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


TIE VEIL. OF DEATH,
AN "l'SrJrppi had II
x 4 habit of prome-
,I&sia.: u mailing by the SEA,
5tiSa shore for an hour
y 2;s:svfe;-:;sg;;s; or two every day
Lh.1@.. after dinner, while
smoking his cigar.
PosseSsor ola great nalue and col
ossal fortune, related to the most
ancient families OF Roman practici-
ate, the count had male II marriage
OF love. He had cspousatl, five years
previously, the daughter of Prince
Cinella-supcrb and placid as IL
Raphael blonde and stately as II
Titian. 4 cultivated man-rlcmnn',
young. handsome, loving and l;clovcl
tile count could not be other than
perfectly happy, aud he was. During
eight months OF the year, from no
vemler to June, lr dwclt in Florcnrr,
the city %: palaces and pleasures. At
the periods of intense heat he can"
to Casaniccoln nnd Installed himself
in II coIucttish, vine clad little villa,
hung on the Hanks ol the mountain.
by the side the SEA, between the blue
of the water and the blue ofthr sky
II corner made tor reading love sto-
ries and for loving. He lived here
during the summer, enjoying with
his wife the solitude IL GeuX, drinking
in long ,lraumluS oi love. enchanted
with the sunliglt--a spoiled child OF
fortune.
One sutt,ocatilg evening toward
the last of July, the count accord
ing to his custom, shortly after din
her kissed his vie and went out. 1t
was about eight o'clock. The mir
was sultry and oppressive: not II
breath OF wind stirred among the
leaves Of the fig and orange trees,
white with dust. Tie s"n. OF an
az,Ireolnqnennl profound, stretched
away toward the horizon smooth as
Il sea OF oil, and the sky. saturated
with heat, wac OF IL blue SO intense
and implacible as to appear stone
gray. Along the winding streets,
peasants, seated on the doors,rps.
were drinking Siciian wine from the
wide moutlcd. lcntllern bottles, ard
groups of beautiful young Girls.
brown ns the Florcntiuc hronzrs.
flung back and forth, amid peals of
laughter. flowers less red than the
coral of their lips. Barr!on;r,l nr-
chns with eyes Of jet, were driving
the white gonts slowly lomcwnr,l;
long after they had p,>s,d the tin,;-
ling of the little bells. hung round
their nccks, could lac heard.
This charming spcclncr, always
the same, Yet always nnw. never
wcari"d the count. He reached the
| top oi the hill and PASSED lni,il,r
ont to the quay. The night had
come, superb, aud tine stars APPEAR
ed, one by one, like eyes oi"nld look
ing down on he sumbrring island.
Suddenly, in IL second. in less time
than it takes the lightning to flash,
the earth trcmblrd as if shaken by
the march of Observation-Disclosures
of giants. The sea, chopping and
agitated, hurled its waves together
in wild confusion; the heavens yelled
themselves in black; IL sulpllurolls
wind, like n blast from IL furnace.
breathed devastation, and in awful
darkness, the count, terrified. recon-.
mendihg his soul tn God in that sll-
preme instant of lllcidity which nl-
ways precedes II dreadful death, was
thrown violently forward on his face.
The first thing which Count .Irppi
saw on regHinin@ consciousness was
IL star looking down ut linn, then
two. then three, and all the beautiful
cortege of the silent sky. lie re-
mnined mot;onlcss Il few moments,
uncertain what had happened to
him, then he arose and walked n few
steps, he was not wounded. What,
then, had taken place? What for
midable power had thrown him, I'M
resisting, to the ground? Theamor-
Gus sea was washing the beach with
it's silvery waves, the heavens were
clear as the eyes OF II bride, IL gentle
breeze was stirring-all wns calm!
Yet strange circumstance, he no
longer recognized the country about
him, the horizon seemed to him more
even and more level than before.
Suddenly, hecolnplrhendcd all. tho
frightful truth-the earthquake.
Like n sword piercing him to the
soul, u vision of his wife buried
beneath the ruins filled him with
mortal anguish
He started on the run in the dircc-
ton of his villa. Was She dcad-dy-
ing-or living still? She was crushed
perhaps, her lovely body n sllapeless
mass, caught between two walls.
Horror! All! how one suffers in such
moments! Would he arrive in time?
The count shook his fist at the sliy,
great tears rolling down his cheeks.
He did not even take the trouble to
wipe them away. lie hurried on,
stumbling at every step among the
stones and heaps oi timber. trending
on dark objects which moved and
groaned. The air wasrent with terri
blc cries-cries of animal in torture.
shrlllcries ofclildren, ,ngonized groans
of women, loud atfirst, then weaken
ing little by little and ccnsing in the
death rattle There we're despniring
calls though the darkness, "Fathcr!''
"Mother" "Son!" and invocations
to the divine mercy, ".Jesu! Maria
Santissima" and every stone, every
ruin gave forth groan. The count
passed shadows staggering like
drunken men, walking on tiptoc with
arms stretched out before them, or