Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-10-12

chokes him as he exclaims " Why should I,
He was but man who died first in their fierce
embrace and should be less than man not to
do as much :"
The evening sun was descending. and Vivcnzio
beheld his golden beams streaming through one
of the windows. What a thrill of Joy shot
through his soul at the sightl 1t was pre-
cious link that united him, for the moment, to
the world beyond. There was ecstacy in the
thought. As he gazed, long and earnestly, it
seemed as if the windows had lowered sufficient
ly for him to reach them. With one single
bound he was beneath them-with one wild
spring he chung to the bars. Whether it was
SO contrived, purposely to madden with delight
the wretch who looked, he knew not; but at
the extremity of . loug vista, cut through the
solid rocks, the ocean, the sky, the setting sun,
olive groves, shady walks, and in the distance
delicious glimpses of magnificent Scicily burst
upon his view. How exquisite was the cool
breeze as it swept across his cheek, loaded with
fragrance. He inhaled it as though it were the
breath of continued life And there was a fresh
ness in the landscape and in the ripping of the
calm green sea, that fell upon his wthering
heart like dew upon the parched earth. How
he gazed and painted, and still clung to his hold
sometimes hanging by one hand, sometimes by
the other, and then grasping the bar with both,
as 10th to leave the smiling paradise, stretched
out before him, till exhausted, and his hands
swollen and benumbed, he dropped down, and
lay stunned for some time by the fall.
When he recovered, the glorious vision had
vanished. He was in darkness. He doubted
whether it was not dream that had passed be-
fore his sleeping fancy but gradually his scat
tered thoughts returned, and with them came
remembrance. Yes, he had looked once again
upon the gorgeous splendor of nature. Once
again his eyes had trembled beneath their veiled
lids, at the SUMS radiance, and sought reposc in
the soft yerdure Of the olive tree, or the gentle
swell of undulating. waves Oh, that he were
mariner, exposed upon those waves to the worst
fury of the storm and tempest or a very
wretch, loathsome with disease, plague-stricken
and his body one leprous contagion from crown
to sole, hunted forth to gasp out the remnant of
infectious life beneath those verdant trees, so he
might shun the destiny upon whose edge he tot
| tered
Vain thoughts like these would steal over his
mind from time to time, in spite of himself;
but they scarcely moved it from that stupor in
to which it had sunk, and which kept him, for
the whole night, like oae dragged with opium
lie was equally insensibe to the calls of hunger
and thirst, though tho, third day was now COM
mencing since even drop Of water had passed
his lips. He remained on the ground, sometimes
; standing, sometimes lying at intervalssleeping
heavily, and when not sleeping silently brooding
over what was to come, and talking aloud, in
dsordcred speech, of his wrongs, of his home,
and Of those he loved, with a confused ming
ling.
In this pitiable condition, the sixth and last
morning dawned upon Vivenzio, if dawn it
might be called-the dim obscure light Which
family struggled through the one solitary win
dow of his dungeon. He could hardly be said
to notice the melancholy token. And yet he
did notice it for as he raised his head and
saw the portentous sign, there was a slight con-
yulsive distortion of his countenance. But
what did attract his notice. and at the sight of
> which his agitation was excessive, was the
: change his iron bed had undergone. 1t was bed
no longer. 1t stood before him the visible sem
- blance of funeral couch or bier When he
- boheld this, he started from the ground and in
. raising himself, suddenly struck his head agains!
10 the roof, which was now 50 low that he could
= no loager stand upright. Gods will be
done - was all he said, az he crouched hi.
body, and placed his hand upon the bier; for
: such it WAS. The iron balstead hal been Sc
II constructed by the mechanical art of Ludovico
~ Sforza that as the advancing walls came in con-
tact with its head and feet, a pressure was pro-
" duced upon concealed springs, which when mad,
10 to play, SIT in motion very simple though in
5 genously contrived machinery, that effected the
: transformation. The object was. of course tc
= heighton in the closing scene of this horrible
drama, all the feelings of despair and anguisl
which the preceding ones had aroused. For thC
same reason, the last window was SO made as tc
!, admit only shadowy, kind of gloom rather
= than light, that the wretched captive might be
surrounded, as it were, with every seeming prep
:, aration for approaching death.
Vivenzio seated himself on hi, bier. Then he
+ knelt and prayed fervently and sometimes tears
4; would gush from him. The air seemed thick
~ and he brcathed with difficulty or it might be
70 that he fanced it was 50, from the hot and mar
row limits of his dungeon, which were now SC
,f diminished that he coald neither stand up Oh
~ lie down at his full length. But his wastet
l. spirits and oppressed mind no longer struggled
# within him. He was past hope, and fear shool
I him no more. Happy if thus revenge hat
/ struck its final blow for he would have falel
NJ beneath it almost unconscious of Il pang. Blu
va such ethargy of the soul, after such excite
ve mcnt of its ferces passion, had entered into tn
n diabolical calculations of Tolf and the fell ar
ro tifcer of his designs had imagined counter
bo acting device.
The tolling of an enormous bell struck upo
cd the ears of Vivenzo! He started, 1t beat bu
ed once The sound was so close and stunning ,tha
al it seemed to shatter his very brain, while it eel
p oed through the rocky passages like reveberetn
!" peals of thunder, This was followed by q su,
re- den crash of the roof and walls as if they we
od about to fall upon and close around him at ono
lis Vivenzo screamed and instinctively spread for
his his arms, as though he had giants strength