Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-11-07
had w~antonly wrecked both our lives.

49, $500 -
part thou in peace from earth and Its
inhabitants,-haply thou shall cleanse
In pure fire the sins of thy lower ma
tuse, and win a final pardon; but for
hers hell itself black enough to
match her soulT'
And l slowly moved toward the
stairway; it was time, l thought, with
a grim resolve, to leave her! Possibly
she was dead; If not, why then sh
soon would be! / paused irresolute-
the wild wind battering ceaseleSsly at
the iron gateway, and waited as
though with a hundred voices of aerial
creatures lamenting. The torches were
burning low, the darkness OF the vault
deepened. Its gloom concerned me
little; l had grown familiar with its
unsightly things, its crawling spiders,
its strange uncouth beetles, the clus-
tcrs of blue fungi OF it's damp walls.
The ~Scurrying noises made by bats
and owls, who, scared by the lit can
dies, were hiding themselves in holes
and corners of refuge, startled me not
at all; L was well accustomed to such
sounds. In my then state of mind, an
emperor's palace We're less fair to me
than this brave charnel house, this
Stone-mouthed witness of my struggle
back TO life and all life's misery. The
deep-toned bell outside the cemetery
struck one! We had been absent al
most two hours from the brilliant as
Semblage at the hotel. No doubt We
were being searched for everywhere;
1t mattered not! they would not come
to seek us here. l went on resolutely
toward the stair. As i placed my foot
on the first step Of the ascent my wife
stirred from her recumbent position;
her swoon had passed. She did not
perceive me where | stood, ready to
depart; she murmured something TO
herself in a low voice, and taking In
her hand the falling tresses of her w
hair she seemed to admire its color
and texture. for she stroked il and re-
stroked 1t and finally broke into a gay
Eugh-a laugh so out of all keeping
with her surroundings that ii startled
me more than her attempt to murder
ne.
She presently stood up with all her
W lily-like grace and fairy majesty;
and smiling as though she were a
pleased child, she began to arrange
her disordered dress with elaborate
care. l paused wOnderingly, and ST.
lently watched her. She went to the
brigand's chest of treasure and pro-
ceeded to examine it's contents-laces,
silver and gold em%broideries, antique
ornaments, she took carefully In her
hands, seeming mentally to calculate
their cost and value. Jewels that were
set as necklaces, bracelets and other
trinkets of feminine wear, she put on.
one after the other till her neck and
arms were loaded, and literally blazed
with the myriad scintillations of diff
ferent colored gems. l marveled at
her strange conduct, but did not as yet
guess its meaning. / moved away
from the staircase and drew imper-
ceptibly nearer to her. Hank! what
vas that? A strange. low rumbling
like a distant earthquake, followed by
a sharp cracking sound; l stopped to
listen attentively. A furious gust of
wind rushed round the mausOleum,
shrieking wildly like some devil in an
ger, and the strong draught flying
through the gateway extinguished two
Of the flaring candles. My wife, en-
tirely absorbed in counting over Car
melo Neri's treasures, apparently saw
and heard nothing. Suddenly she broke
into another laugh-a chuckling mirth-
less laugh such as might come from
the lips of the aged and senile. The
sound curdled the blood In my veins;
it was the laugh of a madwOman.
With an earnest, distinct voice l call
ed to her:
nina! Ninar'
She turned toward me. still smiling;
her eyes were bright, heT face had re-
gained its habitual color, and as she
stood In the dim light, with her rich
tresses falling about her, and the clus-
tering GEMS massed together in a gilt
tering fire against her white skin, she
looked ~unnaturally, wildly beautiful.
She nodded to me, half-graciously,
half haughtily, but gave me no an
swer. Moved with quick pity l called
again-"Nina!'
She laughed again-the same terri
BILE laugh.
Isl ST! Som bella, son, bellissimar'
she murmured. "Etu Guido milo? Tu
m'ami?"
Then, raising one hand as though
commanding attention, she cried: "As-
colta!' and began to sing clearly,
though feebly:
AS the old familiar melody echoed
through the dreary vault my bitter
wrath against her partially lessened;
with the swiftness of my southern
temperament a certain compassion
stirred my soul.
She was no longer quite the same
woman who had wronged and betray-
ed me; she had the helplessness and
fearful innocence of madness. In that
condition l could not have hurt q hair
of her head. l stepped hastily for
ward; l resolved to take her out of
the vault-after all l would not leave
her thus. But as / approached, she
Withdrew from me, and with an angry
stamp of her foot motiOned me back
ward, while a dark frown knitted her
fair brows.
'Who are you?" she cried imperious-
ly. You are dead, quite dead! How
dare you come out of your graye.'
And she stared at me defiantly; then
suddenly clapping her hands as if III
ecstcy, and seeming to address some
invisible being at her side, she said
in low, delighted tones: "He is dead,
Guido. Are you not gladT' She then
paused, apparently expecting some re-
ply, for she looked about her won
deringly, and continues: 'You do not
answer me; are you afraid? Why are
you so pale and stern? Have you Just
come back from Rome? What have