Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-06-06
CHAPTER Nv.

- FPkL6 -N SsAN
kNAN steps, and when the
EMEpg9lGGs& flare Of my torch pene-
NHXfHTyyY trated the darkness I
ANy8H0 heard a scurrying OF
~TtSA TN wings mingled, with
No\N Y rious kissing sounds and
wild cries. / knew now-none better
what weird and abominable things
had habitation in this s%torehouse of
che dead, but 1 felt | could defy them
NIL, armed with the light l carried.
Whe way that had seemed so long in
b dense gloom was brief and easy,
. l soon found myself at the scene
of my unexpected awakening from
steep. The actual body Of the vault
was square-shaped, like a small room
Enclosed within high walls-walls
which were scooped out In various
places so as TO form inches In which
IN narrow caskets containing the
bones OF all the departed members
81 the Romani family were placed
"a o the other like so
many bales or goods ranged evenly
ON the shelves of an ordinary ware
A0use. held the candle high above
my head and looked about me with a
uaorDiu interest. l soon perceived
what sought-my own coffin.
There 1t was in a niche some five
fset from the ground, it's splintered
portions bearing decided witness to
tnc dreadful struggle l nad made to
obtain my freedom. / advanced ard
examined 1t closely. 1t was a fraiI
shell enough-unlined, .inornamented
"a wretched sample Of the under
exker's art, though God knows l had
no fault to find with its workman
snip, nor with the haste OF him who
fashioned 1t. Something shone 1T the
bottom OF tit was a crucitix OF
ebony and silver. That good monk
Mgain! His conscience had not al
lowed him to see me buried without
4 sacred symbol; he had Icrhaps
said II on my breast as the last service
ne could render me; it had fallen from
'Ghcnce, no doubt, when / had
vgrenched my way through the boards
that Enclosed me. I tool II and kissed
II reverently. l resolved that IL ever
" met the holy father again, l would
tell air my story, and as a proof OF
Nus truth restore to him this cross,
which he would be sure to recognize.
Mad they put my name on the coffin
tid2 i wondered. Yes. there it was
painted on the wood In coarse black
hetters, "Fabio Romani"-then fol-
bowed the date of my birth: then a
short Latin inscription, stating that 1
had died of cholera on August Is,
1854. That was yesterday-onIy yes
terdayi i seemed to have lived n GEN.
fury since then.
4 turned to look at my fathers rest
Fms -place. The velvet ON his coffin
hnng from it's sides In Wondering
iremnantsrbut II was not SO utterly
damp destroyed and worm-eaten as
n soaked and indistinguishable ma
terial that sill chung to the massive
oaken chest in the next nichee, where
she iay-she from whose tender arms
] had received my first embrace-she
In whose loving eyes l had first be-
held the world! / knew by a sort Of
'anstinct that it must have been with
the frayed fragments on her coffin
that my fingers had idly played in the
darkness. l counted as before the
bits of metal-eight bits lengthwise
and four ~across-and on my fathers
close easket there were ten silver
plates lengthwise and five across. My
poor little mother! l thought of her
p~icture-it hung in my library at home
the picture Of a young, smiling, dark
haired beauty, whose delicate tint was
as that of peach ripening in the sum
mer sun. All that loneliness had de-
cayed into-what? / shudddered in
voluntarily-then l knelt humbIy be-
fore those two sad hollows In the cold
stone, and :iHpiored the blessing OF
the dead and gone beloved ones 20
whom, while they lived, my welfare
had been dear. While / occupied this
kneeling position the fame OF my
torch fell directly on some small OBJ
feet that glittered with remarkable
Iustre. / went to examine it. 1t was
a jewelled pendant composed of one
large pear-shaped pearl, set round
with fine rose brilliants! Surprised at
this discovery, ] looked about 10 see
where so valuable a gem could posi-
bly, come from. l then noticed an IN
usually large coffin lying sideways on
the ground; Ii appeared as IL 1t had
fallen suddenly and with force, for a
npmber of loose stones and mortar
were sprinkled near 1t. Holding the
light close to the ground, l observed
that a niche exactly below the n In
which | had been laid was empty, and
that a considerable portion OF the wall
there was broken away. l then remem-
bered that when / had sprung SO des-
perately out of my narrow box l had
heard something fall with a crash be-
side me. This was the thing, them
this long coffin, big enough to contain
q man seven feet high and broad in
proportion. What gigantic ancestor
had / irreverently dislodged? and was
1t from a skeleton throat that the rare
Jewel which l held In my hand had
been accidentally shaken?
My curiosity was excited, and bent
close to examine the lid of this funeral
chest. There was no name on it-no
mark of any sort, say one-a dagger
roughly painted In red. Here was a
mystery! / resolved to penetrate 1t.
set up my candle In a little creyice of
one of the empty inches. and laid the
pearl and diamond pendant beside 1t,
thee disembarrassing myself of all en-
cumbrance. The huge Golfer lay on Its
side, as i have said; it's uppermost
corner was splintered; l applied both