The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-09

| ghkeu until MS eyes HclCuI ue CDuh hls-
cover nothing 10 explain tho mystery.
That twas SO, he knew. Why II was SO,
he racked his Imagination In vain to con-
lecture. lie examined the doors. \ simple
circumstance convinced him they had not
beOn opened.
4 wisp otstraw, which no hal carclcssly
thrown against them the preceding day, as
no paced 10 and fro, remaindcd where he
had cast It, though II must have been dis:
placed by The slightest motion OF either Of
The doors. This was evidence that could
not DO disputed; and It followed there
must be some secret machinery In the
walls by which person could enter. lie
inspected them closely. They appeared
to lin one solid and compact massot iron :
or Joined, II joined they were. with such
nice art that no mark OF division was
perreptiblc. Again and again he survey.
ed them, and the floor and the ROOF, and
that range OF visionary windows, as he
was now almost tempted to consider them :
he could discover nothing, absolutely
nothing, to relieve his doubts or SATISFY
his curiosity. Sometimes ho iancled that
altogether the dungeon had q more con
traCted appearance that tlooked smaller;
but this he asGribed to fancy, and the i'm
preston naturally produced upon his
mind by the undeniablc disappearance Of
two OF the windows. /,
With intense anxiety, Nivenzio looked
forward to the return OF night; and, AS It ap-
preached, he resolved that no trcaclcrous
sleep should again bGlray him. Instead
OF seeking his bed Of straw, lie continued
TO walk up and down his dungeon till day.
light, straining his eyes In every direction
through the darkness, to watch for any
appearance that might explain these mys-
teries. While thus engaged, and, rs nearly
as he could Judge (by Inc timp that after
ward elapsed before tho morning came I'M,
about two o'clock. there was o slight
tremulous motion OF the floors. lie stopped.
The motion lasted nearly minute; but 1t
was 80 extremely gentle that he almost
doubted whether il was real, or only inl:
arinary. lie listened. Not Q sound gould
be heard. Presently, however, he felt a
dasAing toward the quarter whence 1t
seemed To proceed, he stumbled over
something which DO judged to bc tho water
ever. The rush OF cold air was no longer
perceptible; and as Vivenzio stretched
out his bands, he found himself close to
the walls. To remained plotionlcss for u
considerable time, but nothing occurred
during tho remainder OF thcnight to excite
his attention, though he continued to watch
with undated vigilance.
The first approaches OF the morning
were visible through tho grated windows,
breaking with faint divisions OF light, the
darkness that still prevailed In every other
part long before Viyenzio was enabled
10 distinguish any object IN is dun
geon. InstinctivGly and feariully he
turned his eyes, hot and inllamed with
watching, toward them. Thcre were
roun He could Va only four; but 1t might
be that some intervening object prevented
tho fifth from becoming perccptible; and
10 waited impaticntly TO ascertain il ii
we're 10. Asst light strengthened, how
ever, and penetrated every CORNER Of TIE
cell, other objects OF amaEement struck Ills
sight On the ground lay the broken
fragments Of the pitcher he had used tie
day before, and, ut u small distance from
them, nearer TO the wall, stood the one he
had noticed the first night Il was filled
with water, and beside il was his food: lie
was now certain, that by some mecllalil:
cal cOntriyance, an opening WIS obtained
through the iron wall, and that through
this opening the current OF air had found
entrance. But how noisclGsS! for, had n
feather even waved at the time, he must
have heard Il. Again he examined that
part Of the wall; but both TO sight anti
touch II appeared one even and uniform
surface, while, TO repeated aud violent
blows. there WAS no reYcrbcrating sound
Indicative OF hellowreSs.
This pcrplcxing mystery had for time
withdrawn histhoughtS from the windows;
but now directing his eyes again toward
them, he saw that the iihh had disappear
cd In tho same manner rs the preceding
two, without tho least distinguish.
able alteration Of cxtromG appear.
ancc. The remaining four looked rs
the seven had orgininally looked, that is,
occupying at irregular distances the top
OF the wall on that stdc Of the dungeon.
The tall folding door, too, still seemed to
stand beneath in the centre OF these four,
as It had first stood In tho centre Of the
seven, But lie could no longer doubt
what, OH the preceding day, hO fanCiel
might be tho effect Of visual deception:
Tho dungeon irru smaller, The roof had
| lowered: andthc opposite ends had con-
tractcl tho intermediate distance by a
space equal, he thought, 10 that over
which tho three windows had extended,
lie was bowillercd In vain imagiuings to
account for these things. SomO irightiul
purpose, some davilish torture Of mind or
body, some unhGard-o Of device for produc-
ing exquisite misery, lurked, he was sure,
| In what had taEpn place.
Oppressed with this bclloi, anil distracted
more by the dreadful uncertainty oil what.
ever fate impcndCd than no could
be dlsmayed, he thought, by the
knowledge Of the worst, no sat rumin.
ating, hour after hour, yielding his fears
In succession 10 every hagsard fancy. Al
across his mind, and he started up with a
frantic air. 'sYesw he exclaimed looking
wildly around his dungeon, and shudder.
ing III ho spoke-''yest ltmust ho Sol SEQ
| il! i fool tho madd6ning truth like scorch.
ing flames upon my brain Eternal God
support mel II must be 30! Yes, yes, that Z
10 30 my iatO! Yon roof will dOsOendl
these walls will hem nc round, and slow.
~, slowly, crush me In their iron arms!
Lord Godl look down upon me, and in
ulbtCl Bulke wv WltW luSlNuk ucNat VI
ieudl o, doYlll Is this your rcyenEeF"
| Ho dashCd himself upon the ground In
agony, tears burst from him, and the sweat
stood In large drops upon his facei he sob.
bed aloud he tore his hair, he rolled about
like one suffering intolerahle anguish o.
body, and would have bitten the iron tool
beneath him; no hreathed fearful curses
upon Iolh, and the next minute pass lona "
ptayen u Heaven for immediate ueaIn'
i Then The violence Of his grief became OK
4 haus,cd; and he lay still, weeping ~
child would weep. The twi'lignt ~ ~,
parting day shed Ia gioenl aronna nun ". ~
he arose IRON that posture o. utter my I
hopelSSs sorrow. He had taken no iooa
Not one drop Of water had cooled we l II,S.I
OF his parched lips Sleep an not t H.s, y.
III Syas Tor Six and thirty honrs. ae sIss
faint with hunger, weary WIN Matoii ~
md with tho excess OF his einoM39hs .,l L
tasted 81 his food; he drank WIZ aV.t Y?
oi nc water, aud Fpcling, IKE qSa a Y Y
mRi,. 10 his straw, cast himseli XIV, XIV, \ N
brood again q The APPALLING image !hssII Y,
, fastenOd itsSii upon his almost neiA's'
I thoughts. ,,,.,. ware no
TRANQUIL, he resisted s long ~ ne eou''