The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-12-04


( The vague fear Of the supernatura
r that would affect most men in simi
+. lar situation found no room in hi
8 heart. He was simply in chambe
from which it was necessary that hs
should obtain release within a givel
period. That this chamber contain
: ed the body of the woman he loved,
so far from adding to the terror OF
the case, was circumstance from
which he drew consolation. She
was beautiful white statute now
Her soul was far hence and if that
pure spirit should return, would il
not be to shield him with her love
1t was impossible that the place
should not engender some thought
of the kind. 1t did not put thought
entirely from him as he rose to his
feet and stretched out his hands in
the darkness; but his mind was too
healthy and practical to indulge in
such speculations.
Philip, being smoker, chanced
to have in his pocket box of allu.
metts. After several Intellectual es-
says, he succeeded in igniting one
against the dark wall, and by it's mo
mentary glare perceived that the
candle had been left in the tomb.
This would serve him in examining
the fastenings of the vault. If he
could force the inner door by any
means, and reach the grating, OF
which he had distinct recollection,
he might hope to make himself
heard. But the oaken door was inn
movable, as solid as the wall itself,
into which it fitted air-tight. Even
ifhe had the requisite tools, there
were no fastenings to be removed !;
the hinges were set on the outside.
Having ascertained this, Philip
replaced the candle on the floor and
leaned against the wall, thoughtfully
watching the blue fan of fame that
waved to and fro, threatening to de-
tach itself from the wick. CAT ali
events" he thought, "the place is
ventilated" Suddenly he sprang
forward and extinguished the ight.
His existence depended upon that
candle.
He had read somewhere, in some
account of shipwreck, how the survi.
vors had lived for days upon a
few candles which one of the assem-
gers had insanely thrown into the
long-boat. And here he had been
burning away his very life
BY the transient illumination of
one of the tapers he looked at his
watch. 1t had stopped at ll-but
IL that day or the previous night !?
The funeral, he kne v, had left tn he
church at 10. How many hours had
passed since then? Of what dura-
ton had been his swoon? Alas it
was no longer possible for him to
measure those hours which crawl
like snails by the wretched, apd fly
like swallows over the happy.
He picked up the candle, and seat
ed himself on the stone steps. He
was sanguiue man, but as he weigh
ed the chances of escape, the pros
pect appalled, him. Of cousre he
would be missed. His disappear
ance under the circumstances would
surely alarm his friends; they would
instigate search for him out who
would think of searching tor him In
the cemetery OF Montmartie The
Pretecr of police would set a hun
dred intelligencers at work to find
him the Seine might be dragged,
a minute description of kim would be
every detectives pocket; and he
in N. Dorine's family tomb.
Yet, on the other hand, it was
here he was last seen from this
point keen detective would natu.
rally work up the case. Then might
not the undertaken return for the
candlestick, probably not left by de-
sign? Or agar, might not M. Do
rine send fresh wreaths of flowers, to
take the place of those which now
diffused the pungent, aromatic odol
through out the chamber ? All
what unlucky chances! But if none
Of these things did happen. How
long could he keep life in himself.
With his pocket knife Wentworth
cut the half burned candle into four
equal parts. "To-night." he medita-
ted, 81 will eat one of these pieces /;
tomorrow the second !; tomorrow
evening the third the next day the
fourth and tben-then I'll wait"
He had taken no breakfast that
morning, unless cup of coffee can
be called breakfast. lie had new
er been very hungry before. He was
ravenously hungry now. But he
postponed the meal as long as prac-
ticable. 1t must have been near mid.
night, according to his calculation,
when he determined to try the first
of his four similar repasts. The bit
of white-wax was tasteless but it
served its purpose.
His appetite for the first time ap-
peased, hs found new discomfort.
The humidity of the walls, and the
wind that crept through the unseen
ventilator, chilled him to the bone.
To keep walking was his only re-
source. A kind of drowsiness, too,
occasionally came over him. 1t took
all his strength to overcome it. The
strangest fancies fitted through his
head as he groped up and down the
stone floor of the dungeon, feeling
his way along the wall to avoid the
sepulchers. Voices that had long been
silent spoke words that had long
been forgotten faces be had known
in childhood grew palpable in the
dark. His whole life in detail was
unrolled before him like panorama,
the changes of year, with its bur.
! dens of love and death, its sweets
and its bitterness, were epitomized
in single second. The desire to
sleep had left him, but the keen hun.
ger had come again.
1T must be near morning now,' he
'mused; perhaps the sun is just glid.
ing the pinnacles and domes of the
city or, may, be, dull drlzzling is
beating on Paris, sobblng on the
mound above me. Paris it seems
like dream: Did / ever walk in it's
gay boulevards in the golden air !? o
the delight and pain aud passion Of
that sweet human life =
Philip became conscious that the
gloom, the silence and the cold were
gradually conquerlng him. The fe.
verish activity of his brain brought
on asreaction. He grew lethargic