Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-10-22
to receive nv answer.

I'd TtctiNc ILL., dubWcI.
"She liked me, knew, her father
also. and | had been great deal at
the house; but liking is not love, and
whether Nina de Latore loved inc or
not the cool friendliness of her man
uer. so tantalizing to a lover who
fears his doom ahead. had hitherto
prevented my finding out.
You know of course, sir. pur-
sued M. lie Quai, diverging moment
from the line of his story, ''how fire
quent earthquakes are in that Fart
of South Africa especially in sum
mer, when they occur almost daily
AT the day | speak OF, ever since
early morning, the ground had been
shivering inwardly, while from time
to time low, deep rumble could be
heard, like the mutter of distant
thunder.
Like every one else. however,
who lived in Caracas had grown
accustomed to and in a measure in
different 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 quaking tremors had increased.
I'm fact, had hardly finished my
lovers plea when a huge porcelain
vase at the foot Of the steps was jos
tied from it's 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 inspires, ! was on
my feet again and turning to seek
Nina to sieze her in my arms and if
possible bear her to a place of safety.
She was no longer beside me, and
looking about me, dazed though ]
YVES, | could nowhere see her.
1T was useless IS well as madness
to wait longer, and with difficulty
keeping my footing on the rocking
floor l fed down the staggering
steps and from the dangerous neigh
borhood of the groaning house. To
go far, however, ON the tossing
ground was impossible; sick and
dizzy was forced to my knees.
The house behind me swayed and
swung from side to side; the chimneys
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 q debris Of
wrecked wood, glass, bricks and plas
ter
I'm less than moment, 1t seems to
me, the beautiful villa of an hour
ago was reduced to a heap of dust
and broken rubbish. All this hap.
pened in less time than it takes to
tell it, but still more terrible scene
remained to be enacted, for all of a
sudden, with report like musketry,
the earth cracked open and the ruins
were swallowed up in its depths.
''At the same instant there was a
scream behind me in Nina's voice.
/ 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 usP ]
cried and sought on hands and knees
to fight my way toward the crevice
that / believed had swallowed her,
but now on every side great rents
were coming and going, nearer
and nearer each time to where /
crouched, reckless and paralyzed
with despair, and then before had
time to realize the horror of it, and
with only a momentary vision of
dense blackness before my eyes, l,
too, was engulfed in the earth"
M. le Quai paused to wipe his damp
brow, beaded with sweat at the mere
recollection of that hideous moment
Monsieur" resumed he present
ly, when he had somewhat con-
quered his emotion, ''if ever you
have dreamed that you were buried
alive, then you have had foretaste
of the feeling with which l once
more recovered consciousness. No
hell could have been blacker than
the place where, on regaining my
senses, ] found myself, prone on my
back. No crack or Granny permitted