Page:The Fall of the Alamo.djvu/38

 E'en now I have it; yea! I found the way! The obstacle that keeps me from my prize Shall be the very bridge, o'er which I reach it. I will hand o'er to the authorities Of Mexico for judgment and garotte The captured leaders of this base revolt, That Jack, that Travis and that Edwards, Which clearly will attest my loyalty, Will call me hence for presence at the trial, And pave withal a way for my retirement!— Retirement! happy thought! sweet as the balm Of eventide upon a sultry day, When for the dismal gusts of wintery care The slumberous peace of quiet summer-eve Shall permeate my bosom's corridors, As swells an organ's long-drawn harmony Through a majestic minster's colonnades,— When gratefully, as sees the husbandman His harvest-wagon's last return, I shall Enjoy in ease my labor's benefits,— Wlien my old age shall be prolonged and cheered By her, for whom alone I took on me These mounts of care, these centuries of sorrow, My daughter Elsie. [He turns abniptly with a profound horror.] Who is here? [With astonishment] No one? And yet meseemed, as if a stealthy step Had crept behind me and an ice-cold hand