Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-11-09

AT one side Of the cell reused his attention
and be lifted himself hastily on one elbow
His keen gaze dscerncd a small iron plate
at one side Of the wall, aud this had flown
open He sprang 10 examine it. From
the aperture thus revealed he could look IN
through narrow shaft lined with smooth
black marble, and extending upward some
thirty feet or more As he looked the
opening at the top was darkened and ho
only withdrew his head in time to escape
the rapid fall of shelf hung on slender
chains, which descended to the level of his
cell. 1t was filled to overflowing with a
sumptuous meal. The richest meats, the
daintiest fruits, the rarest wines we're be-
fore him. For a moment Luigi feared
some hidden poison, but the respite from
pain had enabled his native vigcr to reas.
sert ITSELF and he was consumed with hun
ger. He set the viands on the huge block
of stone which must serve him for a table.
and laughed aloud with childish pleasure as
he began TO eat
'lia ~ he cried, 81 shall have no uncon-
trollable longings for cup Of spring wa
ter or "A mouthful Of fruit while the Doras
furnish such royal food l'
There was enough before him for six
men, and Luigi had no haste. lie ate leis-
urely, enjoying the SAVIOR of each mouth
weazened little mouse, which had squeezed
itself through crack beneath the heavy
door of the dungeon and stared at him
with bright, beady black eyes, The smell
OF the food overcame its natural timidity
and 1t came slowly nearer and nearer, its
twlnklng gaze following every mouthfu
he raised to his lips. The creature was ev-
idently starving, and moved by compass
sion, Luigi threw it some crumbs, and
watched with pleasure the voracity with
which they were devoured A few more
crumbs thrown nearer to himself, allured
the only half satisfied creature to his side.
but when he leaned over to seize it the
mouse sprang back, terrified, and disap
peared beneath the crack, from which no
efforts of his could coax it back.
The next morning Luigi slept late, and
was aroused by the swapping Of the tiny
door III the wall. The tray again bore him
a bounteous meal, but this time he brought
no such appetite to it, The gloom of his
cell aud the silence which enveloped him
like a shroud weighed heavily on his spirit.
IL am buried alive. he cried, ''and my
/ friends might as well search the Mediterra.
mean for the bones Of the sailor drowned
| last year as search Genoa for me-
The hours passed dreariy. His daily
tortures had at least given him something
to defy. aud furnished exercise for his pow
ers of endurance and self-contro but
here there was nothing to he encountered
nothing to be overcome His thoughts
/ grew weary with tracing and retracing the
same paths. Five times ere the scanty
twilight died away did the tiny iron door
burst open, and the heavily laden tray offer
ITS delicacies in vain for his delight. No
/ human being entered his dungeon, no sound
| penetrated the walls which enclosed him.
and he well knew of what terrors this de
| prlvation might become the source. In
such a mood as this the presence of the
mouse, which had crept close to him. af
torded a welcome relief and he joyfuly
threw it some morsels Of bread. abstaining
from any motion which might alarm it,
The third day passed as the second had
done, except for one incident. As Luigi
rejecting on the probably unlimited i'm
/ prisonment before him. wondered to what
/ depths of vacancy his busy mind might
sink. his eyes fell upon the tablet and the
| writing implements lying on the stone. He
! sprang up. Ha ~ he muttered "they
count upon my minds failing, and think
then in some fighty moment | may write
the names they wish We will make it
safe ~ Selling the tablet. he with infinite
pains divided it into myriad bits, and scat
tered them over the floor. When next the
tray descended it bore, besides the food, a
| fresh writing tablet
Luigi took it silently from the shelf and
| placed it on the stone But as he did so
| he noted the exact place of each thing. and
in the middle of the night he rose without
"A sound. poured the ink from the bronze
| cup, broke the point of the pen. and set
them back as they had been before. No
trb lao a. 81.
| change, and no fresh implements descend
ed to his subterranean abode He felt sat
ished his captors were ignorant of the
means which he had taken to protect his
| loyalty against his own failing courage or
sanity
| Thus wretched and forsaken. he looked
| forward with pathetic interest to the com
/ ing of the mouse, which appeared as regu-
| larly as his meals. Unhappy as he was,
/ here was a being still more miserable, who
| depended upon him for its scanty pleasure
even for its life. He selected from the
stores before him all that he thought would
| best please its tiny palate, and watched
| with delight as it fed at his foot At the
end of a week the creature had grown so
/ tame that it would allow Luigi to stroke it
/ with his fingers, and so plump and smooth
| that it scarcely bore resemblance to the
I
| had first besought his charity.
Another week passed without a break ex-
/ cept the daily coming and going of the
| faint and distant daylight, and the tricks
/ and gambols Of the tiny being that shared
/ Iuigi's solitude and furnished his one re
source against encroaching melancholy
The familiarity between the man and the
mouse had grown closer day by day, until
| indeed, it had progressed so far as to be-
| come perhaps little too great The mouse
/ had adopted one or two habits which were
somewhat annoying. 1t did not scruple of
/ ten to wake its master from a restless
sumber by biting his hand, and would even,
| if the shelf descended without disturbing
/ Luigi from his gloomy reveries, venture to
make its way up the rough masonry of the
wall and help itself, at its own sweet pleas
ure, to the tidbits which most attracted its
taste-a custom all the more Objectionable
as the superabundant provision made at
[ first had passed by a regular gradation into
a comfortable repast for one man.
At this change, however, Luigi did not
/ grumble as there was still more than suiii-
cient to satisfy his uncertain appetite and
it sgniied little to him that the wine had
turned to water and the dainty viands to
coarser fare, But time passed he was
troubled to perceive that the quantity was
still slowly but steadily decreasing and
when one day he turned from the empty
dishes with his hunger not wholly appeased
/ he could no longer contend against the hOr
rible fear that he was to be slowly starved
TO death. The suspicion gained weight as
he recalled various uumistakable proofs
/ While he was revolving these gloomy
thoughts the mouse frolicked recklessy
over his feet, and he, worn, nervous, and
impatient at this inopportune glee, with an
. uncontrollahe movement of irritation,
kicked it from him The little animal
planted itself on its hind paws at short
distance from him, and stared at him with
a CLEAN of anger in its uncanny black eyes.
Luigi, however was too much absorbed to
take notice Of the conduct Of his tiny com
panion, except by casting at it glance of
weariness and even repulsion, which show
ed that the feelings of amusement and
kindness with which he had formerly re
garded it had undergone some change. The
mouse as though well aware of the altered
sentiments of its benefactOr, crept stealth
lily away, and did not reappear until the de
scent of the shelf Then it returned and
stationed itself in front Of Luigi not as
though begging him to grant it food as a
favor, but rather as watching to see wheth-
er he would refuse This he had no dispo.
stion to do, however; he was ashamed of
his little ebuliton of temper, and threw to
the mouse a plentiful portion Of the food
provided for himself The animal devoured
its share without any effort to resume any
of its tricksy famiarties, and am attempt
Of Luigi's to coax it within reach of his
hand was unsuccessful
At the end of two OF three days more the
prisoners condition had become pitiable.
The tray now descended but three times in
the day, and the scanty provision which it
brought made him look forward to each
new arrival with feverish anxiety, lie did
not deny the mouse share, but threw il
the crumbs with grudging hand and the
secret hostility between the two grew hour
ly stronger. The mouse no longer plagued