The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-17
| STORY OF P0MPEII,
By LEAH lNeERsoLL.
copyright, 1903. By American Press AsuO.
ciationl

tLop}fiBhtt I'VE o. american ffeSs Ahbo-
ciaton.l
More than nineteen centuries ago a
number Of pagan priests filed through
The streets Of the Greco-Roman city
OF Pompen and entered the forum.
Leaning upon the pedestal Of the
equestrian statue OF Marcus Aurelius
stood a young man, Aneus Yerus. who
turned % look at tho procession and
lamb they were leading to the sac
tifce. His eye was caught by Ro-
man maiden who followed IN their
wake.
"By Herculesr' he said to himself.
IT seems to me that all the pretty
girls IN this benighted town become
vestnl virgins. And they are impor-
tant, too, since these villainous priests
are not permitted TO sacrifice even a
lamb to Jupiter without one Of them
IN attendance"
AS the girl passed by the young man
she looked up and caught bis admiring
gaze At the same moment a marble
Cupid perched on a pedestal on the
line OF rectangle inclosing the forum
let fly an arrow and pierced the virgin
heart The procession moved to tho
upper end Of the forum, climbed the
steps OF the temple Of Jupiter and dis
appeared within its sacred inclosurs.
What passed during the next few
days between the youth Verus and
the vestal Livia is buried In the dead
century The story next takes up
how they met at night IN the only nm
tenanted place In Pompeii. a vacant
space where during the day worlgmen
were building temple 10 Venus
There the young man, who had been
affected by the doctrines Of the new
sect Of Christians, persuaded the yes
tai that her gods were false, that Der
vows were not morally binding There
they loved. each conscious that If dis
covered q horrible fate awaited them.
Alasl One night when they were
clasped In each others arms a lean,
hungry looking priest despatched
with the blood Of his last sacrifice,
confronted them.
The next day. while the judges were
sitting Ia judgment on the elevated
porch Of the temple Of Justice, the
lovers were drawn up through holes
from the prison directly beneath the
judicial chairs and brought before
them. There was nothing to be said
In their defense, and they were sem
fenced, the man to be devoured by
wild boasts IA the amphitheater, the
girl to be burned alive,
All this occurred in the year az,
from the birth Of Jesus, who
had been put % death On the cross by
The advocates Of the waning pagan re-
ligion. During the trial of the lovers
vesuvius, few miles 20 the north
ward and Id view Of the Judges, was |
emitting film Of smoke, accompanied /
By an occasional faint groan as Il con-
aemnatory Of the trial Of two young |
people
From that moment the attention Of /
the people was attracted to the vol
cano. a column Of something that I
looked like a pale gray smoke con
-inued to issue from the crater, spread
Ing out like a gigantic mushroom.
Some time after the first explosion
ashes began to fall upon Pompeii.
Some OF the people talked of the scene
% take place in the arena on the NOR
,ow, when Verus was to be given to
he lions Others connected with Livia
we're shuddering at the coming moment
when she would step upon her funeral
lyre But most Of the knots stand
ng about IA the forum, in the streets
md in the gardens In the rear Of the
'ich meu's houses were watching the
and the column of ashes Is
uing from its summit
But they did not look long. for the
reat canopy that had unfolded from
he bowels OF the earth covered the
ky, shut out the light Of the sun and
nveloped the city IN darkness. Then
% awful horror took possession Of the
hrongs. A struggling mass Of men
md women dragging their children
moved 10 escape from under that
rightful fan OF ashes.
Verus. sitting In his prison. heard the
Iolt turn IN the lock and, going to the
COZ saw The dim form Of bis iailer