New-York tribune., 1902-09-07
THE "FUNNY INCIDENTS" CLUB.
YOUNG TRAVELLERS RELATE OUT Of
THE ORDINARY HAPPEN
INGS ABROAD.

INGS ABROAD.
The Funny Incidents OF Foreign Travei CIuo
assembled for its first regular meeting in Mildred
den. The club had been informally organized one
spring, before the six members started at dlefei
times for a trip abroad Each had d olhe'eA
route mapped out SO there was little ~ endnCe ~
meeting Eighteen months had elapsed since tH0
time of organization The president, Augusta
raped smartly for order. Augusta had an an
of expecting attention when she did anylhlns'
the other girls looked at her and stopped tain
ing for a moment.
The president called upon the secretary 10
the minutes of the first meeting Now Jeanntt'V'
besides being the handsomest girl In the cluo' no. M
other quaIifca tIons secretary but she W
prone 10 be forgetful, and had 20 achno"i
that she had not the minutes at hand-sHe 'n
she had left them in a little bag, which must IT,
been stolen from her while she was buying sum-
curios in an Algerian shop Anyway 1t - ui
matter She knew well enough and they an - -
that the said minutes TO the effect that i
should any member mention her European uip -
q sister member except at club meetings anu
only To relate some funny peculiar eSpeileilO'
that they were sick to death OF hearlhs 4
dilate On all they had seen and heard 'tpi'"' -.
had formed the club to protect themselves noIs
eocb otbAr Arv member breaking the rules OF
the club pafd quarter to Edith. who WouIu t AeP
the money in the treasury until there was
TO do something interesting with -.
Edith argued that the fine shouid oe ~ -.
instead
against her After the verbal minutes wee ,
cepted the club got down to chocolate. walei7 -1
the real business of the afternoon wnlch was -
hear Augusta, president of the ciuD' i0"'
first funny incident OF foreign travel ,
You know girls. how 1t was Win Ni
of as I did with party Of five Never oo IT,
girls Just one IS so much better of the "loI0 ,
lot Cousin Mary Gillet was the oniy one
anything for hunting adventures ana she a.U
had weird experience All Souls nisn' III
Rome A. .ou
I'VE had heard that on that evening the loul
ghastly burial vaults beneath the Ola ChN
ST Maria del Capucini would be hluitiila'ed
while the priests recited mass for ther oead
brethren. 1t the and only occasion oI 'iia'
sort during the whole year and we pined 10 see IL
The rest of the party declined to take part IN
such a ghostly trip, so Mary ana l stdl'eu oul
alone Bold were our fronts and shaking our
hearts as in the darkness we walked the Fid%%i
di SDagna climbed the broad old Spanish steps
and scurrled down the Via Sistina. "hlch Ied Us
into the Piazza del Capucin. where stahoS tne
sombre old church OF the Capuchin fatherS'
we recalled the fact that centuries ago solIl7
co,secrated earth was sent to the Capuchlns from
Jerusalem for the burial Of theiI dead ana tiia'
as generation after generation passeu away -
earth gave out so the monks, with commemorate
ingenuity and believing curse would rest upon
their order were not the inJunctohs SltctiS
obeyed dislnterred the body longest buried 10
make place in the holy earth for that VI tN5
monk whose soul had Just parted from MS mortal
UDrOOted
picked 10 pieces and his holy bones USED 70 deco
rate the walls and ceilings of the vaults
The bones Of more than -four thousand de-
parted Capuchins adorn the burial vaults AT pres
ent and strange 1t may seem, there IS an ar's
,ic rbe Stiffness about the arrangement one vault
onens into another; the walls seem formed OF a
compact mass OF grinninS skulls. with here ana
there an open niche in which reclineS 'l'e 'u'.
skeleton Of some specially holy monk pieSe''eI
tDtact and clothed in his oldtime brown robe ana
.ST1
from his cowL go -,
The arched ceilings are decorated with thou-
sands of bones forming ornaments OF various ia Ge
hearts eli outlined against the old mGrtarea @ i CGL
ings Not an inen ot those noty yTtio has gone TO
gor,n The groiesque vaults. Even the altar and
IN Fbs strange fashion to decorate their own
sepuehres centuries after tnep fb we went
s a ybirb 1 60eneti into a little stretch ground
fbot leads to the vaults under the church 1t was
a dark, still, mysterious honl,tn i,lslIt W -;t6
with expectant fear as the door opened % 1
doeful creak and We found ourselves IN tT b tc if
vaults, which sure enough "tre uliiilS ~ -, +Ee
Not a creature was near We grasped etch @ otneI I
from the darkness gazed on the strange scene De-
The long old vaults were lighted BY hickeEing l
altar lamps baT T9 eoaPse yTs bPoNn ro6s and bare
feet with flaming taRers IN tPeT heir nanGS. NnS o tS Gs
dead around them Il was the most horribly tasci-
n
scarcely dared stir eyelash. for fear our pres
ence would be discovered. our noses were nat
tened against the grated windows. At every turn
OF any of the monks heads We felt chilis OF terror
thrilling
I'VE were becoming moro accusto med TO the
weird scene and getting certain cunt of pleas
urable excitement out OF our novel experience even
though very tense. when from
out the thick darkness around us ne heard a hiss
ing whisper. and a long arm extended Itself over
heads This the last straw. With one
I accord combined yell of terror which
fairly rent the air and brought every knee!tnS
monk TO his feet. AT this our terror knew Eo
bounds With last glance backward. we took
TO heels and fled through the little courtyard
out into the streets of the city once more.
'Somethng-we knew not what-was our
[ track and reached turned the corner
1t only the old concierge OF the church. who
had seen us gazing at the praying monks and,
fee! Our demoniac wells and wild flight had
alarmed him IN but one degree less than he in his
turn had startled us; but pantomimic gestures and
proner of small coin soon soOthed his rufied
nerves. while We called q cab and sank back IN it,
/ breathless and limp, in state OF excite
ment which made wrecks of for twenty
| hours We shall never forget All Souls night
| the Capuchin cemetery
! The girls looked at another nquiringIy as
! Augusta finished her narrative
! And you call that a funny Incident Of foreign
/ travel?" asked Mildred. e
No. l don't replied the indignant Augusta; II
! odd things. We will wait until next week ana see
| how much better you do Miss Critic,"
| And the meeting stood adjourned