Graham's Magazine, Vol. XL, No. 6, June 1852Various
General
Graham's Magazine, Vol. XL, No. 6, June 1852
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Not long after, the fight began; and by my companion’s management, I
remained with the staff during the greater part of the day. I need not
pause to describe the roaring of cannon, the firing of musketry, the
charging of lines of troops, the taking and retaking of different
positions; but I must notice one little event, which occurred about the
middle of the day. There had been a sort of lull in the noise and
confusion, when suddenly a carriage and four came dashing over the
ground toward the mill, just as a battery horse-artillery was galloping
like lightning across in a different direction to take up a new
position, while at the same moment a cavalry regiment was dashing up to
support a party on the right. The gayly dressed post-boys tried to pull
in their horses, but men, horses, and ladies in the carriage, were all
equally scared, and before they knew what they were doing, were
enveloped on every side by the troops. The commander-in-chief spoke a
word to Captain Westover; for it was a great object to all that the day
should pass over without serious accident, and one seemed now very
likely to take place. Away went Westover. Away went I after him, and
just arrived in time to turn the horses off the road before the guns
were upon them.
“Oh, good Heaven, what shall we do?” exclaimed a lady in the carriage,
with her head covered with ostrich feathers.
“Drive across to that little road, and off the ground as fast as you can
go,” shouted Westover to the post-boys. “You will get these ladies
killed if you do not mind.”
“But where can we see?” screamed the lady from the window.
“You cannot see at all, madam,” answered Westover, impatiently. “If you
wanted to see, you should have come earlier—Drive on and clear the
ground, boys.”
Away the postillions went. The lady drew back her head from the window
with an indignant air, and I saw just opposite to her, in the carriage,
the loveliest face I ever beheld. Delicately and beautifully chiseled,
every feature seemed to me perfect, in the brief glance I had. But that
was not the great charm; for there before me, for that single instant,
were those beautiful, liquid, hazel eyes, with the long fringe of dark
lashes, which I had never seen any thing like since I had last beheld
Mariette.
My first impulse was to gallop after the carriage as fast as possible;
but the troops swept round, the carriage dashed away, and all I could do
was to ask my companion if he knew who were its denizens.
“Not I,” he answered, hurriedly—“Some vulgar people they must be—none
but vulgar people get themselves into such situations as that—a
devilish pretty girl in the back of the carriage though, De Lacy—Why,
what’s the matter with you, man?”
“Why, I think I know her,” I replied, “and have been looking for her and
her mother for a long time.”
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