Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-03-10
Continued.

This last was an exclamation of
pleasure; she had found some toy that
charmed heT-it was the old mirror
set in its frame CT pearls. The pos
session of this object seemed to fill
her with extraordinary joy, and she
evidently retained no consciousness of
where she was, for she sat down on
the uptul ned coffin, which had held
my living body, with absolute in
difference. Sill singing softly to
herself, she gazed lovingly at her own
reflection, and fingered the jewels she
wore, arranging and rearranging them
in various patterns with one hand,
while in the other she raised the look
jng-glass in the flare of the candles
which lighted up its quaint setting. A
strange and awful picture she made
there gazing with such lingering
tenderness on the portrait of her own
beauty while surrounded by the
mOldering collins that silently an
nounced how little such beauty was
worth-playing with jewels, the foolish
trinkets of life in the abode of skele-
tons, where the password is DEATH
Thinking thus, | gazed at her, as one
might gaze at a dead body-n0t loath-
ingly any more, but only mOurnfully.
My vengeance was satisfied / could
not wage war against this Tacantly
smiling mad creature, out of whom the
spirit of a deyitish Intelligence and
therefore was no longer the same wo-
man. Her loss of wit should compen-
safe for my loss of love- l determined
to try and attract her attention again
| opened my lips to speak-but be-
fore the words could form themselves,
that odd rumbling noise again broke
on my ears-this time with a loud
reverberation that rolled overhead
like the thunder of artillery. Before
/ could imagine the reason of it-be-
fore | could advance one step toward
my wife, who still sat on the upturned
coffin, smiling at herself in the mirror
before | could utter word or move
an inch, tremendous crash resounded
through the vault, followed by a sting
ing shower of stones, dust, and pull
verified mortari | stepped backward
amazed, beWildered- speechless-in-
stinctively shutting my eyes-when L
opened them again all was darkness
all WAS silence! Only the wind howled
outside moe fIanticaIly than ever
sweeping gust whirled through the
vault, blowing some dead leaves
against my face, and l heard the
the fury of the storm. Hush!- was
that q faint moan? Quiyering in every
limb, and sick with a nameless dread,
| sought in my pocket for matches
| found them. Then with an effort.
mastering the shuddering revulsion of
my nerves, | struck a light. The
flame was SO dim that for an instant
| could see nothing. | called loudly:
"Nina!' There was no answer.
One of the extinguished candles was
near me; l lighted it with trembling
hands and held it aloft-then | uttered
a wild shrek of horror! Oh, God of
memorable justice, surely Thy ven
geance was greater than mine! An
enormous block of stone, dislodged by
the violence OF the storm, had fallen
from the roof of the vault; fallen
sheer down over the very place where
he had sat minute or two before
Enthusiastically smiling! Crushed under
the huge mass-crushed into the very
spllnters of my empty coffin, she lay
and yet-and yeti could see no.
thing, save one white hand protruding
the hand on which the marriage
ring glittered mockingly! Even as r
looked, that hand quivered violently.
beat the ground-and then was still!
1t was horrible. In dreams I see that
quiYer1ng white hand now, the jewels
on it sparkling with derisive luster.
1t appeals, it calls, it threatens, it
pl avs! and when my time comes to
die, it will beckon me to my grave! A
portion of her costly dress was visible
my eyes lighted on this-and | saw
slow stream of blood oozing thickly
from beneath the stone-the ponderOus
stone that no man could have moved
awful sepulcher! Great Heaven. how
fast the crimson stream of life trickled,
staining the snowy lace Of her gar
ment With a dark and dreadful hue!
Staggering feebly like a drunken man
half delirious with anguish ap-
preached and touched that small
white hand that lay stiffiy on the
ground-I bent my head almost
kissed it, but some strange revulsion
rose in my soul and forbade the act!
In a stupor of dull agony l sought
and found the crucifx of the monk
Cipriano that had fallen to the floor
I closed the yet warm fingee-tips
around it and left thus; an unnatural
terrible calmness fro7e the excitement
of my strained nerves.
'Tis all l can do for thee!" I NUT
tered, incoherently May Christ for.
give thee, though / cannoti"
And covering my eyes to shut on
the sight before me, l turned away
l hurried in a sort of frenzy TOWARD
the stairway-on reaching the loves
step I extinguished the torch 1 car
ried. Some impulse made me glanc
back-and | saw what | see now
what l shall always see till l die
An aperture had been made through
the roof of the vault by the fall Of tn
great stone, and through this the fitfu
moon poured down long ghostl
ray The green glimmer, like
\