The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-12-01
AN EARTHQUAKE ROMANCE.
ENehansr

Exehaasr.
 Count iepp:. ~ho possesses an cnar nous fortune and one of the oldest title. ct the ralatina,e. had made love match Ills young ~ife was a daughter of Prince Cineta. ethereal as a Raphael and radiant and blonde as a nnan. During esghi months of the year the happy couple wcrs in the habit of hsing at Florence. When the grcsses eholeurs began they ven, to his coqaes,e h,,le villa. dfaped with vine branches on the s,de of the mountain and near the sea at CAsamicciola. One evening last July the count left h,s ~ife after dinner to ramble. ae sosding to h,s custom. along the seashore. The nigh, vas superb.
 Suddenly the earth trernhled as fl shaken by the march of an invisible army ot g,Ants. The sky became overcAs, with black clouds and the ground cracked open. emitting blasts oi sulphurous smoke. The count was thro~n upon his lace senseless. When he became con, sclous hls hrs, though, was of hu young wife. He retraced his steps through the village now mass of smouidering ruins, mangled humanity and burnt men and beasts. nes arose on every s,de !: " Padre Medte, f,gho lesu, Maria Santiss,ma " Each stone seemed to vail and moan. With cold s~ca, drop p,ng from his temples, ount lcppl step ped ove, dead bodies and el,mbed up walls o, totterlne houses. ~i,h the sole thought. Shall l attive m ume" Al the corner oi street. a hand. sull trem. hhng. pic leCtcd above mass ot ruinS. and plain i've voiee was heard crying for help. Count lepp, dared not stop, He turned hls head as,de and hurried past. Ai,er having mtssed hs way. and having twenty tunes crossed and re,to~scd hls steps. Count lcppi al las, arrned be- .oic whA, had once been hls villa \ PATTON end ot wall was all that ie- manned. standing m corner ot whit h there rem alncd. quietlN hanging from its nal. . e1lded ~iCket age containing a young dove ~hIch had been the ta,orite pc. of the eeunte~s The eeun, felt hm. self becoming feeble as h,;le cklld A he gased upon'thc terrible debtIs
 >uddenI, he thought he heard a vol, he sotec seemed to come ttaH a great distance lie >ttained escts nerve. he voi,c WI, heard ngsln lie recognized Il as tha, ot hts w,tc :" 1 ~Ill save hei. sad the count, and Al on.c Set to work lie icl upon his knees and began ,o di < lnio the smoking tuln> ~lih h,S hAn,is Inc bnc hat plastei seemed h run through his iinRets ike water He lifted up ~lth hts bleeding an,. burning hands heavy stones and hio, k, that tell la, asain, umminE and hiuislnE hun fear. fully lhe distant feeble Nai guided hnu eadicnly |, oeased He nsd been working Tor nearly an hour. With ,he eNettion et dcSpait he tedauhlcd hts iabetN idst as he was about ie itlnt away from exhaustion the debts upon whleh he va Sttnding aKed m aud te te.sted an empty space hsled ~ith smoke Count leppi jumped into T.. and stirt. h ing oat hls ams. tcii ahnat n every due, ton iiis hand al Last touched Some,hing soft and ,iamny l. VAS the dead bod, of his young ~,io He paved hls hand >ei.l> osct Inc iaee he mouth w,, opened. thc eYcs Nrie Iosed and the tatt WaS tangled and matted asct ,he forehead Afe>s,ng m ,he dafkncs, the golden ite>ses he eefla tanned II yas arc suli slisc. speak or make some move meHi ibetn9 ,onAins cd oi hts wife ; death. he lned to hi, her out oi the ter. i,bie tomb in ~ht hc had found her
 9eis,ng her by Inc shoulders he it,ed to fAIse hei up I3ui ,he seemed to haze bc, omc terribly heavy. ~ fl sp cnnr,aous aclght were attached 10 her lee, Al last, with one suptcme effort. he dragged the body near the opening Eui scaf, ei) had he done so when the befeAsed ltus band uttered cty like that ot man,ae Hs ~iie psrsscd ;o her he.,tt the oIpss oi man who had hn rgh, ann thrown iDon, her fragile vast ~hsle h,s lrii held in 4ss ugid gasp A ~hite rose that had api ,ct N4thetcd Inc head ~as rushed and 10 feature WAS trf osnIx Ahle | he man wore no ting and no slae oi 1n, and could be Uncovered he ness da, Inc boiles were eaposed io the .iiiagefa he count s,1,ed that hc believed iha, hs L ,d found ihe body of A long iosl iisend and he offered Z. r,, he 10 any one wbe would make lno~n and lfoYe the is.rai ty oi the strange. corpse kli ali n sli4 1 be e3nt had the bodies bafet separately ln The cemetery pi asatrnte
 ola. and IS s'lii see.tng [, d.ssoge' .hs nan who had sto~n from ham h.. ~ tc ! hctn