INEZ

A TALE OF THE ALAMO

BY

AUGUSTA J. EVANS

Author of "Beulah," "St. Elmo," "Infelice," "Macaria," Etc.

NEW YORK

THE FEDERAL BOOK COMPANY

PUBLISHERS

TO THE TEXAN PATRIOTS, WHO TRIUMPHANTLY UNFURLED AND WAVED ALOFT THE "BANNER OF THE LONE STAR!" WHO WRENCHED ASUNDER THE IRON BANDS OF DESPOTIC MEXICO! AND WREATHED THE BROW OF THE "QUEEN STATE" WITH THE GLORIOUS CHAPLET OF "CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY!" THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.

INEZ: A TALE OF THE ALAMO.

CHAPTER I.

"But O, th' important budget!
Who can say what are its tidings?"

COWPER.

"There is the bell for prayers, Florry; are you ready?" saidMary Irving, hastily entering her cousin's room at the largeboarding-school of Madame ——.

"Yes; I rose earlier than usual this morning, have solved twoproblems, and translated nearly half a page of Telemaque."

"I congratulate you on your increased industry and application, thoughyou were always more studious than myself. I wish, dear Florry,you could imbue me with some of your fondness for metaphysics andmathematics," Mary replied, with a low sigh.

A momentary flush passed over the face of her companion, and theydescended the stairs in silence. The room in which the pupils wereaccustomed to assemble for devotion was not so spacious as theclass-room, yet sufficiently so to look gloomy enough in the graylight of a drizzling morn. The floor was covered with a faded carpet,in which the indistinct vine seemed struggling to reach the wall,but failed by several feet on either side. As if to conceal thisdeficiency, a wide seat was affixed the entire length of the room, sohigh

"That the feet hung dangling down,
Anxious in vain to find the distant floor."

There were no curtains to the windows, and the rain pattered drearilydown the panes.

The teacher who officiated as chaplain was seated before a largedesk, on which lay an open Bible. He seemed about twenty-four, hiscountenance noble rather than handsome, if I may make so delicate adistinction. Intelligence of the first order was stamped upon it, yetthe characteristic expression was pride which sat enthroned on hisprominent brow; still, hours of care had left their impress, and theface was very grave, though by no means stern. His eye was fixed onthe door as the pupils came in, one by one, for prayers, and whenFlorence and Mary entered, it sunk upon his book, In a few moments herose, and, standing with one arm folded across his bosom, read in adeep, distinct tone, that beautiful Psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd."He had only reached the fourth verse, when he was interrupted by twogirls of twelve or fourteen, who had been conversing from the momentof their entrance. The tones grew louder and louder, and now the wordswere very audible:

"My father did not send me here to come to prayers, and Madame has noright to make us get up before day to hear him read his Bible!"<

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