Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-06-21
After some months of solitary wander.

took my fancy, and crossing the rich
4 Lombard plain to Milan, and so to Genoa
band the Riviera.
H. 1t WIS late on Christmas Eve when I
lnChedfa o''int little town near Bordig-
IL heta and drove to the Hotel Francia. I
!, was very tired, and after supper and n
hasty glance ut the beautiful bay, and the
white moonlight shining on the rugged
Rocher Rogue, and mingling with the
| glancing lights fitting about in the steep,
arched little streets, l went to bed, feel
ing strange sense of familiarity and ex-
pcctancy, which l strovc in vain to ac-
count for. However, l soon fell asleep.
and then once more the old dream came
to me.
There was the violet sea laundering on
the beach, the shadowy purple hills
growing palcr against the clear gold of
the dawn, and the strange, wild chorus
OF the bells surging and quiveriny
through the hushcd air; and then, with i.
gathering sense of terror and fear, the
darkness, and that dead face yelled iE its
coffin lying before me-
With a sharp cry awokc TO find this
was no dream, but Il horrible reality, for
the room was rocking and trembling with
that sickening motion one grows to know
and dread in countries subject to earth
quakcs, and terrible sounds of falling
buildings were mingled with cries and
groans of those buried beneath the ruins.
The sea broke on the shore with IA sound
like thunder, and above us the peaks
seemed TO shivcr and crack, us huge
powders came tottcring down on the lit
Tie city.
L sprang up, and hastily dressing,
CROPPED my way out of the hotel; and
not moment too soon, for as reached
tho road, which here sloped sharply down
to the sea, the ground again quivcrcd and
rocked slowly backward and forward,
and the whole building lcll into Il mass
Of sha1elcss ruins, and as the steep little
streets seemed leaning together the un-
earthly chorus of bells rang out again
and again, half drowning the cries o: the
terrified people.
1t was all exactly MS 7 had seen il in
my dream. and | turned away with Il
shiver, noting how familiar was each de-
tail, and feeling sick and dazcd, and
helpless, when Il voice near recalled me to
myself.
'lna, where are you? My God where
c'in my daughter bei'
recognized the voice nj once rs chat
of the old man had seen looking at NV
picture, and the girls sweet name sounded
like hymn of peace amid the horrible
scene.
"Was she in the Francia?" I easped.
"lcs," lie replied eagerly: 'sshc was
win me rs we gropcd onr way down
stalfs, nut Il blow from some falling beam
hurled me here, and shc--whcrc is shc."
lie stTovc To rise, but even us he spoke
another fearful shock came, the ground
opened at our feet. and with terrible
cry and hopeless clutch at the yielding
masonry OF the wall by which lie stood,
disappeared, swallowed up before my
very eyes. Had been Il foot nearer
must have gone. too AS it was, stag
gcrcd ana Tell heavily, but only 10
S! !,| up again. haunted by the hor-
r'o,c '''ooSht 'hal she was lying buried,
perhaps dead, underneath those cruel
S'o"c9'
] must lin.f her, And ncrvcd 10 greater
haste and energy by the awful sight | had
It'i FANbf iu7ilN't llltU lllt house,
calling; Il
"lna. Ina! Where are vou!"
Alas there was no answer.
| CROPPED my WAY over the great hcaus
OF debris through what had been the hall
of the Francia. Great Jars of rude native
pottery, in which grew orange and palm
trees, camcllias and myrlcs, had been
set on the wall oil either side Most of
these were now crushed and broken, but
ut the further end close to the solid stone
staircase, stood two, apparently unin-
jured, though half buried, and in the
dim light of the returning dawn caught
a slimmer Of something white underneath
Il heavy wooden beam which appeared
resting on these two immense vases. IFS
in'' =, '''V,hs peeh broken by the bal''s!ride
Va Wv, staircase.
"'N.ei'c'' forward and ms reached
'"o :i"' 'ne "rS' ray oil the Christmas
'no'".nS Su''''s"' rested upon 1t, and
S"o"cS me u sotl Oh rough tomb or al
'pNc iOTlllctl DJ the Dean resting on the |