The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-02-20

I
through the vault were wasted; l was
lost in the profound gloom and knew not
wnere TO turn. The horror OF my Situa-
ton presented itself to me with re-
doubled force. began to be tormented
with thirst. 1 fell on my knees and
groaned aloud.
'God of infinite mercY!" ! cried.
Saviour of the world! BY the souls of
the sacred dead whom Thou hast in Thy
holy keeping, have pity upon me! o
my mother! If indeed thine earthly re-
mains are near me-think of me, sweet
angel, In that heaven where thy spirit
dwells at rest; plead for me and save
me, or let me die now and be tortured
no morer'
uttered these words aloud, and the
sound of my wailing voice ringing
the sombre arches of the vault was
strange and full of fantastic terror to
my ears. 1 knew that we've my agony
much further prolonged l should go
mad. And dared net picture to my
self the frightful things of which a
maniac might be capable shut up in
such a 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-off
floating voice of cheer was that? i
raised nv head and listened, entranced!
jug, jug, jugi lOdOla, lodola! trill-lil-
ILL sweet, sweet, sweet"
II was a nightingale. Familiar, deli
cious. angel-throated bird! How blessed
thee in that dark hour of despair! How
I 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 shower of
Dearly warblingS on the breast of the
soOthed .airi 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 l 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 ii tried to get within |
closer hearing OF its voice. should most |
likely be thus guided to the very stair |
case l had been so painfully seeking. ] |
stumbled along slowly. | felt feeble |
and my limbs shook under me. This |
time nothing impeded my progress; the !
liquid notes floated nearer |
and nearer, and hope, almost exhausted, |
sprang up again in my heart. l was |
scarcely conscious of my own move
ments. l seemed to be drawn along
like one in dream by the golden thread
of the birds sweet singing. All at once
[ caught my foot against stone and
fell forw ard with some force, but felt
no pain-my limbs were too numb to be
sensible of any fresh suffering. l raised
my heavy, aching eyes in the darkness;
as 1 did so uttered an exclamation of
A slender stream of
moonlight, no thicker than the stem of
an arrow, slanted downwards towards
me, and showed me that l had at last
reached the spot 1 sought-in fact, l
had fallen upon the lowest
step of the stone stairway.
l could not distinguish the entrance
door of the vault, but | knew that it
must be at the summit of the steep as
cent l was too weary to move further
just then. lay still where l was, star
ing at the solitary moonray and listen
ing to the nightingale, whose rapturGds
now rang out upon my ears
with full diStinctneSs. One! The harsh
toned bell l 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
lY as if they had been the softest cush-
ons, and in few moments forgot all my
nyseries in a profound sleep. Ii
when 1 was suddenly awakened by a
sensation of faintness and
nausea, accompanied by sharp pain on
ny neck, as though some creature was
singing me. 1 put my hand up to the
place. God! shall ever forget the feel {
II the Thing my trembling fingers
'losed upon! 1t was fastened in my T.,
iesh-a winged, clammy, breathing
lorror! 1t chung to me with loathly
consistency that nearly drove me fran {
ic, and wild with disgust and terror
'cFea ned aloud. i closed both hands !
upon its Eat, soft body-I
{ as far back as l could into the interior
,lackness of the vault For
lime I believe was indeed i