Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-06-24
CHAPTER ".

/
had not yet risen. | must certainly
uoft till bread day before | could hope
n attract by my shouts any stray
narson who might pass through the
cemetery Meanwhile, fantastic idea
suggested itself. | would go and
Irok at my own coffin! Why not? 1t
would be a novel experience. The
| sense OF fear had entirely deserted me;
| the possession of that box of matches
was sufficient to endow me with alb
solute nardihood | picked up the
cburch-candle and lighted it; it gave
at first a feeble flicker, but afterwards
burned with a clean and steady flame
Shading it with one hand from the
drsught. | gave parting glance at
the fair daylight that peeped smilingly
in through my prison door, and then
went downtown again into the dis
nal place where | had passed the
night in such indescribable agony.
Numbers of lizards glided from my
feet as | descended the steps, and
when the flare of my torch penetrated
the darkness | heard a scurrying of
wings mingled with various Kissing
sounds and wild cries. l knew now
knew better what abominable
things had habitation in this store
house Of the dead, but | felt I could
defy them all, armed with the light
carried The way that had seemed so
long in the dense gloom was brief and
easy and I soon found myself at the
scene of my unexpected awakening
from sleep The actual body of the
vault was square-shaped, like small
room inclosed within high walls-walls
which were scooped out in various
places so as to form inches in which
the narrow caskets containing the
bones of all the departed members of
the Romani family were placed one
above the other like so many bales of
goods arranged evenly on the shelves
Of an ordinary warehouse. | held the
candle high above my head and looked
about me with a morbid interest
soon perceived what | sought-my own
coffin.
There it was in niche some five feet
from the ground, its splntered por-
tons bearing decided witness to the
dreadful struggle ! had made to OBJ
tain my freedom. | advanced and ex-
amned it closely 1t was a frail
shell enoUgh-unlined, unornamented
"a wretched sample of the under
takers art, though God knows | hal
no fault to find with its workmanship
Tor with the haste of him who fastened
it Something shone at the bottom
OF tit was a crucifx of ebony and
silver. That good monk again. His
conscience had not ~"---0d him to see
me buried without tn. symbol;
he had perhaps laid it on my breast as
the last service he could render me; it
rad fallen from thence, no doubt,
when had wrenched my way through
The boards that inclosed me. I took
IL and kissed it reverently-T resolved
thaS If ever | met tie holy father again,
would tel him my story, and as a
proof of its truth, restore to him this
recognize. Had they put my name on
me cofiin-li1? wondered7 Yes. there
" vas painted on the wood in coarse,
black letters, "Fabio RomanT'-then
followed the date of my birth; then a
snort latin inscription, stating that
had died Of cholera on August IS, 1884.
mat was yesterday-only yesterday!
seemed to havelived a century since
then.
turned to look at my fathers rest
.as-place The velvet on his coffin
hung from its sides in holding rem
a.a's-but ii was not so utterly damp
..~.Foyed and worm-eaten as the
soaked and indistinguishable material
.N1l still chung to the massive oaken
.A's' IN the next niche, where she
'ty She from whose tender arms
.aa received my first embrace in
whose loving eyes | had first beheld
.-N world, | knew by sort Of instinct
.Aai " must have been with the frayed
fragments ON her coffin that my fingers
-"a IDLY played with in the darkness.
.Naled, as before. the bits of metal
H-At bits lengthwise and four bits
'.T'ss-and on my fathers close cas-
... there We're ten silver plates length
wise and five across. My poor little
4''her, / thought Of her picture
hung in my library at home; the pic
.'' of young, smiling, haired
.'7aiy, whose delicate tint was as
ina. OF a peach ripening in the summer
SUD- All that loyeliness had decayed
.a.o-what? l shuddered involuntarily
then / knelt humbly before those
10 sad hollows in the cold stone, and
'TFiored the blessing of the dead and
a5 beloved ones to whom, while
y lived. my welfare had been dear.
a'le occupied this kneeling position
- hame Of my torch fell directly on
m@ small object that glittered with
narkably luster. went to examine
"as a jeweled pendant composed
one large pearlshaped pearl. set
luna With fine rose brilliants, Sur
SEQ at this discovery, looked about
20 SEQ where such a valuable gem couId