Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-22

The touch OF death had snoothed out the
harsher lines that life had traced upon
his countenanCe. 1t was the dignity Of a
king that rested upon his brow as he lay
at last, statuesque and almost beautiful,
in the narrow bed his own hands had
made ready. He seemed neither of the
past OF present to Felicia, as she gszed
down upon him fearless and silent.
But the night was waning, the dawn at
hand. Hastily she gathered a few things
together and laid them at his feet, that
the place might appear As II he had gone
away as usurl, and then the two men
lifted the box and carried him out They
made their way 10 the amphitheater, and
beneath one of the dark arches they depOs-
tied their burden, 20 return and make the
ascent of the mountain the following
night. Ii was a hazardous experiment,
but the only one that seemed to promise "A
successful termination to their undertak-
ing.
All through the long, bright hours of
the next day Felicia sat and watched
from u little distance or wandered near
Sometimes she fell asleep from sheer
weariness but started awake II so much
as football Of a goat rowing in search Of
food disturbed her broken slumbers. 1t
was so customary for her to spend hours
among the ruins that no one took note of
il; and as it CHANGED. hone passed that
way save two ragged boys, who, after a
friendly scuffie of brief duration, again
disappeared
At midnight Carlo Bassi returned with
three of his comrades. Placing box in Il
sort of net or hammock, two Of the men
laid it across their shoulders, the others
relieving them from time to time, and the
little group set out on their upward way.
One carried q dark lantern, but only in
the most difficult places could they ven
ture to cast its light upon the path; for
the rest, they must be guided by the stars
and the faint ray of the crescent moon.
Up and up, higher and higher. 1t was a
weary and toilsome climb, so burdened
stumbling now and then against a rock,
sinking in the ashes and scorife which,
with the fine lava, seemed to roll continn-
ally from beneath their tread. Now and
again, at some intervals, for time was not
to spare, they sank down and rested few
brief moments while the breeze cooled
their heated brows.
The wide expanse of the bay of Naples
spread before them. rejecting here and
there the light of the moon aud stars.
Ischia and Capri lay dark upon the water.
The little towns along the coast and
Naples in the distance seemed but heavier
shadows on the land. with here and there
twinkling point of light
On and on, hour after hour. At last
they reached the " ide plateau of scarcely
cooled lava, which seemed to scorch their
feet as they passed over its curious con-
tOrted waves \ lurid light was reflected
from the molten lava within the volcano,
upon the clouds of smoke and steam
which hung above.
Then a fiercer struggle, and they Ia
bored up the steep cone and paused at the
edge OF the crater.
a little moment!r begged poor Felicita,
and kneeling beside the rough coffin, with
trembling fingers once more told her
beads. The pillows of smoke rolled over
and over in the huge caldron; its hot,
sulphurous breath almost choked them,
and showers of stones and ashes leaped
high into the air above their heads, and
then fell back again. The men tied the
ropes they had brought with them
around the box, lowered it as far as they
were able, relinquished their hold and all
was over; while like discharge of artil-
lery was the constant noise of the flying
stones and ashes
A wild impulse seized Felicita to throw
herself in also. Love and grief surged in
her heart with all the strength and inten-
sity of her youth. She lived again through
that bitter parting at Capri, and the fierce
misery Of its after time. At last-at last
hope was dead! What remained for her
in her dreary, solitary days, that she
should go back to themt A moment more
and she had yielded But there came an
other thought What il she had brought
upon her soul some ineffaceable stain by
allowing this strange burial, with no
priest or prayer save hersr And-Ohl ter
rible Thought Who would pray for the
repose Of Luigi's soul if she was gone?
Love, stronger than death, still ruled her
This, then, was the life-work that re-
manned to her, and slowly and sadly she
turned 10 retrace her steps.
1t took little to keep her, as she wan
dered from place to place, working some
times, begging more often as she grew
older. Day after day, year after year,
u once beautiful woman fast aging could
be seen kneeling in the churches at Res
ina, at Portici. at Naples, telling her
beads, praying ever for one objsct-the !
repose of a souL-Frank Leslie's.