Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-02-20
In few nsnutes quite crowd had
gathered round the mouth of the tun-

her destination. The opening looked
fearfully dark and gloomy in the fad
ing light, and she had no lantern with
her; but terror lent her courage; she
never hesitated, but quickly crossing
herself she darted in.
1t was quite dark now. Pippa guild
ed herself along the wall; she was
obliged to move slowly. for several
times she caught her foot against one
of the sleepers and nearly fell. Oh,
how pitch dark it was, and how cold!
She gasped for breath. Now her
hands rapidly passing along the wall
encountered something cold and Shiny,
and she tried to fling it off, but it
clung.
"a slug she thought with shud-
der as she got rid of it at last, never
slackening her steps. All was deadly
still-she could hear her own painting
breath. Now sort of pale color be-
gan through the blackness, and a
warmer breath of air; she could see
again. The big tunnel opened into a
little gorge not ten feet wide. She
looked up through the rocks almost
like one from the bottom of well. and
saw the friendly blue sky, then taking
courage, plunged on again into deeper
night than before.
Pippa could feel the darkness, the
cold, breathless atmosphere; she was
| getting into the longest, most unbroken
part of the tunnel.
She gasped for breath, her brain
began to reel, her eyes throbbed and
ached with the strain to see where
| nothing was visible.
Then suddenly, quite suddenly it
seemed to her, in the far distance she
| perceived a little moving spark; light
that could be nothing but Tonino' S
| lantern. Her heart beat almost to
suffocation, she paused for one instant
| to gain breath, then bounded on, for it
seemed to her intensely strained sense
of hearing that there was some one else
| ahead of her, some footsteps swiftly
following the lantern, in pursuit of it.
PIppa pressed on faster and faster,
and the distance between them seemed
to be diminishing. Would she arrive
| in time?
She had grown accustomed TO the
| sleepers now and knew mechanically
when to expect them as she ran. She
was getting nearer and nearer.
Suddenly she saw the lantern stop;
| there was a sound that made Pippa
pause to listen with the terfo. of a
hunted animal. A rush of footsteps, a
1 kind of shout, a sound of death
struggle. Pippa bounded forward with
a cry, the guiding light disappeared.
she heard the crash as the lantern fell,
and all was total darkness.
Suddenly rang out a sound that filled
the whole tunnel-a wild, unearthly
whistle, distant roar approaching
nearer and nearer. Pippa shrank back,
erouehed, pressed against the wall.
] The train was coming.
She heard cry from the fighters:
Back, back! let go! The train comes
! Maria Santissimar
Never, never! Go, then, to thy
doom!n
The roar increased louder and loud.
/ er; with a terrific noise the train
rushed past; a cold air filled the place,
a sudden dense sensation of suffoca-
ton. What sound was thatp A kind
of sickening crash, as if something
had been crushed out of all human
recognition under those awful wheels.
Then came dead. awful silence. Nc
one spoke; no one seemed to breathe.
Then Pippa turned and crept back the
way she had come, conscious of moth
ing but a frantic desire to get back to
the air, to Gods light again.
Round the mouth of the tunnel the
crowd of villagers had assembled, but
no one went in. They stood waiting
uneasily, wondering what was happen
ling. They had seen the train 60 by,
and kept on saying to each other that
it must be all right.
Presently out OF the darkness crept
forth figure they hardly recognized as
the beautiful Pippa. Her hands
stretched out blindly before her, hel
eyes wide open and unseeing, her lips
livid.
..But what is it, Pippa! Santa Apos.
toll! what has happened?"
But she answered nothing; only
pointed to the tunnel with ghastly
looks.
/ Another! The crowd separated in 8
kind of terror, for out of the darkness
staggered forth another panic-stricker
human creature e-Gianni, who with
trembling hands was struggling at hi:
4 shirt-eoIlar trying to tear it open, tx
breathe, to get air.
Heaven help us! but what has hap
penedp' cried the people. Then they
made way for the Priore, who was has
tening forward, followed by old Ma
riuce.a. Gianni reeled forward as i
he were drunken. ..An accident
Father, he gasped--..a horrible acc.
| 4box 1,f @l>
..Giye him water said the priest
quickly, .'and fetch lanterns. Quick
quick, lose no time, the unhappy maj
may yet be living
But all was not over yet. Once NOR
out CT the mouth of the tunnel appeared
another. Haste! haste!' he shouted
Bring lights! Come at oncei Tonin,
, has been run over by the train. Haste!''
But Pippa caught S; ght of him, ant
uttered a cry which rang through th
air: ..Tonino! it is thoul Gianni
t Giannii' Then she burst into laughte
SO wild and unnatural that the wome1
/ all rushed round her. She could no
cease-peal after peal shook her iron
. head to foot They had to throy
water over her several times, and for
long tine in vain.
The villagers gathered round the tw
men. Il thought | had killed thee,
faltered Gianni.
Il also thought thou vast dead,
said Tonino, shuddering violently
''Oh! it was horrible, horr .ble!''
God has been very merciful to yo
BOTH said the Priore, gravely.
The two men took off their hats an
muttered an amen.
+; They could neither of them ceas
= | IL dn,i,