Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-11-23
A COSTLY EARTHQUAKE.

Of the season; the low tide signal was
flying and the usual crowd OF men that
Une always sees the bathing hear had
ranged themselves along the edge of
little wooden walk from the cluster of
bath houses to the waters edge to see
the fair bathers trip in.
had seen 1t all a hundred times at
least ard knew the scene by heart The
fat women satiated me, the thin one
Tepellsd me, the sands of this pebbly
beach were never INTENDED to be sat
on comfortably, and | was about to
retreat to the shaded corridors of Fras-
csu's well-known hosiery, when NJ.
le DUAL, tall, robust, well-preseryed
COmpatTlOt, whom l had first met at
the table d'hDte a week ago, ap-
preached and took seat beside me.
He was alone and naturally / re-
marked, scanning the crowd of
heads bObbing about on the waves be-
fore us:
Madame, l presume, is in the bath,
mOnsieurT"
Yes" replied he, pointing her out
to me; behold herl"
She was standing erect now, the
waves leaving to view a charming head,
q beautiful head, should have said
rich black hair, soft dark eyes, red IiDs
and transparent skin-in short, an ideal
and piquant bIuue, te, so pretty that
could not help telling tine husband of
my admiration.
But" said 1, "she surely cannot be
French, monsieur; she looks too much
like Spanish woman"
no" he answered, ''she is neither
the one nor the other" aud then,
without further preamble or hesitation,
he began, and told me the following
story:
sit was a Summer evening in the
year 1S7--," said he, land was sitting
on the veranda of "a char ming dwelling
In the outskirts of the city OF Caracas.
Before me stretched a perspective of
beautifully kept lawn and shaded walks,
while farther along, among the shady
trees, shOne the silvery CLEAN of a tiny
lake, and far off in the distance the
dazzling white of the Caracas houses
against background OF sun and sOmbre
mountains.
"But IL was not at Natures painting
that | was gazing at that moment. |
did not need to search the landscape
for beauties t. charm the eye when at
my side was seated what seemed TO me
then and still l. for she is now my wife,
sir-.he lovelIest woman that had ever
set eyes on.
ITO describe to you the ardOr with
which l regarded the lustre of the dark
hair, the gentle depths of the black
eyes, the scarlet curves of the smiling lips
and sylph-like figure Is simply impOs-
sible. Suffice 1t that l appreciated
them so thoroughly that L had just
proposed to her-though 1t took the
courage of a Napoleon to do it-and was
waiting breatnlessly to receive my an
swer.
"She liked me, l knew, her father
also, and had been a great deal at
their house; but liking is not love, and
whether Nina oe Latore loved me or
not, the cool friendliness of her manner,
so tantalizing to lover who fears his
doom ahead, hal hitherto prevented my
finding cut.
"You know of course, SIR" pursued
N. lie DUAL, dIverging moment from
the line of his story, show frequent
earthquakes are in that part OF South
America, especially In summer, when
they occur almost daily. at the day L
speak of, every since early morning, the
ground bad been shiverIng inwardly,
while from time Co time a low, deep
rumble could be heard, like the mutter
of distant thunder.
"Like every one else, however, who
lived In Caracas, l had grown sccns-
toned to and in measure Indifferent
TO these constant seismic disturbances,
but now, even in the absorbing interest
of the subject that filled my thoughts,
/ could not help noticing how greatly
of late these quakiDg tremors had in
creased.
SIN fact, I had hardly finished 10y
lovers plea, when huge porcelain vase
at the foot OF the steps was jostled from
its pedestal and shivered to atoms and
at the same instant / was thrown
violently to the floor of the balcony.
With a haste that great peril only in
spires, ! was on my feet again and
turning to seek Nina to seize her IN
my arms aud if possible to bear her to
place of safety. She was no longer
beside me, and looking about me, daz-
ed though | was, | could no longer see
her.
''It was useless as we'll as uladne9s to
wait longer, and with difficulty keep
ing my footing on the rocking h)or L
fed down the staggering steps and
from the dangerous neighborhood of
the groaning house. To 20 far, how
ever, on the tossing ground was impos-
sible; sick and dizzy, 1 was forced to
my knees. The house behind me sway
ed and swung from side to side; the
chimDeys cracked and toppled down on
the roof; whole planks wrenched by the
strain, burst from their fastenings,
leaving great holes in the walls; the
stairs writhed and fell apart; the beams
slid from their supports and crashed TO
the earth in a debris of wrecked wood,
glass, tricl and plaster.
"In less than a moment, 10 seems 10
me, the beautiful villa Of an hour ago,
was reduced to heap of dust ana
broken rubbish. AL this happened in
less time than it takes TO tell it, but
still more terrible sceEe remained to be
enacted, for all of sudden. with re-
port like musketr7, the earth cracked
open and the ruins we're swallowed up
In It's depths.
"At the same instant there was a
scream behind me in Nlna's voice. l
turned, but alasl only in time to see the
earth open again where she lay and
engulf my beloved as the ruins had
been.
God have mercy upon usl' cried,
aud sought on hands and knees to fight
my way towards the crevice that be-
lleyed had swallowed her, but now on
every side great rents were coming and
going, nearer and nearer each time to
where l crouched, reckless and paralyZ-
ed with despair, and then, before | had
time to realize the horror Of 1t, and
with only pomentary vision OF dense