The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-04-10

TO the vault. L carried WIN
me a small lantern, a hammer and some
strong nails. Arrived at the cemetery /
looked carefully everywhere about me,
lest some stray mourner or curious
stranger might possibly be in the neigh
borhcod. Not soul was in sight. Max
ing use Of the secret passage l sooL
found myself on the scene of my recent
terrors ard sufferings, all of which
SEEMED now so slight in comparison with
he mental togtags q ny pEsss sfs eO snnt
where | ha4 left .,: e e2 afsnlf
81 all the rolls of paper money, and dis
posed them in various small packages
shont NV person and in the lining OF my
clothes TIL, as Istood, I was worth many
thousands of francs, Then, with the
help of the tools had brought, men&ed
the huge chest in the split places where
had forced it open, and nailed 1t up
fast, so that it looked as if it had never
been touched. / lost no time over my
task, for was in haste. 1t was my in
tention to leave Naples for a fortnight
or more, and purpOsed taking my de-
parture that very day. Before leaving
the vault glanced at the coffin myself
had occupied. Should 1 mend that and
nail it up as though nv body were still
inside? No better leave it as
it roughly broken open it
would serve my purpose better so. As
soon as l had finished all l had to do.
clambered through the private passage,
closing it after ne with extra care and
caution, and then betook myself di-
M hn al In m
les among the sailors who were gathered
there, / heard that a small coastiDg
brig was on the point of leaving for
Palermo. Palermo would suit me as
well as any other place;-I sought out
the captain of the vessel. He was a
brown faced, merry eyed mariner, !
he showed his glittering white teeth in
the most amiable Of smiles when ! e1-
pressed my desire to take passage with
him, and consented to the arrangement
at once for a sum which / thought eX-
tremely moderate, but which l after
wards discovered to be about treble his
rightful due. But the handsome rogue
cheated me with such grace and exqui-
site courtesy, that l would scarcely
have had him act otherwise than he
did. hear a good deal of the ''plain
VI lLc
1 dare say there is some truth in it,
but for my own part. l would rather
be cheated by friendly fellow who gives
you a CHEEKY word and a bright
look, than receive exact value for nv
money from the ''plain blunt boor who
seldom has the common politenesss to
wish you good-day.
We got under way at about nine
o'clock,-the morning was bright, and
the air, for Naples, was almost cool. The
water ripping against the sides of our
little vessel had gurgling, chatty muir
muir, as though it were talking viva
ciously of all the pleasant things it ex-
perienced between the rising and the
setting of the sun:-of the corals and
trailing sea-weed that grew in its blue
depths,-of the 1.-THE glittering fish that
darted hither and thither between its
little wayes,-of the delicate shells in
which dwelt still more delicate inhabi-
tants, fantastic small creatures as fine
as flmY lace, that peeped from the
white and pink doors Of their transpar-
ent habitations, and looked as enjoy
ingly on the shimmering blue-green
of their ever-moving element
as we look on the vast dome of our sky,
these things, and many more as strange
aud sweet, the goSsiping water babbled
unceasingly;-it had even something to
say to me concerning woman and wo-
mans love. 1t told me gleefully how
many fair female bodies it had seen
sunk in the cold embrace of the conquer
ing sea,-bodies dainty and soft as the
sylphs of poets dream, yet which, de-
hair hnnn
flung to and fro in cruel sport by the
raging pillows, and tossed among peb-
bles for the monsters of the deep to feed
upon.
As / sat idly on the vessels edge and
looked down, down into the clear Med
iterranean, brilliantly blue as a lake of
melted sapphires, fancied 1 could see
her, the Deliah of my life, lying prone
on the golden sand, her rich hair float
ing straightly around her like yellow
weed, her hands clenched in the death
agony, her laughing lips blue with the
piercing chillness OF the washing tide
powerless to move or smile again. She
would look well so, thought, better to
nv mind than she looked in the arms of
her lover last night. fell into strain
of profound meditation-a touch On my
Captain Of the brig stood beside me.
He smiled and keld out cigarette.
1.-THE Signor will smoker" he said
courteously.
1 accepted the little roll of fragrant
HAVANA half mechanically.
sWhy do you call me Signor?" in
ouired brusquely. II am a coral
fisher"
The little man shrugged his shoulders
and bowed deferentially, yet with the
smile still dancingly in his eyes and dim
ping his olive cheeks.
.eOh. certainly As the Signor leases
ma. And he ended with an
other expressive shrug and bow.
i looked at him fxedly. what do
YOU mean?'' asked with some sterr-
ness.
With that bird like lightness and
swiftness which were part of his manner,
the Sicilian skipper bent forward and
laid brown finger on nay wrist.
..Scusa, vi prego But the hands are
not those Of fisher of coral"
/ glanced down at them: True
enough, their smoothness and plant
shape betrayed my disguise,-the gay
little captain was sharp witted enough
to'note the contrast between them and
the rough garb wore, though no one
else with whom / had come in contact
had been as keen Of observation as he
At first was slightly embarrassed by
his rsmark,-but after moments