The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-12-11

/ rlDlp. III dItdulS Stt IUdI uutN
erine white hand now. the jewels on i
sparkling with derisive lus,re. L
/ appeals. 1t calls, It threatens, il prays
/ and when my time comes to die, il vii
beckon me to my grave! A portion o
| her costly dress was visible,-my eye
| lighted on this,-and saw a slow stream
| of blood ooZing thickly from beneath til,
stone. the ponderous stone that NJ
man could have moved an inch-th,
stone that sealed her awful sep
ulchrel Good heavens! how fast the
crimson stream of life trickledl-staln
! ing the snowy lace of her garment will
dark and dreadful hue! Staggering
feebly like drunken man, half-delirious
with anguish, approached and touched
that small white hand that lay stilIly OIL
the ground. i bent my head. i
almost kissed it, but some strange re.
vulsion rose in my soul and forbade the
actl
In stupor of dull agony sought and
found the crucifix of the monk CiprianC
that had fallen to the floor. L closed
the yet warm finger tips around it and
left it thus; an unnatural, terrible calm
ness froze the excitement of my strained
nerves.
"'Tis all L can do for theer 1 NUT
tered incoherently. "May Christ forgive
thee, though | cannot!''
And covering my eyes to shut out
the sight before me turned
away l hurried In a sort OF frenzy to-
wards the stairway,-on reaching the
lowest step extinguished the torch 1
carried. Some impulse made me glance
back and l saw what | see now 8.
what shall always see till l die. An
aperture had been made through the
roof of the vault by the fall of the great
stone, and through this the fitful moon
poured down long ghostly ray. The
green glimmers like special lamp, deep
ened the surrounding darkness, only
showing up with fell distinctness one
object-that slender protruding wrist
and hand, whittier than Alpine snowl l
gazed at it wildly &. the CLEAN ofthe
jewels down there hurt my eyes
the shine of the silver cru
cifx claspcd in those little wax
on fingers dazzled my brain
and with frantic cry of un-
reasoning terror, rushed up the steps
with a maniac speed,-opened tho iron
gate through which she would pass no
more, and stood at liberty in the free air,
face to face with a wind ~ tempestuous as
my own passions. With what furious
haste / shut the entrance to the Vault
with what fierce precaution / locked and
double-locked it! Nay, so little did res-
lie that she was actually dead, that I
caught myself saying aloud -.
"Safe-safe at lasti She cannot
escape - have closed the
secret passage -. no one will hear
her cries she will struggle
little, but 1t will soon be over
she will never laugh any more,-never
kiss never love never
tell lies for the foolIng of menl -.
she is buried as was--buried alivel'
Muttering thus to myself with sort
OF sobbing incoherence, turned to meet
the snarl of the savage blast OF the
night, with my brain Keeling. my limbs
weak and trembling, with the heavens
and earth rocking before me like wild
a,---with the flying moon star
ing aghast through tho driving Clouds
with all the Universe, as it were. in q
broken and Shapelcss chaos about me;
even so | went forth to meet my fate
and left Ii n!
Unrecognized. untracked, departed
from Naples Wrapped in my cloak, and
stretched in sort Of heavy stupor on
the deck Of the Rondinella, my appear
ance apparently excited no suspicion In
the mind of the skipper, old Antonio
Bardi, with whom my friend Andrea
had made terms for my voyage, little
aware of the real identity of the passen-
ger he recommended.
The morning was radiantly beautiful,
tho sparkling waves rose high on tip
toe to kiss the still boisterous wind
the sunlight broke in wide smile OF
spring-tide glory over the worldl With
the burden of my agony upon me,-with
the utter exhaustion of my over
wrought nerves, 1 beheld all things
in . feverish dream,-the laughing
light, the azure ripple of waters,-the re-
ceding line of my native shores,
thing was blurred, indistinct and unreal
to me, though my soul, Argus eyed. In
cessantly peered down, down into those
darksome depths where she lay, silent
forever. For now knew she was dead.
Fate had killed her-not /. All unre- !
pentant as she was, triumphing in her |
to the last, even in her mad
ness, | would have saved her, though /
She strove to murder me.
Yet il was well the stone had fallen /
who knows!. If she had .
ived.. L strove not to think of her, I
md drawing the key of tho vault from
pocket, let it drop with a sullen splash
ntO the waves. All was over-no ono /
me,-no one inquired whittier 1 |
vent. l arrived at Civita Vecch- /
4 unquest;oled; from thence
travelled to Leghorn, where
embarked on board mcr-
liant trading vessel bound for South
America. Thus l lost myself to the
world; thus became, as it were, buried
live for the second time. ] am safely
epuichred in these wild woods, and 1
eek no escape.
Wearing the guiSe of rough settler, !
me who works in common with others,
lewing down tough parasites and poison
us undergrowths in order to affect a
learing through these painless soiitudes,
ono can trace IN the strong stern man,
With the careworn face and white hair,
nv resemblance to the once popular and
Wealthy Count Olivia, whose disappear
nee, so strange and sudden, was
or time the talk of all Italy. For, on
no occasion when visiting the nearest
own, / saw an article in newspaper,
eldeI Mysterious Occurrence in Ma
les, and l read every word of it with a
ensation of dull amusement
From it learned that the Count Olivia
-aS advertised for His abrupt depart-
re, together with that of his newly mar
led wife, formerly COntessa Romani. on
he very night OF their wedding. had
reated the utmost Excitement In the
ity. The landlord of the hotel
here he stayed was prosecuting
lquiries-so was the counts for
Ter valet, one Vincenzo Flamma Any
would be gratefully re-