Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-04-10

The perplexiag mystery had for time
withdrawn his attention from the windows
but now, directing his eye again towards
them, he saw that the fifth had disappeared
IN the same manner as the preceding two,
without the least distinguished alteration OF
external appearances. The remaining four
looked as the seven had originally looked (;
that is, occupying, at irregular distances, the
top of the wall on that side of the dungeon.
The tall folding door too, still stood beneath,
in the centre of these four, as it had at first
stood in the centre of the seven: But he
could no longer doubt, what, on the preceding
day he fancied might be the effect of visual
deception. The dungeon was smaller. The
roof had lowered and the opposite ends had
contracted the immediate distance by space
equal, he thought, to that over which the
three windows had extended. he was bewil.
dered in vain Imagination to account for these
things. Some frightful purpose; some dew
ilish torture of mind Or body some unheard
of device for producing exquisite misery,
lurked, he was sure, in what had taken place.
Oppressed with this belief, and distracted
szore BY the dreadful uncertainty of whatever
fate impended, than he could be dismayed, he
thought, by the knowledge of the worst, he
sat Illuminating, hour after hour, yielding bis
tears in succession to every haggard fancy.
at last horrible suspicion flashed across his
mind, and he started up with frantic air.
"Yes!" he exclaimed looking around his
dungeon, and shuddering as he spoke Yes !
it must be so see it! l feel The maddening
truth like scorching flames upon my brain !
Eternal God support me! Yes, yes, that
is to be my fate! .Yon roof will descend |!
these walls will hem me round and slow
ly, crush me in their iron arms! Lord God |!
look down upon me, and in mercy strike me
with instant death Oh, Gend ; oh, devil is
this your rcvenge?'
&c dashed himself upon the ground in ago.
ny; tears burst from him, and the sweat stood
in largo drops upon his face he sobbed aloud /;
he tore his hair; he rolled about like one suf-
fering intolerable anguish of body, and would
have bitten the Iron floor beneath him he
I'breathed fearful curses upon Tolfi and the
next moment passionate prayers to heaven
for immediate DEATH Then the violence Of
his grief became exhausted, and he lay still,
weeping as child would weep. The twilight
of departing day shed its gloom around him
ere he. arose from that pasture of utter and
hopeless sorrow. He had taken no food. Nst
drop of water had cooled the fever on his
parched lips Sleep had not visited his eyes
for six and thirty hours. He was faint with
hunger, weary with watching and With the
excess of his emotions. He tasted his food
he drank with avidity Of water and reeling
like drunken man to his straw, cast himself
upon it to brood again over the appalling i'm
age that had fastened itself upon his almost
frenzied thoughts.
He Slept. But his sumbers were not tran
quill. lie rcsistedP as long as he could, their
approaches and when at last enfeeblcd ma
ture yielded to their influence, be found no
oblivion from his cares. Terrible dreams
haunted him; shastly visions narrowed up his
imagination he shouted and screamed as it
he already felt the dungeons ponderous roof
descending On him; he lreaihed hard and
thick, as though writhing beneath its iron
walls. Then would he spring up; stare wild
ly about Lim stretch forth his LANDS 10 be
sure al.at -he. had yet opaoe enough to live /;
and murtcrins sou'o inoaaoront words, Sink
down again, TO pass through the same fierce
vicissitudcs CT drlrious sleep.
The morning OF the fourth day dawned
upon Vivcpzo Bat it was high noon before
his mind shook eff its stupor, or he awokc to
full consciousness Of his situation. And
what E.cd sle;gy Of despair sat upoa his
pale features, rs lie cast his eye upwards, and
gazad upon the three windows that now re-
maiaed The three There were no more, and
they seemed 10 have numbered his own alot
ted days. Slowly and calmly he next sur
veyed the top and sides, and comprchended
all the meaning Of the diminished height Of
,Ac former, as vel! as the gradual approxima
ton Of the latter, Tho contracted dimensions
of his mysterious prison were now too gross
and palpablc to be the jnggle Of his imagna-
lion. Sill lost in wonder at the means, Vi
veLzio could put no cheat upon his reason rs
10 the end. by what horrible ingenuity was
it Gu trivcG, that walls, and roof, and windows
should thas silently and impcrcepiib!y, without
noise and without motion almost, fold rs it
were. within each other, he knew not. He
only knew they did so, aud he van!y slrosc
70 persuade himself it vas the intention Of
the contrivar to rack the miserable wruich
who might be iinmured there, with the antici-
patton, merely, of f.tc from which, in the
very crisis OF his agony, he was to be re-
p,icve1.
Gladly would he have cluag even to this
possibility, if his heart would have let him j
Tut he yoIt dreadful assurance OF its lalaGy
lnd what matchlesS inhumanity it vas to
loom the sufferer to such lingering torment;
lead him day by day to SO appalling a
Ieath, unsupported by the consultations of re-
gion, unvsited by any human being, aban-
loned to himself, deserted of all, and denied
:yen the small privilege Of knowing that his
cruel destiny would awaken pity Alas he
vas to perish alone he was to wait slow
coming torture whose most exquisite panes
would be inflicted by that very solitude, and
that tardy coming.
tits not death I fear" he exclaimed,
+" but the death must prepare for Methiuks,
too, could meet even that, all horrible ard
reyol,,ns as it is, IF it might o5ertake nis now
But where shall ] find forttude 10 tarry till
it comes? How can endure the three long
days and nights | am to live2 There is no
rower in me to bid the hideous spectre hence;
coac to make it familiar with my thoughts;
Or myself, patient Of his errand. My thoughts
rSthcr fee to me- and / grow mad in looking !
at it. Oh 10y a desp sleep 10 Jail upon mel
that 80, in deaths likeness might embrace
death ITSELF and drink no more Of the cup
that is presented to me, than my fainting
spirit had already tas!ed"
In Tie uilst of thege lemsn.2ti9ns, Yivea:
zio noticed that his accustomed meal, with
pitcher of water had been conveyed rs before,
MO his dungeon. But this circumstance no
onger excited his surprise. His mind was
overwhelmed with Others Of for greater
assnlt4de. it suggested; horeYeF, feeble
lope of lclivtrance and there is no hope so
eeble, as not to yield some support to heart
,endIng uudcr despair. lie resolved to watch,
Turing the ensuing night, for the signs be had
before observed; and should be again feel
he nnntln tremnlnns rnntinn Of the nnnr Or