San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-22

holy keeping, have pity upon me!
my mother! if indeed thine earthly re
mains are near me-think of me, swee
angel, in that heaven where thy spiri
dwells at rest; plead for me and save
me, or let me die now and be tortured
no more!"
/ uttered these words aloud, and the
sound of my wailing voice ringing
the sombre arches of the vault wa:
strange and full of fantastic terror tC
my ears. l knew that we've my agony
much further prolonged l should &C
| mad And | dared not picture to my
self the frightful things of which q
maniac might be capable shut up in
such place of death and darkness, with
moulding corpses for companions! re.
manned on my knees, my face buried in
| my hands. l forced myself into com
| parative calmness. and strove to pre-
serve the equilibrium of my distracted
mind. Hush! What exquisite far-ofl
| floating voice of cheer was that?
raised nv head and listened. entranced!
jug, jug, jug! lodola, lodola! trill-lii-
| ILL sweet, sweet, Sweetr'
1t was nightingale. Familiar, deli
cious, angel-throated bird! How l blessed
thee in that dark hour of despair! How
/ praised God for thine innocent exist
ence! How sprang up and laughed
and wept for joy, as, all unconscious OF
me, thou didst shake out a shower of
pearly warblings on the breast of the
soothed air! Heavenly messenger of
consolation. even now / think of thee
with tenderness-for thy sweet sake all
birds possess me as their worShipper;
humanity has grown hideous in my
sight, but the singing-life of the woods
and hills. how pure, how fresh.
the nearest thing to happiness on this
side heaven!
A rush of strength and courage invig-
Grated me. A new idea entered my
brain. determined to follow the voice
of the nightingale. 1t sang on sweetly,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS began afresh my
journeyings through the darkness.
fancied that the bird was perched on one
of the trees outside the entrance of the
vault, and that if | tried to get within
closer hearing of it's voice, should most
likely be thus guided to the very stair
case had been so painfully seeking.
stumbled along slowly. | felt feeble.
and my limbs shook under me. This
time nothing impeded my progress; the
nightingale's liquid notes tioated nearer
and nearer, and hope, almost exhausted,
sprang up again in my heart. l was
scarcely conscious of my own move
ments. | seemed to be drawn along
like one in a dream by the golden thread
of the birds sweet singing. All at once
l caught my foot against stone and
fell forward with some force, but l felt
no pain-my limbs were too numb to be
sensible of any fresh suffering. raised
my heavy, aching eyes in the darkness
as | did so | uttered an exclamation OF
thanksgiving. A slender stream OF
moonlight, no thicker than the stem OF
an arrow, slanted downwards towards
me, and showed me that had at last
reached the spot l sought-in fact,
had fallen upon the loves,
step of the stone stairway.
/ could not distinguish the entrance
door of the vault, but / knew that il
must be at the summit of the steep as
cent. | was too weary to move further
just then. l lay still where l was, star
ing at the solitary mOonray and listen
ing to the nightingale, whose rapturous
melodies now rang out upon my ears
with full distinCtness. One! The harsh.
toned bell | had heard before changed
forth the hour. 1t would soon be morn
ing; | resolved to rest till then. Utterly
worn out in body and mind, laid my
head down upon the cold stones as read
lily as if they had been the softest cush'
ions, and in few moments forgot all my
mysteries in a profound sleep.