Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-10-13
7THIE AMjPElORA.
w
A Weird Tale of a Once
Buried City.

CSC<SsSSsOsC~O~S ~S>CeC~C>C
Then TO the lip OF this poor oarthen urn
leaned, the secret Of my life TO learn.
And, lip to lip, II murmured, while you live
Drink, for once dead, you never shall ~
turn.
-Rubaiyat Of Omar Khsyyam.
"Padrouel"
'Signor
"Give me your best wine and your
easiest chair. ! can testify that there
is nothing more fatiguing, more parch
ing to the throat than a few hours
walk through Pompeii. -
whatever you wish. SigDor OF
white wine. Falernisn. Caprian. Lacry
mae Christie My cellar is noted for it,
stores, and might compete with the
wine cellars of the ancients, -
bah! Why don It you say AZ once
that you even have some of the old
Pompeiian winef"
And why not?"
Doubtless it dates from the times
of Cicero or Pliny the younger.
Wines, like books, have their ca.
reer."
I" Per Bacco. padrono. you are sur.
prisingly familiar with your authors,
and you know how to apply your knowl-
edge. Perhaps you will next offer me an
amphora. like those used by Pliny the
elder on his fleet at the time Of the ter
rible Nesuvius eruption, in which he
lost his life.
The landlord, large man, with the
head Of a Roman emperor. short. curly
hair and triple chin in heavy folds,
smiled in knowing way at His guest 8
speech. He left him, with gesture i'm
posing patience. and his wide shoulders
disappeared down the dark stairway.
Left alone, the traveller, Louis B.. n
young architect about 30 years of age,
threw himself into a seat. depositing
on the table the long botanist's case
which he had worn suspended from his
shoulder Taking ont of it very care
fully one Of those little gray, ashy liz
ards which swarm among the Pompeiian
ruins he placed it under a glass.
The little animal, at first henumbed
by its confinement, gradually revived
After having made the circuit of its
new prison several times it stopped
short and fixd its brilliant and piercing
eyes upon its captor.
The young architect, in the semi,
twilight Of the room, loo ed at il ali
stractedly. His thoughts had Travelled
far away from the inn. Once more be
was traversing the avenue Of sepul-
cheers, the fashionable promenade of an
Gent Pompeii. A sudden within while
there had impelled him to grasp the
tiny lizard, just as II was gliding
through one of the openings in the side
of the tomb of N@voleia Tyche, when
the black shadows of the tombs lay
heavy on the burning stones.
The landlord returned, carefully hold
ing small amphora Of classic outline.
The neck was wrapped around with
linen and parchment. tied with pur.
pie cord and stamped with large seal,
SO as to Theoretically close it. He slyly
winked as he placed it before the trav-
eler, saying:
"What do you think of this, signor Z"
Louis took the amphora to examine it.
The original red hue of the clay hay
ing grown paler with age, bore some
resemblance to the color Of Vesuvian
lava, and retained as it We're, the pal
lor Of the sepulcher. In some places its
substance had slightly crumbled, as If
worn by the friction of centuries.
With Il sort of admiring respect the
young man gazed at this resuscitated
relic of the past. which had risen from
its grave in the ages. A half effaced
inscription ran in relief across the mid
die Of the jar. Although some letters
had completely disappeared and there
were some authorizations. he succeeded
in reconstructing and deciphering it, 30
that he read:
NJ SPVRIO CONS.
ANN. DCCCXXXI. A. v. c.
CECvBVM.
Which doubtless meant. being inter
preted, that under the consulate Of Mar
Gus Spurius, the eight hundred and
thirty-first year of the Roman era and
the year 70 Of the Christian era-that
is, the very year of the dread eruption
which entombed Pompeii, wine Of
Cecuba, a wondrous product. sung by