The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-25

Fifteen years." Are they not more
than eternity?"
IT am condemned for eighteen
years." said the first speaker.
"And for twenty-four years." said
second.
And I for my lifetime" said an
other
"who knows what crimes you may
not have committed?" said the new
conner, but /, only protected the In
nocent!"
What, then, It is love which brought
thee here? / thought as much when I
saw theel"
"Did'st thou kill thy sweetheart, or
the other?" asked another prisoner.
The youth drew back angrily. II am
not answerable to you for what have
DONE"
Then the old man placed his hand on
the lads shoulder. boy, / have been
here now for sixteen years, and yet l
was not bad man, or a great sinner"
Then why art thou here, father?"
asked the youth.
Il was in the service of hard and
cruel master. ] bore all with patience,
although he often made me and my fell
low laborers curse the hour in which
we were born. But one day his cruelty
passed beyond bounds; he had my sis
ter lashed to death before our very
eyes! Six or seven other peasants then
| Joined me in my fury against him, and
we drew lots to see who should shoot
him down. The lot fell upon me. Our
master had gone to Bucharest, and his
way home lay through the forest. L
watched for him from behind tree,
| and felled him to the ground; he had
but time to cry: "Oh! Holy Mother!"
| We all rejoiced that we had got rid of
him, and when we were called before
the magistrates, and the judge declared
| that the murderer would be sure to be
| discovered sooner or later, l stepped
| out from the rest of them, saying:
| My lord, ] am the murderer AS it
was a premeditated crime, / was sent
here for life, for that is according to
the law"
| The youth looked fixedly into the
| speakers face, as If he were drinking
in his words; around these two men
| there gradually formed a circle of
| gaunt objects, lighted only by the tiny
lamps stuck in their caps, which left
their faces in darkness. The voice
of the old man sounded slow and mon
| otonous, as If what he recounted had d
no longer any interest for him, while
there rose necessarily from above and
below the melancholy Hal! Hail" of
the workers, and the resounding noise
Of the falling masses of salt.
Neither am l." said the youth, sigh
ing deeply. Neither am the wicked
wretch you take me for 1t took place
one Sunday when we lads were dane
the same time tender glances at the
maidens seated on the grass, with
| pretty flowers in their hair, waiting
to see who would be the first amongst
them invited to join US. My eyes were
fixed on Neagoe."
"Neagoe" interrupted the old man,
in a startled tone.
Yes, that Is her name and as /
looked fixedly at her, Neagoe came
and took her place betwixt me and an
other youth, who was from her own
village, but the latter pushed her aside,
saying: No, i shall not dance with q
convict's daughter! Blind with rage
and fury, I drew my knife from my
belt and plunged it into his heart. /
did not intend to kill the fellow. 1 was
frightened when / saw him lying mo-
|
OUT OH! Holy Mother! What hast
thou done? All is at an end between
us now! Neagoe wept, and would not
be consoled at any price. She said,
rightly, that all was at an end between
US. 'Sandule,' said she, 'Sandule, oh
why didst thou think of loving me ?
have only been thy misfortuner"
Whose daughter, sayst thou, was
this maiden?" asked the old man,
II know not, for she never spoke to
me of her father. but know that he
has been for long time at Slanic
Perhaps he is among you here"
Perhaps" said the old man, who
then continued his questions. San.
dule-if that be thy name-this Neagoe
is she a pretty girl?"
Sandule's eyes glistened through the
darkness, as he replied: She is lovellel
and brighter than the sun itself! Hel
eyes are large and full of sorrow, like
those of the deer shot down by tn,
huntsman; her hair is black as a ra.
ven's wing; her lips are red as rowan
! berries; her teeth whittier than the mill
when it comes from the COW; and hel
form is so supple and so slender, that Il
might be drawn through a ring. Wher
! |
from side to side, she has the gait of an
empress, and the pitcher which she car
ries upon her head seems a rega
crown! When she gives some one wa
ter to drink from her jug, II does hin
as much good as the first dewdrop Il
the earth after long drought. WheI
, Neagoe laughs, you must laugh also
though she laughed but rarely, and uov
, she will never laugh again."
, The youth wiped away, with tn
back of his hand, the warm tears whicl
fell from his eyes, then he stamped hi
feet with fury, heard the clani;ing O
: the irons, looked down at his ankles
and dispair again laid hold of him. Tb
old man seemed disposed to contiau
talking, and said:
This poor Neagoe must have suffer
ed many an insult on account of he
father?"
AYE, indeed, It is better not TO hav
children, If one is doomed to the Sal
Mines"
Then janitor came up to Sandule
and giving him a hammer and alamr
bade him come to some salt blocks a
which there were already number q
men at work, who looked at him wit
stolid indifference.
Sandule raised the hammer and be
gan TO strike the salt as ne was IN
structed, when suddenly the mine be
came one blaze of light! Hundreds an
hundreds of candle were quickl
alight, for the recently elected prime
OF Wallachia had expressed a desire [
see these curious persons, which wer
at the same time a source of grea
wealth to his country.