Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-12-07

powder left by the doctor. 'CousinI'
I now exclaimed, you can save me
yet; you can save the Count Hasten
to his cell, remind him of the remains
OF the powder in his pocket, and learn
from him the way to use it, and all will
yet be wellP He shook his head in
credulously. pressed my hand. and
went.
''Sadly passed the minutes away.
The horrid doubt oppressed me.
whether the powder would exercise its
wondrous efficacy in the absence OF
the doctor; whether the mystic sentenc-
es he spoke over it had not everything
to do with its power; whether the
gaoler could exercise the necessary
quickness and accuracy in its use. The
lamp that half lit up my low vault
burnt darkly and sadly, as If i'm,
patiently waiting my departure, SO that
1t, too, might go to sleep. In despair
threw myself on the marble bench
and shut my eyes, but the glitter OF
the dreadful axe shone through my
fast-closed eyelids. Then a knock at
the door sounded in my ears, and the
words: Wake up, Antonelio, the
priest is waiting; take thy beheading,
cousin, and afterwards thou mayest
sleep till the trump of doomr
'The memory Of what followed OF
confession and absolution, of the exc
cutioner's block-has completely van
ished from my brain. 1 only know
that l sneezed violently, opened my
eyes, and found myself once more in
my usual dress, lying at the foot of the
ah - r. Ill
1eodoro; that L saw standing at my
feet the patricisn Orazio Memmo, and
that 1 heard him calling: Hi. wake
up, Antonellol A leagues row on the
canalr
'Excellenzap 1 cried. and you
will go again to the enchanted gar
den of Proporinazzo? And we are
both really alive and free, and the con-
fusion with our heads is now happily
disposed of?'
He measured me with his eye,
shook his head as If at loss to under
stand me, aud asked if was still
dreaming, or If the cheap Vincentin
wine was muddling my brain. Defect
ed and silent 1 loosed the chain and
rowed the nobleman up and down.
No trace OF any strange red and silver
gondola could be seen, far or near
Count Orazio dozed away the hour on
the water with composure that
seemed inexplicable to me. When we
landed, 1 implored him at least TO tell
me whether We had no further conse-
quences to fear on the part of the
Tribunal; whether he had not saved a
pinch or two of the Perlimpimpino
powder for future contingencies. But
he persisted in pretending surprise and
called me fool; and then concluded
that stony silence had been imposed
on him by the Inquisition, and that he
pretended ignorance with design.
''Since that day have not breathed
word OF the incident TO any human
being; and you, my children, are the
first to whom, under the seal of an
oath, l entrust it. Had 1 not, since
that day, suffered from a peculiar
twitching sensation in the neck, at the
place where the double wound was
made-especially when the weather
changes-I might haze taken the whole
for drea lful dream. As it is, how
ever, the plain facts remain, burned
in, in vivid coiors on my brain"
With these words my father cl. sed
his story, the telling of which had used
up all his remaining strength We
sent at once for the priest OF San
Noise. He came with the holy Viati-
cum, and annointed the forehead of
my father, who soon after breathed
out his last sigh. Peace be with the
soul of the honest man.