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


creatures lowered
about me- o e ! '
eyes stared at me from a visi-
bic deep gloom; long white bony
fingers grasping at nothing made
signs to me of warning or menace. Then
very gradually. there dawned upon my
sense Of vision a cloudy red mist like a
stormy sunset, and from the middle of
the bloodlike haze a huge black Hand
descended towards me. 1t bounced
upon my chest-it grasped my throat in
it's monstrOus clutch, and held me down
with a weight of iron. l struggled vio-
lently-I strove to cry out, but that ter
rife pressure took from me all power of
u;terance. ! twisted myself to right
and left in an endeavOur to eScape-but
nay tyrant of the sable Hand had bound
me on all sides. Yet l continued to
wreStlc with the cruel opposing force
that strove to overwhelm me-little by
little-inch by inch-so! At last! One
more struggle-victory! l wokel Merci-
full God! Where was 1? In what horri-
BILE atmospheric what dense dark
ness? Slowly, as my senses returned to
me, remembered my recent Illness. The
monk-the man Pietro-where were
they? What had they done to me? By
degrees / realized that l was lying
straight down upon my back--the couch
was surely very hard! Why had they
taken the pillows from under my head2
A pricking sensation darted through my
VeinS-I felt my own hands curiously
they were warm, and my pulse
beat strongly, though fitfully.
But what was this that him
dered my breathing. Affair! i
must have air! | put up my hands
horror! They struck against a hard
opposing substance close above me.
Quick as lightning then the truth
flashed upon my mind! l had been
buried-buried alive;-this wooden
prison that inclOSed me was a cofinl
A frenzy surprising that of an Infatuated
tiger took swift possession of me-with
hands and nails | tore and scratched at
the aecursed boardS-with all the force
Of my shoulders and arms l toiled to
wrench open the closed lid! My efforts
were fruitlesSt | grew more ferociouSly
mad with rage and terror. How easy
were all deaths compared to one like
this! / was soffocating-I felt my ewes
start from their socketS-bloOd Sprang
from my mouth and nostrils-and icy
drops Of sweat trickled from my fore
head. L paused, gasping for breath.
Then, suddenly nerving myself for one
more wild effort, hurled my limbs with
all the force of agony and desperation
against one side of my narrow prison. 1t
cracked-it split aSunder-and then-a
new and horrid fear beset me, and
crouched back, painting heavily. Tiff
j were buried in the ground-So ran my
CHASTITY thoughtS-Of what use to break
open the coffin and let in the mould
the damp wormy mould, rich with the
bones of the dead,-the penetratiN
mould that would choke up my mouth
and eyes and seal me into silence for
ever! Ny mind quaiIed at this idea-my
brain tottered on the verge of madness!
/ lsughed-think of it!-and my laugh
sounded in my own ears like the last rat
tie in the throat of a dying man. But
l could breathe more eaSily-even in the
stupefactioR of my fears-I was consci-
Gus Of air. Yes!-the blessed air had
rushed in somehow. Revived and en-
,couraged as recognized this fact, felt
with both hands till found the crevice
had made, and then with frantic haste
and strength pulled and dragged at the
wood, till suddenly the whole side of the
coffin gave way, and l was able to force
up the lid. stretched out my arms-no
weight of earth impeded their move
ments-I felt nothing but air-empty
air. Yielding to my first strong i'm
pulse, leaped out of the hateful box.
and fell-fell some little distance, bruis-
ing my hands and knees on what seemed
to be a stone pavement Something
NUn q fu foil nj xr-it l,11
thud close to me. The darkness was i'm
penetrable. But there was breathing
room, and the atmosphere was cool and
refreshing With some pain and diff
Guilty / raised myself to sitting position
where had fallen. NY limbs were stiff
and cramped as we'll as wounded, and
shiyered as with strong atue But nv
senses were clear-the tangled chain OF
my disordered thoughts became even and
conneeted-my previous mad excitement
gradually Gained, and / began to con-
slider nv condition. had certainly been |
buried alive-there was no doubt OF |
that Intense pain had, | supposed. re-
solved itself into long trance of uncon- |
Sciousness-the people of the inn where |
| had been taken i'll had at once believed |
me to be dead of cholera,-and with the |
panic-striCken. Indecent haste, common |
in ali Italy especially at time of plague.
had thrust me into one of those flimsy |
collins which were then being ma!lufac- |
tured by scores in NapleS-mere shells |
CT thin deal, nailed together with clumsy |
hurry and fear. But how | blessed their |
wretched construction. Had been laid |
in stronger caSket, who knows if even /
the most desperate frenzy of my strength |
might not have proved unavailing! / |
Shuddered 81 the thought. Yet the |
question remained.-Where was I? ! /
reviewed my case from all points, and |
for some time could arrive at no salts |
factory conclusion. Stay, though! / |
remembered that had told the monk |
my name-he knew that was the only |
of the rich Romani family. |
What followed? Why, naturally, the |
good father had only done what his duty |
called upon him to do. He had seen me |
laid in the vault of my ancestors-the |
great Romani vault that had never been |
opened since my fathers body was car
ried to its last resting-place with all the |
solemn pOmp and magnifeence of a
wealthy nobleman's funeral obseQuies. |
The more thought of this the more |
probable it seemed The Romani vault! |
Its forbidding gloom had terrified me as |
a lad when followed my fathers coffin
TO the stone niche assigned to it, and |
/ had turned myeyes away in shuddering
pain when was told to look at the