Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-08-08


o my mother! if, indeed, thine earth
ly remains are near me-think of me.
sweet angel, in that heaven where thy
spirit dwells at rest; plead for ME and
save me, or let me die now and be tor
tured no more!"
1 uttered these words aloud, and the
sound of my wailing voice ringing
through the Somber arches Of the
vault was strange and full of fantas-
tic terror to my ears. l knew that
We're my agony much further pro-
longed l should so mad. dared not
picture to myself the frightful things
of which a maniac might be capable
shut up in such place of darkness
and death, with moulding corpses for
companions! remained on my knees.
my face buried in my hands. forced
myself into comparative calmness and
strove to preserve the equilibrium Of
my distracted mind. Hush! What ex-
quisite far-off floating voice of cheer
was that 1 raised my head and lis
tened. entranced!
"Jug, jug. jug! ledola, lodola!
trill-lil-lil! sweet, sweet, sweet!
1t was a nightingale. Familiar, de-
licious, angel-throated bird! How I
blessed thee in that dark hour Of de-
spair! How l praised God for thine
innocent existence! How 1 sprang up
and laughed and wept for joy, as, all
unconscious of me, thou didst shake
out a. shower of pearly warblings on
the breast of the soothed air! Heav-
emily messenger Of consolation Even
now l think of thee with tenderness;
for thy sweet sake all birds possess
me as their worshipper; humanity
has grown hideous in my sight, but
the singing-life of the woods and hills
how pure, how fresh-the nearest?
thing to happiness on this side OF
heaven!
A rush of strength and courage in
vigorated me. A new idea entered my
brain. I determined to follow the
voice of the nightingale. 1t sang on
sweetly. encourasingly-and l began
afresh my journeyings through the
darkness. 1 fancied that the bird
was perched on one Of the trees
outside the entrance of the vault and
if tried TO get within closer hearing
of it's voice, 1 should most likely be
thus guided to the very staircase l
had been so painfully seeking. l
stumbled along slowly. l felt feeble,
and my limbs shook under me. This
time nothing impeded my progress;
the nightingales liquid notes foated
nearer and nearer, and hope, almost
exhausted, sprang up again In my
heart was scarcely conscious of my
own movements. I seemed to be
drawn along like one in dream by
the golden thread of the birds sweet
singing. All at once caught my foot
against a stone and fell forward with
some force, but 1 felt no pain; my
limbs were too numb to be sensible
of any fresh suffering. I raised my
heavy, aching eyes in the darkness; as
I did so uttered an exclamation Of
thanksgiving. A slender stream Of
moonlight, no thicker than the stem of
an arrow, slanted downward toward
me, and showed me that I had at last
reached the spot I sought; in fact, I
had fallen upon the lowest step Of the
stone stairway. 1 could not distin-
guish the entrance door Of the vault,
but knew that 1t must be at the sum
NIT of the steep ascent. WAS too
weary to move further just then.
L
solitary moonray and listening to tie
nightingale, whose rapturous melodies
now rang out upon my ears with full
distinctness. One! The harsh-tDhed
bell l heard before changed forth the
hour. 1t would soon be morning.; l
resolved to rest till then. Utterly " Orn
out in body and mind, laid my lead
down upon the cold stones as readily
as If they had been the softcst tush-
ions. and in few moments forgot all
my myseries in profound sleep.
l must have slumbered FOR some
time, when l was suddenly awakened
by a suffocating sensation If iaintness
and nausea, accompanied ny IL sharp
pain on my neck, as though some
creature was singing ME. I put my
hand up to the place. My God! shall
/ ever forget the thing my trembling
fingers closed upon! 1t was fastened
in my flesh; a winged, clammy, breath
ing horror! 1t chung to me with a
loathly persistence that nearly drove
me frantic, and wild with disgust and
terror screamed aloud; closed both
hands conyulsiyely upon it's fat, soft
bOuSs AICIduy LOIc IL lIOu lily ueSu
and flung it as far back as could into
the interior blackness of the vault.
For time believe l was indeed
mad; the echoes rang with the pierre
ing shrieks l could not restrain. ST.
lent at last through sheer exhaustion
/ glared about me. The moonbeam
had vanished; in Its place lay sLaft
of pale gray light, by which / could
easily distinguish the whole interior of
the staircase and the closed gateway
at its summit. rushed up the ascent
with the feverish haste Of q mailman.
grasped the iron grating with both
hands and shook it ficrcely. 1t was
firm ms rock, locked fast. called
for help. Utter silence answered me.
pecred through the closely-twisted
bars. / saw the grass. the dropping
boughs of trees. and straight before
my line Of vision, a little piece of the
blessed sky, opal-tInted and family
blushing with the consciousness of its
approaching sunrise. drank In the
sweet fresh air; long trailing branch
of tho wild grape vine hung near me;
its leaves were covered thickly with
dew. squeezed one hand through,
the grating and gathered n few OF
these green nlOrsels OF GOODNESS: I ate