Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-03-10

7
ried. Some impulse made me glance
back-and | saw what l see now
what | shall always see till | die!
An aEertul had been made through
the roof of the vault by the fall Of the
! great stone, and through this the fitful
moon poured down long ghostly
ray The green glimmer, like r
spectral lamp, deepened the surround
ing darkness, only showing up with
I fell distinctness one object-that slen
I der protruding wrist and hand whittier
than Alpine snow | gazed at it wildly
the CLEAN of the jewels down there
/ hurt my eyes-the shine OF the silver
cfucifiX clasped in those little waXen
/ fingers dazzled my brain-and with a
/ frantic cry Of unreasoning terror,
rushed up the steps with a maniac
/ speed--opened the iron gate through
which she would pass no more, and
stood at liberty in the free air, face
! to face with a wind as tempestuous as
! my own passions. With what furi
Gus haste | shut the entrance to the
vault, with what fierce precaution L
locked and double-locked it, Nay
$50 little did | realize that she was
actually dead, that | caught myself
saying aloud" Safe-safe at last! She
cannot escape--I have closed the Sc
cret passage-no one will hear her
cries-she will struggle little, but
/ it will soon be oversize will never
laugh any moreover kiss-never
love never tell lies for the fooling Of
men, she is buried as ! was-buried
aliye,"
Muttering thus to myself with sort
Of sobbing incoherence, | turned to
meet the snarl of the savage blast of
night, with my brain reeling, my
limbs weak and trembling the
/ heavens and earth rocking before me
like a wild sea-wlth the flying moon
staring aghast through the driving
clouds-with all the universe, as it
were, in a broken and shapeless chaos
about me; even so | went forth to
meet my fate-and left her.
Unrecognized, untracked, | departed
from Naples. Wrapped in my cloak,
and stretched in sort OF heavy stu
por on the deck of the "Rondinella, -
my appearance apparently excited no
suspicion In the mind of the skipper,
old Antonio Bardi, with whom my
friend Andrea had made terms for my
voyage, little aware of the real iden-
tity of the passenger he recommended.
The morning was radiantly beautiful
the sparkling waves rose high on
tiptoe to kiss the still bosterous wind
the sunlight broke in a wide smile
of spring tide over the world With
the burden of my agony upon me
with the utter exhaustion of my over
wrought nerves, | beheld all things
as in a feverish dream-the laughing
light, the azure ripple of waters-the
receding line of my native shores
everything was blurred, indistinct,
and unreal to me, though my soul,
Argus eyed, necessarily peered down
into those darksome depths where she
lay, silent forever. For now | knew
she was dead Fate had killed her
not l. All unrepentant as she was,
triumphing in her treachery to the
last, even in her madness, still | would
have saved her though she stroye to
murder me.
Yet it was well the stone had fallen
who knows!-if she had lived-I
strove not TO think of her, and draw
ing the key of the vault from my
pocket, | let 1t drop with a sullen
splash into the waves. All was over
no one pursued memo one inquired
whittier | went. | arrived at Ciyita
Necchia unquestioned; from thence 4
travelled to Leghorn where | en-
barked on board a merchant trading
vessel bound for South America. Thus
lost myself to the world; thus l be-
came. as it were, buried alive for the
second time. I am safely sepulchered
in these wild woods, and seek no es-
cape.
Wearing the gulse Of a rough settler,
one who works in common with
Others, hewiug down tough parasites
and poisonous undergrowths in order
TO effect a clearing through these path
less solitudes, none can trace in The
strong stern man, with the care-worn
face and white hair, any resemblance
10 the once popular and wealthy Count
Olivia, whose disappearance, 50 strange
and sudden, was for a time the talk OF
Italy. For, on one occasion when
visiting the nearest town, l saw an
article in a newspaper, headed "Mys-
terious Occurrence in Naples and
read every word of it with sensa-
ton OF dun amusement From Il
learned that the Count Olivia was ad-
vertised for. His abrupt departure
together with that Of his neyly-mar-
ried wife, formerly CoutesSa Rcmani
on the very night Of their wedding
had created the utmost excitement in
the city The landlord Of the hote'
where he stayed was prosecuting tn'
ouiries so was the counts form Ell