The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 131: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

nk > a —= . - THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN. culprits can Le more easily imagined than de- scribed, J onathan bit his lip, and stood erect as a post, The lawyer sat in his arm-chair endeavouring to look calm and indifferent. Both of them were almost crazed with fear and excitement. _ What the officers came for, and did, will be seen in another chapter, ote CHAPTER XLIV. DICK’S DEATH-BED—SORROWFUL SCENE—AGNESE IS VISITED BY AN UNKNOWN FEMALE. THE many scrapes and escapes of Frank Ford in the mountains among the treacherous brigands caused the Boy Band to look upon their young leader as if he possessed a charmed life. The last adventure, however, in Basil’s cave, and the abduction of the bold brigand’s daughter Agnese, was looked upon as something almost miraculous. For it will be remembered than when just upon the point of escaping scot free with the beautiful brave girl, he was attacked both in front and rear in the mountain-pass, and almost surrounded by the black, revengeful rascals. The timely arrival of Hugh Tracy, with Fatty, Buttons, and other bold youths, broke the circle in which the daring young chief was surrounded, and, luckily for all parties, they made good their escape with but trifling logs. But poor Agnese was much shaken both in body and mind, and her fair face became as pale as death, _ She had suffered much from the brutality of her ignorant father ; so much so, that but a few months THOFE of such a life would have broken her young eart, The only ray of hope that ever shone down upon her in her miserable mountain home among the cut- throats and robbers was the unexpected arrival of the bold, handsome, and dashing boy captain of the young Garabaldians, From the first moment that their eyes met she had secretly loved Frank. Yet she never told him the depth of her girlish affection, from motives of pure modesty. Whenever she saw him she blushed deeply. Her heart increased its beating, and her lips trembled with untold pleasure, as she often gazed upon him clambering the rocks with a firm fearless step. She would have gone anywhere with Frank—aye, to the world’s end, had he desired it, There was nothing he might ask her to do but what she did it. In truth she would have given her very life for her young preserver, and willingly sacrificed all her best hopes to gratify his least wish, except to stoop to dishonor. And this she knew Frank was too much of a soldier and a gentleman even to imagine or desire, She loved him as a friend, as a brother. Yes, and something more than that. In his society she was always happy, but some- times tears flowed from her bright eyes, for she often caught Frank looking pale, thoughtful, and melancholy. The reason she knew not, nor could she with all her ingenuity ascertain it. She was safely placed in the care of a kind old innkeeper, in a small village some fifty miles 125 a from her father’s mountain home, and far out of danger, where Frank often visited her. The camps of the Boy Soldiers were now very near Garabaldi’s head quarters, and beyond fear of being attacked or surprised by any superior force of the enemy, They drilled now more arduously and regularly than ever, for it was the boast and pride of all the boys that they were the most soldierly company of volunteers under Garabaldi’s command, as that old chief himself had often said, and with a smile of pleasure. ‘Captain Ford, my dear young friend,” old Gara- baldi was often heard to say, as he rode down to the English Boys’ camp to see them drill. “ Cap- tain Ford, I must compliment you, sir, upon the fine condition and excellent drill of your gallant lads ; yours is the finest company among the whole volun- teer force under my command ; you have had some stirring adventures, I hear, among the mountains, and if Iam not much mistaken, others are in store for you, I shall not forget to remember your ser- vices, and mention them to King Victor Emanuel.” This was no niggardly praise by any means ; but though well deserved, caused much envy among other volunteer companies, and deadly rancour filled the hearts of more than one against young Captain Ford and his Boy Band of soldiers, Of this we shall see and hear more anon. In the afternoon it was |Frank’s habit to walk over the fields to the small village in sight to have a chat with and to console Agnese, who was still pale, thin, weakly, and very sick. Agnese, propped up in bed with numerous pillows, always'received Frank with beaming smiles, and her eyes were oft suffused with tears of tenderness. But ‘Frank’s manner towards her had somewhat changed of late. He was not so gay and lively and full of jokes and mad freaks as he had formerly been. The death of several among his band had steeled his heart, and he regretted their loss as if they had been his own natural brothers. But there was another cause for his silence and habitual thoughtfulness, ; The mysterious death of his uncle had fallen upon him like a thunderbolt, That awful barbarous murder shocked him, And he was accused of it ! This thought almost drove him mad. He sometimes made up his mind to leave the Boy Band, and return to England. But this would appear like cowardice, he argued. ‘Never mind, the war in Italy will soon be over,” he consoled himself with thinking, ‘‘ and then I’ll return to London for a time, and face all my vile enemies. After that the band will go across the seas to Mexico, and seek freshadventures and dangers, I don’t like a life of idleness. Once a soldier always a soldier.” On one occasion, when he visited Agnese, he sat down beside her bed, and appeared very sad. “ What ails you, dear Frank ?” whispered Agnese. ‘‘ You look pale, careworn, and sorrowful ; you are so changed of late. You donot appear like the same youth ; all the colour has left your cheeks, your eyes are cast down, and you mope about like one half-witted at times.” Frank smiled, and tried to laugh. It was a poor attempt. He knew that what Agnese said was. perfectly true. ‘‘ Have J occasioned this sad change, Frank?” she asked, in tones Of sympathy and affection, ‘If stunned and Comicboool CO oS rT