Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-10-22

strangely does the aspect of things
change as the wheel of life goesl-
we would both of us have given ten
years of our lives to have escaped
from our living tomb. Now l at
least would not for wd4lds have es-
capped that experience. l should then
never have known those bitter-sweet
hours when my love and L, buried
together and with death staring us
in the face, were drawn together by
the strongest tie humanity knows
the borl of a common adversely.
When at last, on my persuasion,
Nina sought to move she fell back
helpless with loud cry of pain; she
had sprained her ankle and could
not stir without agony. Nothing
could be done but to lie there where
she had fallen.
How long we remained thus ! do
not know. Hunger and thirst came
in time-two new troubles added to
the rest. Though we could not lose
ourselves in sleep, still our minds
were tortured with waking dreams
horrible to think of now. The strain
in truth was SO hideously cruel that
Nina at times grew delirious, tossed
and writhed regardless of the pain
she gave herself and filed the dark
ness with her heartrending cries.
Then again peace would return
and she would cling to my hand for
human companionship simply to feel
that some one was near. AS say,
how long this lasted l do not know,
but suddenly, after an eternity of
torture, a shiver struck brusquely
through walls and floor, followed by
another and still another, accom-
panied at first by faint rumble that
died away in the echoing bowels of
the earth.
But soon the rumble grew to a
roar, the roar to thunder. The noise
was deafening, The rocky ground
heaved like the ocean. 1t was my
turn now to lose my reason; know
not what l did, but Nina tells me
that | seized her in my arms; that in
a frenzy of despairing love I covered
her face, her hands with kisses, cry
ing aloud wildly:
If die we must, Nina, we can at
least die together You are mine,
mine forever now; not even death
itself can part u.s.
"Proportionately as lost my
senses Nina became calm, besought
me to regain my composure and
pleaded with me to think only of
the next world-so near.
"But heaven ordered otherwise.
In the midst of the tumultuous toss
ing of the earth the roof of our cav
ern suddenly split in twain, letting
in 80 binding glare of light that
even with our eyes closed our eye
balls felt as if pierced with redhot
knives. Either this was the signal
for quiet again OF the dying throe of
the giant chained in those rock ribbed
vits.ls; tho rum bling died away; the
sicl1ening quaking ceased.
When we at last dared to open
our eyes and look at each other we
found ourselves in rift of compare
lively shallow depth. The second
earthquake had been our saviour and
forced up the bed of the esubterranean
gorge that imprisoned us perhaps
eighty feet"
But how did you get out then9'
cried l. shivering with interest, as if
myself had been the victim of this
terrible catastrophe.
with no trouble at all, monsieur
Mime. le Quai responded, who had
long since come from the water and
now advanced from the shelter of
her bathhouse; the Caracas people
drew us out with ropes, you know.
They had run as usual to the earth
quake ground to give what help they
could, and the rest was easy"
MY poor little girl" murmured
her husband tenderly as he drew her
to his side. You speak of it lightly,
but that earthquake cost you dearly
home and father at a blow, with
only husband to balance the loss"
Exactly" she answered, laughing
lightly and pulling him to his feet
with the roguish abandon of happy
child; "a husband too infatuated to
mind the fact that owing to that self
coma aortbrual.a bis ood1acs