Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-06-16

ny no oIner note OF 1ts progress than
light and darkness. He had been so
happy in his sleep, amid friends who
loved him, and the sweeter endear-
ments of those who loved him as friends
could not, that, in the first moments OF
waking. his startled mind seemed to
admit the knowledge of lis situation
as if it had burst upon it for the first
time, fresh in all its appalling horrors
&c zed round with an air of doubt
and amaZement, and took up handful
of the straw upon which he lay, as
though he would ask himself what it
meant But memory, too faithful to
her Office, soon unveiled the melancholy
past, while reason, shuddering at the
task, flashed before his eyes the tre-
mendous future. The contrast over
powered him He remained for some
+irr1n lam oratir,e- liiye =, truth. the bright
visions that had vanished; and recoil-
ing from the present, which chung to
him as a poisoned garment.
When he grew more calm, he sur
veyed his gloomy dungeon. Alas! the
stronger light of day only served to
confirm what the gloomy indistinct-
ness of the preceding evening had par.
italy disclosed, the utter impossi bility
of escape. As, however his eyes wan
dered round and round, and from place
to place, he noticed two circumstances
which excited his surprise and curl
osity. The one, he thought might be
fancy; but the other was positive. His
pitcher of water, and the dish which
contained his food, had been removed
from his side while he slept, and now
stood near the door. Were he even in
clined to doubt this, by supposing he
had mistaken the spot where he saw
them over night, he could not, for the
pitcher now in his dungeon was
neither of the same form nor color
as the other, while the food was
changed for some other of better
quality. He had been visited, there
fore, during the night But how had
the person obtained entrance? Could
he have slept so so1ndly that the un-
locking and opening of those ponderous
portals We're effected without waking
him? He would have said this was not
possible, but that in doing so, he must
admit a greater difficulty, an entrance
by other means, of which he was con-
vinced there existed none. 1t was not
intended, then, that he should be left
to perish from hunger But the secret
and mysterious mode of supplying him
with food seemed to indicate he was to
have no opportunity of communicating
with a human being
The other circumstance which had at
tracted his notice was the disappear
ance, as he believed, of one of the seven
grated windows that ran along the top
of his prison. He felt confident that he
had observed and counted them; for he
was rather surprised at their number,
and there was something peculiar in
their form, as well as in the manner of
their arrangement, atunequal distances.
1t was much easier, however, to suppose
he was mistaken than that portion of
the solid iron, which formed the walls,
could have escaped from its position,
and he dismissed the thought from his
mind.
Vivenzio partook of the food that
was before him, without apprehension.
1t might be poisoned; but if it We're, he
knew he could not escape death, should
such be the design of Tolf, and the
quickest death would be the speediest
release.
The day passed wearily and gloomily;
though not without faint hope that,
by keeping watch at night, he might
observe when the person came again to
bring him food, which he supposed he
would do in the same way as before.
i
by a living creature, and the oppor-
.unity it might present of learning the
doom prepared, or preparing, for him,
impaired some comfort. Besides, if he
came alone, might he not in furious
onset overpower him? Or he might be
accessible to pity, or the influence Of
such munificent rewards as he could be-
stow if once more at liberty and master
of himself Say he were armed. The
worst that could befall, ifnor bribe, nor
prayers, nor force prevailed, was a
friendly blow, which, though dealt in
damned cause might work a desired
end. There was no chance so desperate
but it looked lovely in Vivenzio's eyes,
compared with the idea of being totally
abandoned.
The night came, and Vivenzio watched
Morning came, and Vivenzio was con-
founded He must have slumbered
without knowing it. Sleep must have
stolen over him when exhausted by
fatigue, and in that interval of feverish
repose he had been bafled; for there
stood his replenished pitcher of water,
and there his days NEAL Nor was this
all Casting his looks toward the win
dows of his dungeon, he counted but
FIvE Here was no deception; and he
was now convinced there had been none