The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-02-20

NO liz COuiu JUICY, Ny Ii!C CiiuS tii'su
afterward elapsed before the morn
ing came in, about two O'Clock, 4
there was slight tremulous motion
of the floor. He stopped. The mo-
ton lasted nearly minute; but it
was so extremely gentle, that he al
most doubted whether it was real or
only imaginary. He listened. Not
a sound could be heard. Presently,
however, he felt a rush of cold air
blow upon him and dasling toward
the quarter whence it seemed to
proceed, he stumbled over some
thing which he judged to be the
water ever. The rush of cold air
was no longer perceptible; and as
Vivenzie stretched out his hands,
he found himself close to the walls
He remained motionless for con-
siderable time; but nothing occurred
during the remainder Of the night to
excite his attention, though he con
tinued to watch with unabated Wig
lance. -.,, .- f.;s-s ss. .
The first approaches of the morn
ing were visible through the grated
windows, breaking, with faint divis-
ions of light, the darkness that still
pervaded every other part, long be-
fore. Vivenzio was enabled to distin-
'guish any object in his dungeon.
Instinetively and fearfully he turned
his, eyes, hot and indamed with
watching, toward them. There
were FOUR! He could see only four :;
fiut it might be that some interven-
ing object prevented the fifth from
becoming perceptible; and he wait
ed impatiently to ascertain if it were
so. AS the light strengthened, how
ever, and penetrated every corner
of his cell. other objects of amaze
ment struck his sight. On the ground
lay the broken fragments of the
pitcher he had used the day before,
and at small distance from them,
nearer to the wall, stood the one he
had noticed the first night. 1t was
filed with water, and beside it was
his food. He was now certain that,
by some mechanical continuance, an
opening was obtained through the
iron wall, and that through this
opening the current of air had found
entrance. But how noiseless! For
had feather almost waved at the
time he must have heard it, Again
he examined that part Of the wall
but both to sight and touch it ap-
peared one even and uniform sur
face, while to repeated and violent
blows, there was no reverberatine
sound indicative of hollowness
This perplexing mystery had for 8
time withdrawn his thoughts from
the windows; but now, directing his
eyes again towards them, he saw
that the fifth had disappeared in the
same manner as the preceding two
without the least distinguishable 81
teration 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 O.
the dungeon. The tall folding door
too, still seemed to stand beneath
in the centre Of these four, rs it ha(
at first stood in the centre of tn.
seven. But he could no longe1
doubt, what, on the preceding day
he fancied might be the effect o
visual deception. The dungeon
was smaller. The roof had lower
ed-and the opposite ends had
contracted the Intern ediate distanc,
by space equal, he thought to tina
over which the three windows hat
extended. He was bewildered il
vain imaginings to account for thes'
things. Some frightful purpose
some devilish torture of mind O
body-some unheard of device 70
Eproducing exquisite misery, lurked
he was sure, in what had takel
place. ~ @ol-5@ .':'. &C. es55
/ Oppressed with this belief, ant
distracted more by the dreadful un
certainty of whatever fate lmpend
ed, than he could be dismayed, h
thought, by the knowledge of th
worst, he sat Illuminating, hou
after hour, yielding his fears il
succession to every haggard fancy
At last horrible suspicion flashed
suddenly across his mind, and h
started up with a frantic air. "Yes,
he exclaimed, looking wildly roun,
his dungeon, and shuddering as b
speke-'EYes! it must beso! 1 Sc
it-I feel the madening truth ik
scorching flames upon my brain
Eternal God!-suppert me! /
must be so! Yes, yes, that is t.
be my fate! Yon roof will descend
these walls will hem me round
and slowly, slowly, crush me il
their iron arms!
He dashed himself upon th
ground in agony; tears burst fror
him, and the sweat stood in larg
drops upon his face-he sobbe,
aloud-he tore his hair-he rollet
about like one suffering intolerabl
anguish of body, and would hav
bitten the iron floor beneath him
he breathed fearful curses upol
Tolfi, and the next moment passion
ate prayers to heaven for immedi
ate death. Then the violence O
: his grief became exhausted, and h
lay still, weeping as a child woul'
weep. The twilight Of departin!
day shed it's gloom around him er
he rose from that posture of ute
and hopeless sorrow. He was fain
with hunger; weary with watching
, and with the excess of his emotions
He tasted of his food; he dram
with avidity of the water; and reel
ing like drunken man to his straw
cast himself upon it to brood agai
over the appalling image that ha
/. fastened itself uDon his almost freu