Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-06

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MoEIL2A feet as descended the
NG@ " steps. and when the
y1MGGWlr8 flare of my torch pcne
tNt[la,,I5S3l, tratcd the darkness
.M2El 55yyJ heard Il Scurrying of
StASA Y1IS wings mingled with va
WOW " rious kissing sounds and
Wiid cries. ! knew now-nonc better
what weird and abominnblc things
had habitaton in this Storrho,lsc of
the dead. but felt | could defy them
all. armed with the light | carried.
The way that had seemed so long in
an" dense gloom was brief and easy.
and l soon found myself at the scene
o! my unexpected awakening from
sleep. The actual body of the vault
was squarc-shaped. like a small room
Enclosed within high walls-walls
winch were scoopcd out in various
Isaccs SO as to form inches in which
the narrow caSkctS containing tho
bones of all tho departed members
oil the Romani family were placed
one above the other like sn
nlans bales of goods ranged evenly
on the shelves OF an ordinary ware
Rouse. held the candle high above
my head and looked about me with a
morbid interest. soon perceived
what souEht-my own coffin.
lherc II WAS i'll niclr some five
leet irohl the ground. its splintercd
portions herring decided Witness 10
alc dreadful struggle .md madc to
OBTAIN my freedom. advanced an
examined it closely. 1t was a frail
Sheil enough -unlincd. ,lnornamcn,cd
a wrctrhed sample of the under
faEcr's art. though God knows I had
no fault to find with its workman
ship. nor with the haste of him who
fashioned it. Something Shonc III the
bottom of i,-it was a rruci!iy of
enony and silver. That good monk
MSalh. ms conSricu"e had NOT al
ioWeu nm I" see me buried Without
TINS sacred symbol: he had lc,haps
iaid III on my breast as the las, service
A'' eouiu render me: ii had fallen from
Thence. no doubt. when had
Mfehchcd my way through the boards
that incloScd me- took il and kissed
it revcrcntly. resolved THAI if eyer
L met the holy falhcl again. would
tell him my story. aud ais proof of
ats truth restore to him this cross,
which lie would bc sure to recognize.
lad they put my name OH the coffin
I'D: | wondered. Yes. there i, was
painted on the wood in coarse black
letters. Pablo Ronani''-thrn fol-
lowed the date of my birth: then a
snort Latin inscription. stating that
had died of cholera on August Is.
1881. That WAS yesterday -onIy vcS-
terday! l seemed to have lived a cen
fury since then.
turned to look at my fathers rest
lng-place. The velvet on his coffin
hung from its sides in mouldc,ing
reinnantS-b,lt it WAS not so utterly
damp destroyed and worm-cntcn as
the soaked and indiS,nguishablc ma
ferlal that sill chung To the massive
oahcn chest in the neXi nichec. where
she lay-slc from whose tender arms
had received my first cmbracr-shc
III whose loving eyes | had first be-
held the world! | knew by Il sor, of
instinct that it must have been with
The fraycd fragments on her coffin
that my fingers had idly played in tile
darkness. counted as before the
bits of mctal-cight hits lcn.thwisc
and four across-and on my fathers
close caSket there We're ten silver
plates lensthwise and five across. My
Joor little mothcr. thought of her
plcturc-it hung in my library AT home
the picture of Il young. smiling. dark
haired beauty. whose dclic:.,c tint WIS
as that of peach ripening in the SUM
Iner sun. All that lovclincss had de-
cayed into-what: shu,lddcrcd in
voluntarily-then knrlt bumbly be-
fore those two sad hollows in the cold
stone and implorcd the blessing of
the dead and gone beloved ones 10
whom. While they lived. my welfare
had been dear. While occupied this
knceling position the flame of my
torch fell directly OH some small Oh
1cct that glittered with remarkable
luStrc. went to examine il. Ii was
jeweled pendant composed of one
large pear-slnpcd pearl. sci round
with fine rose briliants. Surprised at
this discovery. ! looked about TO see
bly, come from. then noticed an I'M
usually large coffin lying sideways on
the ground; i, appeared as il il had
fallen suddenly and with force, for a
number Of loose stones and mortar
We're sprinkled near it. Holding the
light close to the ground, l observed
that niche exactly below the one in
which had been laid was empty. and
that considerable portion of the wall
there was broken away. l then remem-
bered that when l had sprung so deS-
peratcly out of my narrow box | had
heard something fall with a crash be-
side me. This was the thing. then.-
this long coffin. big enough 10 contain
q man seven feet high and broad in
proportion. What gigantic ancestor
I had irreverently dislodged: ana was
1t from 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 ito
mark of any sort. save one-a dagger
roughly painted in rcd. Here was a
mystery! l resolved to penetrate it. l
;set up my candle in little crevice of
one of the empty inches and laid the
pearl and diamond pendant beside it.
thus misunderstanding myself of all cll-
cumbrance. The huge Golfer lay on its
side, as ! have said; its uppcrmost
{ corner was splintered; applied both
hands to the work of breaking further