Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-06-17

Why, naturally, the good father had
, only done what his duty called upon
him to do. He had seen me laid in
the vault of my ancestors-the great
Romani vault that had never been
opened since my fathers body was car
ried to it's last resting-place with all
the solemn pOmp and magnificence OF
a wealthy nObleman's funeral obse-
Quies. The more l thought Of this
the more probable it seemed. The
Romani vault! Its forbidding gloom
had terrified me as lad when I fol-
lowed my fathers coffin to the stone
niche assigred to it, and l had turned
my eyes away in shuddering pain
when | was told to look at the heavy
Oaken casket, hung with tattered vel
vet and Ornamented with furnished
silver, which contained all that was
left Of my mother, who died young
l had felt sick and faint and cold, and
had only recovered myself when |
stood out again in the free air with the
blue dome Of heaven high above me-
And now | was shut in the same vault
"a prisOner-With what hope of es-
cape? | reflected. The entrance to
the vault, I remembered, was barred
by a heavy door Of closely twisted
iron-frOm thence a flight of steep
steps led downward-downwa to
where in all probability l now was.
Suppose | could in the dense darkness
feel my way to those steps and climb
II n 10 al Of ,lo+ t.
was locked-nay, barred-and as it
was situated in remote part of the
battle-ground, there was no likeli-
hood Of even the keepers of the ceme-
terry passing by it for days-perhaps
not for weeks. Then must I starve?
imaginations, rose up from the pave
ment and stood erect. My feet were
bare, and the cold stone Oh which |
stood chilled me to the marrow. It
was fortunate for me- | thought, that
they had buried me as a cholera corpse
they had left me half-clOthed for
fear of infection. That is, I had my
flannel shirt on and my usual walking
trousers. Something there was, too,
round my neck; | felt it, and as | did
SO a food of sweet and SOrrOWful
memories rushed over me- It was a
slight gold chain, and on it hung a
locket containing the portrait of my
wife and child. I drew it out in the
darkness; I covered it with passionate
kisses and tears-the first I had shed
since my death-like trance-tears
scalding and bitter welled into my
eyes. Life was worth living while
Nina's smile ligntened the world! I
ter what dire horrors should be yet in
store for me. Nina-my Iove-my
beautiful one! Her face cleaned out
upon me in the pestilent gloom Of the
charnel-house; her eyes beckoned NE
her young faithful eyes that were now
felt sure, drowned in weeping for
my supposed death. I seemed to see
my tender-hearted darling sobbing
alone in the empty silence of the room
that had witnessed Thousand en-
braces between herself and me; her
lovely hair dishev eled; her sweet
face pale and haggard with the bitter
ness of grief! Baby Stella, too, no
doubt she would wonder, poor limo
cent! why I did not come to swing
her as usual under the orange boughs.
And Guido-brave and true friend!
[ thought of him with tenderness. I
felt [ knew how deep and lasting
would be his honest regret for my loss.
oh T Of
untried; I would find some way out of
this grim vault! How overjoyed they
would all be to see NE again-to know
that I was not dead after all! What a
welcome I should received How Nina
would nestle into my arms; how my
child would cling to me; how Guido
would clasp me by the hand! I smiled
as I pictured the scene of rejoicing at
the dear old viIla-the happy home
sanctifed by perfect friendship and
faithful love!
A deep hollow sound booming sud
denly on my ears startled me-one!
two! three! I counted the strokes
up to twelve. 1t was some church bell
telling the hour My pleasing fancies
dispersed-I again faced the drear
reality of my position. Twelve o'clock
Midday or midnight? I could not tell.
| began to calculate. 1t was early
morning when I had been taken ill
not much past eight when I had met
the monk and sought his assistance fo-
the poor little fruit-seIler who had
after all persisted alone in his suffer-
ings. Now supposirg my illness had
lasted some hours, | might have fallen
into a trance-died-a those around
me had thought, somewhere about
noon. In that case they would certainly
have buried me with as little delay as
possible-before sunset at all events.
Thinking these points over one by one,
l came to the conclusion that the bell
l had just heard must have struck
midnight-the midnight Of the very
day of my burial. I shivered; kind
of nervous dread stole over me. have
always been physically courageous,
but at the same time, in spite of my
education, l am somewhat superstiti-
cus-what Neapolftan is not? it runs in
the southern blood. And there was
something unutterably fearful in the
sound of that midnight bell changing
harshly on the ears of a man pent up
alive in a funeral vault with the decay
ing bodies of his ancestors close within
reach of his hand, | tried to conquer
my feelings-to summon up my forti-
tude. l erdeavored to reason out the
- I 70