The Kalispell bee., 1902-08-22

the very trees out by the roots, the
rain fell in solid sheets, the lightning
was so continuous that / could have
read a good sized book through without
once stopping, and the thunder was so
terrible and stupendous that it seemed
to be ripping the very bowels out OF
the earth. We had found fairly rea-
sonable shelter from the blasts and tor
rents en- the lea side of a great oEer-
hanging rock, and here, With her dear
head upon nsy shoulder, Ippolita, worn
out with the fatigues of that day and
night and crushed by the CHASTITY ex-
periences to which her innocent and
gentle nature had been subjected, fell
into a sweet and untroubled sleep,
which lasted through all That great and
frightful storm.
Soon after she began to slumber
felt something cold and moist touch
the hand by which / held her to me,
and, turning, 1 beheld that it was the
nose of that faithful beast Nero, who
had followed us all those weary miles
and who now stood guard, like trusty
Cerberus, over the sleeping form of his
incompatible mistress.
/ shall never forget one feeling which
had when the storm was at it's
height, and that was a rocking and
pitching sensation, as though 1 were in
a boat ON a rough sea. This kept up
for quite awhile, and then 1 felt sud-
den sinking, a sudden qualm about my
stomach and my heart which lasted
for fully five minutes, so that my bow
els seemed to come up into my, throat
1t was exactly the sort of feeling
which man has when going quickly
down the lift of one of those thirty
story buildings, only much worse, and
/ wouldn't like to experience the like
again. And now the whole ground
around us seemed to be flooded with
water, and the waves dashed almost
to our very feet, and I thought it was
something strange that the foods could
have risen to the top of that high hill. !,
The lightning now ceased and the
storm went down, and l must have
slept some myself, as when 1 next took
note of my surroundings 1 found 4 the
daylight had come. And what an
awakening that was, and what sur
prise was that which was awaiting
me, surprise, miraculous, prodigious,
stupendous and sublime, a surprise
which beggars all description and
which it is useless for me to attempt
the portrayal of. When l awoke and
gazed about me, the principality of
Firenzalino had vanished, and Ippolitat
and 1 were seated upon rocky island
of scarce an acre in area and round
about us were the pellucid waters of
the very lake which 1 had crossed in
order to scale the sides of the mesa
encantada. There had been another
earthquake, like unto the one of 1892;
the country of the exiles, of the Pazzi
and the Albizzi, had gone down again
| into the bowels of the earth, and of it's
city, its inhabitants, it's focks and
herds, it's vineyards, streams and for
estS naught remained save the remem-
| brance of the one day which I had
passed in that fairylike and romantic
| realm.
When l say this of course I except
| the highborn and beautiful Ippolita,
who was ten times more precious to
me in that she was now the only hui
man thing left to remind me of my
most wonderful and fascinating expe-
rience. There was also the trusty Nero.
presently heard a grinding of some
thing against the rocks near at hand,
and, going down to investigate, found
rubbing it's nose upon the bank the
very boat which 1 had moored to the
mesa encantada when commenced my
ascent. To embark in it with Ippolita
and to gain the opposite shore Of the
lake was a matter of a few moments,
and in a few hours more we found
ourselves safe and sound in the city Of
Florence, where was at once married
to the fair and naughty heiress Of the
| duchy of Firenzalino.
| THE END.
AGREED ON TERMINALS.