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.
And yet meseemed, as if a stealthy step
Had crept behind me and an ice-cold hand
