:

 "This on the sixth of December, in the year of our Blessed Lord and Lady 1835. The brave, the illustrious Colonel Milam is dead. I watched him three hours in to-day's fight. A man so calm was inconceivable. He was smiling when the ball struck him--when he fell. The Texans, after his loss, retired to their quarters. This was at the hour of eleven. At the hour of one, the Mexicans made another sortie from the Alamo. The Texans rushed to meet them with an incredible vengeance. Their leader was General Burleson. He showed himself to General Cos in a sheet of flame. Such men are not to be fought. General Cos was compelled to retire to the Alamo. The battle is over for to-day. On this earth the soul has but a mortal sword. The water in the river is red with blood. The Plaza is covered with the dead and the dying. I have the honor to tell you that these 'miserables' are being attended to by the noble, the charitable Senor Doctor Worth. As I write, he is kneeling among them. My soul adores his humanity. I humbly kiss your hands, Senora, and the hands of your exalted daughters. "LOPEZ NAVARRO. 

Until midnight this letter furnished the anxious, loving women with anunceasing topic of interest. The allusion to her husband made the Senoraweep. She retired to her oratory and poured out her love and her fearsin holy salutations, in thanksgivings and entreaties. 

The next morning there was an ominous lull in the atmosphere. As menrun backward to take a longer leap forward, so both armies were takingbreath for a fiercer struggle. In the Worth residencia the suspensewas becoming hourly harder to endure. The Senora and her daughterswere hardly conscious of the home life around them. In that wonderfulfolk-speech which so often touches foundation truths, they were not allthere. Their nobler part had projected itself beyond its limitations. Itwas really in the struggle. It mattered little to them now whether foodwas cooked or not. They were neither hungry nor sleepy. Existence wasprayer and expectation. 

Just before sunset Antonia saw Don Lopez coming through the garden. TheSenora, accompanied by her daughters, went to meet him. His face wasperplexed and troubled:

"General Cos has been joined by Ugartechea with three hundred men, " hesaid. "You will see now that the fight will be still more determined. "

And before daylight broke on the morning of the 5th, the Americansattacked the Alamo. The black flag waved above them; the city itself hadthe stillness of death; but for hours the dull roar and the clamoroustumult went on without cessation. The Senora lay upon her bedmotionless, with hands tightly locked. She had exhausted feeling, andwas passive. Antonia and Isabel wandered from window to window, hopingto see some token which would indicate the course of events. 

Nothing was visible but the ferocious flag flying out above thedesperate men fighting below it. So black! So cruel and defiant itlooked! It seemed to darken and fill the whole atmosphere around it. And though the poor women had not dared to whisper to each other whatit said to them, they knew in their own hearts that it meant, if theAmericans failed, the instant and brutal massacre of every prisoner. 

The husband and father were under its inhuman shadow. So most probablywere Darius Grant and Luis Alveda. It was even likely that Jack mighthave returned ere the fight, and was with the besiegers. Every time theywent to the window, it filled their hearts with horror. 

In the middle of the afternoon it suddenly disappeared. Antonia watchedit breathlessly. Several times before, it had been dropped by someAmerican rifle; but this time it was not as speedily replaced. In afew minutes she uttered a shrill cry. It was in a voice so strained, so piercing, so unlike her own, that the Senora leaped from her bed. Antonia turned to meet her mother with white, parted lips. She wasspeechless with excess of feeling, but she pointed to the Alamo. Theblack flag was no longer there! A white one was flying in its place. 

"IT IS A SURRENDER!" gasped Antonia. "IT IS A SURRENDER!" and, as ifin response to her words, a mighty shout and a simultaneous salute ofrifles hailed the emblem of victory. 

An hour afterwards a little Mexican boy came running with all his speed. He brought a few lines from Don Lopez. They had evidently been writtenin a great hurry, and on a piece of paper torn from his pocket-book, but oh! how welcome they were. The very lack of formality gave to them acertain hurry of good fortune:

 "May you and yours be God's care for many years to come, Senora! The Mexicans have surrendered the Alamo, and asked for quarter. These noble-minded Americans have given it. The Senor Doctor will bring you good news. I rejoice with you. "LOPEZ NAVARRO. "

Death and captivity had been turned away from their home, and thefirst impulse of these pious, simple-hearted women was a prayer ofthanksgiving. Then Antonia remembered the uncomfortable state of thehousehold, and the probable necessities of the men coming back frommortal strife and the shadow of death. 

She found that the news had already changed the domestic atmosphere. Every servant was attending to his duty. Every one professed a great joyin the expected arrival of the Senor. And what a happy impetus the hopegave to her own hands! How delightful it was to be once more arrangingthe evening meal, and brightening the rooms with fire and light!

Soon after dark they heard the swing of the garden gate, the tramp ofrapid footsteps, and the high-pitched voices of excited men. The doorwas flung wide. The Senora forgot that it was cold. She went withoutstretched arms to meet her husband. Dare and Luis were with him. They were black with the smoke of battle. Their clothing was torn andbloodstained; the awful light of the fierce struggle was still upontheir faces. But they walked like heroes, and the glory of the deedsthey had done crowned with its humanity, made them appear to the womenthat loved them but a little lower than the angels. 

Doctor Worth held his wife close to his heart and kissed her tears ofjoy away, and murmured upon her lips the tenderest words a woman everhears--the words a man never perfectly learns till he has loved his wifethrough a quarter of a century of change, and sorrow, and anxiety. And what could Antonia give Dare but the embrace, the kiss, the sweetwhispers of love and pride, which were the spontaneous outcome of bothhearts?

There was a moment's hesitation on the part of Luis and Isabel. Thetraditions of caste and country, the social bonds of centuries, heldthem. But Isabel snapped them asunder. She looked at Luis. His eyes werealight with love for her, his handsome face was transfigured with thenobility of the emotions that possessed him. In spite of his disordereddress, he was incomparably handsome. When he said, "Angel mio!" and bentto kiss her hand, she lifted her lovely face to his, she put her armsaround his neck, she cried softly on his breast, whispering sweet littlediminutives of affection and pride. Such hours as followed are very rarein this life; and they are nearly always bought with a great price--paidfor in advance with sorrow and anxiety, or earned by such faithfulwatching and patient waiting as touches the very citadel of life. 

The men were hungry; they had eaten nothing all day. How delicious wastheir meal! How happy and merry it made the Senora, and Antonia, andIsabel, to see them empty dish after dish; to see their unaffectedenjoyment of the warm room, and bright fire, of their after-dinnercoffee and tobacco. There was only one drawback to the joy of thereunion--the absence of Jack. 

"His disappointment will be greater than ours, " said Jack's father. "Tobe present at the freeing of his native city, and to bring his firstlaurels to his mother, was the brightest dream Jack had. But Jack is afine rider, and is not a very fine marksman; so it was decided to sendhim with Houston to the Convention. We expected him back before theattack on the city began. Indeed, we were waiting for orders from theConvention to undertake it. "

"Then you fought without orders, father?"

"Well, yes, Antonia--in a way. Delays in war are as dangerous as inlove. We were surrounded by dragoons, who scoured the country in everydirection to prevent our foraging. San Antonio HAD to be taken. Soondone was well done. On the third of December Colonel Milam stepped infront of the ranks, and asked if two hundred of the men would go withhim and storm the city. The whole eleven hundred stepped forward, andgave him their hands and their word. From them two hundred of the finestmarksmen were selected. "

"I have to say that was a great scene, mi Roberto. "

"The greater for its calmness, I think. There was no shouting, nohurrahing, no obvious enthusiasm. It was the simple assertion of seriousmen determined to carry out their object. "

"And you stormed San Antonio with two hundred men, father?"

"But every man was a picked man. A Mexican could not show his head abovethe ramparts and live. We had no powder and ball to waste; and I doubtif a single ball missed its aim. "

"A Mexican is like a Highland Scot in one respect, " said Dare; "hefights best with steel. They are good cavalry soldiers. "

"There are no finer cavalry in the world than the horsemen from SantaFe, Dare. But with powder and ball Mexicans trust entirely to luck; andluck is nowhere against Kentucky sharpshooters. Their balls very seldomreached us, though we were close to the ramparts; and we gathered themup by thousands, and sent them back with our double-Dupont powder. THENthey did damage enough. In fact, we have taken the Alamo with Mexicanballs. "

"Under what flag did you fight, Roberto?"

"Under the Mexican republican flag of eighteen twenty-four; but indeed, Maria, I do not think we had one in the camp. We were destitute ofall the trappings of war--we had no uniforms, no music, no flags, nopositive military discipline. But we had one heart and mind, and oneobject in view; and this four days' fight has shown what men can do, whoare moved by a single, grand idea. "

The Senora lay upon a sofa; the doctor sat by her side. Gradually theirconversation became more low and confidential. They talked of theirsons, and their probable whereabouts; of all that the Senora and herdaughters had suffered from the disaffection of the servants; and theattitude taken by Fray Ignatius. And the doctor noticed, without muchsurprise, that his wife's political sympathies were still in a state oftransition and uncertainty. She could not avoid prophesying the speedyand frightful vengeance of Mexico. She treated the success at SanAntonio as one of the accidents of war. She looked forward to an earlyrenewal of hostilities. 

"My countrymen are known to me, Roberto, " she said, with a touch thatwas almost a hope of vengeance. "They have an insurmountable honor; theywill revenge this insult to it in some terrible way. If the graciousMaria holds not the hands of Santa Anna, he will utterly destroy theAmericans! He will be like a tiger that has become mad. "

"I am not so much afraid of Santa Anna as of Fray Ignatius. Promise me, my dear Maria, that you will not suffer yourself or your children to bedecoyed by him into a convent. I should never see you again. "

The discussion on this subject was long and eager. Antonia, talkingwith Dare a little apart, could not help hearing it and feeling greatinterest in her father's entreaties, even though she was discussingwith Dare the plans for their future. For Dare had much to tell hisbetrothed. During the siege, the doctor had discovered that his intendedson-in-law was a fine surgeon. Dare had, with great delicacy, been quitereticent on this subject, until circumstances made his assistance amatter of life and death; and the doctor understood and appreciated theyoung man's silence. 

"He thinks I might have a touch of professional jealousy--he thinks Imight suspect him of wanting a partnership as well as a wife; he wishesto take his full share of the dangers of war, without getting behind theshield of his profession"; these feelings the doctor understood, and hepassed from Fray Ignatius to this pleasanter topic, gladly. 

He told the Senora what a noble son they were going to have; he said, "when the war is over, Maria, my dear, he shall marry Antonia. "

"And what do you say, Roberto, if I should give them the fine house onthe Plaza that my brother Perfecto left me?"

"If you do that you will be the best mother in the world, Maria. Ithen will take Dare into partnership. He is good and clever; and I am alittle weary of work. I shall enjoy coming home earlier to you. We willgo riding and walking, and our courting days will begin again. "

"Maria Santissima! How delightful that will be, Roberto! And as for ourIsabel, shall we not make her happy also? Luis should have done ashis own family have done; a young man to go against his mother and hisuncles, that is very wicked! but, if we forgive that fault, well, then, Luis is as good as good bread. "

"I think so. He began the study of the law. He must finish it. He mustlearn the American laws also. I am not a poor man, Maria. I will giveIsabel the fortune worthy of a Yturbide or a Flores--a fortune that willmake her very welcome to the Alvedas. "

The Senora clasped her husband's hand with a smile. They were sweeteningtheir own happiness with making the happiness of their children. Theylooked first at Antonia. She sat with Dare, earnestly talking to him ina low voice. Dare clasped in his own the dear little hand that had beenpromised to him. Antonia bent toward her lover; her fair head restedagainst his shoulder. Isabel sat in a large chair, and Luis leaned onthe back of it, stooping his bright face to the lovely one whichwas sometimes dropped to hide her blushes, and sometimes lifted withflashing eyes to answer his tender words. 

"My happiness is so great, Roberto, I am even tired of being happy. CallRachela. I must go to sleep. To-night I cannot even say an ave. "

"God hears the unspoken prayer in your heart, Maria; and to-night let mehelp you upstairs. My arm is stronger than Rachela's. "

She rose with a little affectation of greater weakness and lassitudethan she really felt. But she wished to be weak, so that her Robertomight be strong--to be quite dependent on his care and tenderness. Andshe let her daughters embrace her so prettily, and then offered her handto Dare and Luis with so much grace and true kindness that both youngmen were enchanted. 

"It is to be seen that they are gentlemen, " she said, as she went slowlyupstairs on her husband's arm--"and hark! that is the singing of Luis. What is it he says?" They stood still to listen. Clear and sweetwere the chords of the mandolin, and melodiously to them Luis wasprotesting--

 "Freedom shall have our shining blades! Our hearts are yours, fair Texan maids!"

CHAPTER X. THE DOCTOR AND THE PRIEST. 

 "I tell thee, priest, if the world were wise They would not wag one finger in your quarrels: Your heaven you promise, but our earth you covet; The Phaetons of mankind, who fire the world Which you were sent by preaching but to warm. "

 Your Saviour came not with a gaudy show, Nor was His kingdom of the world below: The crown He wore was of the pointed thorn In purple He was crucified, not born. They who contend for place and high degree Are not His sons, but those of Zebedee. " --DRYDEN. 

The exalted state of mind which the victorious men had brought home withthem did not vanish with sleep. The same heroic atmosphere was in thehouse in the morning. Antonia's face had a brightness upon it that neveryet was the result of mere flesh and blood. When she came into the usualsitting-room, Dare was already there; indeed, he had risen purposely forthis hour. Their smiles and glances met each other with an instantaneousunderstanding. It was the old Greek greeting "REJOICE!" without theaudible expression. 

Never again, perhaps, in all their lives would moments so full ofsweetness and splendor come to them. They were all the sweeter becauseblended with the homely duties that fell to Antonia's hands. As she wentabout ordering the breakfast, and giving to the table a festal air, Darethought of the old Homeric heroes, and the daughters of the kings whoministered to their wants. The bravest of them had done no greater deedsof personal valor than had been done by the little band of Americanpioneers and hunters with whom he had fought the last four days. Theprinces among them had been welcomed by no sweeter and fairer women thanhad welcomed his companions and himself. 

And, though his clothing was black with the smoke of the battle and tornwith the fray, never had Dare himself looked so handsome. There was anunspeakable radiance in his fair face. The close, brown curls of hishair; his tall figure, supple and strong; his air of youth, and valor, and victory; the love-light in his eyes; the hopes in his heart, madehim for the time really more than a mere mortal man. He walked likethe demi-gods he was thinking of. The most glorious ideal of life, thebrightest dream of love that he had ever had, found in this hour theircomplete realization. 

The Senora did not come down; but Isabel and Luis and the doctor joinedthe breakfast party. Luis had evidently been to see Lopez Navarro beforehe did so; for he wore a new suit of dark blue velvet and silver, asash of crimson silk, the neatest of patent leather shoes, and the mostbeautifully embroidered linen. Dare gave him a little smile and nod ofapprobation. He had not thought of fine clothing for himself; but thenfor the handsome, elegant, Mexican youth it seemed precisely theright thing. And Isabel, in her scarlet satin petticoat, and whiteembroideries and satin slippers, looked his proper mate. Dare andAntonia, and even the doctor, watched their almost childlike devotion toeach other with sympathetic delight. 

Oh, if such moments could only last! No, no; as a rule they last longenough. Joy wearies as well as sorrow. An abiding rapture would makeitself a sorrow out of our very weakness to bear it. We should becomeexhausted and exacting, and be irritated by the limitations of ournature, and our inability to create and to endure an increasing rapture. It is because joy is fugitive that it leaves us a delightsome memory. It is far better, then, not to hold the rose until it withers in ourfevered hand. 

The three women watched their heroes go back to the city. The doctorlooked very little older than his companions. He sat his horse superbly, and he lifted his hat to the proud Senora with a loving grace whichneither of the young men could excel. In that far back year, when he hadwooed her with the sweet words she taught him, he had not looked moremanly and attractive. There is a perverse disposition in women to lovepersonal prowess, and to adore the heroes of the battle-field; and neverhad the Senora loved her husband as she did at that hour. 

In his capacity of physician he had done unnoticed deeds of fargreater bravery--gone into a Comanche camp that was being devastatedby smallpox--or galloped fifty miles; alone in the night, through woodshaunted by savage men and beasts, to succor some little child strugglingwith croup, or some frontiersman pierced with an arrow. The Senora hadalways fretted and scolded a little when he thus exposed his life. Butthe storming of the Alamo! That was a bravery she could understand. HerRoberto was indeed a hero! Though she could not bring herself to approvethe cause for which he fought, she was as sensitive as men and womenalways are to victorious valor and a successful cause. 

Rachela was in a state of rebellion. Nothing but the express ordersof Fray Ignatius, to remain where she was, prevented her leaving theWorths; for the freedom so suddenly given to Isabel had filled her withindignation. She was longing to be in some house where she could giveadequate expression to the diabolical temper she felt it right toindulge. 

In the afternoon it was some relief to see the confessor coming up thegarden. He had resumed his usual deliberate pace. His hands were foldedupon his breast. He looked as the mournful Jeremiah may have looked, when he had the burden of a heavy prophecy to deliver. 

The Senora sat down with a doggedly sullen air, which Antonia understoodvery well. It meant, "I am not to be forced to take any way but my own, to-day"; and the wise priest understood her mood as soon as he enteredthe room. He put behind him the reproof he had been meditating. Hestimulated her curiosity; he asked her sympathy. No man knew better thanFray Ignatius, when to assume sacerdotal authority and when to lay itaside. 

And the Senora was never proof against the compliment of his personalfriendship. The fight, as it affected himself and his brotherhoodand the convent, was full of interest to her. She smiled at BrotherServando's childish alarm; she was angry at an insult offered to thevenerable abbot; she condoled with the Sisters, wept at the danger thatthe famous statue of the Virgin de Los Reinedias had been exposed to;and was altogether as sympathetic as he could desire, until her ownaffairs were mentioned. 

"And you also, my daughter? The sword has pierced your heart too, I amsure! To know that your husband and sons were fighting against your Godand your country! Holy Mother! How great must have been your grief. But, for your comfort, I tell you that the saints who have suffered a fierymartyrdom stand at the feet of those who, like you, endure the continualcrucifixion of their affections. "

The Senora was silent, but not displeased and the priest then ventured alittle further:

"But there is an end to all trials, daughter and I now absolve you fromthe further struggle. Decide this day for your God and your country. Make an offering to Almighty God and the Holy Mother of your earthlylove. Give yourself and your daughters and all that you have to thebenign and merciful Church. Show these rebels and heretics--theseungrateful recipients of Mexican bounty--what a true Catholic is capableof. His Divine Majesty and the Holy Mary demand this supreme sacrificefrom you. "

"Father, I have my husband, and my sons; to them, also, I owe someduties. "

"The Church will absolve you from them. "

"It would break my heart. "

"Listen then: If it is your right hand, or your right eye--that is, ifit is your husband, or your child--you are commanded to give them up;or--it is God's word--there is only hell fire. "

"Mother of Sorrows, pity me! What shall I do?"

She looked with the terror of a child into the dark, cruel face of thepriest. It was as immovably stern as if carved out of stone. Then hereyes sought those of Antonia, who sat at a distant window with herembroidery in her hand. She let it fall when her mother's pitiful, uncertain glance asked from her strength and counsel. She rose andwent to her. Never had the tall, fair girl looked so noble. A sorrowfulmajesty, that had something in it of pity and something of anger, gave to her countenance, her movements, and even her speech, a kind ofauthority. 

"Dear mother, do as the beloved and kindhearted Ruth did. Like you, shemarried one not of her race and not of her religion. Even when God hadtaken him from her, she chose to remain with his people--to leave herown people and abide with his mother. For this act God blessed her, andall nations in all ages have honored her. "

"Ruth! Ruth! Ruth! What has Ruth to do with the question? Presumptuousone! Ruth was a heathen woman--a Moabite--a race ten times accursed. "

"Pardon, father. Ruth was the ancestress of our blessed Saviour, and ofthe Virgin Mary. "

"Believe not the wicked one, Senora? She is blinded with falseknowledge. She is a heretic. I have long suspected it. She has not beento confession for nine months. "

"You wrong me, father. Every day, twice a day, I confess my sinshumbly. "

"Chito! You are in outrageous sin. But, then, what else? I hear, indeed, that you read wicked books--even upon your knees you read them. "

"I read my Bible, father. "

"Bring it to me. How could a child like you read the Bible? It is a bookfor bishops and archbishops, and the Immaculate Father himself. Whatan arrogance? What an insolence of self-conceit must possess so young aheart? Saints of God! It confounds me. "

The girl stood with burning cheeks gazing at the proud, passionate man, but she did not obey his order. 

"Senora, my daughter! See you with your own eyes the fruit of your sin. Will you dare to become a partner in such wickedness?"

"Antonia! Antonia! Go at once and bring here this wicked book. Oh, howcan you make so miserable a mother who loves you so much?"

In a few moments Antonia returned with the objectionable book. "My deargrandmother gave it to me, " she said. "Look, mi madre, here is my namein her writing. Is it conceivable that she would give to your Antonia abook that she ought not to read?"

The Senora took it in her hands and turned the leaves very much as achild might turn those of a book in an unknown tongue, in which therewere no illustrations nor anything that looked the least interesting. It was a pretty volume of moderate size, bound in purple morocco, andfastened with gilt clasps. 

"I see the word GOD in it very often, Fray Ignatius. Perhaps, indeed, itis not bad. "

"It is a heretic Bible, I am sure. Could anything be more sinful, moredisrespectful to God, more dangerous for a young girl?" and as he saidthe words he took it from the Senora's listless hands, glanced at theobnoxious title-page, and then, stepping hastily to the hearth, flungthe book upon the burning logs. 

With a cry of horror, pain, amazement, all blended, Antonia sprangtowards the fire, but Fray Ignatius stood with outstretched arms, beforeit. 

"Stand back!" he cried. "To save your soul from eternal fires, I burnthe book that has misled you!"

"Oh, my Bible! Oh, my Bible! Oh, mother! mother!" and sobbing and cryingout in her fear and anger, she fled down stairs and called the peonOrtiz. 

"Do you know where to find the Senor Doctor? If you do, Ortiz, take theswiftest horse and bring him here. "

The man looked with anger into the girl's troubled face. For a momenthe was something unlike himself. "I can find him; I will bring him infifteen minutes. Corpus Christi it is here he should be. "

The saddled horse in the stable was mounted as he muttered oneadjuration and oath after another, and Antonia sat down at the windowto watch for the result of her message. Fortunately, Rachela had been sointerested in the proceedings, and so determined to know all aboutthem, that she seized the opportunity of the outcry to fly to "herpoor Senora, " and thus was ignorant of the most unusual step taken byAntonia. 

Indeed, no one was aware of it but herself and Ortiz; and the servantsin the kitchen looked with a curious interest at the doctor riding intothe stable yard as if his life depended upon his speed. Perhaps it did. All of them stopped their work to speculate upon the circumstance. 

They saw him fling himself from the saddle they saw Antonia run to meethim; they heard her voice full of distress--they knew it was the voiceof complaint. They were aware it was answered by a stamp on the flaggedhall of the doctor's iron-heeled boot--which rang through the wholehouse, and which was but the accompaniment of the fierce exclamationthat went with it. 

They heard them mount the stairs together, and then they were left totheir imaginations. As for Antonia, she was almost terrified at thestorm she had raised. Never had she seen anger so terrible. Yet, thoughhe had not said a word directly to her, she was aware of his fullsympathy. He grasped her hand, and entered the Senora's room with her. His first order was to Rachela--

"Leave the house in five minutes; no, in three minutes. I will tellOrtiz to send your clothes after you. Go!"

"My Senora! Fray I--"

"Go!" he thundered. "Out of my house! Fly! I will not endure you anothermoment. "

The impetus of his words was like a great wind. They drove the womanbefore him, and he shut the door behind her with a terrifying andamazing rage. Then he turned to the priest--

"Fray Ignatius, you have abused my hospitality, and my patience. You shall do so no longer. For twenty-six years I have suffered yourinterference-"

"The Senor is a prudent man. The wise bear what they cannot resist"; andwith a gentle smile and lifted eyebrows Fray Ignatius crossed himself. 

"I have respected your faith, though it was the faith of a bigot; andyour opinions, though they were false and cruel, because you believedhonestly in them. But you shall not again interfere with my wife, or mychildren, or my servants, or my house. "

"The Senor Doctor is not prince, or pope. 'Shall, ' and 'SHALL NOT, ' noone but my own ecclesiastical superiors can say to me. "

"I say, you shall not again terrify my wife and insult my daughter, anddisorganize my whole household! And, as the God of my mother hears me, you shall not again burn up His Holy Word under my roof. Never, whileI dwell beneath it, enter my gates, or cross my threshold, or addressyourself to any that bear my name, or eat my bread. " With the words, hewalked to the door and held it open. It was impossible to mistakethe unspoken order, and there was something in the concentrated yetcontrolled passion of Robert Worth which even the haughty priest did notcare to irritate beyond its bounds. 

He gathered his robe together, and with lifted eyes muttered anejaculatory prayer. Then he said in slow, cold, precise tones:

"For the present, I go. Very good. I shall come back again. The saintswill take care of that. Senora, I give you my blessing. Senor, you mayyet find the curse of a poor priest an inconvenience. "

He crossed himself at the door, and cast a last look at the Senora, whohad thrown herself upon her knees, and was crying out to Mary and thesaints in a passion of excuses and reproaches. She was deaf to all herhusband said. She would not suffer Antonia to approach her. She feltthat now was the hour of her supreme trial. She had tolerated therebellion of her husband, and her sons, and her daughter, and now shewas justly punished. They had driven away from her the confessor, andthe maid who had been her counsellor and her reliance from her girlhood. 

Her grief and terror were genuine, and therefore pitiful; and, in spiteof his annoyance, the doctor recognized the fact. In a moment, as soonas they were alone, he put aside his anger. He knelt beside her, he soothed her with tender words, he pleaded the justice of hisindignation. And ere long she began to listen to his excuses, and tocomplain to him:

He had been born a heretic, and therefore might be excused a little, even by Almighty God. But Antonia! Her sin was beyond endurance. Sheherself, and the good Sisters, and Fray Ignatius, had all taught her inher infancy the true religion. And her Roberto must see that this wasa holy war--a war for the Holy Catholic Church. No wonder Fray Ignatiuswas angry. 

"My dear Maria, every church thinks itself right; and all other churcheswrong. God looks at the heart. If it is right, it makes all worshiptrue. But when the Americans have won Texas, they will give to every onefreedom to worship God as they wish. "

"Saints in heaven, Roberto! That day comes not. One victory! Bah! Thatis an accident. The Mexicans are a very brave people, --the bravest inthe world. Did they not drive the Spaniards out of their country; andit is not to be contradicted that the Spaniards have conquered all othernations. That I saw in a book. The insult the Americans have givento Mexico will be revenged. Her honor has been compromised before theworld. Very well, it will be made bright again; yes, Fray Ignatius sayswith blood and fire it will be made bright. "

"And in the mean time, Maria, we have taken from them the city they lovebest of all. An hour ago I saw, General Cos, with eleven hundred Mexicansoldiers, pass before a little band of less than two hundred Americansand lay down their arms. These defenders of the Alamo had all beenblessed by the priests. Their banners had been anointed with holy oiland holy water. They had all received absolution everyday before thefight began; they had been promised a free passage through purgatory anda triumphant entry into heaven. "

"Well, I will tell you something; Fray Ignatius showed it to me--it wasa paper printed. The rebels and their wives and children are to be sentfrom this earth--you may know where they will all go, Roberto--Congresssays so. The States will give their treasures. The archbishops willgive the episcopal treasures. The convents will give their gems and goldornaments. Ten thousand men had left for San Antonio, and ten thousandmore are to follow; the whole under our great President Santa Anna. Oh, yes! The rebels in Washington are to be punished also. It is well knownthat they sent soldiers to Nacogdoches. Mexicans are not blind moles, and they have their intelligence, you know. All the States who havehelped these outrageous ingrates are to be devastated, and you will seethat your famous Washington will be turned into a heap of stories. Ihave seen these words in print, Roberto. I assure you, that it is notjust a little breath--what one or another says--it is the printed ordersof the Mexican government. That is something these Americans will haveto pay attention to. "

The doctor sighed, and answered the sorrowful, credulous woman with akiss. What was the use of reasoning with simplicity so ignorant and soconfident? He turned the conversation to a subject that always rousedher best and kindest feelings--her son Jack. 

"I have just seen young Dewees, Maria. He and Jack left San Felipetogether. Dewees brought instructions to General Burleson; and Jackcarried others to Fannin, at Goliad. "

She took her husband's hands and kissed them. "That indeed! Oh, Roberto!If I could only see my Jack once more! I have had a constant accusationto bear about him. Till I kiss my boy again, the world will be all darkbefore my face. If Our Lady will grant me this miraculous favor, I willalways afterwards be exceedingly religious. I will give all my desiresto the other world. "

"Dearest Maria, God did not put us in this world to be always desiringanother. There is no need, mi queridita, to give up this life as a badaffair. We shall be very happy again, soon. 

"As you say. If I could only see Jack! For that, I would promise GodAlmighty and you Roberto to be happy. I would forgive the rebels and theheretics--for they are well acquainted with hell road, and will guideeach other there without my wish. "

"I am sure if Jack has one day he will come to you. And when he hears ofthe surrender of General Cos--"

"Well now, it was God's will that General Cos should surrender. Whatmore can be said? It is sufficient. "

"Let me call Antonia. She is miserable at your displeasure; and it isnot Antonia's fault. "

"Pardon me, Roberto. I have seen Antonia. She is not agreeable andobedient to Fray Ignatius. "

"She has been very wickedly used by him; and I fear he intends to do herevil. "

"It is not convenient to discuss the subject now. I will see Isabel;she is a good child--my only comfort. Paciencia! there is Luis Alvedasinging; Isabel will now be deaf to all else"; and she rose with a sighand walked towards the casement looking into the garden. 

Luis was coming up the oleander walk. The pretty trees were thinner now, and had only a pink blossom here and there. But the bright winter sunshone through them, and fell upon Luis and Isabel. For she had also seenhim coming, and had gone to meet him, with a little rainbow-tinted shawlover her head. She looked so piquant and so happy. She seemed such aproper mate for the handsome youth at her side that a word of dissentwas not possible. The doctor said only, "She is so like you, Maria. Iremember when you were still more lovely, and when from your balcony youmade me with a smile the happiest man in the world. "

Such words were never lost ones; for the Senora had a true and greatlove for her husband. She gave him again a smile, she put her hand inhis, and then there were no further conciliations required. They stoodin the sunshine of their own hearts, and listened a moment to the gayyouth, singing, how at--

 The strong old Alamo Two hundred men, with rifles true, Shot down a thousand of the foe, And broke the triple ramparts through; And dropped the flag as black as night, For Freedom's green and red and white. [3]

CHAPTER XI. A HAPPY TRUCE. 

 "Well, honor is the subject of my story; I cannot tell what you and other men Think of this life; but for my single self, I had as lief not be, as live to be In awe of such a thing as I myself. "

 "Two truths are told As happy prologues to the swelling act, Of the imperial theme. "

 "This is the eve of Christmas, No sleep from night to morn; The Virgin is in travail, At twelve will the Child be born. "

Cities have not only a certain physiognomy; they have also a decidedmental and moral character, and a definite political tendency. Thereare good and bad cities, artistic and commercial cities, scholarly andmanufacturing cities, aristocratic and radical cities. San Antonio, inits political and social character, was a thoroughly radical city. Its population, composed in a large measure of adventurous units fromvarious nationalities, had that fluid rather than fixed character, whichis susceptible to new ideas. For they were generally men who had foundthe restraints of the centuries behind them to be intolerable--men towhom freedom was the grand ideal of life. 

It maybe easily undertood{sic} that this element in the population ofSan Antonio was a powerful one, and that a little of such leaven wouldstir into activity a people who, beneath the crust of their formalpiety, had still something left of that pride and adventurous spiritwhich distinguished the Spain of Ferdinand and Isabel. 

In fact, no city on the American continent has such a bloody record asSan Antonio. From its settlement by the warlike monks of 1692, to itsfinal capture by the Americans in 1836, it was well named "the city ofthe sword. " The Comanche and the white man fought around its walls theirforty years' battle for supremacy. From 1810 to 1821 its streets wereconstantly bloody with the fight between the royalists and republicans, and the city and the citadel passed from, one party to the othercontinually. And when it came to the question of freedom and Americandomination, San Antonio was, as it had ever been, the great Texanbattle-field. 

Its citizens then were well used to the fortunes and changes of war. Menwere living who had seen the horrors of the auto da fe and thesplendors of viceregal authority. Insurgent nobles, fighting priests, revolutionizing Americans, all sorts and conditions of men, all chancesand changes of religious and military power, had ruled it with atemporary absolutism during their generation. 

In the main there was a favorable feeling regarding its occupation bythe Americans. The most lawless of them were law-abiding in comparisonwith any kind of victorious Mexicans. Americans protected privateproperty, they honored women, they observed the sanctity of every man'shome; "and, as for being heretics, that was an affair for the saints andthe priests; the comfortable benefits of the Holy Catholic Church, hadnot been vouchsafed to all nations. "

Political changes are favorable to religious tolerance, and the prieststhemselves had been sensible of a great decrease in their influenceduring the pending struggle. Prominent Mexicans had given aid andcomfort to the Americans in spite of their spiritual orders, and therewere many men who, like Lopez Navarro, did not dare to go to confession, because they would have been compelled to acknowledge themselves rebels. 

When the doctor and Dare and Luis reached the Plaza, the morning afterthe surrender, they found the city already astir. Thousands of womenwere in the churches saying masses for the dead; the men stood attheir store doors or sat smoking on their balconies, chatting with thepassers-by or watching the movements of the victorious army and theevacuation of the conquered one. 

Nearly all of the brave two hundred occupied the Plaza. They were stillgreatly excited by the miraculous ecstacy of victory. But when soldiersin the death-pang rejoice under its influence, what wonder that theliving feel its intoxicating rapture? They talked and walked as if theyalready walked the streets of Mexico. All things seemed possible tothem. The royalty of their carriage, the authority in their faces, gavedignity even to their deerskin clothing. Its primitive character wasits distinction, and the wearers looked like the demi-gods of the heroicstage of history. 

Lopez Navarro touched the doctor and directed his attention to them. "Does the world, Senor, contain the stuff to make their counterparts?"

"They are Americans, Navarro. And though there are a variety ofAmericans, they have only one opinion about submitting to tyrants--THEYWON'T DO IT!"

This was the conversation interrupted by Ortiz and the message hebrought, and the doctor was thoroughly sobered by the events following. He was not inclined to believe, as the majority of the troops did, thatMexico was conquered. He expected that the Senora's prediction wouldbe verified. And the personal enmity which the priesthood felt to himinduced a depressing sense of personal disaster. 

Nothing in the house or the city seemed inclined to settle. It took afew days to draw up the articles of capitulation and clear the townof General Cos and the Mexican troops. And he had no faith in theiragreement to "retire from Texas, and never again carry arms against theAmericans. " He knew that they did not consider it any sin to make "amental reservation" against a heretic. He was quite sure that if Cos metreinforcements, he would have to be fought over again immediately. 

And amid these public cares and considerations, he had serious privateones. The Senora was still under the control of Fray Ignatius. Itrequired all the influence of his own personal presence and affectionto break the spiritual captivity in which he held her. He knew that thepriest had long been his enemy. 

He saw that Antonia was hated by him. He was in the shadow of a terrorworse than death--that of a long, hopeless captivity. A dungeon anda convent might become to them a living grave, in which cruelty anddespair would slowly gnaw life away. 

And yet, for a day or two he resolved not to speak of his terror. TheSenora was so happy in his presence, and she had such kind confidencesto give him about her plans for her children's future, that he couldnot bear to alarm her. And the children also were so full of youth'senthusiasms and love's sweet dreams. Till the last moment why shouldhe awaken them? And as the strongest mental element in a home gives thetone to it, so Dare and Antonia, with the doctor behind them, gave tothe Mexican household almost an American freedom of intercourse andcommunity of pleasure. 

The Senora came to the parlor far more frequently, and in her ownapartments her children visited her with but slight ceremony. Theydiscussed all together their future plans. They talked over a wonderfuljourney which they were to take in company to New Orleans, andWashington, and New York, and perhaps even to London and Paris--"whocould tell, if the Senora would be so good as to enjoy herself?" Theyate more together. They got into the habit of congregating about thesame hearthstone. It was the Senora's first real experience of domesticlife. 

In about six days the Mexican forces left the city. The terms ofsurrender granted General Cos struck the Mexicans with a kind of wonder. They had fought with the express declaration that they would take noAmerican prisoner. Yet the Americans not only permitted Cos and histroops to leave under parole of honor, but gave them their arms andsufficient ammunition to protect themselves from the Indians on theirjourney home. They allowed them also all their private property. Theyfurnished them with the provisions necessary to reach the Rio Grande. They took charge of their sick and wounded. They set all the Mexicanprisoners at liberty--in short, so great was their generosity andcourtesy that the Mexicans were unable to comprehend their motives. 

Even Lopez was troubled at it. "I assure you, " he said to Dr. Worth, "they will despise such civility; they will not believe in itssincerity. At this very blessed hour of God, they are accusing theAmericans of being afraid to press their advantage. Simply, you willhave the fight to make over again. I say this, because I know SantaAnna. "

"Santa Anna is but a man, Lopez. "

"Me perdonas! He is however a man who knows a trick more than the devil. One must be careful of a bull in front, of a mule behind, and of amonk and Santa Anna on all sides. At the word monk, Lopez glancedsignificantly at a passing priest, and Doctor Worth saw that it was FrayIgnatius. 

"He sprinkled the Mexican troops with holy water, and blessed them asthey left the city this morning. He has the ear of General Cos. He isnot a man to offend, I assure you, Doctor. "

The doctor walked thoughtfully away. San Antonio was full of hisfriends, yet never had he felt himself and his family to be in so muchdanger. And the words of Lopez had struck a responding chord in hisown consciousness. The careless bravery, the splendid generosity ofhis countrymen was at least premature. He went through the city withobserving eyes, and saw much to trouble him. 

The gates of Alamo were open. Crockett lounged upon his rifle in thePlaza. A little crowd was around him, and the big Tennesseean hunter wastalking to them. Shouts of laughter, bravas of enthusiasm, answered thehomely wit and stirring periods that had over and over "made room forColonel Crockett, " both in the Tennessee Legislature and the UnitedStates Congress. His rifle seemed a part of him--a kind of third arm. His confident manner, his manliness and bravery, turned his wit intowisdom. The young fellows around found in him their typical leader. 

The elegant James Bowie was sitting on the verandah of the VeramendiHouse, calmly smoking. His fair, handsome face, clear blue eyes andmild manners, gave no indication of the gigantic physical strength andtremendous coolness and courage of the man who never tolerated an enemyin his presence. Burleson and Travis were talking under the shade of aChina tree, and there were little groups of American soldiers on everystreet; this was what he saw, and yet a terrible sense of insecurityoppressed him. 

The city, moreover, was not settling to its usual business, though therewere many preparations for public and private entertainments. Afterpassing Colonel Bowie, he met David Burnett. The shrewd statesman fromNew Jersey had a shadow upon his face. He stopped Doctor Worth and spokefrankly to him. "We are in greater danger now than when we were underfire, " he said. "Santa Anna will come on us like a lion from theswellings of Jordan. I wish Houston knew our position as it really is. We must either have more men to defend this city or we must blow up theAlamo and be ready to leave it at a moment's notice. "

"Why were such favorable terms given to General Cos and his troops? Icannot understand it. "

"I will tell you an amazing fact. When Cos ran up that white flag on theAlamo, we had not a single round of ammunition left; complaisancewas necessary until Cos made over to us the Mexican arms, ammunition, property and money. "

Worth turned and looked at the fort. A great red flag on which was theword T-E-X-A-S floated from its battlements, and there were two menstanding on its roof, with their faces westward. 

"They are the lookouts, " said Burnett, "and we have scouts through thesurrounding country; but Santa Anna will come, when he comes, with tensof thousands. "

"And there is a line where even the coolest courage and the mostbrilliant bravery succumbs to mere numbers--Eh!"

"That is what I mean, Doctor. "

"Where is Houston?"

"On the Brazos, at the small town of Washington. The council haveestablished headquarters there. "

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a little bell, andthe doleful supplications of a priest followed by a crowd of idle menand women. He was begging, "for the sake of the Holy Virgin, " alms tosay masses for the soul of an unfortunate, who had not left a pesofor his burial. He droned on, and no one noticed him until James Bowiestretched his tall figure, sauntered up to the monk and dropped a goldpiece into his cap. He did not stay to hear the exclamations and thegracias, but with steps that rang like metal upon metal took his way tothe Alamo. 

However, dangers postponed make the most timorous indifferent to them;and when General Cos did not return, and nothing was heard of SantaAnna, every one began to take up their ordinary life again. The temperof the Americans also encouraged this disposition. They were discoveredneither to be bloodthirsty nor cannibals. It was even seen that theyenjoyed the fandango and the monte tables, and that a proposition for abullfight at Christmas was not opposed by them. 

And in spite of all anxieties, there were many sweet and unusualpleasures in the Worth home. The discipline of the troops was so lenientthat Dare and Luis--one or both--were generally there in the evenings. Their turns as scouts or watchman at the Alamo only made more delightfulthe hours when they were exempted from these duties. As for the doctor, he had been released from all obligations but those pertaining to hisprofession, and Antonia, noticed that he spent every hour he could sparewith the Senora. For some reason, he appeared determined to strengthenhis influence over her. 

On Christmas Eve the old city was very gay. The churches were decorated, and splendidly dressed men and women passed in and out with smiles andcongratulations. The fandangoes and the gambling houses were all open. From the huertas around, great numbers of families had come to receiveabsolution and keep the Nativity. Their rich clothing and air ofidleness gave a holiday feeling to the streets noisy with the buzzingof the guitar, the metallic throb of the cithara, the murmurs of voices, and the cries of the hawkers. Priests, Mexicans, Indians and Americanstouched each other on the narrow thoroughfares, but that indescribablefeeling of good will which comes with Christmas pervaded the atmosphere, and gave, even in the midst of war and danger, a sense of anticipatedpleasure. 

At the Worth residence there was a household feast. The Senora and herdaughters were in full dress. They were waiting for the dear ones whohad promised to join them at the Angelus. One by one the houses aroundwere illuminated. Parties of simple musicians began to pass each othercontinually--they were going to serenade the blessed Mary all nightlong. As Antonia closed the balcony window, half a dozen of theseyoung boys passed the garden hedge singing to the clacking of theircastanets--

 "This is the eve of Christmas, No sleep from night to morn, The Virgin is in travail, At twelve will the Child be born. "

Luis appeared at the same moment. He caught up the wild melody and cameup the garden path singing it. Dare and the doctor followed him. Itstruck Antonia that they were talking of a change, or of somethingimportant. But there was no time for observation. Isabel, radiant incrimson satin, with her white mantilla over her head, darted forward tomeet Luis, and turned his song to the Virgin into a little adulationfor herself. Dare and the doctor took Antonia's hands, and there wassomething in the silent clasp of each which made her heart tremble. 

But she was not one of those foolish women who enquire after misfortune. She could wait and let the evil news find her, and by so doing she wonmany a bright hour from the advancing shadows. The Senora was in unusualspirits. She had obtained a new confessor. "A man of the most seraphicmind, and, moreover, so fortunate as to be connected with the house ofFlores. " He had been gentle to her in the matter of penances, and notset her religious obligations above her capacities. Consequently, the Senora had laid aside her penitential garments. She was in fullCastilian costume, and looked very handsome. But Antonia, who hadbeen in New York during those years when she would otherwise have beenlearning how to wear a mantilla and use a fan, did not attempt suchdifficulties of the toilet. She knew that she would look unnatural inthem, and she adhered to the American fashions of her day. But ina plain frock of dark satin trimmed with minever bands, she lookedexceedingly noble and lovely. 

The meal was a very merry one, and after it Lopez Navarro joined theparty and they had music and dancing, and finally gathered around thefire to hear the singing of Luis. He knew a great many of the serenades, and as he sang of the Virgin and the Babe, a sweeter peace, a moresolemn joy, came to each heart. It was like bringing something of thebliss of heaven into the bliss of earth. The Senora's eyes were full oftears; she slipped her hand into her husband's and looked at him with aface which asked, "Do you not also feel the eternity of a true love?"

"How sweet and wild are these serenades, Luis!" said Antonia. "I wonderwho wrote them?"

"But, then, they were never written, my sister. Out of the hearts oflonely shepherds they came; or of women spinning in their quiet houses;yes, even of soldiers in the strong places keeping their watch. "

"That is the truth, Luis, " answered Isabel. "And every Christmas, whenI was in the convent the Sisters made a serenade to the Virgin, or aseguidilla to our blessed Lord. Very still are the Sisters, but when itcomes to singing, I can assure you the angels might listen!"

"There is a seguidilla I hear everywhere, " said the doctor; "and I neverhear it without feeling the better for listening. It begins--'So noble aLord. '"

"That, indeed!" cried Luis. "Who knows it not? It is the seguidillato our blessed Lord, written by the daughter of Lope de Vega--the holyMarcela Carpio. You know it, Senora?"

"As I know my Credo, Luis. "

"And you, Isabel?"

"Since I was a little one, as high as my father's knee. Rachela taughtit to me. "

"And you, Lopez. "

"That is sure, Luis. "

"And I, too!" said Antonia, smiling. "Here is your mandolin. Strike thechords, and we will all sing with you. My father will remember also. "And the doctor smiled an assent, as the young man resigned Isabel's handwith a kiss, and swept the strings in that sweetness and power whichflows invisibly, but none the less surely, from the heart to theinstrument. 

"It is to my blessed Lord and Redeemer, I sing, " he said, bowing hishead. Then he stood up and looked at his companions, and struck thekey-note, when every one joined their voices with his in the wonderfullittle hymn:

 So noble a Lord None serves in vain; For the pay of my love Is my love's sweet pain. 

 In the place of caresses Thou givest me woes; I kiss Thy hands, When I feel their blows. 

 For in Thy chastening, Is joy and peace; O Master and Lord! Let thy blows not cease. 

 I die with longing Thy face to see And sweet is the anguish Of death to me. 

 For, because Thou lovest me, Lover of mine! Death can but make me Utterly Thine!

The doctor was the first to speak after the sweet triumph of the noteshad died away. "Many a soul I have seen pass whispering those verses, "he said; "men and women, and little children. "

"The good Marcela in heaven has that for her joy, " answered Luis. 

Lopez rose while the holy influence still lingered. He kissed the handsof every one, and held the doctor's in his own until they reached thethreshold. A more than usual farewell took place there, though therewere only a few whispered words. 

"Farewell, Lopez! I can trust you?"

"Unto death. "

"If we never meet again?"

"Still it will be FAREWELL. Thou art in God's care. "

Very slowly the doctor sauntered back to the parlor, like a man who hasa heavy duty to, do and hardly knows how to begin it. "But I will tellMaria first, " he whispered; and then he opened the door, and saw theSenora bidding her children good-night. 

"What a happy time we have had!" she was saying. "I shall never forgetit. Indeed, my dears, you see how satisfactory it is to be religious. When we talk of the saints and angels, they come round us to listen towhat we say; accordingly, we are full of peace and pleasure. I know thatbecause I heard Fray--I heard a very good man say so. "

She smiled happily at her husband, as she took his arm, and twice, asthey went slowly upstairs together, she lifted her face for his kiss. Her gentleness and affection made it hard for him to speak; but therewere words to be said that could be no longer delayed; and when he hadclosed the room door, he took her hands in his, and looked into her facewith eyes that told her all. 

"You are going away, Roberto, " she whispered. 

"My love! Yes! To-night--this very hour I must go! Luis and Dare also. Do not weep. I entreat you! My heart is heavy, and your tears I cannotbear. "

Then she answered, with a noble Composure: "I will give you smiles andkisses. My good Roberto, so true and kind! I will try to be worthy ofyou. Nay, but you must not weep--Roberto!"

It was true. Quite unconsciously the troubled husband and father wasweeping. "I fear to leave you, dear Maria. All is so uncertain. I canonly ask you two favors; if you will grant them, you will do all thatcan be done to send me away with hope. Will you promise me to havenothing to do whatever with Fray Ignatius; and to resist every attempthe may make to induce you to go into a religious house of any kind?"

"I promise you, Roberto. By my mother's cross, I promise you!"

"Again, dear Maria, if you should be in any danger, promise me that youwill do as Antonia and Lopez Navarro think it wisest and best. "

"Go with God, my, husband. Go with God, in a good hour. All you wish, Iwill do. "

He held her to his heart and kissed her, and she whispered amid hertender farewells to himself, messages to her soils--but especially toJuan. "Will you see Juan? If you do, tell him I repent. I send him athousand blessings! Ah, the dear one! Kiss him for me, Roberto! Tell himhow much I love him, Roberto! How I sorrow because I was cross to him!My precious one! My good son, who always loved me so dearly!"

At length Isabel came in to weep in her mother's arms. "Luis is goingaway, " she cried. The father felt a momentary keen pang of jealousy. "Iam going also, queridita, " he said mournfully. Then she threw her armsaround his neck and bewailed her bad fortune. "If I were the AlmightyGod, I would not give love and then take it away, " she murmured. "Iwould give orders that the good people should always be happy. I wouldnot let men like Santa Anna live. He is a measureless monster, and oughtto go to the d--to purgatory, at the very least. "

While the Senora soothed her complaining, the doctor left. One troubledglance of a great love he cast backward from the door ere he closed itbehind him; and then his countenance suddenly changed. Stern and strongit grew, with a glow of anger in the steel-blue eyes that gave anentirely new character to it. 

He called Antonia into his study, and talked with her of the crisiswhich was approaching, and of the conduct of their affairs in it. Heshowed her the places in which his gold coin was hidden. He told her onwhom to rely in any emergency. 

"We have sure information that General Urrea, with the vanguard of alarge Mexican army, will be here next month. Santa Anna will follow himquickly. You see that the city must either be defended or our men mustretreat. I am going to Houston with this dilemma. Luis and Dare willjoin Fannin at Goliad. Now, my dear child, you have my place to fill. IfSanta Anna takes possession of San Antonio, what will you do?"

"If we are not disturbed in any way, I will keep very quiet within myown home. "

"If Fray Ignatius attempts to interfere with you--what then?"

"I will fly from him, and take Isabel and mi madre with me. "

"That is your only safety. I shall hear if the Americans desert thecity; then I will send your brother Thomas, if by any possibility it canbe done, to guard you to the eastern settlements. But I may not be ableto do this--there may be no time--it cannot be depended upon--LopezNavarro will help you all he can, and Ortiz. You may always rely onOrtiz. "

"My father, I cannot trust Ortiz. Every man is a master to a peon. Hewould mean to do kindly, but his cowardice might make him false. "

"Ortiz is no peon. He is a Mexican officer of high rank, whom SantaAnna ordered to be shot. I saved his life. He wears the clothes ofa peon--that is necessary; but he has the honor and gratitude of agentleman beneath them. If necessary, trust Ortiz fully. One thing aboveall others remember--FLIGHT before a convent. "

"Flight! Yes, death before it! I promise you, father. When we meetagain, you shall say, well done, Antonia. "

It was now about midnight. They went back to the parlor. Luis and Daresat by the dying fire. They were bent forward, close together over it, talking in a low voice. They rose when the doctor spoke, and silentlykissed Antonia. 

"It will be a hard ride, now, " said the doctor, and Dare answered, mechanically, "but we shall manage it. " He held Antonia's hand, andshe went with them to the rear of the house. Their horses were standingready saddled. Silently the men mounted. In a moment they had passed thegate, and the beat of their horses' hoofs gradually died away. 

But all through the clear spaces of the sky the Christmas bells wereringing, and the serenaders were musically telling each other, "At twelve will the Child be born!"

CHAPTER XII. DANGER AND HELP. 

 "A curious creed they weave, And, for the Church commands it, All men must needs believe, Though no man understands it. God loves his few pet lambs, And saves his one pet nation; The rest he largely damns, With swinging reprobation. "

 "The Church may loose and bind; But Mind, immortal Mind, As free as wave or wind, Came forth, O God, from Thee. " --BLACKIE. 

Dr. Worth had set his daughter a task of no light magnitude. It wastrue, that Rachela and Fray Ignatius could no longer disturb thehousehold by their actual presence, but their power to cause unhappinesswas not destroyed. Among the Mexican families loyal to Santa Annathe dismission of the priest and the duenna had been a source of muchindignant gossip; for Rachela was one of those women who cry out whenthey are hurt, and compel others to share their trouble. The priest hadnot therefore found it necessary to explain WHY the Senora had calledupon a new confessor. He could be silent, and possess his dignity inuncomplaining patience, for Rachela paraded his wrongs as a kind ofset-off to her own. 

Such piety! Such virtues! And the outrageous conduct of the SenorDoctor! To be sure there was cause for anger at the Senorita Antonia. Oh, yes! She could crow her mind abroad! There were books--Oh, infamousbooks! Books not proper to be read, and the Senorita had them! Wellthen, if the father burned them, that was a good deed done. And he hadalmost been reviled for it--sent out of the house--yes, it was quitepossible that he had been struck! Anything was possible from thoseAmerican heretics. As for her own treatment, after twenty years service, it had been cruel, abominable, more than that--iniquitous; but aboutthese things she had spoken, and the day of atonement would come. Justice was informing itself on the whole matter. 

Such conversations continually diversified, extended, repeated on allhands, quickly aroused a prejudice against the doctor's family. Besideswhich, the Senora Alveda resented bitterly the visits of her son Luis toIsabel. None of the customs of a Mexican betrothal had taken place, and Rachela did not spare her imagination in describing the scandalousAmerican familiarity that had been permitted. That, this familiarity hadtaken place under the eyes of the doctor and the Senora only intensifiedthe insult. She might have forgiven clandestine meetings; but that theformalities due to the Church and herself should have been neglected wasindeed unpardonable. 

It soon became evident to the Senora that she had lost the good-willof her old friends, and the respect that had always been given to hersocial position. It was difficult for her to believe this, and she onlyaccepted the humiliating fact after a variety of those small insultswhich women reserve for their own sex. 

She was fond of visiting; she valued the good opinion of her caste, andin the very chill of the gravest calamities she worried her strengthaway over little grievances lying outside the walls of her home and thereal affections of her life. And perhaps with perfect truth she assertedthat SHE had done nothing to deserve this social ostracism. Others hadmade her miserable, but she could thank the saints none could make herguilty. 

The defeat of Cos had been taken by the loyal inhabitants as a merepreliminary to the real fight. They were very little disturbed by it. It was the overt act which was necessary to convince Mexico that herclemency to Americans was a mistake, and that the ungrateful and impiousrace must be wiped out of existence. The newspapers not only reiteratedthis necessity, but proclaimed its certainty. They heralded the comingof Santa Anna, the victorious avenger, with passionate gasconading. It was a mere question of a few days or weeks, and in the meantimethe people of San Antonio were "making a little profit and pleasure tothemselves out of the extravagant reprobates. " There was not a day inwhich they did not anticipate their revenge in local military displays, in dances and illuminations, in bull-fights, and in splendid religiousprocessions. 

And Antonia found it impossible to combat this influence. It was in thehouse as certain flavors were in certain foods, or as heat was infire. She saw it in the faces of her servants, and felt it in theirindifference to their duty. Every hour she watched more anxiouslyfor some messenger from her father. And as day after day went by in ahopeless sameness of grief, she grew more restless under the continualsmall trials that encompassed her. 

Towards the end of January, General Urrea, at the head of the vanguardof the Mexican army, entered Texas. His destination was La Bahia orGoliad, a strong fortress garrisoned by Americans under Colonel Fanning. Santa Anna was to leave in eight days after him. With an army of twentythousand men he was coming to the relief of San Antonio. 

The news filled the city with the wildest rejoicing. The little bellsof the processions, the big bells of the churches, the firing of cannon, the hurrahs of the tumultuous people, made an uproar which reached thethree lonely women through the closed windows of their rooms. 

"If only Lopez Navarro would come! If he would send us some littlemessage! Holy Mary, even he has forgotten us!" cried the Senora in aparoxysm of upbraiding sorrow. 

At that moment the door opened, and Fray Ignatius passed the thresholdwith lifted hands and a muttered blessing. He approached the Senora, andshe fell on her knees and kissed the hand with which he crossed her. 

"Holy father!" she cried, "the angels sent you to a despairing woman. "

"My daughter, I have guided you since your first communion; how thencould I forget you? Your husband has deserted you--you, the helpless, tender lamb, whom he swore to cherish; but the blessed fold of yourchurch stands open. Come, poor weary one, to its shelter. "

"My father--"

"Listen to me! The Mexican troops are soon to arrive. Vengeance withoutmercy is to be dealt out. You are the wife of an American rebel; Icannot promise you your life, or your honor, if you remain here. Whensoldiers are drunk with blood, and women fall in their way, God havemercy upon them! I would shield even your rebellious daughter Antoniafrom such a fate. I open the doors of the convent to you all. There youwill find safety and peace. "

Isabel sat with white, parted lips and clasped hands, listening. Antoniahad not moved or spoken. But with the last words the priest half-turnedto her, and she came swiftly to her mother's side, and kissing her, whispered:

"Remember your promise to my father! Oh, mi madre, do not leave Isabeland me alone!"

"You, too, dear ones! We will all go together, till these dreadful daysare past. "

"No, no, no! Isabel and I will not go. We will die rather. "

"The Senorita talks like a foolish one. Listen again! When Santa Annacomes for judgment, it will be swift and terrible. This house and estatewill be forfeited. The faithful Church may hope righteously to obtainit. The sisters have long needed a good home. The convent will then cometo you. You will have no shelter but the Church. Come to her arms ereher entreaties are turned to commands. "

"My husband told me--"

"Saints of God! you have no husband. He has forfeited every right toadvise you. Consider that, daughter; and if you trust not my advice, there is yet living your honorable uncle, the Marquis de Gonzaga. "

Antonia caught eagerly at this suggestion. It at least offered somedelay, in which the Senora might be strengthened to resist the coercionof Fray Ignatius. 

"Mother, it is a good thought. My great-uncle will tell you what to do;and my father will not blame you for following his advice. Perhaps evenhe may offer his home. You are the child of his sister. "

Fray Ignatius walked towards the fire-place and stood rubbing slowly hislong, thin hands before the blaze, while the Senora and her daughtersdiscussed this proposal. The half-frantic mother was little inclinedto make any further effort to resist the determined will of her oldconfessor; but the tears of Isabel won from her a promise to see heruncle. 

"Then, my daughter, lose no time. I cannot promise you many days inwhich choice will be left you. Go this afternoon, and to-morrow I willcall for your decision. "

It was not a visit that the Senora liked to make. She had deeplyoffended her uncle by her marriage, and their intercourse had since beenof the most ceremonious and infrequent kind. But surely, at this hour, when she was left without any one to advise her steps, he would rememberthe tie of blood between them. 

He received her with more kindness than she had anticipated. His eyesglittered in their deep sockets when she related her extremity and thepriest's proposal, and his small shrunken body quivered with excitementas he answered:

"Saints and angels! Fray Ignatius is right about Santa Anna. We shallsee that he will make caps for his soldiers out of the skins of theseinfidel ingrates. But as for going into the convent, I know not. Amiserable marriage you made for yourself, Maria. Pardon, if I say somuch! I let the word slip always. I was never one to bite my tongue. Iam all old man--very well, come here, you and your daughters, till thedays of blood are over. There is room in the house, and a few comfortsin it also. I have some power with Santa Anna. He is a great man--agreat man! In all his wars, good fortune flies before him. "

He kissed her hands as he opened the door, and then went back to thefire, and bent, muttering, over it: "Giver of good! a true Yturbide; agentle woman; she is like my sister Mercedes--very like her. These poorwomen who trust me, as I am a sinner before God, I am unhappy to deceivethem. "

Fray Ignatius might have divined his thoughts, for he entered at themoment, and said as he approached him:

"You have done right. The soul must be saved, if all is lost. This isnot a time for the friends of the Church and of Mexico to waver. TheChurch is insulted every day by these foreign heretics--"

"But you are mistaken, father; the Church holds up her head, whateverhappens. Even the vice-regal crown is not lost--the Church has cleft itinto mitres. "

Fray Ignatius smiled, but there was a curious and crafty look of inquiryon his face. "The city is turbulent, Marquis, and there is undoubtedly agreat number of Mexicans opposed to Santa Anna. "

"Do you not know Mexicans yet? They would be opposed to God Almighty, rather than confess they were well governed. Bah! the genius of Mexicois mutiny. They scarcely want a leader to move their madness. They rebelon any weak pretence. They bluster when they are courted; they crouchwhen they are oppressed. They are fools to all the world but themselves. I beg the Almighty to consider in my favor, that some over-hasty angelmisplaced my lot. I should have been born in--New York. "

The priest knew that he was talking for irritation, but he was toopolitic to favor the mood. He stood on the hearth with his hands foldedbehind him, and with a delightful suavity turned the conversation uponthe country rather than the people. It was a glorious day in the dawnof spring. The tenderest greens, the softest blues, the freshest scents, the clearest air, the most delightful sunshine were everywhere. Thewhite old town, with its picturesque crowds, its murmur of voices andlaughter, its echoes of fife and drum, its loves and its hatreds, was athis feet; and, far off, the hazy glory of the mountains, the greennessand freshness of Paradise, the peace and freedom of the vast, unplantedplaces. The old marquis was insensibly led to contemplate the whole;and, in so doing, to put uppermost that pride of country which was thebase of every feeling susceptible to the priest's influence. 

"Such a pleasant city, Marquis! Spanish monks founded it. Spanishand Mexican soldiers have defended it. Look at its fine churches andmissions; its lovely homes, and blooming gardens. "

"It is also all our own, father. It was but yesterday I said to one ofthose insolent Americans who was condescending to admire it: 'Very good, Senor; and, if you deign to believe me, it was not brought from NewYork. Such as you see it, it was made by ourselves here at San Antonio. 'Saints in heaven! the fellow laughed in my face. We were mutuallyconvinced of each other's stupidity. "

"Ah, how they envy us the country! And you, Marquis, who have traveledover the world, you can imagine the reason?"

"Father, I will tell you the reason; it is the craving in the heart tofind again the lost Eden. The Almighty made Texas with full hands. WhenHe sets his heart on a man, he is permitted to live there. "

"Grace of God! You speak the truth. Shall we then give up the gift ofHis hand to heretics and infidels?"

"I cannot imagine it. "

"Then every one must do the work he can do. Some are to slay theunbelievers; others; are to preserve the children of the Church. Yourniece and her two daughters will be lost to the faith, unless youinterfere for their salvation. Of you will their souls be required. "

"By Saint Joseph, it is a duty not in agreement with my desire! I, whohave carefully abstained from the charge of a wife and daughters of myown. "

"It is but for a day or two, Marquis, until the matter is arranged. Theconvent is the best of all refuges for women so desolate. "

The marquis did not answer. He lifted a book and began to read; and FrayIgnatius watched him furtively. 

In the mean time the Senora had reached her home. She was pleased withthe result of her visit. A little kindness easily imposed upon thischildlike woman, and she trusted in any one who was pleasant to her. 

"You may believe me, Antonia, " she said; "my uncle was in a temper mostunusual. He kissed my hands. He offered me his protection. That is agreat thing, I assure you. And your father cannot object to our removalthere. "

Antonia knew not what answer to make. Her heart misgave her. Whyhad Fray Ignatius made the proposal? She was sure it was part of anarrangement, and not a spontaneous suggestion of the moment. And she wasequally sure that any preconcerted plan, having Fray Ignatius for itsauthor, must be inimical to them. 

Her mother's entry had not awakened Isabel, who lay asleep upon a sofa. The Senora was a little nettled at the circumstance. "She is a verychild! A visit of such importance! And she is off to the land ofdreams while I am fatiguing myself! I wish indeed that she had moreconsideration!" Then Antonia brought her chocolate, and, as she drankit and smoked her cigarito, she chatted in an almost eager way about thepersons she had seen. 

"Going towards the Plaza, I met judge Valdez. I stopped the carriage, and sent my affections to the Senora. Would you believe it? He answeredme as if his mouth were full of snow. His disagreeable behavior wasexactly copied by the Senora Silvestre and her daughter Esperanza. DonaJulia and Pilar de Calval did not even perceive me. Santa Maria! thereare none so blind as those who won't see! Oh, indeed! I found thejourney like the way of salvation--full of humiliations. I would havestopped at the store of the Jew Lavenburg, and ordered many things, buthe turned in when he saw me coming. Once, indeed, he would have put hishat on the pavement for me to tread upon. But he has heard that yourfather has made a rebel of himself, and what can be expected? He knowswhen Santa Anna has done with the rebels not one of them will haveanything left for God to rain upon. And there was a great crowd and agreat tumult. I think the whole city had a brain fever. "

At this moment Isabel began to moan in her sleep as if her soul was insome intolerable terror or grief; and ere Antonia could reach her shesprang into the middle of the room with a shriek that rang through thehouse. 

It was some minutes before the child could be soothed. She lay in hermother's arms, sobbing in speechless distress; but at length she wasable to articulate her fright:

"Listen, mi madre, and may the Holy Lady make you believe me! I have hada dream. God be blessed that it is not yet true! I will tell you. It wasabout Fray Ignatius and our uncle the Marquis de Gonzaga. My good angelgave it to me; for myself and you all she gave it; and, as my blessedLord lives! I will not go to them! SI! I will cut my white throatfirst!" and she drew her small hand with a passionate gesture acrossit. She had stood up as she began to speak, and the action, added toher unmistakable terror, her stricken face and air of determination, wasvery impressive. 

"You have had a dream, my darling?"

"Yes, an awful dream, Antonia! Mary! Mary! Tender Mary, pity us!"

"And you think we should not go to the house of the marquis?"

"Oh, Antonia! I have seen the way. It is black and cold, and full offear and pain. No one shall make me take it. I have the stiletto of mygrandmother Flores. I will ask Holy Mary to pardon me, and then--in amoment--I would be among the people of the other world. That would befar better than Fray Ignatius and the house of Gonzaga. "

The Senora was quite angry at this fresh complication. It was reallyincredible what she had to endure. And would Antonia please to tellher where else they were to go? They had not a friend left in SanAntonio--they did not deserve to have one--and was it to be supposedthat a lady, born noble, could follow the Americans in an ox-wagon?Antonia might think it preferable to the comfortable house of herrelation; but blessed be the hand of God, which had opened the door of arespectable shelter to her. 

"I will go in the ox-wagon, " said Isabel, with a sullen determination;"but I will not go into my uncle's house. By the saint of my birth Iswear it. "

"Mother, listen to Antonia. When one door shuts, God opens another door. Our own home is yet undisturbed. Do you believe what Fray Ignatius saysof the coming of Santa Anna? I do not. Until he arrives we are safe inour own home; and when the hour for going away comes, even a little birdcan show us the way to take. And I am certain that my father is planningfor our safety. If Santa Anna was in this city, and behaving with thebrutality which is natural to him, I would not go away until my fathersent the order. Do you think he forgets us? Be not afraid of such athing. It cannot take place. "

Towards dusk Senor Navarro called, and the Senora brought him into herprivate parlor and confided to him the strait they were in. He lookedwith sympathy into the troubled, tear-stained faces of these threehelpless women, and listened with many expressive gestures to theproposal of the priest and the offer of the old marquis. 

"Most excellent ladies, " he answered; "it is a plot. I assure you thatit is a plot. Certainly it was not without reason I was so unhappy aboutyou this afternoon. Even while I was at the bull-fight, I think ourangels were in a consultation about your affairs. Your name was in myears above all other sounds. "

"You say it is a plot, Senor. Explain to us what you mean?"

"Yes, I will tell you. Do you know that Fray Ignatius is the confessorof the marquis?"

"We had not thought of such a thing. "

"It is the truth. For many years they have been close as the skin andthe flesh. Without Fray Ignatius the marquis says neither yes or no. Also the will of the marquis has been lately made. I have seen a copy ofit. Everything he has is left to the brotherhoods of the Church. Withoutdoubt, Fray Ignatius was the, lawyer who wrote it. "

"Senor, I always believed that would happen. At my marriage my unclemade the determination. Indeed, we have never expected a piastre--no, not even a tlaco. And to-day he was kind to me, and offered me his home. Oh, Holy Mother, how wretched I am! Can I not trust in the good words ofthose who are of my own family?"

"The tie of race will come before the tie of the family. The tie ofreligion is strongest of all, Senora. Let me tell you what will takeplace. When you and your children are in the house of the marquis, he will go before the Alcalde. He will declare that you have gonevoluntarily to his care, and that he is your nearest and most naturalguardian. Very well. But further, he will declare, on account of hisgreat age, and the troubled state of the time, he is unable to protectyou, and ask for the authority to place you in the religious care of theholy sisterhood of Saint Maria. And he will obtain all he wants. "

"But, simply, what is to be gained by such treachery? He said to-daythat I was like his sister Mercedes, and he spoke very gently to me. "

"He would not think such a proceeding really unkind. He would assurehimself that it was good for your eternal salvation. As to the reason, that is to be looked for in the purse, where all reasons come from. Thishouse, which the good doctor built, is the best in the city. It has eventwo full stories. It is very suitable for a religious house. It is notfar from the Plaza, yet secluded in its beautiful garden. Fray Ignatiushas long desired it. When he has removed you, possession will be taken, and Santa Anna will confirm the possession. "

"God succor our poor souls! What shall we do then, Senor? The Mexicanarmy has entered Texas, it will soon be here. "

"Quien sabe? Between the Rio Grande and the San Antonio are manydifficulties. Urrea has five thousand men with him, horses andartillery. The horses must graze, the men must rest and eat. We shallhave heavy rains. I am sure that it will be twenty days ere he reachesthe settlements; and even then his destination is not San Antonio, it isGoliad. Santa Anna will be at least ten days after him. I suppose, then, that for a whole month you are quite safe in your own home. That is whatI believe now. If I saw a reason to believe what is different, I wouldinform you. The good doctor, to whom I owe my life many times, has mypromise. Lopez Navarro never broke his word to any man. The infamy wouldbe a thing impossible, where the safety of three ladies is concerned. "

"And in a month, mi madre, what great things may happen! Thirty days ofpossibilities! Come, now, let us be a little happy, and listen to whatthe Senor has to tell us. I am sure this house has been as stupid as aconvent"; and Isabel lifted the cigarette case of the Senora, and withkisses persuaded her to accept its tranquilizing consolation. 

It was an elegant little golden trifle studded with gems. Her husbandhad given it to her on the anniversary of their twenty-fifth weddingday; and it recalled vividly to her the few sweet moments. She wasswayed as easily as a child by the nearest or strongest influence, and, after all, it did seem the best to take Isabel's advice, and be a littlehappy while she could. 

Lopez was delighted to humor this mood. He told them all the news oftheir own social set; and in such vivid times something happenedevery day. There had been betrothals and marriages, quarrels andentertainments; and Lopez, as a fashionable young man of wealth andnobility, had taken his share in what had transpired. 

Antonia felt unspeakably grateful to him. After the fretful terrorand anxiety of the day--after the cruel visit of Fray Ignatius--it wasindeed a comfort to hear the pleasant voice of Navarro in all kinds ofcheerful modulations. By and by there was a slow rippling laugh fromIsabel, and the Senora's face lost its air of dismal distraction. 

At length Navarro had brought his narrative of small events down tothe afternoon of that day. There had been a bull-fight, and Isabel wasmaking him describe to her the chulos, in their pale satin breechesand silk waist-scarfs; the toreros in their scarlet mantles, and thepicadores on their horses. 

"And I assure you, " he said, "the company of ladies was very great andsplendid. They were in full dress, and the golden-pinned mantillas andthe sea of waving fans were a sight indeed. Oh, the fans alone! So manycolors; great crescents, growing and waning with far more enchantmentsthan the moons. Their rustle and movement has a wonderful charm, Senorita Isabel; no one can imagine it. 

"Oh, I assure you, Senor, I can see and feel it. But to be there! That, indeed, would make me perfectly happy. "

"Had you been there to-day you would have admired, above all things, the feat of the matadore Jarocho. It was upon the great bull Sandoval--avery monster, I assure you. He came bellowing at Jarocho, as if he meanthis instant death. His eyeballs were living fire; his nostrils steamedwith fury; well, then, at the precise moment, Jarocho put his slipperedfeet between his horns, and vaulted, light as a bird flies, over hisback. Then Sandoval turned to him again. Well, he calmly waited for hisapproach, and his long sword met him between the horns. As lightly asa lady touches her cavalier, he seemed to touch Sandoval; but the brutefell like a stone at his feet. What a storm of vivas! What clapping ofhands and shouts of 'valiente!' And the ladies flung their flowers, andthe men flung their hats into the arena, and Jarocho stepped proudlyenough on them, I can tell you, though he was watching the door for thenext bull. "

"Ah, Senor, why will men fight each other, when it is so much more grandand interesting to fight bulls?"

"Senorita Isabel, if you could only convince them of that! But then, itis not always interesting to the matadore; for instance, it is only bythe mercy of God and the skill of an Americano that Jarocho is at thismoment out of purgatory. "

The Senora raised herself from among the satin pillows of her sofa, and asked, excitedly; "Was there then some accident, Senor? Is Jarochowounded? Poor Jarocho!"

"Not a hair of his head is hurt, Senora. I will tell you. Saint Jago, who followed Sandoval, was a little devil. He was light and quick, andhad intelligence. You could see by the gleam in his eyes that he took inthe whole scene, and considered not only the people in the ring, but thepeople in the amphitheatre also, to be his tormentors. Perhaps in thatreflection he was not mistaken. He meant mischief from the beginning;and he pressed Jarocho so close that he leaped the barrier for safety. As he leaped, Saint Jago leaped also. Imagine now the terror of thespectators! The screams! The rush! The lowered horns within an inch ofJarocho, and Fray Joseph Maria running with the consecrated wafer tothe doomed man! At that precise moment there was a rifle-shot, and thebellowing brute rolled backward into the arena--dead. "

"Oh, Maria Purissima! How grand! In such moments one really lives, Senor. And but for this absurd rebellion I and my daughters could havehad the emotion. It is indeed cruel. "

"You said the shot was fired by an American?"

"Senorita Antonia, it was, indeed. I saw him. He was in the last row. He had stood up when Saint Jago came in, and he was watching the man andthe animal with his soul in his eyes. He had a face, fine and thin asa woman's--a very gentle face, also. But at one instant it became sternand fierce, the lips hard set, the eyes half shut, then the rifle atthe shoulder like a flash of light, and the bull was dead between thebeginning and the end of the leap! The sight was wonderful, and theladies turned to him with smiles and cries of thankfulness, and thebetter part of the men bowed to him; for the Mexican gentleman is alwaysjust to a great deed. But he went away as if he had done something thatdispleased himself, and when I overtook him at the gates of the Alamo, he did not look as if he wished to talk about it. 

"However, I could not refrain myself, and I said: 'Permit me, ColonelCrockett, to honor you. The great feat of to-day's fight was yours. SanAntonio owes you for her favorite Jarocho. '"

"'I saved a life, young man, ' he answered and I took a life; and I'll beblamed if I know whether I did right or wrong. ' 'Jarocho would have beenkilled but for your shot. ' 'That's so; and I killed the bull; but youcan take my hat if I don't think I killed the tallest brute of the two. Adjourn the subject, sir'; and with that he walked off into the fort, and I did myself the pleasure of coming to see you, Senora. "

He rose and bowed to the ladies, and, as the Senora was making somepolite answer, the door of the room opened quickly, and a man enteredand advanced towards her. Every eye was turned on him, but ere a wordcould be uttered he was kneeling at the Senora's side, and had taken herface in his hands, and was kissing it. In the dim light she knew him atonce, and she cried out: "My Thomas! My Thomas! My dear son! For threeyears I have not seen you. "

He brought into the room with him an atmosphere of comfort and strength. Suddenly all fear and anxiety was lifted, and in Antonia's heart thereaction was so great that she sank into a chair and began to cry like achild. Her brother held her in his arms and soothed her with the promiseof his presence and help. Then he said, cheerfully:

"Let me have some supper, Antonia. I am as hungry as a lobos wolf; andrun away, Isabel, and help your sister, for I declare to you girls Ishall eat everything in the house. "

The homely duty was precisely what was needed to bring every one'sfeelings to their normal condition; and Thomas Worth sat chatting withhis mother and Lopez of his father, and Jack, and Dare, and Luis, andthe superficial events of the time, with that pleasant, matter-of-coursemanner which is by far the most effectual soother of troubled andunusual conditions. 

In less than half an hour Antonia called her brother, and he and Lopezentered the dining-room together. They came in as brothers might come, face answering face with sympathetic change and swiftness; but Antoniacould not but notice the difference in the two men. Lopez was dressed ina suit of black velvet, trimmed with many small silver buttons. His sashwas of crimson silk. His linen was richly embroidered; and his wide hatwas almost covered with black velvet, and adorned with silver tags. Itwas a dress that set off admirably his dark intelligent face. 

Thomas Worth wore the usual frontier costume; a dark flannel shirt, awide leather belt, buck-skin breeches, and leather boots covering hisknees. He was very like his father in figure and face--darker, perhaps, and less handsome. But the gentleness and strength of his personalappearance attracted every one first, and invested all traits with theirown distinctive charm. 

And, oh! What a change was there in the the{sic} Senora's room. Thepoor lady cried a little for joy, and then went to sleep like a weariedchild. Isabel and Antonia were too happy to sleep. They sat half throughthe night, talking softly of the danger they had been in. Now thatThomas had come, they could say HAD. For he was a very Great-heartto them, and they could even contemplate the expected visit ofFray Ignatius without fear; yes, indeed, with something very likesatisfaction. 

CHAPTER XIII. THE ARRIVAL OF SANTA ANNA. 

 "What thing thou doest, bravely do; When Heaven's clear call hath found thee, Follow--with fervid wheels pursue, Though thousands bray around thee. "

 "Mounted upon a hot and fiery steed, Which his aspiring rider seemed to know; With slow but stately pace kept on his course; You would have thought the very windows spoke, So many greedy looks of young and old, Through casements darted their desiring eyes Upon his visage. "

Left to themselves, the two men threw off like a mask the aspect ofcheerfulness they had worn in the presence of the Senora. Thomas Worthate heartily, for he had been without food since morning; but Navarrodid not attempt to join his meal. He sat patiently waiting his sombreeyes fixed upon the mental visions which circled in the enchantedincense of his cigarette. 

Presently Thomas Worth turned toward the hearth, pushed the cedar logson it to a focus, and at their leaping blaze lighted the pipe which hetook from his pocket. "Lopez, " he said, "it strikes me that I am justin time to prevent some infamous plan of Fray Ignatius and my uncleGonzaga. "

"I should not have lost sight of the Senora and your sisters. I havewatched them faithfully, though for many good reasons it has been bestto appear indifferent. Will you now remain in San Antonio?"

"I have come with orders to Travis to blow up the Alamo, and fall backupon Houston, who is at Gonzales. But I do not think the men will permithim to do so. "

"You have too many leaders. Also, they undervalue the Mexican soldiers. I assure you they do. They fought Spain for ten years; they do not want, then, the persistence of true valor. The Americans may die in the Alamo, but they cannot hold it against the thousands Santa Anna will bring withhim. "

"They will die, then. They have no thought of retreat, nor of any deedthat argues fear. Every man relies on himself, as if in his hand themoment of victory lay. "

"Every man will perish. "

"They will not perish in vain. Defeat is only a spur to the Americansoldier. Every, one makes him a better fighter. If Santa Anna massacresthe men in the Alamo, he seals the freedom of Texas. "

"Houston should have come himself. "

"Houston is biding his time. He is doing at present the hardest dutya great man can do: setting an example of obedience to a divided andincompetent government. Lopez, you said rightly that we had too manyleaders. When those appointed for sacrifice have been offered up--whenwe are in the extremity of danger and ruin, then Houston will hear theword he is waiting for. "

"And he will lead you on to victory. Indeed, I know it. I have seen him. He has the line--the fortunate line on the forehead. He is the loadstonein the breast of your cause; the magnet who can draw good fortune to it. If fate be against you, he will force fate to change her mind. If fateweave you a common thread, he will change it into purple. Victory, whichshe gives to others reluctantly, he will take like a master from herhand HOUSTON! What essence! What existence! What honor! What hope thereis in those seven letters. Consider this: He will find a way or make away for freedom. "

Subsequent events proved the opinion of Thomas Worth correct withregard to the garrison in the Alamo. David Crockett! James Bowie! BarretTravis! The names were a host in themselves; one and all refused tocouple them with retreat. 

"Military defeats may be moral victories, young man, " said Crockett toThomas Worth; "and moral victories make national greatness. TheRoman that filled the gulf with his own body--the men who died atThermopylae--they live to-day, and they have been talking with us. "

"But if you join Houston you will save many lives. "

"That isn't always the point, sir. Jim Bowie was saying there was once alover who used to swim two miles every night to see a young woman calledHero. Now, he might have waited for a boat and gone dry-shod to hissweetheart; but if he had, who would have cared whether he lived ordied? The Alamo is our Hero. If we can't keep her, we can die for her. "

The same spirit moved every soul at Goliad. Fanning was there withnearly nine hundred men, and he had named the place Fort Defiance, andasserted his determination to hold it. In the mean time, Houston wasusing his great personal influence to collect troops, to make treatieswith the Indians, and to keep together some semblance of a provisionalgovernment. 

But it had become evident to all the leading spirits of the revolutionthat no half-way measures would now do. They only produced half-wayenthusiasm. For this end, Houston spoke out with his accustomedboldness:

"Gentlemen, we must declare the independence of Texas, and like ourfore-elders, sink or swim by that declaration. Nothing else, nothingless, can save us. The planters of Texas must feel that they arefighting for their own constitution, and not for Mexican promises madeto them twelve years ago and never yet kept. "

The simple proposition roused a new enthusiasm; for while Urrea washastening towards Goliad, and Santa Anna towards San Antonio, andFilisola to Washington, the divided people were becoming more and moreembittered. The American soldiers, who had hitherto gone in and outamong the citizens of San Antonio during the day, and only slept in theAlamo, were conscious of an ominous change in the temper of the city. They gathered their recruits together and shut themselves in thefortress. 

Again Thomas Worth urged them to fall back either upon the line ofHouston at Gonzales, or Fanning at Goliad; but in the indecision anduncertainty of all official orders, Crockett thought it best to make thefirst stand at the Mexican city. 

"We can, at least, " he said, "keep Santa Anna busy long enough to givethe women and children of our own settlements time to escape, and themen time to draw together with a certain purpose. "

"The cry of Santa Anna has been like the cry of wolf! wolf!" said Bowie. "I hear that great numbers that were under arms have gone home toplant their corn and cotton. Do you want Santa Anna to murder thempiecemeal--house by house, family by family? Great George! Which of uswould accommodate him with a prolonged pleasure like that? No! he shallhave a square fight for every life lie gets"; and the calm, gentlemanlyBowie was suddenly transformed into a flashing, vehement, furiousavenger. He laid his knife and pistols on the table, his steel-blue eyesscintillated as if they were lightning; his handsome mouth, his long, white hands, his whole person radiated wrath and expressed the utmostlengths of invincible courage and insatiable hatred. 

"Gentlemen, " answered Travis, "I go with Crockett and Bowie. If we holdthe Alamo, it is a deed well done. If we fall with it, it is stilla deed well done. We shall have given to Houston and Fanning time tointerpose themselves between Santa Anna and the settlements. "

"We have none of us lived very well, " said Bowie, "but we can die well. I say as an American, that Texas is ours by right of natural locality, and by right of treaty; and, as I live, I will do my best to makeit American by right of conquest! Comrades, I do not want a prettierquarrel to die in"--and looking with a brave, unflinching gaze aroundthe grim fortress--"I do not want a better monument than the Alamo!"

The speech was not answered with any noisy hurrahing; but the menaround the bare, long table clasped hands across it, and from that lastinterview with the doomed men Thomas Worth came away with the knowledgethat he had seen the battle begun. He felt now that there was no time todelay longer his plans for the safety of his mother and sisters. Thesewere, indeed, of the simplest and most uncertain character; for thecondition of the country and its few resources were such as to makeflight the only way that promised safety. And yet flight was environedwith dangers of every kind--hunger, thirst, exhaustion, savage beasts, Indians, and the triple armies of Mexico. 

The day after his arrival he had begun to prepare, as far as possible, for this last emergency, but the Senora's unconquerable aversion toleave her native city had constantly hampered him. Until Santa Annareally appeared she would not believe in the necessity of such amovement. The proposal of Fray Ignatius, even if it did end in aconvent, did not seem so terrible as to be a wanderer without a roofto cover her. She felt aggrieved and injured by Antonia's and Isabel'spositive refusal to accept sanctuary from the priest, and with theunderhand cunning of a weak woman she had contrived to let Fray Ignatiusknow that SHE was not to blame for the refusal. 

All the same the priest hated her in conjunction with her children. Onthe morning after her interview with her uncle, he went to receive hersubmission; for the marquis had informed him of all that had passed, andhe felt the three women and the valuable Worth property already underhis hard hand. He opened the gate with the air of a proprietor. Helooked down the lovely alleys of the garden, and up at the latticedstories of the handsome house, with that solid satisfaction which is thereward of what is acquired by personal effort or wisdom. 

When he entered the door and was confronted by Thomas Worth, he wasfor the moment nonplussed. But he did not permit his confusion anddisappointment to appear. He had not seen Thomas for a long time. Headdressed him with suavity and regrets, and yet, "was sure he wouldbe glad to hear that, in the present dangerous crisis, the Marquis deGonzaga had remembered the blood-tie and offered his protection to afamily so desolate. "

Thomas Worth leaned upon the balusters, as if guarding the approach tothe Senora's apartments. He answered: "The protection of the marquisis unnecessary. Three ladies are too great a charge for one so aged. Wewill not impose it. " The face of the young man was calm and stern, buthe spoke without visible temper, until the priest prepared to pass him. Then he stretched out his arm as a barrier. 

"Fray Ignatius, you have already passed beyond the threshold; permit meto remind you of Dr. Worth's words on that subject. "

"I put my duty before any man's words. "

"Sir, for my mother's sake, I would not be disrespectful; but I assureyou, also, that I will not permit any man, while I live, to disregard myfather's orders regarding his own household. "

"I must see the Senora. "

"That, I reply, is impossible. "

"Presume not--dare not to interfere with a priest in the duty of hisoffice. It is a mortal sin. The curse of the Church will rest upon you. 

"The curse of the Church will not trouble me. But to treat my father'sknown wishes with contempt--that is an act of dishonor and disobediencewhich I will not be guilty of. "

"Santa Maria! Suffer not my spirit to be moved by this wicked one. Outof my path, Satanas!"

The last word was not one which Thomas Worth had expected. He flushedcrimson at its application, and with a few muttered sentences, intelligible only to the priest, he took him firmly by the shoulder, ledhim outside the door, and closed and barred it. 

The expulsion was not accomplished without noisy opposition on the partof Fray Ignatius, and it pained Thomas deeply to hear, in the midst ofthe priest's anathemas, the shrill cries of his mother's distress anddisapproval. 

The next domestic movement of Thomas Worth was to rid the house of Mollyand Manuel, and the inferior servants. It was not as easy a task as maybe supposed. They had been ordered by Fray Ignatius to remain, and theorder had not been countermanded. Even if the Senora and her daughterswere going east, and their services were not needed, they had noobjections to remain in the Worth house. They understood that theChurch would take possession, and the housekeeping of the Church wasnotoriously easy and luxurious. 

However, after exorbitant compensation had been made, and Molly hadgiven in return "a bit of her mind, " she left for the Irish colony ofSan Patricio, and Manuel immediately sought his favorite monte table. When he had doubled his money, he intended to obey Molly's emphaticorders, and go and tell the priest all about it. 

"I would rather, face a battery of cannon than Fray Ignatius and theservants again, Antonia. " Antonia looked at her brother; he was worriedand weary, and his first action, when he had finally cleared the house, was to walk around it, and bolt every door and window. Antonia followedhim silently. She perceived that the crisis had come, and she was doingas good women in extremity do--trying to find in the darkness the handalways stretched out to guide and strengthen. As yet she had not beenable to grasp it. She followed her brother like one in a troubled dream, whispering faintly, with white lips, "O God, where art Thou? Help andpity us!"

Thomas led her finally to his father's office. He went to a closetfilled with drugs, removed them, and then a certain pressure of his handcaused the back of the closet to disappear in a groove, and a receptaclefull of coin and papers was disclosed. 

"We must take with us all the coin we can carry. What you are not likelyto require, is to go to the men in the field. Then, hide in its placethe old silver, and the laces, and the jewels, which came with theFlores from Castile; and any other papers and valuables, which youreceived from our father. I think even Fray Ignatius will not discoverthem here. "

"Is there any special need to hurry to-day?

"Santa Anna is within forty-eight hours of San Antonio. He may force amarch, and be here earlier. Travis told me last night that their advancescouts had come in with this intelligence. To-day they will gather everyman they can, and prepare to defend themselves in the Alamo. As soon asSanta Anna arrives, we are in danger. I must leave here to-night. I musteither take you with me or remove you to a place of more safety. "

"Let us go with you. "

"If my mother is willing. "

"If she is not, what then?"

"Lopez has prepared for that emergency. He has an empty house threemiles west of San Antonio. He has had it completely victualled. I willtake you there after dark in the large green chariot. Ortiz will drivethe light Jersey wagon on the Gonzales road. When inquiry is made, theJersey wagon will have attracted the attention of every Mexican, andFray Ignatius will receive positive assurances that you were in it andare beyond his power. And certainly, without definite intelligence, hewould never suspect you of being anywhere on the highway to Mexico. "

"Shall we be quite alone?"

"For two or three days you will be quite alone. Ortiz will, however, return with the wagon by a circuitous route; for, sooner or later, youare sure to need it. Fear not to trust him. Only in one respect will youneed to supplement his advice by your own intelligence: he is soeager to fight Santa Anna, he may persuade himself and you that it isnecessary to fly eastward when it is not. In all other points you may beguided by him, and his disguise as a peon is so perfect that it will beeasy for him to gather in the pulquerias all the information requisitefor your direction. I have been out to the house, and I can assure youthat Lopez has considered everything for your comfort. "

"However, I would rather go with you, Thomas. "

"It must be as mother desires. "

When the circumstances were explained to the Senora, she was at firstvery determined to accept neither alternative. "She would remain whereshe was. She was a Flores and a Gonzaga. Santa Anna knew better thanto molest her. She would rather trust to him than to those dreadfulAmericans. " Reminded of Fray Ignatius, she shed a few tears overthe poor padrecito, and assured her children they had made a mistakeregarding him, which neither oil nor ointment, nor wit nor wisdom, couldget over. 

It was almost impossible to induce her to come to a decision of anykind; and only when she saw Antonia and Isabel were dressed fora journey, and that Thomas had locked up all the rooms and wasextinguishing the fires, could she bring herself to believe that thetrial so long anticipated had really come. 

"My dearest mother! My own life and the lives of many others may nowhang upon a few moments. I can remain here no longer. Where shall I takeyou to?"

"I will not leave my home. "

"Santa Anna is almost here. As soon as he arrives, Fray Ignatiusand twelve of the Bernardine monks are coming here. I was told thatyesterday. "

"Then I will go to the convent. I and my daughters. "

"No, mother; if you go to the convent, Antonia and Isabel must go withme. "

She prayed, and exclaimed, and appealed to saints and angels, and to theholy Virgin, until Isabel was hysterically weeping, Antonia at a mentaltension almost unendurable, and Thomas on the verge of one of thoseterrifying passions that mark the extremity of habitually gentle, patient men. 

"My God, mother!" he exclaimed with a stamp of his spurred boot on thestone floor; "if you will go to the devil--to the priests, I mean--youmust go alone. Kiss your mother farewell, girls. I have not anothermoment to wait. "

Then, in a passion of angry sobs and reproaches, she decided to go withher daughters, and no saint ever suffered with a more firm conviction oftheir martyrdom to duty than did this poor foolish, affectionate slaveto her emotions and her superstitions. But when Thomas had gone, andnothing was to be gained by a display of her sufferings, she permittedherself to be interested in their hiding-place, and after Antonia hadgiven her a cup of chocolate, and Isabel had petted and soothed her, shebegan gradually to allow them to explain their situation, and even tofeel some interest in its discussion. 

They sat in the charmful, dusky glimmer of starlight, for candles andfire were forbidden luxuries. Fortunately, the weather was warm andsunny, and for making chocolate and such simple cookery, Lopez hadprovided a spirit lamp. The Senora was as pleased as a child withthis arrangement. She had never seen anything like it before. She evenimagined the food cooked upon it had some rare and unusual flavor. Shewas quite proud when she had learned its mysteries, and quite sure thatchocolate she made upon it was chocolate of a most superior kind. 

The house had been empty for two years, and the great point was topreserve its air of desolation. No outside arrangement was touched; thetorn remnants of some balcony hangings were left fluttering in the wind;the closed windows and the closed doors, the absence of smoke from thechimneys and of lights from the windows, preserved the air of emptinessand loneliness that the passers-by had been accustomed to see. And, as it was on the highway into the city, there were great numbersof passers: mule-trains going to Mexico and Sonora; cavaliers andpedestrians; splendidly-dressed nobles and officials, dusty peonsbringing in wood; ranchmen, peddlers, and the whole long list of a greatcity's purveyors and servants. 

But though some of the blinds were half-closed, much could be seen;and Isabel also often took cushions upon the flat roof, and lying down, watched, from between the pilasters of the balustrade surrounding it, the moving panorama. 

On the morning of the third day of what the Senora, called theirimprisonment, they went to the roof to sit in the clear sunshine andthe fresh wind. They were weary and depressed with the loneliness anduncertainty of their position, and were almost longing for something tohappen that would push forward the lagging wheels of destiny. 

A long fanfare of trumpets, a roll of drums, a stirring march of warlikemelody, startled them out of the lethargic tedium of exhausted hopes andfears. "It is Santa Anna!" said Antonia; and though they durst not standup, they drew closer to the balustrade and watched for the approachingarmy. Is there any woman who can resist that nameless emotion which bothfires and rends the heart in the presence of great military movements?Antonia was still and speechless, and white as death. Isabelwatched with gleaming eyes and set lips. The Senora's excitement wasunmistakably that of exultant national pride. 

Santa Anna and his staff-officers were in front. They passed too rapidlyfor individual notice, but it was a grand moving picture of handsomemen in scarlet and gold--of graceful mangas and waving plumes, andbright-colored velvet capes; of high-mettled horses, and richly-adornedMexican saddles, aqueras of black fur, and silver stirrups; of thousandsof common soldiers, in a fine uniform of red and blue; with antiquebrazen helmets gleaming in the sun, and long lances, adorned withtri-colored streamers. They went past like a vivid, wonderfuldream--like the vision of an army of mediaeval knights. 

In a few minutes the tumult of the advancing army was increased tenfoldby the clamor of the city pouring out to meet it. The clashing bellsfrom the steeples, the shouting of the populace, the blare of trumpetsand roll of drums, the lines of churchmen and officials in theirgrandest dresses, of citizens of every age, --the indescribable humanmurmur--altogether it was a scene whose sensuous splendor obliteratedfor a time the capacity of impressionable natures to judge rightly. 

But Antonia saw beyond all this brave show the ridges of red war, and anoble perversity of soul made her turn her senses inward. Then her eyesgrew dim, and her heart rose in pitying prayer for that small band ofheroes standing together for life and liberty in the grim Alamo. No pompof war was theirs. They were isolated from all their fellows. They weresurrounded by their enemies. No word of sympathy could reach them. Yetshe knew they would stand like lions at bay; that they would give lifeto its last drop for liberty; and rather than be less than freemen, theywould prefer not to be at all. 

CHAPTER XIV. THE FALL OF THE ALAMO. 

 "The combat deepens. On, ye brave! Who rush to glory or the grave. "

 "To all the sensual world proclaim: One crowded hour of glorious life Is worth an age without a name. "

 "Gashed with honorable scars, Low in Glory's lap they lie; Though they fell, they fell like stars, Streaming splendor through the sky. "

The passing-by of Santa Anna and the Mexican army, though it had beenhourly expected for nearly three days, was an event which threw theSenora and her daughters into various conditions of mental excitement. They descended from the roof to the Senora's room, where they could moveabout and converse with more freedom. For the poor lady was quiteunable to control her speech and actions, and was also much irritated byAntonia's more composed manner. She thought it was want of sympathy. 

"How can you take things with such a blessed calmness, " she asked, angrily. "But it is the way of the Americans, no doubt, who must haveeverything for prudence. Sensible! Sensible! Sensible! that is the tunethey are forever playing, and you dance to it like a miracle. "

"My dear mother, can we do any good by exclaiming and weeping?"

"Holy Virgin! Perhaps not; but to have a little human nature is moreagreeable to those who are yet on the earth side of purgatory. "

"Mi madre, " said Isabel, "Antonia is our good angel. She thinks for us, and plans for us, and even now has everything ready for us to move ata moment's notice. Our good angels have to be sensible and prudent, madre. "

"To move at a moment's notice! Virgin of Guadalupe! where shall we goto? Could my blessed father and mother see me in this prison, this veryvault, I assure you they would be unhappy even among the angels. "

"Mother, there are hundreds of women today in Texas who would think thishouse a palace of comfort and safety. "

"Saints and angels! Is that my fault? Does it make my condition moreendurable? Ah, my children, I have seen great armies come into SanAntonio, and always before I have been able to make a little pleasure tomyself out of the event. For the Mexicans are not blood-thirsty, though they are very warlike. When Bravo was here, what balls, whatbull-fights, what visiting among the ladies! Indeed there was so muchto tell, the tertulia was as necessary as the dinner. To be sure, theMexicans are not barbarians; they made a war that had some refinement. But the Americans! They are savages. With them it is fight, fight, fight, and if we try to be agreeable, as we were to that outrageous SamHouston, they say thank you, madam, and go on thinking their own cruelthoughts. I wonder the gentle God permits that such men live. "

"Dear mother, refinement in war is not possible. Nothing can make itotherwise than brutal and bloody. "

"Antonia, allow that I, who am your mother, should know what I havesimply seen with my eyes. Salcedo, Bravo, Martinez, Urrea--are they notgreat soldiers? Very well, then, I say they brought some pleasure withtheir armies; and you will see that Santa Anna will do the same. If wewere only in our own home! It must have been the devil who made us leaveit. "

"How truly splendid the officers looked, mi madre. I dare say SenoraValdez will entertain them. "

"That is certain. And as for Dorette Valdez--the coquette--it willcertainly be a great happiness to her. "

Isabel sighed, and the Senora felt a kind of satisfaction in the sigh. It was unendurable to be alone in her regrets and her longings. 

"Yes, " she continued, "every night Senora Trespalacios will give atertulia, and the officers will have military balls--the brave youngmen; they will be so gay, so charming, so devoted, and in a fewhours, perhaps, they will go into the other world by the road of thebattlefield. Ah, how pitiful! How interesting! Cannot you imagine it?"

Isabel sighed again, but the sigh was for the gay, the charming LuisAlveda. And when she thought of him, she forgot in a moment to envyDorette Valdez, or the senoritas of the noble house of Trespalacios. Andsome sudden, swift touch of sympathy, strong as it was occult, madethe Senora at the same moment remember her husband and her sons. A realsorrow and a real anxiety drove out all smaller annoyances. Then bothher daughters wept together, until their community of grief had broughtto each heart the solemn strength of a divine hope and reliance. 

"My children, I will go now and pray, " said the sorrowful wifeand mother. "At the foot of the cross I will wait for the hour ofdeliverance;" and casting herself on her knees, with her crucifix inher hand, she appeared in a moment to have forgotten everything buther anguish and her sins, and the Lamb of God upon whom, with childlikefaith, she was endeavoring to cast them. Her tears dropped uponthe ivory image of the Crucified, and sympathetic tears sprung intoAntonia's and Isabel's eyes, as they listened to her imploration. 

That night, when all was dark and still, Ortiz returned with the wagon. In the morning Antonia went to speak to him. He looked worn-out andsorrowful, and she feared to ask him for news. "There is food in thehouse, and I have made you chocolate, " she said, as she pitifullyscanned the man's exhausted condition. 

"The Senorita is kind as the angels. I will eat and drink at her order. I am, indeed, faint and hungry. "

She brought him to the table, and when he refused to sit in herpresence, she said frankly, "Captain Ortiz, you are our friend and notour servant. Rest and refresh yourself. "

He bent upon one knee and kissed the hand she offered, and withoutfurther remonstrance obeyed her desire. Isabel came in shortly, and withthe tact of true kindness she made no remark, but simply took the chairbeside Ortiz, and said, in her usual voice and manner: "Good morning, Captain. We are glad to see you. Did you meet my brother Thomas again?"

"Senorita, God be with you! I have not seen him. I was at Goliad. "

"Then you would see our brother Juan?"

"Si. The Senor Juan is in good health and great happiness. He sent by mywilling hands a letter. "

"Perhaps also you saw his friend, Senor Grant?"

"From him, also, I received a letter. Into your gracious care, Senorita, I deliver them. "

"I thank you for your kindness, Captain. Tell us now of the fortress. Are the troops in good spirits?"

"Allow me to fear that they are in too good assurance of success. The most of the men are very young. They have not yet met our Lady ofSorrows. They have promised to themselves the independence of Texas. They will also conquer Mexico. There are kingdoms in the moon for them. I envy such exaltations--and regret them. GRACE OF GOD, Senorita!My heart ached to see the crowds of bright young faces. With aNapoleon--with a Washington to lead them--they would do miracles. "

"What say you to Houston?"

"I know him not. At Goliad they are all Houstons. They believe each manin himself. On the contrary, I wish that each man looked to the sameleader. "

"Do you know that Santa Anna is in San Antonio?"

"I felt it, though I had no certain news. I came far around, and hidmyself from all passers-by, for the sake of the wagon and the horses. I have the happiness to say they are safe. The wagon is within theenclosure, the horses are on the prairie. They have been well trained, and will come to my call. As for me, I will now go into the city, forthere will be much to see and to hear that may be important to us. Senoritas, for all your desires, I am at your service. "

When Ortiz was gone, Isabel had a little fret of disappointment. Luismight have found some messenger to bring her a word of his love andlife. What was love worth that did not annihilate impossibilities!However, it consoled her a little to carry Jack's letter to his mother. The Senora had taken her morning chocolate and fallen asleep. WhenIsabel awakened her, she opened her eyes with a sigh, and a look ofhopeless misery. These pallid depressions attacked her most cruelly inthe morning, when the room, shabby and unfamiliar, gave both her memory, and anticipation a shock. 

But the sight of the letter flushed her face with expectation. She tookit with smiles. She covered it with kisses. When she opened it, a curlfrom Jack's head fell on to her lap. She pressed it to her heart, andthen rose and laid it at the feet of her Madonna. "She must share myjoy, " she said with a pathetic childishness; "she will understand it. "Then, with her arm around Isabel, and the girl's head on his shoulder, they read together Jack's loving words:

"Mi madre, mi madre, you have Juan's heart in your heart. Believe me, that in all this trouble I sorrow only for you. When victory is won Ishall fly to you. Other young men have other loves; I have only you, sweet mother. There is always the cry in my heart for the kiss I missedwhen I left you. If I could hold your hand to-night, if I could hearyour voice, if I could lay my head on your breast, I would say that theHoly One had given me the best blessings He had in heaven. Send to me aletter, madre--a letter full of love and kisses. Forgive Juan! Think ofthis only: HE IS MY BOY! If I live, it is for you, who are the loveliestand dearest of mothers. If I die, I shall die with your name on my lips. I embrace you with my soul. I kiss your hands, and remember how oftenthey have clasped mine. I kiss your eyes, your cheeks, your dear lips. Mi madre, remember me! In your prayers, remember Juan!"

With what tears and sobs was this loving letter read by all the women;and the Senora finally laid it where she had laid the precious curl thathad come with it. She wanted "the Woman blessed among women" to sharethe mother joy and the mother anguish in her heart. Besides, she was alittle nervous about Jack's memento of himself. Her superstitious loretaught her that severed hair is a token of severed love. She wished hehad not sent it, and yet she could not bear to have it out of her sight. 

"Gracias a Dios!" she kept ejaculating. "I have one child that loves me, and me only. I shall forgive Juan everything. I shall not forgive Thomasmany things. But Juan! oh! it is impossible not to love him entirely. There is no one like him in the world. If the good God will only givehim back to me, I will say a prayer of thanks every day of my life long. Oh, Juan! Juan! my boy! my dear one!"

Thus she talked to herself and her daughters continually. She wrote aletter full of motherly affection and loving incoherencies; and if Jackhad ever received it he would doubtless have understood and kissedevery word, and worn the white messenger close to his heart. But betweenwriting letters and sending them, there were in those days intervalsfull of impossibilities. Love then had to be taken on trust. Rarely, indeed, could it send assurances of fidelity and affection. 

Jack's letter brightened the day, and formed a new topic ofconversation, until Ortiz returned in the evening. His disguise hadenabled him to linger about the Plaza and monte table, and to hear andobserve all that was going on. 

"The city is enjoying itself, and making money, " he said, in replyto question from the Senora. "Certainly the San Antonians approve ofliberty, but what would you do? In Rome one does not quarrel with thePope; in San Antonio one must approve of despotism, when Santa Annaparades himself there. "

"Has he made any preparations for attacking the Alamo? Will theAmericans resist him?"

"Senorita Antonia, he is erecting a battery on the river bank, threehundred yards from the Alamo. This morning, ere the ground was touched, he reviewed his men in the Plaza. He stood on an elevation at the churchdoor, surrounded by his officers and the priests, and unfurled theMexican flag. "

"That was about eleven o'clock, Captain?"

"Si, Senorita. You are precisely exact. "

"I heard at that hour a dull roar of human voices--a roar like nothingon earth but the distant roar of the ocean. "

"To be sure; it was the shouting of the people. When all was still, FrayIgnatius blessed the flag, and sprinkled over it holy water. Then SantaAnna raised it to his lips and kissed it. Holy Maria! another shout. Then he crossed his sword upon the flag, and cried out--'Soldados! youare here to defend this banner, which is the emblem of your holy faithand of your native land, against heretics, infidels and ungratefultraitors. Do you swear to do it?' And the whole army answered 'Si! si!juramos!' (yes, we swear. ) Again he kissed the flag, and laid his swordacross it, and, to be sure, then another shout. It was a very cleverthing, I assure you, Senora, and it sent every soldier to the batterywith a great heart. "

The Senora's easily touched feelings were all on fire at thedescription. "I wish I could have seen the blessing of the banner, "she said; "it is a ceremony to fill the soul. I have always wept at it. Mark, Antonia! This confirms what I assured you of--the Mexicans makewar with a religious feeling and a true refinement. And pray, CaptainOrtiz, how will the Americans oppose these magnificent soldiers, full ofpiety and patriotism?"

"They have the Alamo, and one hundred and eighty-three men in it. "

"And four thousand men against them?"

"Si. May the Virgin de los Remedios [4] be their help! An urgent appealfor assistance was sent to Fanning at Goliad. Senor Navarre, took it ona horse fleet as the wind. You will see that on the third day he will besmoking in his balcony, in the way which is usual to him. "

"Will Fanning answer the appeal?"

"If the answer be permitted him. But Urrea may prevent. Also otherthings. "

Santa Anna entered San Antonio on Tuesday the twenty-third of February, 1836, and by the twenty-seventh the siege had become a very close one. Entrenched encampments encircled the doomed men in the Alamo, and fromdawn to sunset the bombardment went on. The tumult of the fight--thehurrying in and out of the city--the clashing of church bells betweenthe booming of cannon--these things the Senora and her daughters couldhear and see; but all else was for twelve days mere surmise. But onlyone surmise was possible, when it was known that the little band ofdefiant heroes were fighting twenty, times their own number--that nohelp could come to them--that the Mexicans were cutting off their water, and that their provisions were getting very low. The face of Ortiz grewconstantly more gloomy, and yet there was something of triumph in histone as he told the miserably anxious women with what desperate valorthe Americans were fighting; and how fatally every one of their shotstold. 

On Saturday night, the fifth of March, he called Antonia aside, andsaid, "My Senorita, you have a great heart, and so I speak to you. Theend is close. To-day the Mexicans succeeded in getting a large cannonwithin gunshot of the Alamo, just where it is weakest. Senor CaptainCrockett has stood on the roof all day, and as the gunners have advancedto fire it he has shot them down. A group of Americans were around him;they loaded rifles and passed them to him quickly as he could fire them. Santa Anna was in a fury past believing. He swore then 'by every saintin heaven or hell' to enter the Alamo to-morrow. Senor Navarro says heis raging like a tiger, and that none of his officers dare approachhim. The Senor bade me tell you that to-morrow night he will be here toescort you to Gonzales; for no American will his fury spare; he knowsneither sex nor age in his passions. And when the Alamo falls, thesoldiers will spread themselves around for plunder, or shelter, andthis empty house is sure to attract them. The Senorita sees with her ownintelligence how things must take place. "

"I understand, Captain. Will you go with us?"

"I will have the Jersey wagon ready at midnight. I know the horses. Before sun-up we shall have made many miles. "

That night as Antonia and her sister sat in the dark together, Antoniasaid: "Isabel, tomorrow the Alamo will fall. There is no hope for thepoor, brave souls there. Then Santa Anna will kill every American. "

"Oh, dear Antonia, what is to become of us? We shall have no home, nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep. I think we shall die. Also, there ismi madre. How I do pity her!"

"She is to be your care, Isabel. I shall rely on you to comfort andmanage her. I will attend to all else. We are going to our father, andThomas--and Luis. "

Yes, and after all I am very tired of this dreadful life. It is a kindof convent. One is buried alive here, and still not safe. Do you reallyimagine that Luis is with my father and Thomas?"

"I feel sure of it. "

"What a great enjoyment it will be for me to see him again!"

"And how delighted he will be! And as it is necessary that we go, Isabel, we must make the best of the necessity. Try and get mi madre tofeel this. "

"I can do that with a few words, and tears, and kisses. Mi madre is likeone's good angel--very easy to persuade. "

"And now we must try and sleep, queridita. "

"Are you sure there is no danger to-night, Antonia?"

"Not to-night. Say your prayer, and sleep in God's presence. Thereis yet nothing to fear. Ortiz and Lopez Navarro are watching everymovement. "

But at three o'clock in the morning, the quiet of their rest was brokenby sharp bugle calls. The stars were yet in the sky, and all was sostill that they thrilled the air like something unearthly. Antoniastarted up, and ran to the roof. Bugle was answering bugle; and theirtones were imperative and cruel, as if they were blown by evil spirits. It was impossible to avoid the feeling that the call was a PREDESTINEDsummons, full of the notes of calamity. She was weighed down by thissorrowful presentiment, because, as yet, neither experience nor yearshad taught her that PREDESTINED ILLS ARE NEVER LOST. 

The unseen moving multitudes troubled the atmosphere between them. Inwild, savage gusts, she heard the military bands playing the infamousDequelo, whose notes of blood and fire commingled, shrieked in everyear--"NO QUARTER! NO QUARTER!" A prolonged shout, the booming of cannon, an awful murmurous tumult, a sense of horror, of crash and conflict, answered the merciless, frenzied notes, and drowned them in the shrieksand curses they called for. 

It was yet scarcely dawn. Her soul, moved by influences so various andso awful, became almost rebellious. Why did God permit such cruelties?Did He know? Would He allow a handful of men to be overpowered bynumbers? Being omnipotent, would He not in some way, at least, make thefight equal? The instinct of her anglo-American nature revolted at theunfairness of the struggle. Even her ejaculations to heaven were in thisspirit. "It is so unjust, " she murmured; "surely the Lord of Hosts willprevent a fight which must be a massacre. "

As she went about the simple preparations for their breakfast, she weptcontinuously--tears of indignation and sorrow--tears coming from thestrength of feeling, rather than its weakness. The Senora could eatnothing. Isabel was white with terror. They wandered from window towindow in the last extremity of anxiety. 

About seven o'clock they saw Ortiz pass the house. There were so manypeople on the road he could not find an opportunity to enter for sometime. He had been in the city all night. He had watched the movement ofthe troops in the starlight. As he drank a cup of chocolate, he said:

"It was just three o'clock, Senorita, when the Matamoras battalion wasmoved forward. General Cos supported it with two thousand men. 

"But General Cos was paroled by these same Americans who are now in theAlamo; and his life was spared on condition that he would not bear armsagainst them again. "

"It is but one lie, one infamy more. When I left the city, about fourthousand men were attacking the Alamo. The infantry, in columns, weredriven up to the walls by the cavalry which surrounded them. "

"The Americans! Is there any hope for them?"

"The mercy of God remains, Senorita. That is all. The Alamo is not asthe everlasting hills. What men have made, men can also destroy. SenorNavarro is in the church, praying for the souls that are passing everymoment. "

"He ought to have been fighting. To help the living is better than topray for the dead. "

"Permit me to assure you, Senorita Antonia, that no man has done more forthe living. In time of war, there must be many kinds of soldiers. SenorNavarro has given nearly all, that he possesses for the hope of freedom. He has done secret service of incalculable value. "

"Secret service! I prefer those who have the courage of theirconvictions, and who, stand by them publicly. "

"This is to be considered, Senorita; the man who can be silent can alsospeak when the day for speaking arrives. " No one opposed this statement. It did not seem worth while to discuss opinions, while the terriblefacts of the position were appealing to every sense. 

As the day went on, the conflict evidently became closer and fiercer. Ortiz went back to the city, and the three lonely women knelt upon thehouse-top, listening in terror to the tumult of the battle. About noonthe firing ceased, and an awful silence--a silence that made the earsache to be relieved of it--followed. 

"All is over!" moaned Antonia, and she covered her face with her handsand sobbed bitterly. Isabel had already exhausted tears. The Senora, with her crucifix in her hand, was praying for the poor unfortunatesdying without prayer. 

During the afternoon, smoke and flame, and strange and sickening odorswere blown northward of the city, and for some time it seemed probablethat a great conflagration would follow the battle. How they longed forsome one to come! The utmost of their calamity would be better than theintolerable suspense. But hour after hour went past, and not even Ortizarrived. They began to fear that both he and Navarro had been discoveredin some disloyalty and slain, and Antonia was heartsick when sheconsidered the helplessness of their situation. 

Still, in accordance with Navarro's instructions, they dressed forthe contemplated journey, and sat in the dark, anxiously listening forfootsteps. About eleven o'clock Navarro and Ortiz came together. Ortizwent for the horses, and Navarro sat down beside, the Senora. She askedhim, in a low voice, what had taken place, and he answered:

"Everything dreadful, everything cruel, and monstrous, and inhuman!Among the angels in heaven there is sorrow and anger this night. "His voice had in it all the pathos of tears, but tears mingled with aburning indignation. 

"The Alamo has fallen!"

"Senorita Antonia, I would give my soul to undo this day's work. It is adisgrace to Mexico which centuries cannot wipe out. "

"The Americans?"

"Are all with the Merciful One. "

"Not one saved?"

"Not one. "

"Impossible!"

"I will tell you. It is right to tell the whole world such an infamy. If I had little children I would take them on my knee and teach themthe story. I heard it from the lips of one wet-shod with their blood, dripping crimson from the battle--my own cousin, Xavier. He was withGeneral Castrillon's division. They began their attack at four in themorning, and after two hours' desperate fighting succeeded in reaching acourtyard of the Alamo. 

"They found the windows and doors barricaded with bags of earth. Behindthese the Americans fought hand to hand with despairing valor. Ramires, Siesma and Batres led the columns, and Santa Anna gave the signal ofbattle from a battery near the bridge. When the second charge was drivenback, he became furious. He put himself in front of the men, and withshouts and oaths led them to the third charge. Xavier said that heinspired them with his own frenzy. They reached the foot of the wall, and the ladders were placed in position. The officers fell to the rearand forced the men to ascend them. As they reached the top they werestabbed, and the ladders overturned. Over and over, and over again theseattempts were made, until the garrison in the Alamo were exhausted withthe struggle. "

Navarro paused a few minutes, overpowered by his emotions. No one spoke. He could see Antonia's face, white as a spirit's, in the dim light, andhe knew that Isabel was weeping and that the Senora had taken his hand. 

"At last, at the hour of ten, the outer wall was gained. Then, room byroom was taken with slaughter incredible. There were fourteen Americansin the hospital. They fired their rifles and pistols from their palletswith such deadly aim that Milagros turned a cannon shotted with grapeand canister upon them. They were blown to pieces, but at the entranceof the door they left forty dead Mexicans. "

"Ah Senor, Senor! tell me no more. My heart can not endure it. "

"Mi madre, " answered Isabel, "we must hear it all. Without it, onecannot learn to hate Santa Anna sufficiently"; and her small, whiteteeth snapped savagely, as she touched the hand of Lopez with animperative "Proceed. "

"Colonel Bowie was helpless in bed. Two Mexican officers fired at him, and one ran forward to stab him ere he died. The dying man caught hismurderer by the hair of his head, and plunged his knife into his heart. They went to judgment at the same moment. "

"I am glad of it! Glad of it! The American would say to the Almighty:'Thou gavest me life, and thou gavest me freedom; freedom, that is thenobler gift of the two. This man robbed me of both. ' And God is just. The Judge of the whole earth will do right. "

"At noon, only six of the one hundred and eighty-three were left alive. They were surrounded by Castrillon and his soldiers. Xavier says hisgeneral was penetrated with admiration for these heroes. He spokesympathizingly to Crockett, who stood in an angle of the fort, with hisshattered rifle in his right hand, and his massive knife, dripping withblood, in his left. His face was gashed, his white hair crimson withblood; but a score of Mexicans, dead and dying, were around him. At hisside was Travis, but so exhausted that he was scarcely alive. 

"Castrillon could not kill these heroes. He asked their lives of SantaAnna, who stood with a scowling, savage face in this last citadel ofhis foes. For answer, he turned to the men around him, and said, with amalignant emphasis: 'Fire!' It was the last volley. Of the defenders ofthe Alamo, not one is left. "

A solemn silence followed. For a few minutes it was painful in itsintensity. Isabel broke it. She spoke in a whisper, but her voice wasfull of intense feeling. "I wish indeed the whole city had been burntup. There was a fire this afternoon; I would be glad if it were burningyet. "

"May God pardon us all, Senorita! That was a fire which does not go out. It will burn for ages. I will explain myself. Santa Anna had the deadAmericans put into ox-wagons and carried to an open field outsidethe city. There they were burnt to ashes. The glorious pile was stillcasting lurid flashes and shadows as I passed it. "

"I will hear no more! I will hear no more!" cried the Senora. "And Iwill go away from here. Ah, Senor, why do you not make haste? In a fewhours we shall have daylight again. I am in a terror. Where is Ortiz?"

"The horses are not caught in a five minutes, Senora. But listen, thereis the roll of the wagon on the flagged court. All, then, is ready. Senora, show now that you are of a noble house, and in this hour ofadversity be brave, as the Flores have always been. "

She was pleased by the entreaty, and took his arm with a composurewhich, though assumed, was a sort of strength. She entered the wagonwith her daughters, and uttered no word of complaint. Then Navarrolocked the gate, and took his seat beside Ortiz. The prairie turfdeadened the beat of their horses' hoofs; they went at a flying pace, and when the first pallid light of morning touched the east, they hadleft San Antonio far behind and were nearing the beautiful banks of theCibolo. 

CHAPTER XV. GOLIAD. 

 "How sleep the brave who sink to rest By all their country's wishes bless'd? * * * * *

 By fairy hands their knell is rung; By forms unseen their dirge is sung. There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the turf that wraps their clay; And Freedom shall awhile repair, To dwell a weeping hermit there. "

 "How shall we rank thee upon glory's page? Thou more than soldier, and just less than sage. "

 "Grief fills the room up of my absent child; Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me; Remembers me of all his gracious parts. "

Near midnight, on March the ninth, the weary fugitives arrived atGonzales. They had been detained by the deep mud in the bottom lands, and by the extreme exhaustion of the ladies, demanding some hours' resteach day. The village was dark and quiet. Here and there the glimmerof a candle, now and then the call of a sentry, or the wail of a childbroke the mysterious silence. 

Ortiz appeared to know the ground perfectly. He drove without hesitationto a log house in which a faint thread of light was observable, andas he approached it he gave a long, peculiar whistle. The door wasinstantly thrown open, and, as the wagon stopped, two men steppedeagerly to it. In another instant the Senora was weeping in herhusband's arms, and Isabel laughing and crying and murmuring her sweetsurprises into the ear of the delighted Luis. When their wraps had beenremoved from the wagon, Ortiz drove away, leaving Navarro and Antoniastanding by the little pile of ladies' luggage. 

"I will take charge of all, Senorita. Alas! How weary you are!"

"It is nothing, Senor. Let me thank you for your great kindness. "

"Senorita, to be of service to you is my good fortune. If it werenecessary, my life for your life, and I would die happy. "

She had given him her hand with her little speech of thanks, and heraised it to his lips. It was an act of homage that he might haveoffered to a saint, but in it Lopez unconsciously revealed to Antoniathe secret love in his heart. For he stood in the glow of light fromthe open door, and his handsome face showed, as in a glass darkly, thetenderness and hopelessness of his great affection. She was touched bythe discovery, and though she had a nature faithful as sunrising shecould not help a feeling of kindly interest in a lover so reticent, sowatchful, so forgetful of himself. 

The log cabin in which they found shelter was at least a resting-place. A fire of cedar logs burned upon the hearth, and there was a bed in theroom, and a few rude chairs covered with raw hide. But the Senora hada happy smile on her weary face. She ignored the poverty of hersurroundings. She had her Roberto, and, for this hour at least, hadforgiven fate. 

Presently the coffee-pot was boiling, and Doctor Worth and Luis broughtout their small store of corn-bread and their tin camp-cups, and theweary women ate and drank, and comforted themselves in the love andprotection at their side. Doctor Worth sat by his wife, and gave Antoniahis hand. Isabel leaned her pretty head against Luis, and listened withhappy smiles to his low words:

"Charming little one, your lips are two crimson curtains. Betweencurtain and curtain my kiss is waiting. Give it to me. "

"Eyes of my soul, to-night the world begins again for me. "

"At this blessed hour of God, I am the happiest man he has made. "

"As for me, here in this dear, white hand I put my heart. "

Is there any woman who cannot imagine Isabel's shy glances, and the low, sweet words in which she answered such delightful protestations? Andsoon, to add a keener zest to his happiness, Luis began to be a littlejealous. 

"With us is Dias de Bonilla. Do you remember, my beloved one, that youdanced with him once?"

"How can you say a thing so offensive?"

"Yes, dear, at the Senora Valdez's. "

"It may be. I have forgotten. "

"Too well he remembers. He has dared to sing a serenade to yourmemory--well, truly, he did not finish it, and but for the Senor Doctor, I should have taught him that Isabel is not a name for his lips toutter. Here, he may presume to come into your presence. Will you receivehim with extreme haughtiness? It would be a great satisfaction to me. "

"The poor fellow! Why should I make him miserable? You should not bejealous, Luis. "

"If you smile on him--the least little smile--he will think you are inlove with him. He is such a fool, I assure you. I am very distressedabout this matter, my angel. "

"I will tell you Luis--when the myrtle-tree grows figs, and the fig-treeis pink with myrtle flowers, then I may fall in love with Dias deBonilla--if I can take the trouble. "

No one heeded this pretty, extravagant talk. It was a thing apart fromthe more serious interests discussed by Doctor Worth and his wife andeldest daughter. And when Ortiz and Navarro joined the circle, thestory of the fall of the Alamo was told again, and Luis forgot his ownhappiness, and wept tears of anger and pity for the dead heroes. 

"This brutal massacre was on the morning of the sixth, you say, Navarro?"

"Last Sabbath morning, Senor. Mass was being offered in the churches, and Te Deums sung while it went on. "

"A mass to the devil it was, " said Ortiz. 

"Now, I will tell you something. On the morning of the second, Thomaswas in Washington. A convention sitting there declared, on that day, the independence of Texas, and fifty-five out of fifty-six votes electedGeneral Houston Commander-in-Chief. "

"Houston! That is the name of victory! Gracias a Dios!" cried Navarro. 

"It is probable that the news of this movement influenced Santa Anna tosuch barbarity. "

"It is his nature to be brutal. "

"True, Ortiz; yet I can imagine how this proclamation would incense him. On the morning of the sixth, the convention received the last expresssent by poor Travis from the Alamo. It was of the most thrillingcharacter, breathing the very spirit of patriotism and courage--anddespair. In less than an hour, Houston, with a few companions, was onhis way to the Alamo. At the same time he sent an express to Fannin, urging him to meet him on the Cibolo. Houston will be here to-morrow. "

"Then he will learn that all help is too late. "

But Houston had learned it in his own way before he reached Gonzales;for Travis had stated that as long as the Alamo could be held, signalguns would be fired at sunrising; and it is a well-authenticated factthat these guns were heard by trained ears for more than one hundredmiles across the prairie. Houston, whose senses were keen as the Indianswith whom he had long lived knew when he was within reach of the sound;and he rose very early, and with his ear close to the ground waited inintense anxiety for the dull, rumbling murmur which would tell him theAlamo still held out. His companions stood at some distance, still asstatues, intently watching him. The sun rose. He had listened in vain;not the faintest sound did his ear detect. 

"The Alamo has fired its last gun, " he said, on rejoining hiscompanions. 

"And the men, General?"

"They have died like men. You may be sure of that. "

At Gonzales he heard the particulars. And he saw that the news hadexerted a depressing influence upon the troops there. He called themtogether. He spoke to them of the brutal tragedy, and he invested itshorrors with the grandeur of eternal purpose and the glory of heroicsacrifice. 

"They were soldiers, " he cried; "and they died like soldiers. Theirnames will be the morning stars of American history. They will live forever in the red monument of the Alamo. " He looked like a lion, with agloomy stare; his port was fierce, and his eyes commanded all he viewed. "Vengeance remains to us! We have declared our independence, and it mustbe maintained. "

He immediately sent off another express to Fannin; apprised him of thefall of the Alamo; ordered him to blow up Goliad and fall back uponGonzales. Then he sent wagons into the surrounding country, to transportthe women and children to the eastern settlements; for he knew well whatatrocities would mark every mile of Santa Anna's progress through thecountry. 

These wagons, with their helpless loads, were to rendezvous at PeachCreek, ten miles from Gonzales; where also he expected Fannin and hiseight hundred and sixty men to join him. This addition would make theAmerican force nearly twelve hundred strong. Besides which, Fannin'slittle army was of the finest material, being composed mostly ofenthusiastic volunteers from Georgia and Alabama; young men, who, likeDare Grant and John Worth, were inspired with the idea of freedom, orthe spread of Americanism, or the fanaticism of religious liberty ofconscience--perhaps, even, with hatred of priestly domination. Houstonfelt that he would be sufficient for Santa Anna when the spirit of thiscompany was added to the moral force of men driven from their homes andfamilies to fight for the lands they had bought and the rights which hadbeen guaranteed them. 

So he watched the horizon anxiously for Fannin's approach, oftenlaying his ear to the ground to listen for what he could not see. And, impatient as he was for their arrival, the Senora was more so. Shedeclared that her sufferings would be unendurable but for this hope. Theone question on her lips, the one question in her eyes, was, "Are theycoming?" And Antonia, though she did not speak of her private hopes, wasequally anxious. Brother and lover were both very dear to her. And tohave the whole family together would be in itself a great help. Whatevertheir deprivations and fatigues, they could comfort each other withtheir affection. 

Every day wagon-loads of women and children joined the camp, and themarch eastward was very slow. But no circumstance extols more loudly thebravery and tenderness of these American soldiers than the patiencewith which this encumbrance was endured. Men worn out with watching andforaging were never too weary to help some mother still more weary, orto carry some little child whose swollen feet would no longer aid it. 

One night they rested at a little place on the Colorado. In one roomof a deserted cabin Houston sat with Major Hockly, dictating to him amilitary dispatch. They had no candles, and Houston was feeding the firewith oak splinters, to furnish light enough for their necessity. In theother room, the Worth family were gathered. Antonia, in preparing fortheir journey, had wisely laid a small mattress and a couple of pillowsin the wagon; and upon this mattress the Senora and Isabel were resting. Doctor Worth and Thomas sat by the fire talking of Fannin's delay; andAntonia was making some corn-meal cakes for their supper. 

When the Senora's portion was given to her she put it aside, and liftedher eyes to Antonia's face. They asked the question forever in herheart, "Is Jack coming?" and Antonia pitifully shook her head. 

Then the poor woman seemed to have reached the last pitch of endurance. "Let me die!" she cried. "I can bear life no longer. " To Mary and thesaints she appealed with a passionate grief that was distressing towitness. All the efforts of her husband and her children failed to soothher; and, as often happens in a complication of troubles, she seizedupon the most trifling as the text of her complaint. 

"I cannot eat corn bread; I have always detested it. I am hungry. Iam perishing for my chocolate. And I have no clothing. I am ashamedof myself. I thank the saints I have no looking-glass. Oh, Roberto!Roberto! What have you done to your Maria?"

"My dear wife! My dear, dear wife! Be patient a little longer. Think, love, you are not alone. There are women here far more weary, far morehungry; several who, in the confusion, have lost their little children;others who are holding dying babes in their arms. "

"Giver of all good! give me patience. I have to say to you that otherwomen's sorrows do not make me grateful for my own. And Santa Maria hasbeen cruel to me. Another more cruel, who can find? I have confessed toher my heartache about Juan; entreated her to bring my boy to me. Hasshe done it?"

"My darling Maria. "

"Grace of God, Roberto! It is now the twenty-third of March; I have beenseventeen days wandering with my daughters like very beggars. If only Ihad had the discretion to remain in my own house!"

"Maria, Lopez will tell you that Fray Ignatius and the brothers are inpossession of it. He saw them walking about the garden reading theirbreviaries. "

At this moment General Houston, in the opposite room was dictating:"Before God, I have found the darkest hours of my life. For forty-eighthours I have neither eaten an ounce of anything, nor have I slept. " TheSenora's sobbing troubled him. He rose to close the door, and saw twomen entering. One leaned upon the other, and appeared to be at the pointof death. 

"Where is there a doctor, General?"

"In that room, sir. Have you brought news of Fannin?"

"I have. "

"Leave your comrade with the doctor, and report. "

The entrance of the wounded man silenced the Senora. She turned herface to the wall and refused to eat. Isabel sat by her side and held herhand. The doctor glanced at it as he turned away. It had been so plumpand dimpled and white. It was now very thin and white with exposure. It told him far better than complaining, how much the poor woman hadsuffered. He went with a sigh to his patient. 

"Stabbed with a bayonet through the shoulder--hard riding fromGoliad--no food--no rest--that tells the whole story, doctor. "

It was all he could say. A fainting fit followed. Antonia procured somestimulant, and when consciousness returned, assisted her father to dressthe wound. Their own coffee was gone, but she begged a cup from some onemore fortunate; and after the young man had drunk it, and had eatena little bread, he was inclined to make light of his wound and hissufferings. 

"Glad to be here at all, " he said. "I think I am the only one out offive hundred. "

"You cannot mean that you are of Fannin's command?"

"I WAS of Fannin's command. Every man in it has been shot. I escaped bya kind of miracle. "

The doctor looked at the Senora. She seemed to be asleep. "Speak low, "he said, "but tell me all. "

The man sat upon the floor with his back against the wall. The doctorstooped over him. Antonia and Isabel stood beside their father. 

"We heard of Urrea's approach at San Patricio. The Irish people of thatsettlement welcomed Urrea with great rejoicing. He was a Catholic--adefender of the faith. But the American settlers in the surroundingcountry fled, and Fannin heard that five hundred women and children, followed by the enemy, were trying to reach the fortress of Goliad. He ordered Major Ward, with the Georgia battalions, to go and meet thefugitives. Many of the officers entreated him not to divide his men fora report which had come by way of the faithless colony of San Patricio. 

"But Fannin thought the risk ought to be taken. He took it, and the fivehundred women and children proved to be a regiment of Mexican dragoons. They surrounded our infantry on every side, and after two days'desperate fighting, the Georgia battalions were no more. In themeantime, Fannin got the express telling him of the fall of the Alamo, and ordering him to unite with General Houston. That might have been apossible thing with eight hundred and sixty men, but it was not possiblewith three hundred and sixty. However, we made the effort, and on thegreat prairie were attacked by the enemy lying in ambush there. Entirelyencircled by them, yet still fighting and pressing onward, we defendedourselves until our ammunition gave out. Then we accepted the termsof capitulation offered by Urrea, and were marched back to Goliad asprisoners of war. Santa Anna ordered us all to be shot. "

"But you were prisoners of war?"

"Urrea laughed at the articles, and said his only intention in them wasto prevent the loss of Mexican blood. Most of his officers remonstratedwith with{sic} him, but he flew into a passion at Miralejes. 'TheSenor Presidente's orders are not to be trifled with. By the Virgin ofGuadelupe!' he cried, 'it would be as much as my own life was worth todisobey them. '

"It gave the Mexican soldiers pleasure to tell us these things, andthough we scarcely believed such treachery possible, we were veryuneasy. On the eighth day after the surrender, a lovely Sunday morning, we were marched out of the fort on pretence of sending us to Louisiana;according to the articles of surrender, and we were in high spirits atthe prospect. 

"But I noticed that we were surrounded by a double row of soldiers, andthat made me suspicious. In a few moments, Fannin was marched into thecentre, and told to sit down on a low stool. He felt that his hour hadcome. He took his watch and his purse, and gave them to some poor womanwho stood outside lamenting and praying for the poor Americans. Ishall never forget the calmness and brightness of his face. The Mexicancolonel raised his sword, the drums beat, and the slaughter began. Fiftymen at a time were shot; and those whom the guns missed or crippled, were dispatched with the bayonet or lance. "

"You escaped. How?"

"When the lips of the officer moved to give the order: Fire! I fell uponmy face as if dead. As I lay, I was pierced by a bayonet through theshoulder, but I made no sign of life. After the execution, the campfollowers came to rob the dead. A kind-hearted Mexican woman helped meto reach the river. I found a horse tied there, and I took it. I havebeen on the point of giving up life several times, but I met a mancoming here with the news to Houston, and he helped me to hold out. "

The doctor was trembling with grief and anger, and he felt Antonia'shand on his shoulder. 

"My friend, " he whispered, "did you know JOHN WORTH?"

"Who did not know him in Fannin's camp? Any of us would have been gladto save poor Jack; and he had a friend who refused to live without him. "

"Dare Grant?"

"That was the man, young lady. Grant was a doctor, and the Mexicanswanted doctors. They offered him his life for his services, but he wouldnot have it unless his friend's life also was spared. They were shotholding each other's hands, and fell together. I was watching theirfaces at the moment. There wasn't a bit of fear in them. "

The Senora rose, and came as swiftly as a spirit to them. She lookedlike a woman walking in her sleep. She touched the stranger. "I heardyou. You saw Dare Grant die. But my boy! My boy! Where is my Juan?"

"Maria, darling. "

"Don't speak, Roberto. Where is my Juan? Juan Worth?"

"Madam. I am sorry enough, God knows. Juan Worth--was shot. "

Then the wretched mother threw up her hands, and with an awful cryfell to the ground. It was hours ere she recovered consciousness, andconsciousness only restored her to misery. 

The distress of the father, the brother and sisters of the dead youthwas submerged in the speechless despair of the mother. She could notswallow food; she turned away from the the{sic} sympathy of all wholoved her. Even Isabel's caresses were received with an apathy which wasterrifying. With the severed curl of her boy's hair in her fingers, shesat in tearless, voiceless anguish. 

Poor Antonia, weighed down with the double loss that had come to her, felt, for the first time, as if their condition was utterly hopeless. The mental picture of her brother and her lover meeting their tragicdeath hand in hand, their youth and beauty, their courage and fidelity, was constantly before her. With all the purity and strength of her trueheart, she loved Dare; but she did not for a moment wish that he hadtaken a different course. "It is just what I should have expected fromhim, " she said to Isabel. "If he had let poor Jack die alone, Icould never have loved him in the same way again. But oh, Isabel, howmiserable I am?"

"Sweet Antonia, I can only weep with you. Think of this; it was on lastSunday morning. Do you remember how sad you were?"

"I was in what seemed to be an unreasonable distress. I went away toweep. My very thoughts were tired with their sorrowful journeys up anddown my mind, trying to find out hope and only meeting despair. Oh, mybrave Jack! Oh, my dear Dare, what a cruel fate was your's!"

"And mi madre, Antonia? I fear, indeed, that she will lose her senses. She will not speak to Thomas, nor even to me. She has not said a prayersince Jack's death. She cannot sleep. I am afraid of her, Antonia. "

"To-night we are to move further east; perhaps the journey may waken herout of this trance of grief. I can see that our father is wretchedabout her; and Thomas wanders in and out of the room as if his heart wasbroken. "

"Thomas loved Jack. Luis told me that he sat with him and Lopez, andthat he sobbed like a woman. But, also, he means a great revenge. Noneof the men slept last night. They stood by the camp-fires talking. Sometimes I went to the door and looked out. How awful they were in theblaze and darkness! I think, indeed, they could have conquered SantaAnna very easily. "

Isabel had not misjudged the spirit of the camp. The news of themassacre at Goliad was answered by a call for vengeance that nothingbut vengeance could satisfy. On the following day Houston addressed hislittle army. He reminded them that they were the children of the heroeswho fought for liberty at Yorktown, and Saratoga, and Bunker Hill. Hemade a soul-stirring review of the events that had passed; he explainedto them their situation, and the designs of the enemy, and how heproposed to meet them. 

His voice, loud as a trumpet with a silver sound, inspired all who heardit with courage. His large, bright visage, serious but hopeful, seemedto sun the camp. "They live too long, " he cried, "who outlive freedom. And I promise you that you shall have a full cup of vengeance. Forevery man that fell fighting at the Alamo, for every one treacherouslyslaughtered at Goliad, you shall be satisfied. If I seem to be flyingbefore the enemy now, it is for his destruction. Three Mexican armiesunited, we cannot fight. We can fight them singly. And every mile wemake them follow us weakens them, separates them, confuses them. The lowlands of the Brazos, the unfordable streams, the morasses, the pathlesswoods, are in league with us. And we must place our women and childrenin safety. Even if we have to carry them to General Gaines and theUnited States troops, we must protect them, first of all. I believe thatwe shall win our freedom with our own hands; but if the worst come, andwe have to fall back to the Sabine, we shall find friends and backersthere. I know President Jackson, my old general, the unconqueredChristian Mars! Do you think he will desert his countrymen? Never! If weshould need help, he has provided it. And the freedom of Texas is sureand certain. It is at hand. Prepare to achieve it. We shall take up ourmarch eastward in three hours. "

Ringing shouts answered the summons. The camp was in a tumult ofpreparation immediately; Houston was lending his great physical strengthto the mechanical difficulties to be encountered. A crowd of men wasaround. Suddenly a woman touched him on the arm, and he straightenedhimself and looked at her. 

"You will kill Santa Anna, General? You will kill this fiend who hasescaped from hell! By the mother of Christ, I ask it. "

"My dear madam!"

He was so moved with pity that he could not for a moment or two giveher any stronger assurance. For this suppliant, pallid and frenzied withsorrow, was the once beautiful Senora Worth. He looked at her holloweyes, and shrunk form, and worn clothing, and remembered with a pang, the lovely, gracious lady clad in satin and lace, with a jewelled combin her fine hair and a jewelled fan in her beautiful hands, and a waveof pity and anger passed like a flame over his face. 

"By the memory of my own dear mother, Senora, I will make Santa Anna paythe full price of his cruelties. "

"Thank you, Senor"; and she glided away with her tearless eyes fixedupon the curl of black hair in her open palm. 

CHAPTER XVI. THE LOADSTONE IN THE BREAST. 

 "But to the hero, when his sword Has won the battle for the free, Thy voice sounds like a prophet's word, And in its hollow tones are heard. The thanks of millions yet to be, "

 "Who battled for the true and just, "And grasps the skirts of happy chance, And breasts the blows of circumstance. 

 "And lives to clutch the golden keys, To mould a mighty state's decrees. "

The memorial of wrongs, which resulted in the Declaration of TexanIndependence, was drawn up with statesmanlike ability by David G. Burnett, a native of New Jersey, a man of great learning, dignity, andexperience; who, as early as 1806, sailed from New York to join Mirandain his effort to give Spanish America liberty. The paper need not bequoted here. It gave the greatest prominence to the refusal of trialby jury, the failure too establish a system of public education, thetyranny of military law, the demand that the colonists should give uparms necessary for their protection or their sustenance, the incitingof the Indians to massacre the American settlers, and the refusal ofthe right to worship the Almighty according to the dictates of theirown consciences. Burnett was elected Governor, and Houston felt that hecould now give his whole attention to military affairs. 

The seat of Government was removed to Harrisburg, a small place on theBuffalo Bayou; and Houston was sure that this change would cause SantaAnna to diverge from his route to Nacogdoches. He dispatched orders tothe men scattered up and down the Brazos from Washington to Fort Bend--adistance of eighty miles--to join him on the march to Harrisburg, and hestruck his own camp at the time he had specified. 

In less than twenty-four hours they reached San Felipe, a distance oftwenty-eight miles. The suffering of the women and children on thatmarch can never be told. Acts of heroism on the part of the men and offortitude on the part of the women that are almost incredible, markedevery step of the way. The Senora sat in her wagon, speechless, and lostin a maze of melancholy anguish. She did not seem to heed want, orcold, or wet, or the utter misery of her surroundings. Her soulhad concentrated all its consciousness upon the strand of hair shecontinually smoothed through her fingers. Dr. Worth, in his capacity ofphysician, accompanied the flying families, and he was thus able to paysome attention to his distraught wife; but she answered nothing he saidto her. If she looked at him, her eyes either flamed with anger, orexpressed something of the terror to be seen in the eyes of a huntedanimal. It was evident that her childish intelligence had seized uponhim as the most obvious cause of all her loss and misery. 

The condition of a wife so beloved almost broke his heart. The tragicdeath of his dear son was not so hard to endure as this living woe athis side. And when they reached San Felipe and found it in ashes, abitter cry of hopeless suffering came from every woman's lips. Theyhad thought to find there a little food, and a day's shelteredresting-place. Even Antonia's brave soul fainted, at the want andsuffering around her. She had gold, but it could not buy bread for thelittle ones, weeping with hunger and terrified by the fretfulness ofmothers suffering the pangs of want and in the last stage of humanweariness. 

It was on this night Houston wrote: "I will do the best I can; but beassured the fame of Jackson could never compensate me for my anxiety andmental pain. " And yet, when he was told that a blind woman and herseven children had been passed by, and did not know the enemy wereapproaching, he delayed the march until men had been sent back to bringthem into safety. 

During these days of grief and privation Isabel's nature grew to itsfinest proportions. Her patient efforts to arouse her mother, and hercheerfulness under the loss of all comforts, were delightful. Besideswhich, she had an inexhaustible fund of sympathy for the babies. She wasnever without one in her arms. Three mothers, who had died on the road, left their children to her care. And it was wonderful and pitiful tosee the delicately nurtured girl, making all kinds of efforts to securelittle necessaries for the children she had elected to care for. 

"The Holy Mother helps me, " she said to, Antonia. "She makes the poorlittle ones good, and I am not very tired. "

At San Felipe they were joined by nearly one hundred men, who alsobrought word that a fine company were advancing to their aid fromMississippi, under General Quitman; and that two large cannon, sent bythe people of Cincinnati, were within a few miles. And thus hoping andfearing, hungry and weary to the death, they reached, on the 16th ofApril, after a march of eighteen miles, a place called McArley's. Theyhad come over a boggy prairie under a cold rain, and were depressedbeyond expression. But there was a little shelter here for the women andchildren to sleep under. The men camped in the open. They had not a tentin their possession. 

About ten o'clock that night, Doctor Worth was sitting with his wife andchildren and Antonia in one corner of a room in a deserted cabin. He hadthe Senora's wasted hand in his own, and was talking to her. She satin apathetic silence. It was impossible to tell whether she heard orunderstood him. 

"I wonder where Isabel is, " said Antonia; and with the words the girlentered the room. She had in her arms a little lad of four years old, suffering the tortures of croup. 

"Mi madre, " she cried, "you know how to save him! He is dying! Save him!Listen to me! The Holy Mother says so"; and she laid the child on herknee. 

A change like a flash of light passed over the Senora's face. "The poorlittle one!" Her motherly instincts crushed down everything else. In thechild's agony she forgot her own grief. With glad hearts the doctor andAntonia encouraged her in her good work, and when at length the suffererhad been relieved and was sleeping against her breast, the Senora hadwept. The stone from her heart had been rolled away by a little child. Her own selfish sorrow had been buried in a wave of holy, unselfishmaternal affection. The key to her nature had been found, andhenceforward Isabel brought to her every suffering baby. 

On the next day they marched ten miles through a heavy rain, and arrivedat Burnett's settlement. The women had shelter, the men slept on the wetground--took the prairie without cover--with their arms in their hands. They knew they were in the vicinity of Santa Anna, and all were readyto answer in an instant the three taps of the drum, which was the onlyinstrument of martial music in the camp, and which was never touched butby Houston. 

Another day of eighteen miles brought them to within a short distance ofHarrisburg. Santa Anna had just been there, and the place was in ashes. It was evident to all, now, that the day and the hour was at hand. Houston first thought of the two hundred families he had in charge, andthey were quickly taken over the bayou. When he had seen the last one inthis comparative safety, he uttered so fervent a "Thank God!" that themen around unconsciously repeated it. The bayou though narrow was twentyfeet deep, and the very home of alligators. There was only one smallbridge in the vicinity. He intended its destruction, and thus to makehis little band and the deep, dangerous stream a double barrier betweenthe Mexicans and the women and children beyond them. It was after thisduty he wrote:

"This morning we are in preparation to meet Santa Anna. We will onlybe about seven hundred to march, besides the camp guard. But we goto conquest. The troops are in fine spirits, and now is the time foraction. I leave the result in the hands of an all-wise God, and I relyconfidently in his Providence. 

"SAM HOUSTON. "[5]

The women and children, under a competent guide, continued their marcheastward. But they were worn out. Many were unable to put their feet tothe ground. The wagons were crowded with these helpless ones. The Senorahad so far recovered as to understand that within a few hours Santa Annaand the Americans must meet. And, mentally led by Isabel's passionatehatred, she now showed a vindictiveness beyond that of any other woman. 

She spent hours upon her knees, imploring the saints, and the stars, andthe angel Michael, to fight against Santa Anna. To Isabel she whispered, "I have even informed the evil one where he may be found. The wretch whoordered such infamies! He poisons the air of the whole world as he goesthrough it. I shall never be happy till I know that he is in purgatory. He will be hated even there--and in a worse place, too. Yes, it ispleasant to think of that! There will be many accusers of him there. I shall comfort myself with imagining his punishment. Isabel, do youbelieve with your heart that Senor Houston and the Americans will bestrong enough to kill him?"

"Mi madre, I know it. "

"Then do be a little delighted. How can you bear things with such aprovoking indifference? But as Luis is safe--"

"Chito! Chito! Do not be cruel, mi madre. I would stab Santa Anna withmy own hands--very slowly, I would stab him. It would be so sweet. TheSisters told me of a woman in the Holy Book, who smiled upon the one shehated, and gave him milk and butter, and when he slept, drove a greatnail through his temples. I know how she felt. What a feast it wouldbe, to strike, and strike, and strike! I could drive ten, twenty, fiftynails, into Santa Anna, when I think of Juan. "

No one had before dared to breathe her boy's name in her hearing. Sheherself had never spoken it. It fell upon the ears of both women likea strain of forgotten music. They looked at each other with eyes thatstirred memory and love to their sweetest depths. Almost in whispersthey began to talk of the dead boy, to recall how lovable, how charming, how affectionate, how obedient he had been. Then the Senora brokeopen the seals of her sorrow, and, with bitter reproaches on herself, confessed that the kiss she had denied her Juan was a load of anguishupon her heart that she could not bear. 

"If I had only blessed him, " she moaned; "I had saved him from hismisfortune. A mother's blessing is such a holy thing! And he knelt at myknees, and begged it. I can see his eyes in the darkness, when my eyesare shut. I can hear his voice when I am asleep. Isabel, I shall neverbe happy till I see Juan again, and say to him, 'Forgive me, dear one, forgive me, for I have suffered. '"

Both were weeping, but Isabel said, bravely: "I am sure that Juan doesnot blame you now, mi madre. In the other world one understands better. And remember, also, the letter which he wrote you. His last thought wasyours. He fell with your name on his lips. These things are certain. Andwas it not good of Dare to die with him? A friend like that! Out of thetale-books who ever hears of such a thing? Antonia has wept much. In thenights, when she thinks I am asleep, I hear her. Have you seen that shehas grown white and thin? I think that my father is very unhappy abouther. "

"In an hour of mercy may the merciful One remember Dare Grant! I willpray for his peace as long as I live. If he had left Juan--if he hadcome back alone--I think indeed I should have hated him. "

"That was also the opinion of Antonia--she would never have loved himthe same. I am sure she would not have married him. "

"My good Antonia! Go bring her to me, Isabel. I want to comfort her. Shehas been so patient with me. I have felt it--felt it every minute; andI have been stupid and selfish, and have forgotten that she too wassuffering. "

The next day it was found impossible to move. The majority of thewomen had husbands with the army. They had left their wives, to secureeverlasting freedom for their children; but, even if Houston wasvictorious, they might be wounded and need their help. To be near themin any case was the one thing about which they were positive. 

"We will not move another inch, " said a brave little Massachusettswoman, who had been the natural leader of this domestic Exodus; "wewill rest ourselves a little here, and if the Mexicans want someextraordinary fighting they can have it; especially, if they comemeddling with us or our children. My husband told me just to get out ofreach of shot and shell and wait there till we heard of the victory, andI am for doing THAT, and no other thing. "

Nearly two hundred women, bent upon their own way, are not to be takenany other way; and the few old men who had been sent to guide the party, and shoot what game was necessary for their support, surrendered at onceto this feminine mutiny. Besides, the condition of the boys and girlsbetween seven and fourteen was really a deplorable one. They were tooold to be cared for as infants, and they had been obliged, with thestrength of children, to accomplish the labor of men and women. Manywere crippled in their feet, others were continually on the point ofswooning. 

It was now the 20th of April. The Senora and her daughters had been sixweeks with the American army, exposed to all the privations which sucha life entailed. But the most obvious of these privations were, perhaps, those which were most easily borne. Women endure great calamities betterthan the little annoyances affecting those wants which are part andparcel of their sex or their caste. It was not the necessaries somuch as the luxuries of life which the Senora missed--the changes ofraiment--the privacy--the quiet--the regularity of events. 

During the whole of the 20th, there was almost a Sabbath stillness. Itwas a warm, balmy day. The wearied children were under the wagons andunder the trees, sleeping the dead sleep of extreme exhaustion. Themothers, wherever it was possible, slept also. The guides were alittle apart, listening and smoking. If they spoke, it was only inmonosyllables. Rest was so much more needed than food that little or noattempt was made to cook until near sundown. 

At dawn next morning--nay, a little before dawn--when all was chill, and gray, and misty, and there was not a sound but the wailing of a sickchild, the Senora touched her daughters. Her voice was strange to them;her face solemnly happy. 

"Antonio! Isabel! I HAVE SEEN JUAN! I HAVE SEEN JUAN! My eyes were shut, but I have seen him. He was a beautiful shadow, with a great, shadowyhost around him. He bent on me such eyes! Holy Mother! their love wasunfathomable, and I heard his voice. It was far off, yet near. 'Madre!'he said, 'TOMORROW YOU SHALL HEAR FROM US. ' Now I am happy. There arewords in my heart, but I cannot explain them to you. I know what theymean. I will weep no more. They put my Juan's body in the grave, butthey have not buried HIM. "

All day she was silent and full of thought, but her face was smiling andhopeful, and she had the air of one waiting for some assured happiness. About three o'clock in the afternoon she stood up quickly and cried, "Hark! the battle has begun!" Every one listened intently, and after ashort pause the oldest of the guides nodded. "I'd give the rest of mylife to be young again, " he said, "just for three hours to be young, andbehind Houston!"

"TO-MORROW WE SHALL HEAR. "

The words fell from the Senora's lips with a singular significance. Her face and voice were the face and voice of some glad diviner, triumphantly carrying her own augury. Under a little grove of treesshe walked until sunset, passing the beads of her rosary through herfingers, and mechanically whispering the prayers appointed. The actundoubtedly quieted her, but Antonia knew that she lay awake all night, praying for the living or the dead. 

About ten o'clock of the morning of the 22d, a horseman was seen comingtoward the camp at full speed. Women and children stood breathlesslywaiting his approach. No one could speak. If a child moved, the movementwas angrily reproved. The tension was too great to admit of a touchthrough any sense. Some, unable to bear the extended strain, sank uponthe ground and covered their faces with their hands. But the half-grownchildren, wan with privations and fever, ragged and barefoot, watchedsteadily the horse and its rider, their round, gleaming eyes full ofwonder and fear. 

"It is Thomas, " said the Senora. 

As he came near, and the beat of the horse's hoofs could be heard, a cryalmost inarticulate, not to be described, shrill and agonizing in itsintensity, broke simultaneously from the anxious women. It was onecry from many hearts, all at the last point of endurance. Thomas Worthunderstood it. He flung his hat up, and answered with a joyful "Hurrah!"

When he reached the camp, every face was wet with tears, and a crowd offaces was instantly round him. All the agonies of war were on them. Heraised himself in his stirrups and shouted out:

"You may all go back to your homes! Santa Anna is completely overthrown!The Mexican army is destroyed! There will be no more fighting, no morefears. The independence of Texas is won! No matter where you come from, YOU ARE ALL TEXANS NOW! Victory! Freedom! Peace! My dear friends, goback to your homes. Your husbands will join you at the San Jacinto. "

Then he dismounted and sought his mother and sisters. With joyfulamazement he recognized the change in the Senora. "You look likeyourself, dear mother, " he said. "Father sends you this kiss. He wouldhave brought it, but there are a few wounded men to look after; andalso I can ride quicker. Antonia, cheer up my dear!--and Isabel, little darling, you will not need to cry any more for your ribbons, andmantillas, and pretty dresses. "

"Thomas! You have not much feeling, I think. What I want to know about, is Luis. You think of no one; and, as for my dresses, and mantillas, Idare say Fray Ignatius has sold, or burned them. "

"Queridita! Was I cruel? Luis is well. He has not a scratch. He was inthe front of the battle, too. "

"THAT, of course. Would you imagine that Luis would be at the rear? Heis General Houston's friend, and one lion knows another lion. "

"Pretty one, do not be angry with me. I will tell you some good news. Luis is coming here, unless you go back at once with me. "

"We will go back with you, Thomas. I am full of impatience. I remembermy dear home. I will go to it, like a bird to its nest. "

In half an hour they had turned the heads of their horses westwardagain. They went so rapidly, and were under so much excitement, thatsustained conversation was impossible. And the Senora also fell into asound sleep as soon as the first homeward steps had been taken. Whateverhad been made known to her by Juan had received its fulfilment. She wasassured and happy. She slept till they reached the victorious camp, and her husband awakened her with a kiss. She answered him with herold childish impulsiveness. And among the first words she said, were"Roberto, my beloved, I have seen Juan. "

He believed her. To his reverent soul there was nothing incredible inthe statement. The tie between a mother and her child is not broken bydeath. Was it unlikely, then, that Juan should have been conscious of, and touched by, the mental agony which his untimely death had caused amother so beloved?

And oh! how different was the return to the ground west of the BuffaloBayou. The very atmosphere was changed. A day or two of spring hadbrought out the flowers and unfolded every green thing. Doctor Worthtook his family to a fine Mexican marquee, and among other comfortsthe Senora found there the chocolate she had so long craved, and somecigaritos of most delicate flavor. 

In a short time a luxurious meal was prepared by Antonia, and just asthey were sitting down to it, Luis and Lopez entered the tent together. Isabel had expected the visit and prepared for it as far as her limitedwardrobe permitted. And her fine hair, and bright eyes, her perfect faceand form, and the charming innocence of her manners, adorned her as thecolor and perfume of the rose make the beauty of the flower. She was solovely that she could dare to banter Luis on the splendor of his attire. 

"It is evident, mi madre, that Luis has found at least the baggage of amajor-general. Such velvet and silver embroidery! Such a silk sash! Theyare fit at the very least for a sultan of the Turks. "

He came to her crowned with victory. Like a hero he came, and like alover. They had a thousand pretty things to say to each other; and athousand blissful plans in prospect. Life to them had never before beenso well worth living. 

Indeed, a wonderful exaltation possessed both Luis and Lopez. Thesombre, handsome face of the latter was transfigured by it. He kissedthe hand of the Senora, and then turned to Antonia. Her pallor andemaciation shocked him. He could only murmur, "Senorita!" But she sawthe surprise, the sorrow, the sympathy, yes, the adoring love in hisheart, and she was thankful to him for the reticence that relieved herfrom special attention. 

Doctor Worth made room for Lopez beside him. Luis sat by Isabel, upon apile of splendid military saddle-cloths. As she sipped her chocolate, hesmoked his cigarito in a lazy fashion, and gave himself up with delightto that foolishness of love-making which is often far wiser than thevery words of wisdom. 

As yet the ladies had not spoken of the battle. It was won. That greatfact had been as much as they could bear at first. The Senora wantedto sleep. Isabel wanted to see Luis. Only Antonia was anxious for thedetails, and she had been busy in preparing the respectable meal whichher mother had so long craved. The apparent indifference was naturalenough. The assurance of good fortune is always sufficient for the firststage of reaction from anxiety. When the most urgent personal feelingshave been satisfied, then comes the demand for detail and discussion. Sonow, as they sat together, the Senora said:

"No one has told me anything about the battle. Were you present, Roberto?"

"I had that great honor, Maria. Lopez and Luis were with the cavalry, and Ortiz also has had some satisfaction for all his wrongs. "

"Very good! But I am impatient for the story; so is Antonia; and asfor Isabel--bah! the little one is listening to another story. One mustexcuse her. We expected the battle on the twentieth, but no!"

"The enemy were expecting it also, and were in high spirits and perfectpreparation. Houston thought it prudent to dash their enthusiasm byuncertainty and waiting. But at dawn, on the twenty-first, we heard thethree taps of the drum, and seven hundred soldiers sprang to their feetas one man. Houston had been watching all night. He spoke to us with atongue of fire and then, while we cooked and ate our breakfast, he laydown and slept. The sun came up without a cloud, and shone brightly onhis face. He sprang to his feet and said to Burleson, as he saluted him:'The sun of Austerlitz has risen again. '

"Some one brought him a piece of cornbread and broiled beef. He sat uponthe grass and ate it--or rather upon the blue hyacinths that covered thegrass; they are red now. For many weeks I had not seen his countenanceso bright; all traces of trouble and anxiety were gone. He called DeafSmith--the scout of scouts--and quickly ordered him to cut down the onlybridge across the bayou. 

"At nine o'clock, General Cos joined Santa Anna with five hundred andforty men, and for a moment I thought we had made a mistake in notattacking the enemy before his reinforcements came up. But the knowledgethat Cos was present, raised enthusiasm to the highest pitch. Our troopsremembered his parole at the Alamo, and the shameful manner in which hehad broken it; and there was not a man who did not long to kill him forit. 

"About three o'clock in the afternoon, Houston ordered the attack. Theseven hundred Americans were divided into three bodies. I saw Houston inthe very centre of the line, and I have a confused memory of Milard andLamar, Burleson and Sherman and Wharton, in front of their divisions. "

"Were the Mexicans expecting the attack, father?"

"They were in perfect order, Antonia; and when Sherman shouted thebattle-cry: 'REMEMBER THE ALAMO! GOLIAD AND THE ALAMO!' it was taken upby the whole seven hundred, and such a shout of vengeance mortal earsnever heard before. The air was full of it, and it appeared to be echoedand repeated by innumerable voices. 

"With this shout on our lips, we advanced to within sixty paces of theMexican lines, and then a storm of bullets went flying over our heads. One ball, however, shattered Houston's ankle, and another struck hishorse in the breast. But both man and horse were of the finest metal, and they pressed on regardless of their wounds. We did not answer thevolley until we poured our lead into their very bosoms. No time forreloading then. We clubbed our rifles till they broke, flung them awayand fired our pistols in the eyes of the enemy; then, nothing elseremaining, took our bowie-knives from our belts and cut our way throughthe walls of living flesh. "

Lopez rose at the words. It was impossible for him to express himselfsufficiently in an attitude of repose. His eyes glowed like fire, hisdark face was like a flame, he threw up his hands as he cried:

"Nothing comparable to that charge with knives was ever made on earth!If I had seen through the smoke and vapor the mighty shade of Bowieleading it, I should not have been surprised. "

"Perhaps indeed, he did lead it, " said the Senora, in a solemn voice. "Isaw yes, by all the saints of God! I saw a great host with my Juan. Theystretched out vast, shadowy arms--they made me FEEL what I can nevertell. But I shall honor Senor Houston. I shall say to him some day. 'Senor, the unseen battalions--the mighty dead as well as the mightyliving--won the battle. ' Roberto, believe me, there are things womenunderstand better than wise men. "

A little awe, a solemn silence, answered the earnest woman. Luis andIsabel came close to her, and Isabel took her hand. Lopez resumed theconversation. "I know Colonel Bowie, " he said. "In the last days atSan Antonio I was often with him. Brave as a lion, true to his friends, relentless to his foes, was he. The knife he made was the expression ofhis character in steel. It is a knife of extreme unction--the oil andwafer are all that remains for the men who feels its edge. For my part, I honor the Senora's thought. It is a great satisfaction to me to hopethat Bowie, and Crockett, and Travis, and Fannin, and all their companywere present at San Jacinto. If the just God permitted it, 'twas a favorof supreme justice. "

"But then you are not alone in the thought, Lopez. I heard GeneralSherman say, 'Poor Fannin! He has been blamed for not obeying Houston'sorders. I THINK HE OBEYED THEM TO-DAY. ' At the moment I did notcomprehend; but now it is plain to me. He thought Fannin had beenpresent, and perhaps it was this belief made him so impetuous andinvincible. He fought like a spirit; one forgot that he was flesh andblood. "

"Sherman is of a grand stock, " said the doctor; "descended from thewise Roger Sherman; bred in Massachusetts and trained in all the hardyvirtues of her sons. It was from his lips the battle-cry of 'REMEMBERTHE ALAMO!' sprang. "

"But then, Roberto, nothing shall persuade me that my countrymen arecowards. "

"On the contrary, Maria, they kept their ground with great courage. They were slain by hundreds just where they stood when the battle began. Twenty-six officers and nearly seven hundred men were left dead upon thefield. But the flight was still more terrible. Into the bayou horsesand men rolled down together. The deep black stream became red; it waschoked up with their dead bodies, while the mire and water of the morasswas literally bridged with the smothered mules and horses and soldiers. "

"The battle began at three o'clock; but we heard the firing only for avery short time, " said Antonia. 

"After we reached their breastworks it lasted just eighteen minutes. Atfour, the whole Mexican army was dead, or flying in every direction, and the pursuit and slaughter continued until twilight. Truly an unseenpower made all our moves for us. It was a military miracle, for our losswas only eight killed and seventeen wounded. "

"I am sorry Houston is among the wounded. "

"His ankle-bone is shattered. He is suffering much. I was with him whenhe left the field and I was delighted with his patience and dignity. Themen crowded around him. They seized his bridle; they clasped his hands. 'Have we done well to-day, General? Are you satisfied with us?' theycried. 

"'You have covered yourselves with glory, ' he answered. 'You havewritten a grand page in American history this day, boys. For it was notfor fame nor for empire you fought; but for your rights as freemen, foryour homes and your faith. '

"The next moment he fell from his horse and we laid him down at the footof an oak tree. He had fainted from loss of blood and the agony of hiswound, combined with the superhuman exertions and anxieties of the pastweek. "

"But he is better now?"

"Yes; I dressed the wound as well as my appliances permitted; but hewill not be able to use his foot for some time. No one slept that night. Weary as the men were, their excitement and happiness were too great forthe bonds of sleep. In the morning the rich spoils of the enemy's campwere divided among them. Houston refused any part in them. 'My shareof the honor is sufficient, ' he said. Yet the spoils were very valuableones to men who but a few hours before had nothing but the clothingthey wore and the arms they carried. Among them were nearly one thousandstand of English muskets, three hundred valuable mules, one hundredfine horses, provisions, clothing, tents, and at least twelve thousanddollars in silver. "

"Were you on the field all the time, father?"

"I was near Houston from first to last. When he saw the battle was won, he did his best to prevent needless slaughter. But men on a battle-fieldlike San Jacinto cannot be reasoned with; after a certain point, theycould not even be commanded. The majority had some private revenge tosatisfy after the public welfare had been served. We met one old man ina frenzy, covered with blood from his white beard to his boots, his armsbare to his shoulders, his knife dripping from haft to point. "

"Houston looked at him, and said something about mercy and valor. 'General, ' he said, 'they killed two of my boys at Goliad, and mybrother at the Alamo. I'll not spare a Mexican while I've the strengthto kill one. I'm on the scent for Santa Anna, and, by G--, if I findhim, I will spare Texas and you any more trouble with the brute. '"

At this moment Thomas Worth entered the marquee, and, in an excitedmanner, said:

"Santa Anna is taken! Santa Anna is taken!"

"Taken!" cried the Senora in a passion. 

"Taken! Is it possible the wretch is yet in this world? I was assuringmyself that he was in one not so comfortable. Why is he not killed? Itis an inconceivable insult to humanity to let him live. Have you thoughtof your brother Juan? Give me the knife in your belt, Thomas, if youcannot use it. "

"My dear mother--"

"Maria, my life! Thomas could not wisely kill so important a prisoner. Texas wants him to secure her peace and independence. The lives of allthe Americans in Mexico may depend upon his. Mere personal vengeance onhim would be too dear a satisfaction. On the battle-field he might havebeen lawfully slain--and he was well looked for; but now, No. "

"Holy Mary! might have been slain! He ought to have been slain, athousand times over. "

"Luis, I wish that you had been a hero, and killed him. Then all ourlife long, if you had said, 'Isabel, I slew Santa Anna, ' I should havegiven you honor for it. I should be obedient to your wishes for thatdeed. "

"But my charming one, I prefer to be obedient to your wish. Let us notthink of the creature; he is but a dead dog. "

The doctor turned to his son. "Thomas, tell us about the capture. "

"I was riding with a young lieutenant, called Sylvester, fromCincinnati, and he saw a man hiding in the grass. He was in coarsestclothing, but Sylvester noticed under it linen of fine cambric. He said:'You are an officer, I perceive, sir. ' The man denied it, but when hecould not escape, he asked to be taken to General Houston. Sylvestertied him to his bridle-rein, and we soon learned the truth; for as wepassed the Mexican prisoners they lifted their hats and said, with amurmur of amazement, 'El Presidente!'

"The news spread like wildfire. As we took him through the camp hetrembled at the looks and words that assailed him, and prayed uscontinually, 'for the love of God and the saints, ' not to let him beslain. We took him to Houston in safety. Houston was resting on theground, having had, as my father knows, a night of great suffering. Santa Anna approached him, and, laying his hand on his heart, said:'I am General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, President of the MexicanRepublic, and I claim to be your prisoner of war. ' Houston pointed to aseat, and then sent for Santa Anna's secretary, Almonte, who is also aprisoner, and who speaks English perfectly. '

"When Almonte came, he embraced Santa Anna, and addressing Houston, said: 'General, you are born to a great destiny. You have conquered theNapoleon of the West. Generosity becomes the brave and the fortunate. '

"Houston answered, sternly: 'You should have remembered that sentimentat the Alamo and at Goliad. '

"Then the following conversation occurred. Santa Anna said:

"'The Alamo was taken by storm. The usages of war permitted theslaughter. '

"'We live in the nineteenth century, President. We profess to beChristians. '

"'I have to remind you, General Houston, of the storming of SanSebastian, Ciudad, Riego and Badajos, by the Duke of Wellington. '

"'That was in Spain. There may have been circumstances demanding suchcruelty. '

"'Permit me also to bring to your intelligence the battles at Fort Meigsand at the river Raisin. American prisoners were there given by Englishofficers to their Indian allies for torture and death. The English warcry at Sandusky was, "Give the d---- Yankees no quarter. "'

"'Sir, permit me to say, that you read history to a devilish purpose, if you read it to search after brutal precedents. At Goliad our mensurrendered. They were promised safe-conduct out of Texas. The massacreat Goliad was a ferocious crime. '

"'It was precisely the same thing as the wholesale murder of Turkishprisoners at Jaffa by the great Napoleon. Also I had the positive ordersof my government to slay all Americans found with arms. '

"'These men had given up their arms. '

"'All Americans--my government said so. '

"'Sir! YOU are the government of Mexico. You obeyed your own orders. '

"'You will at least allow that, in the eyes of recognized nations, yourarmy was but a band of desperadoes, without government, and fightingunder no flag. '

"'Sir, you show a convenient ignorance. We have a government; and assoon as we can lay down our rifles, we shall probably be able to makea flag. I say to you, President Santa Anna, that the butchery at Goliadwas without an excuse and without a parallel in civilized warfare. Themen had capitulated to General Urrea. '

"'Urrea had no right to receive their capitulation. ' Then his mild, handsome face became in a moment malicious and tigerish, and he saidwith a cruel emphasis: 'If I ever get Urrea into my hands, I willexecute him! I perceive, however, that I have never understood theAmerican character. For the few thousands in the country, I thought myarmy an overwhelming one. I underestimated their ability. '

"'I tell you, sir, an army of millions would be too small to enslave tenthousand free-born anglo-Americans. Liberty is our birthright. We havemarched four days on an ear or two of dry corn, and then fought a battleafter it'; and Houston drew from his pocket an ear, partially consumed, which had been his ration. 'We have had no tents, no music, no uniforms, no flag, nothing to stimulate us but the determination to submit to nowrong, and to have every one of our rights. '

"Then he turned to Rusk and Sherman, and called a military counsel aboutthe prisoner, who was placed in an adjoining tent under a sufficientguard. But the excitement is intense; and the wretch is suffering, undoubtedly, all the mortal terrors of being torn to pieces by aninfuriated soldiery. Houston will have to speak to them. They will beinfluenced by no other man. "

The discussion upon this event lasted until midnight. But the ladiesretired to their own tent much earlier. They knelt together in gratefulprayer, and then kissed each other upon their knees. It was so sweetto lie down once more in safety; to have the luxury of a tent, and amattress, and pillow. 

"Blessed be the hand of God! my children, " said the Senora; "and may theangels give us in our dreams grateful thoughts. "

And then, in the dark, Isabel nestled her head in her sister's breast, and whispered: "Forgive me for being happy, sweet Antonia. Indeed, whenI smiled on Luis, I was often thinking of you. In my joy and triumph andlove, I do not forget that one great awful grave at Goliad. But a womanmust hide so many things; do you comprehend me, Antonia?"

"Querdita, " she whispered, "I comprehend all. God has done right. If Hisangel had said to me, 'One must be taken and the other left, ' I shouldhave prayed, 'Spare then my little sister all sorrow. ' Good-night, mydarling"; but as their lips met, Isabel felt upon her cheeks thebitter rain which is the price of accepted sacrifice; the rain, whichafterwards makes the heart soft, and fresh, and responsive to all theairs of God. 

At the same moment, the white curtains of the marquee, in which thedoctor sat talking with his son and Luis and Lopez, were opened; and theface of Ortiz showed brown and glowing between them. 

"Senors, " he said, as he advanced to them, "I am satisfied. I have beenappointed on the guard over Santa Anna. He has recognized me. He has toobey my orders. Will you think of that?" Then taking the doctor's handhe raised it to his lips. "Senor, I owe this satisfaction to you. Youhave made me my triumph. How shall I repay you?"

"By being merciful in the day of your power, Ortiz. "

"I assure you that I am not so presumptuous, Senor. Mercy is the rightof the Divinity. It is beyond my capacity. Besides which, it is notlikely the Divinity will trouble himself about Santa Anna. I have, therefore, to obey the orders of the great, the illustrious Houston;which are, to prevent his escape at all risks. May St. James give me theopportunity, Senors! In this happy hour, a Dios!"

Then Lopez bent forward, and with a smile touched the doctor's hand. "Will you now remember the words I said of Houston? Did I not tell you, that success was with him? that on his brow was the line of fortune?that he was the loadstone in the breast of freedom?"

CHAPTER XVII. HOME AGAIN. 

 "Where'er we roam, Our first, best country ever is at home. "

 "What constitutes a state? Men who their duties know; But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain. 

 "And sovereign law, that states collected will O'er thrones and globes elate, Sits empress; crowning good, repressing ill. 

 "This hand to tyrants ever sworn a foe, For freedom only deals the deadly blow; Then sheathes in calm repose the vengeful blade, For gentle peace, in freedom's hallowed shade. "

The vicinity of a great battle-field is a dreadful place after the lapseof a day or two. The bayou and the morass had provided sepulturefor hundreds of slain Mexicans, but hundreds still lay upon the openprairie. Over it, birds of prey hung in dark clouds, heavy-winged, sad, sombre, and silent. Nothing disturbed them. They took no heed of theliving. Armed with invincible talons and beaks tipped with iron, they carried on ceaselessly that automatic gluttony, which made thembeneficent crucibles of living fire, for all which would otherwise havecorrupted the higher life. And yet, though innocent as the elements, they were odious in the sight of all. 

Before daylight in the morning the Senora and her daughters were readyto begin their homeward journey. The doctor could not accompany them, General Houston and the wounded Americans being dependent largelyupon his care and skill. But Luis Alveda and Lopez Navarro received anunlimited furlough; and about a dozen Mexican prisoners of war belongingto San Antonio were released on Navarro's assurance, and permitted totravel with the party as camp servants. It was likely, also, that theywould be joined by a great many of the families who had accompanied thegreat flight; for, on the preceding evening, Houston had addressed thearmy, and told the householders and farmers to go home and plant theircorn. 

Full of happiness, the ladies prepared for their journey. A good armywagon, drawn by eight mules, and another wagon, containing two tents andeverything necessary for a comfortable journey, was waiting for them. The doctor bid them good-by with smiles and cheerful promises. They weregoing home. The war was over. Independence was won. They had the hopeof permanent peace. The weather also was as the weather may be among thefields of Eden. The heavens were cloudless, the air sweet and fresh, andthe wild honeysuckles, with their spread hands full of scent, perfumedthe prairies mile after mile. The mules went knee-deep through warmgrasses; the grasses were like waving rainbows, with the myriads ofbrightly tinted flowers. 

Even Lopez was radiantly happy. Most unusual smiles lighted up hishandsome face, and he jingled the silver ornaments on his bridlepleasantly to his thoughts as he cantered sometimes a little in advanceof the wagon, sometimes in the rear, occasionally by its side; then, bending forward to lift his hat to the ladies and inquire after theircomfort. 

Luis kept close to Isabel; and her lovely face and merry chatterbeguiled him from all other observations. A little before noon theyhalted in a beautiful wood; a tent was spread for the ladies, theanimals were loosened from their harness, and a luxurious meal laid uponthe grass. Then the siesta was taken, and at three o'clock travel wasresumed until near sunset, when the camp was made for the night. Thesame order was followed every day, and the journey was in every sense aneasy and delightful one. The rides, cheered by pleasant companionship, were not fatiguing; the impromptu meals were keenly relished. And therewere many sweet opportunities for little strolls in the dim green woods, and for delightful conversations, as they sat under the stars, while thecamp-fire blazed among the picturesque groups of Mexicans playing montearound it. 

On the third afternoon, the Senora and Isabel were taking a siesta, butAntonia could not sleep. After one or two efforts she was thoroughlyaroused by the sound of voices which had been very familiar to her inthe black days of the flight--those of a woman and her weary family ofseven children. She had helped her in many ways, and she still felt aninterest in her welfare. It appeared now to be assured. Antonia foundher camping in a little grove of mulberry trees. She had recovered herhealth; her children were noisy and happy, and her husband, a tall, athletic man, with a determined eye and very courteous manners, wasunharnessing the mules from a fine Mexican wagon; part of the lawfulspoils of war. They, too, were going home: "back to the Brazos, " saidthe woman affectionately; "and we're in a considerable hurry, " she added, "because it's about time to get the corn in. Jake lays out to plantfifty acres this year. He says he can go to planting now with an easyconscience; he 'lows he has killed enough Mexicans to keep him quiet aspell. "

They talked a short time together, and then Antonia walked slowly intothe deeper shadows of the wood. She found a wide rock, under treessoftly dimpling, pendulous, and tenderly green; and she sat down in thesweet gloom, to think of the beloved dead. She had often longed for somequiet spot, where, alone with God and nature, she could, just for once, give to her sorrow and her love a free expression. 

Now the opportunity seemed to be hers. She began to recall her wholeacquaintance with Dare--their hours of pleasant study--their sails uponthe river--their intercourse by the fireside--the most happy Sundays, when they walked in the house of God together. In those days, what ablessed future was before them! She recalled also the time of hope andanxiety after the storming of the Alamo, and then the last heroic actof his stainless life. She had felt sure that in such a session withher own soul she would find the relief of unrestrained and uncheckedweeping. But we cannot kindle when we will either the fire or thesensibility of the soul. She could not weep; tears were far from her. Nay, more, she began to feel as if tears were not needed for one whohad found out so beautiful, so unselfish, so divine a road to the grave. Ought she not rather to rejoice that he had been so early called andblest? To be glad for herself, too, that all her life long she couldkeep the exquisite memory of a love so noble?

In the drift of such thoughts, her white, handsome face grew almostangelic. She sat motionless and let them come to her; as if she werelistening to the comforting angels. For God has many ways of sayingto the troubled soul: "Be at peace"; and, certainly, Antonia had notanticipated the calmness and resignation which forbid her the tears shehad bespoken. 

At length, in that sweet melancholy which such a mental conditioninduces, she rose to return to the camp. A few yards nearer to it shesaw Lopez sitting in a reverie as profound as her own had been. He stoodup to meet her. The patience, the pathos, the exaltation in her facetouched his heart as no words could have done. He said, only: "Senorita, if I knew how to comfort you!"

"I went away to think of the dead, Senor. "

"I comprehend--but then, I wonder if the dead remember the living!"

"In whatever dwelling-place of eternity the dear ones who died at Goliadare, I am sure that they remember. Will the emancipated soul be lessfaithful than the souls still earthbound? Good souls could not even wishto forget--and they were good. "

"It will never be permitted me to know two souls more pure, morefaithful, more brave, Juan was as a brother to me, and, BY MYSANTIGUADA![6] I count it among God's blessings to have known a man likeSenor Grant. A white soul he had indeed; full of great nobilities!"

Antonia looked at him gratefully. Tears uncalled-for sprang into theeyes of both; they clasped hands and walked mutely back to the camptogether. For the sentiment which attends the realization that all isover, is gathered silently into the heart; it is too deep for words. 

They found the camp already in that flurry of excitement alwaysattendant upon its rest and rising, and the Senora was impatientlyinquiring for her eldest daughter. 

"GRACIOUS MARIA! Is that you, Antonia? At this hour we are all yourservants, I think. I, at least, have been waiting upon your pleasure";then perceiving the traces of sorrow and emotion on her face, she added, with an unreasonable querulousness: "I bless God when I see how Hehas provided for women; giving them tears, when they have no otheremployment for their time. "

"Dearest mother, I am sorry to have kept you waiting. I hope that youhave forgotten nothing. Where is your mantilla? And have you replenishedyour cigarito case? Is there water in the wagon?"

"Nothing has been provided. Things most necessary are forgotten, nodoubt. When you neglect such matters, what less could happen?"

But such little breezes of temper were soon over. The influencessurrounding, the prospects in advance, were too exhilarating to permitof anything but passing shadows, and after an easy, delightful journey, they reached at length the charming vicinity of the romantic city ofthe sword. They had but another five miles ride, and it was the Senora'spleasure to take it at the hour of midnight. She did not wish her returnto be observed and talked about; she was in reality very much mortifiedby the condition of her own and her daughters' wardrobe. 

Consequently, though they made their noon camp so near to theirjourney's end, they rested there until San Antonio was asleep anddreaming. It was the happiest rest of all the delightful ones theyhad known. The knowledge that it was the last stage of a journey soremarkable, made every one attach a certain tender value to the hoursnever to come back to the experiences never to be repeated. 

The Senora was gay as a child; Isabel shared and accentuated herenthusiasms; Luis was expressing his happiness in a variety of songs;now glorifying his love in some pretty romance or serenade, againmusically assuring liberty, or Texas, that he would be delighted at anymoment to lay down his life for their sakes. Antonia was quite as muchexcited in her own way, which was naturally a much quieter way; andLopez sat under a great pecan-tree, smoking his cigarito with placidsmiles and admiring glances at every one. 

As the sun set, the full moon rose as it rises nowhere but over Texan orAsian plains; golden, glorious, seeming to fill the whole heaven and thewhole earth with an unspeakable radiance; softly glowing, exquisitely, magically beautifying. The commonest thing under it was transfiguredinto something lovely, fantastic, fairylike. And the dullest soulsswelled and rose like the tides under its influence. 

Antonia took from their stores the best they had, and a luxurious supperwas spread upon the grass. The meal might have been one of ten courses, it occupied so long; it provoked so much mirth, such a rippling streamof reminiscence; finally, such a sweetly solemn retrospect of thesorrows and mercies and triumphs of the campaign they had sharedtogether. This latter feeling soon dominated all others. 

The delicious light, the sensuous atmosphere, the white turrets andtowers of the city, shining on the horizon like some mystical, heavenlycity in dreams--the murmur of its far-off life, more audible to thespiritual than the natural ears--the dark figures of the camp servants, lying in groups or quietly shuffling their cards, were all elementsconducive to a grave yet happy seriousness. 

No one intended to sleep. They were to rest in the moonlight untilthe hour of eleven, and then make their last stage. This night theyinstinctively kept close together. The Senora had mentally reached thatpoint where it was not unpleasant to talk over troubles, and to amplifyespecially her own share of them. 

"But, Holy Maria!" she said; "how unnecessary are such sorrows! Iam never, in the least, any better for them. When the Divine Majestycondescends to give me the sunshine of prosperity, I am alwaysexceedingly religious. On the contrary when I am in sorrow, I do notfeel inclined to pray. That is precisely natural. Can the blessed Motherexpect thanks, when she gives her children only suffering and tears?"

"God gives us whatever is best for us, dear mother. "

"Speak, when you have learned wisdom, Antonia. I shall always believethat trouble comes from the devil; indeed, Fray Ignatius once told meof a holy man that had one grief upon the heels of the other, and it wasthe devil who was sent with all of them. I have myself no doubt thathe opened the gates of hell for Santa Anna to return to earth and do alittle work for him. "

"This thought makes me tremble, " said Lopez; "souls that have becomeangelic, can become evil. The degraded seraphim, whom we call thedevil, was once the companion of archangels, and stood with Michael, andRaphael, and Gabriel, in the presence of the Holy One. Is there sin inheaven? Can we be tempted even there?"

The inquiry went in different ways to each heart, but no one answeredit. There were even a few moments of constrained, conscious silence, which Luis happily ended, by chanting softly a verse from the hymn ofthe Three Angels:

 "'WHO LIKE THE LORD?' thunders Michael the Chief. Raphael, 'THE CURE OF GOD, ' bringeth relief, And, as at Nazareth, prophet of peace, Gabriel, 'THE LIGHT OF GOD, ' bringeth release. "

The noble syllables floated outward and upward, and Antonia and Lopezsoftly intoned the last line together, letting them fall slowly andsoftly into the sensitive atmosphere. 

"And as for trouble coming from the devil, " said Lopez, "I think, Senora, that Fray Ignatius is wrong. Trouble is not the worst thing thatcan come to a man or woman. On the contrary, our Lady of Prosperity issaid to do, them far greater harm. Let me repeat to you what the everwise Don Francisco de Quevedo Villegas says about her:

"'Where is the virtue prosperity has not staggered? Where the folly shehas not augmented? She takes no counsel, she fears no punishment. Shefurnishes matter for scandal, experience, and for story. How many souls, innocent while poor, have fallen into sin and impiety as soon as theydrank of the enchanted cup of prosperity? Men that can bear prosperity, are for heaven; even wise devils leave them alone. As for the one whopersecuted and beggared job, how foolish and impertinent he was! Ifhe had understood humanity, he would have multiplied his riches, andpossessed him of health, and honors, and pleasures: THAT is the trial itcannot bear. '"

"Oh, to be sure! Quevedo was a wise man. But even wise men don't knoweverything. However, WE ARE GOING HOME! I thank the saints for thisimmeasurable favor. It is a prosperity that is good for women. I willstake my Santiguida on that! And will you observe that it is Sundayagain? Just before sunset I heard the vesper bells clearly. Rememberthat we left San Antonio on Sunday also! I have always heard that Sundaywas a good day to begin a journey on. "

"If it had been on a Friday--"

"Friday! Indeed, Luis, I would not have gone one hundred yards upon aFriday. How can you suppose what is so inconceivably foolish?"

"I think much of the right hour to undertake anything, " said Lopez. "Thefirst movements are not in the hands of men; and we are subject to moreinfluences than we comprehend. There is a ripe time for events, as wellas for fruits: but the hour depends upon forces which we cannot controlby giving to them the name of the day; and our sage Quevedo has made apleasant mockery thereon. It is at my lips, if your ears care to hearit. "

"Quevedo, again! No, it is not proper, Senor. Every day has its dutiesand its favors, Senor. That man actually said that fasting on Friday wasnot a special means of grace! Quevedo was almost a heretic. I have heardFray Ignatius say so. He did not approve of him. "

"Mi madre, let us hear what is to be said. Rachela told me, I must faston a Friday, and cut my nails on a Wednesday, and never cut them on aSunday, and take medicine on a Monday, and look after money on Tuesday, and pay calls and give gifts on Saturday; very well, I do not think muchof Rachela; just suppose, for the passing of the time, that we listen towhat Quevedo says. "

"Here are four against me; well, then, proceed, Senor. "

"'On Monday, ' says the wise and witty one, buy all that you can meetwith, and take all that is to be had for nothing. On Tuesday, receiveall that is given you; for it is Mar's day, and he will look on you withan ill aspect if you refuse the first proffer and have not a second. OnWednesday, ask of all you meet; perhaps Mercury may give some one vanityenough to grant you something. Thursday is a good day to believe nothingthat flatterers say. Friday it is well to shun creditors. On Saturdayit is well to lie long abed, to walk at your ease, to eat a good dinner, and to wear comfortable shoes; because Saturn is old, and loves hisease. '"

"And Sunday, Senor?"

"Pardon, Senorita Isabel, Sunday comes not into a pasquinade. Senora, let me tell you that it draws near to eleven. If we leave now we shallreach San Antonio in time to say the prayer of gratitude before theblessed day of the seven is past. "

"Holy Mary! that is what I should desire. Come, my children; I thankyou, Senor, for such a blessed memory. My heart is indeed full of joyand thankfulness. "

A slight disappointment, however, awaited the Senora. Without asking anyquestions, without taking anything into consideration, perhaps, indeed, because she feared to ask or consider, she had assumed that she wouldimmediately re-enter her own home. With the unreason of a child, she hadinsisted upon expecting that somehow, or by some not explained efforts, she would find her house precisely as she left it. Little had been saidof its occupancy by Fray Ignatius and his brothers; perhaps she did notquite believe in the statement; perhaps she expected Fray Ignatius torespect the arrangements which he knew had been so dear to her. 

It was therefore a trial--indeed, something of a shock--when she foundthey were to be the guests of Navarro, and when it was made clear to herthat her own home had been dismantled and rearranged and was still inthe possession of the Church. But, with a child's unreason, she had alsoa sweet ductility of nature; she was easily persuaded, easily pleased, and quite ready to console herself with the assurance that it onlyneeded Doctor Worth's presence and personal influence to drive away allintruders upon her rights. 

In the mean time she was contented. The finest goods in San Antonio weresent early on the following morning to her room; and the selection ofthree entire wardrobes gave her abundance of delightful employment. Shealmost wept with joy as she passed the fine lawns and rich silks throughher worn fingers. And when she could cast off forever her garment ofheaviness and of weariful wanderings, and array herself in the splendidrobes which she wore with such grace and pleasure, she was an honestlygrateful woman. 

Then she permitted Lopez to let her old acquaintances know of herpresence in her native city; and she was comforted when she began toreceive calls from the Senora Alveda, and judge and Senora Valdez, andmany other of her friends and associates. They encouraged her to talk ofher sufferings and her great loss. Even the judge thought it worth hiswhile, now, to conciliate the simple little woman. He had wisdom enoughto perceive that Mexican domination was over, and that the Americaninfluence of Doctor Worth was likely to be of service to him. 

The Senora found herself a heroine; more than that, she became awarethat for some reason those who had once patronized her were now disposedto pay her a kind of court. But this did not lessen her satisfaction;she suspected no motive but real kindness, for she had that innaterectitude which has always confidence in the honesty of others. 

There was now full reconciliation between Luis and his mother anduncles; and his betrothal to Isabel was acknowledged with all thecustomary rejoicings and complimentary calls and receptions. Lifequickly began to fall back into its well-defined grooves; if there wasanything unusual, every one made an effort to pass it by without notice. The city was conspicuously in this mind. American rule was accepted inthe quiescent temper with which men and women accept weather which mayor may not be agreeable, but which is known to be unavoidable. Americanswere coming by hundreds and by thousands: and those Mexicans who couldnot make up their minds to become Texans, and to assimilate with the newelements sure to predominate, were quietly breaking up their homes andtransferring their interests across the Rio Grande. 

They were not missed, even for a day. Some American was ready to stepinto their place, and the pushing, progressive spirit of the race wassoon evident in the hearty way with which they set to work, not only torepair what war had destroyed, but to inaugurate those movementswhich are always among their first necessities. Ministers, physicians, teachers, mechanics of all kinds, were soon at work; churcheswere built, Bibles were publicly sold, or given away; schools wereadvertised; the city was changing its tone as easily as a woman changesthe fashion of her dress. Santa Anna had said truly enough to Houston, that the Texans had no flag to fight under; but the young Republic verysoon flung her ensign out among those of the gray nations of the world. It floated above the twice glorious Alamo: a bright blue standard, withone white star in the centre. It was run up at sunrise one morning. Thecity was watching for it; and when it suddenly flew out in their sight, it was greeted with the most triumphant enthusiasm. The lonely star inits field of blue touched every heart's chivalry. It said to them, "Istand alone! I have no sister states to encourage and help me! I relyonly on the brave hearts and strong arms that I set me here!" And theyanswered the silent appeal with a cheer that promised everything; with alove that even then began to wonder if there were not a place for sucha glorious star in the grand constellation under which most of them hadbeen born. 

A short time after their return, the Senora had a letter from herhusband, saying that he was going to New Orleans with General Houston, whose wound was in a dangerous condition. Thomas Worth had beenappointed to an important post in the civil government; and his labors, like those of all the public men of Texas at that date, were continuousand Herculean. It was impossible for him to leave them; but the doctorassured his wife that he would return as soon as he had placed Houstonin the hands of skilful surgeons; and he asked her, until then, to be ashappy as her circumstances permitted. 

She was quite willing to obey the request. Not naturally inclined toworry, she found many sources of content and pleasure, until the earlydays of June brought back to her the husband she so truly loved, and with him the promise of a return to her own home. Indeed thedifficulties in the way of this return had vanished ere they were tomeet. Fray Ignatius had convinced himself that his short lease had fullyexpired; and when Dr. Worth went armed with the legal process necessaryto resume his rights, he found his enemy had already surrendered them. The house was empty. Nothing of its old splendor remained. Every one ofits properties had been scattered. The poor Senora walked through thedesolate rooms with a heartache. 

"It was precisely in this spot that the sideboard stood, Roberto!--thesideboard that my cousin Johar presented to me. It came from the Cityof Mexico, and there was not another like it. I shall regret it all mylife. "

"Maria, my dearest, it might have been worse. The silver which adornedit is safe. Those r--monks did not find out its hiding-place, and Ibought you a far more beautiful sideboard in New Orleans; the verynewest style, Maria. "

"Roberto! Roberto! How happy you make me! To be sure my cousin Johar'ssideboard was already shabby--and to have a sideboard from New Orleans, that, indeed, is something to talk about!"

"Besides, which, dearest one, I bought new furniture for the parlors, and for your own apartments; also for Antonia's and Isabel's rooms. Indeed, Maria, I thought it best to provide afresh for the whole house. "

"How wonderful! No wife in San Antonio has a husband so good. Iwill never condescend to speak of you when other women talk of theirhusbands. New furniture for my whole house! The thing is inconceivablycharming. But when, Roberto, will these things arrive? Is there dangeron the road they are coming? Might not some one take them away? I shallnot be able to sleep until I am sure they are safe. "

"I chartered a schooner in New Orleans, and came with them to the Bay ofEspiritu Santo. There I saw them placed upon wagons, and only left themafter the customs had been paid in the interior--sixty miles away. Youmay hire servants at once to prepare the rooms: the furniture will behere in about three days. "

"I am the happiest woman in the world, Roberto!" And she really feltherself to be so. Thoughtful love could have devised nothing more likelyto bridge pleasantly and surely over the transition between the pastand the coming life. Every fresh piece of furniture unpacked was a newwonder and a new delight. With her satin skirts tucked daintily clear ofsoil, and her mantilla wrapped around her head and shoulders, she wentfrom room to room, interesting herself in every strip of carpet, andevery yard of drapery. Her delight was infectious. The doctor smiled tofind himself comparing shades, and gravely considering the arrangementof chairs and tables. 

But how was it possible for so loving a husband and father to avoidsharing the pleasure he had provided? And Isabel was even more excitedthan her mother. All this grandeur had a double meaning to her; it wouldreflect honor upon the betrothal receptions which would be given forLuis and herself--"amber satin and white lace is exactly what I shouldhave desired, Antonia, " she said delightedly. "How exceedingly suitableit will be to me! And those delicious chintzes and dimities for ourbedrooms! Did you ever conceive of things so beautiful?"

Antonia was quite ready to echo her delight. Housekeeping andhomemaking, in all its ways, was her lovable talent. It was reallyAntonia who saw all the plans and the desires of the Senora thoroughlycarried out. It was her clever fingers and natural taste which gaveto every room that air of comfort and refinement which all felt andadmired, but which seemed to elude their power to imitate. 

On the fourth of July the doctor and his family ate together their firstdinner in their renovated home. The day was one that he never forgot, and he was glad to link it with a domestic occurrence so happy and sofortunate. 

Sometimes silently, sometimes with a few words to his boys, he hadalways, on this festival, drank his glass of fine Xeres to the honorand glory of the land he loved. This day he spoke her name proudly. Herecalled the wonders of her past progress; he anticipated the blessingswhich she would bring to Texas; he said, as he lifted the glass in hishand, and let the happy tears flow down his browned and thinned face:

"My wife and daughters, I believe I shall live to see the lone star setin the glorious assemblage of her sister stars! I shall live to say, Idwell in San Antonio, which is the loveliest city in the loveliest Stateof the American Union. For, dear ones, I was born an American citizen, and I ask this favor of God, that I may also die an American citizen. "

"MI ROBERTO, when you die I shall not long survive you. And now thatthe house is made so beautiful! With so much new furniture! How can youspeak of dying?"

"And, my dear father, remember how you have toiled and suffered for THEINDEPENDENCE OF TEXAS. "

"Because, Antonia, I would have Texas go free into a union of freeStates. This was the hope of Houston. 'We can have help, ' he often saidto his little army; 'a word will call help from Nacogdoches, --but wewill emancipate ourselves. If we go into the American States, we will goas equals; we will go as men who have won the right to say: LET US DWELLUNDER THE SAME FLAG, FOR WE ARE BROTHERS!'"

CHAPTER XVIII. UNDER ONE FLAG. 

 "And through thee I believe In the noble and great, who are gone. "

 "Yes! I believe that there lived Others like thee in the past. Not like the men of the crowd. Who all around me to-day, Bluster, or cringe, and make life Hideous, and arid, and vile, But souls temper'd with fire, Fervent, heroic, and good; Helpers, and friends of mankind. " --ARNOLD. 

 "Our armor now may rust, our idle scimitars Hang by our sides for ornament, not use. Children shall beat our atabals and drums; And all the noisy trades of war no more Shall wake the peaceful morn. " --DRYDEN. 

As the years go on they bring many changes--changes that come asnaturally as the seasons--that tend as naturally to anticipatedgrowth and decay--that scarcely startle the subjects of them, tilla lengthened-out period of time discloses their vitality and extent. Between the ages of twenty and thirty, ten years do not seem verydestructive to life. The woman at eighteen, and twenty-eight, ifchanged, is usually ripened and improved; the man at thirty, finer andmore mature than he was at twenty. But when this same period is placedto women and men who are either approaching fifty, or have passed it, the change is distinctly felt. 

It was even confessed by the Senora one exquisite morning in thebeginning of March, though the sun was shining warmly, and the flowersblooming, and the birds singing, and all nature rejoicing, as though itwas the first season of creation. 

"I am far from being as gay and strong as I wish to be, Roberto, "she, said; "and today, consider what a company there is coming! And ifGeneral Houston is to be added to it, I shall be as weary as I shall behappy. "

"He is the simplest of men; a cup of coffee, a bit of steak--"

"SAN BLAS! That is how you talk! But is, it possible to receive him likea common mortal? He is a hero, and, besides that, among hidalgos de casaSolar" (gentlemen of known property)--

"Well, then, you have servants, Maria, my dear one. "

"Servants! Bah! Of what use are they, Roberto, since they also have gothold of American ideas?"

"Isabel and Antonia will be here. "

"Let me only enumerate to you, Roberto. Thomas and his wife and fourchildren arrived last night. You may at this moment hear the littleMaria crying. I dare say Pepita is washing the child, and using soapwhich is very disagreeable. I have always admired the wife of Thomas, but I think she is too fond of her own way with the children. I give heradvices which she does not take. "

"They are her own children, dearest. "

"Holy Maria! They are also my own grandchildren. "

"Well, well, we must remember that Abbie is a little Puritan. Shebelieves in bringing up children strictly, and it is good; for Thomaswould spoil them. As for Isabel's boys--"

"God be blessed! Isabel's boys are entirely charming. They have beencorrected at my own knee. There are not more beautifully behaved boys inthe christened world. "

"And Antonia's little Christina?"

"She is already an angel. Ah, Roberto! If I had only died when I was asinnocent as that dear one!"

"I am thankful you did not die, Maria. How dark my life would have beenwithout you!"

"Beloved, then I am glad I am not in the kingdom of heaven; though, ifone dies like Christina, one escapes purgatory. Roberto, when I rise Iam very stiff: I think, indeed, I have some rheumatism. "

"That is not unlikely; and also Maria, you have now some years. "

"Let that be confessed; but the good God knows that I lost all my youthin that awful flight of 'thirty-six. "

"Maria, we all left or lost something on that dark journey. To-day, weshall recover its full value. "

"To be sure--that is what is said--we shall see. Will you now sendDolores to me? I must arrange my toilet with some haste; and tell me, Roberto, what dress is your preference; it is your eyes, beloved, I wishto please. "

Robert Worth was not too old to feel charmed and touched by thecompliment. And he was not a thoughtless or churlish husband; he knewhow to repay such a wifely compliment, and it was a pleasant sight tosee the aged companions standing hand in hand before the handsome suitswhich Dolores had spread out for her mistress to examine. 

He looked at the purple and the black and the white robes, and thenhe looked at the face beside him. It was faded, and had lost its ovalshape; but its coloring was yet beautiful, and the large, dark eyestender and bright below the snow-white hair. After a few minutes'consideration, he touched, gently, a robe of white satin. "Put this on, Maria, " he said, "and your white mantilla, and your best jewels. Theoccasion will excuse the utmost splendor. "

The choice delighted her. She had really wished to wear it, andsome one's judgment to endorse her own inclinations was all that wasnecessary to confirm her wish. Dolores found her in the most delightfultemper. She sat before the glass, smiling and talking, while her maidpiled high the snowy plaits and curls and crowned them with the jewelledcomb, only worn on very great festivals. Her form was still good, andthe white satin fell gracefully from her throat to her small feet. Besides, whatever of loss or gain had marred her once fine proportions, was entirely concealed by the beautifying, graceful, veiling folds ofher mantilla. There was the flash of diamonds, and the moonlight glimmerof pearls beneath this flimsy covering; and at her belt a few whitelilies. She was exceedingly pleased with her own appearance, and hersatisfaction gave an ease and a sense of authority to her air andmovements which was charming. 

"By Maria's grace, I am a very pretty old lady, " she said to herself;"and I think I shall I astonish my daughter-in-law a little. One isafraid of these calm, cool, northern women, but I feel to-day that evenAbbie must be proud of me. "

Indeed, her entrance into the large parlor made quite a sensation. Shecould see the quiet pleasure in her husband's face; and her son Thomas, after one glance, put down the child on his knee, and went to meet her. "Mi madre, " he whispered with a kiss. He had not used the pretty Spanishword for years, but in the sudden rush of admiring tenderness, hisboyish heart came back to him, and quite unconsciously he used hisboyhood's speech. After this, she was not the least in awe of her wisedaughter-in-law. She touched her cheek kindly, and asked her about thechildren, and was immeasurably delighted when Abbie said: "How beautifulyou are to-day! I wish I had your likeness to send to Boston. Robert, come here and look at your grandmother! I want you to remember, as longas you live, how grandmother looks to-day. " And Robert--a fine lad eightyears old, accustomed to implicit obedience--put down the book he wasreading, planted himself squarely before the Senora, and looked at herattentively, as if she was a lesson to be learned. 

"Well then, Roberto?"

"I am glad I have such a pretty grandmother. Will you let me stand ontiptoes and kiss you?" and the cool, calm northern woman's eyes filledwith tears, as she brought her younger children, one by one, for theSenora's caress. The doctor and his son watched this pretty domesticdrama with hearts full of pride and happiness; and before it had lostone particle of its beauty and feeling, the door was flung open witha vigor which made every one turn to it with expectation. A splendidlittle lad sprang in, and without any consideration for satin and lace, clung to the Senora. He was her image: a true Yturbide, young as he was;beautiful and haughty as his Castilian ancestors. 

Isabel and Luis followed; Isabel more lovely than ever, richly dressedin American fashion, full of pretty enthusiasms, vivacious, charming, and quite at her ease. She had been married eight years. She was afashionable woman, and an authority upon all social subjects. 

Luis also was wonderfully improved. The light-hearted gaiety, which tenyears ago had bubbled over in continual song, was still there; but itwas under control, evident only because it made perpetual sunshineon his face. He had taken the doctor's advice--completed his studyof English and Mexican law--and become a famous referee in cases ofdisputed Mexican claims and title deeds. His elegant form and handsome, olive face looked less picturesque in the dull, uncompromising stiffnessof broadcloth, cut into those peculiarly unbecoming fashions of uglinesswhich the anglo-Saxon and anglo-American affect. But it gained by thechange a certain air of reliability and importance; an air not to bedispensed with in a young lawyer already aspiring to the seat among thelawmakers of his State. 

"We called upon Antonia, " said Isabel, "as we came here. Of course shewas engaged with Lopez. They were reading a book together; and even onsuch a day as this were taking, with the most blessed indifference, aminute at a time. They will join us on the Plaza. I represented to themthat they might miss a good position. 'That has been already secured, 'said Lopez, with that exasperating repose which only the saints couldendure with patience. For that reason, I consider Antonia a saint topermit it. As for me, I should say: 'The house is on fire, Lopez! Willit please you for once to feel a little excited?' Luis says they read, continually, books which make people think of great solemnities andresponsibilities. How foolish, when they are so rich, and might enjoythemselves perpetually!"

"Here are the carriages, " cried Thomas Worth, "and the ceremony ofto-day has its own hour. It will never come again. "

"Your mother and I will go first, Thomas; and we will take Abbie andyour eldest son. I shall see you in your place. Luis, bring your boywith you; he has intelligence and will remember the man he will seeto-day, and may never see again. "

On the Plaza, close to the gates of the Alamo, a rostrum had beenerected; and around it were a few stands, set apart for the carriagesof the most illustrious of the families of San Antonio. The Senora, fromthe shaded depths of her own, watched their arrival. Nothing could bemore characteristic than the approach of her daughters. Antonia andLopez, stately and handsome, came slowly; their high-stepping horseschafing at the restraint. Luis and Isabel drove to their appointedplace with a speed and clatter, accentuated by the jingling of thesilver rings of the harness and the silver hanging buttons on thegay dress of the Mexican driver. But the occupants of both carriagesappeared to be great favorites with the populace who thronged the Plaza, the windows, the flat roofs of the houses, and every available place forhearing and seeing. 

The blue flag of Texas fluttered gayly over the lovely city; and therewas a salvo of cannon; then, into the sunshine and into the sight of allstepped the man of his generation. Nature has her royal line, and shemakes no mistakes in the kings she crowns. The physical charm of Houstonwas at this time very great. His tall, ample, dignified form attractedattention at once. His eyes penetrated the souls of all upon whom theyfell. His lips were touched with fire, and his words thrilled and swayedmen, as the wind sways the heavy heads in a field of ripe barley. 

He stretched out his arms to the people, and they stretched out theirarms to him. The magnetic chain of sympathy was complete. The hearts ofhis listeners were an instrument, on which he played the noblest, mostinspiring, the sweetest of melodies. He kindled them as flame kindlesdry grass. He showed them their future with a prophet's eye, and touchedthem also with the glad diviner's rapture. They aspired, they rejoicedat his bidding; and at the moment of their highest enthusiasm, he criedout:

"Whatever State gave us birth, we have one native land and we have oneflag!" Instantly from the grim, blood-stained walls of the fortress, theblessed Stars and Stripes flew out; and in a moment a thousand smallerflags, from every high place, gave it salutation. Then the thunder ofcannon was answered by the thunder of voices. Cannon may thunder andmake no impression; but the shout of humanity! It stirs and troubles thedeepest heart-stream. It is a cry that cannot be resisted. It sets thegates of feeling wide open. And it was while men were in this mood thatHouston said his last words:

"I look in this glorious sunshine upon the bloody walls of the Alamo. Iremember Goliad. I carry my memory back over the long struggle of thirtyyears. Do you think the young, brave souls, fired with the love ofliberty, who fell in this long conflict have forgotten it? No! No!No! Wherever in God's Eternity they are this day, I believe they arepermitted to know that Texas has become part of their country, and restsforever under the flag they loved. The shouting thousands, the boomingcannon, that greeted this flag were not all the sounds I heard! Faroff, far off, yet louder than any noise of earth, I heard from the deadyears, and the dead heroes of these years; the hurrahing of ghostlyvoices and the clapping of unseen hands!"

"It was like Houston to call the dead to the triumph, " said the doctor, as he stood with the Senora in her room. He was unbuttoning her gloves, and her tears dropped down upon his hands. 

"He is a man by himself, and none like him. I thought that I shouldnever forgive him for sparing the life of that monster--Santa Anna;but to-day I forgive him even that. I am so happy that I shall ask HolyMaria to excuse me the feeling; for it is not good to permit one's selfto be too happy; it brings trouble. But indeed, when I looked at Thomas, I thought how wisely he has married. It is seldom a mother can approveof her daughter-in-law; but Abbie has many excellencies--good manners, and a good heart, and a fortune which is quite respectable. "

"And strong principles also, Maria. She will bring up her children toknow right and wrong, and to do right. "

"THAT of course. Every good mother does that. I am sure it is a sightfor the angels to see Isabel teaching her children their prayers. Didyou observe also how great a favorite Luis is? He lifted his hat to thisone and that one, and it is certain that the next election will be inhis hand. "

"Perhaps--I wish Lopez would take more interest in politics. He is adreamer. "

"But, then, a very happy dreamer. Perhaps to dream well and pleasantlyis to live a better life. Antonia is devoted to him. She has a blessedlot. Once I did not think she would be so fortunate. "

"Lopez was prudent and patient. "

"Prudent! Patient! It is a miracle to me! I assure you, they eventalk together of young Senor Grant! It is satisfactory, but extremelystrange. "

"You had better sleep a little, Maria. General Houston is coming todinner. "

"That is understood. When I spoke last to him, I was a womanbroken-hearted. To-night I will thank him for all that he has done. Ah, Roberto! His words to-day went to my, soul--I thought of my Juan--Ithought of the vision he showed me--I wondered if he knew--if hesaw--and heard--" she leaned her head upon her husband's breast, and hekissed away the sorrowful rain. 

"He was so sweet! so beautiful! Oh, Roberto!"

"He was God's greatest gift to us. Maria! dear. Maria! I love you for, all the children you have given me; BUT MOST OF ALL, FOR JUAN!"

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: Little dear. ]

[Footnote 2: The loadstone in the bosom is a charm against evil; the bringer ofgood fortune. ]

[Footnote 3: The flag of the Mexican Republic of 1824 was green, red and white in color. ]

[Footnote 4: The Virgin appealed to in military straits. ]

[Footnote 5: Copy from Department of War of the Republic of Texas. ]

[Footnote 6: Sign of the Cross. ]