The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-07-11

scented motionless like statues of dc.
ISOLATION: others, holding OH their
knees heavy dropping bodies which
no longer responded to their endear-
ments. Women, dislleve!ed, danced.
with uplited skirts, mad. One would
verify have believed ones sell with
Dante.
The moisture cold on his brow,
frozen with horror, the wretched Jep-
pi lcapcd over corpses, scnled walls,
and the one thought incessantly
beatin" in his brain, like the ticking
of a clock, was. "s>llaIl l arrive in
timc?!" At the corner of; street he
saw by TIL" light Of the moon IL won.
ans arm thrust out from under IL
heap of fallen beams, II naked arm
caught as in II visr The white hand,
loaded with rings, writlled Ikea crab.
The cries OF the sufferer. deudened,
stiIlcd under the debris, could not he
heard. but those twitching fingers
called for help, and this hand, thrust
oui ~" space, slricked: "To the
rescued" lis count could have res
cued her. lie turnet. away his head
and passed ON. lie had not the time.
After retracing hisstcps more than
twenty times, after wandering about
for over an hour. he arrived mt last
before what had been his dwelling.
What sight! The charming villa,
the villa of kisses and flowers, was
now but II smoking mass of ruins.
One side of the wall alone remained
upright. and overhead, in itscage of
gilletl osicr. cooed a turtle dove,
which the countess hadcllerisl,et. 1t
was a touching sight, this poor, frail
little bird, suspended l,ctween heaven
and earth in its dainty house-tlis
dove of miracle, as il 10 prove that
the God who, in histrrrib!e aud mys-
trrIous power, RACED cities to their
foundations in an instant, could
equally, if it were his will, save the
life OF Il dove.
At the sight of these great stones,
piled one above the other, the count
! felt himself turn weak us IL child.
She wns there, underneath this mass,
his alorrd wife. Where, in which
direction? Even if she were dead, he
must fini her at amy cost. Softly,
with intimate precautions with steps
of velvet, clinging to Interpretations,
lie vrnturcd among the ruins of his
house. He hcsitnte.l before setting
his loot down anywhere, as il fearful
oI tlampling upon her beloved body.
Suddenly III, thought he hrar,l-he
did hear--n distant voice, but so
faint one III" "ht have said it was but
Il breath. IL sigh borne by the wind.
lie stopped. II was suhterrnncan
voice, Al woman i voice-her voice.
he recognized it now. He could not
distinguish what she WAS saving, but
it was, indeed her carpssing voice,
calling To him from the depths of
hat fearful night, where she believed
herself imnurr,l forever.
II will save her." he said, and lie
set to work.
l'rnising his knees, lacerating his
inn'ls, the mills ornnw:,y. Sweating
tears, weeping blood, for over IN
hour the count toilc,l at the mass OF
stones with frenzy Now, vainly
thrisiing his blcc'ing hands into II
henpnf rubbish, the powdered plaster
Slipping through his fingers like
running water; again. moving heavy
blocks of stone, which fell back,
catching his hand in an iron grip.
I The distant voice guided him con-
tnually. Ii began to grow less dis
tinct, and suddenly it ceased alto
grther
Then despair helped him to ac-
coinplisl prodigies. He lifted blocks
"I stone. which lie threw fur from
him: lie lewrestrdawny beams bristling
with nails. With blows ot his feet,
of his shoulders, urged on by II fero-
ci"usenergy, herapi'lly accomplished
IL giant work, and was ready to fall
from fnti"ue and thirst when there
wils asuddcn giving way in the mass
under his feet, which landed him on
The edge of an excavation, which
yawncd beneath him blnck and un-
Gathomablc. Crouchcd down over
this sinister hole. hr reached out his
arm and grope'l cautiously around
in the darkness. lie encountered
something soi, and cold In spite of
the horror which seized him, he had
the colraw" to examine with his
trembling hands the already 10y flesh.
lledistInguislcd first an open mouth,
rlose'lcyrs, asmooth brow, then sud
denly his fingers were buried in IL
waving. Silkrn mass, which he recog-
niz"d instantly. Her superb tresses!
Merely by touching them he recalled
their color distinctly.
tarrssinc, in the darkness, the
locks he had so often fondIcd, he
murmured, softly: "My love-if you
are not dcal-spcnk to me-"
Only the silence replied to him.
''Shc is dead" he thought. "I
must take her from this too narrow
tomb"
Selling her AT hazard by the shoul-
ders, he began tolifJ her toward him.
Three times he raised her, and three
times walls he forced to lot her tall
back. She seemed terrible heavy, as
il some enormous weight were sus-
pended from her feet. At last, gath.
ering up all his strength, le succeed
ell and dragged forth II something
which he did not ut first dare to look
ut, and placed it near him OH the
STONES.
But lie had scarcely cast his eyes
OH it when lie uttered IL piercing cry
IA cry OF rage and horror.
His wife dead, with hair loosely
flowing, an ecstatic smile on her lips,
held in her arms-n man! Oh! how
she strained him to her, with hands
tightly clasped behind his back! And
he--he had thrown one arm around
her waist, while his left hand. hang
ing by his side, grasped u white rose,
not yet faded.
The count had fallen on his knees.
In Il flash he had measured all the
depth of his dishonor. Years of love
and happiness, he saw them sudden
ly illumed in all their startling real
ity, polluted by lying caresses and
tlcccitful kisses.
He approached and leane over. to
view tho features of him who had
chilled the last sigh, the last VOW of
the prrjured wife, but he recoiled in
disgust. The head of the man, crush
ed, almost detached from the body,
WAS but II bleeding mass OF flesh.
Life had guarded their secret. and