Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-07-21
A STORY OF POhPEII.
BY LEAH INoERsoLL.

Cialloui
More than nineteen centuries ago a
number Of pagan priests filed through
the streets of the Greco-Roman city
Of Pompeii and entered the forum.
Leaning upon the pedestal of the
equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
stood q young man. Aneus Verus, who
turned TO look at the procession and
a lamb they were leading to the sac
rifce. His eye was caught by Ro-
man maiden who followed In their
wake.
by Herculesr' he said to himself.
1T seems to me that al the pretty
girls in this benighted town become
vestal virgins. And they are impor-
\ tant, too, since these villainous priests
I are not permitted TO sacrifice even a
lamb to Jupiter without one of them
in attendance"
As the glrl passed by the young man
! she looked up and caught his admiring
/ gaze. At the same moment a marble
1 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 10 the
upper end of the forum, climbed the
! steps of the temple of Jupiter and dis
I appeared within its sacred inclosure.
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 IN
tenanted place in Pompeii, a vacant
| space where during the day workmen
were building a temple to 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 her
vows were not morally binding. There
/ they loved. each conscious that if dis
! covered a horrible fate awaited them
Alas! One night when they were
| clasped in each others arms a lean.
hungry looking priest, bespattered
with the blood of his last sacrifice,
confronted them.
The next day. while the judges were
sitting in judgment on the elevated
porch Of the temple of Justice. the
g
lovers were drawn up through holes
from the prison dire lily beneath the
judicial chairs and brought before
them. There was nothing 10 be said
in their defense, and they were sen
fenced. the man to be devoured by
wild beasts in the amphitheater, the
girl to be burned alive.
All this occurred in the year 20,
counting from the birth of Jesus. who
had been PIT to death on the cross by
the advocates of the waning pagan re-
ligion During the trial of the lovers
| Vesuvius, a few miles to the north
ward and in view of the judges, was
emitting film of smoke. accompanied
by an occasional faint groan as if con-
demnatory 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
looked like pale gray smoke cen
tinued to issue from the crater. spread
ing out like a gigantic mushroom.
Some time after the first explosion
/ ashes began to fan upon Pompeii
Some of ne people talked of the scene
to take place in the arena ON the NOR
row, when Verus was to be given to
the lions, Others connected with Livia
were shuddering at the coming moment
when she would step upon her funeral
pyre But most Of the knots stand
ing about in the forum, in the streets
and in the gardens In the rear of the
rich mems houses were watching the
mountain and the column of ashes is
suing from its summit
But they did not look long, for the
great canopy that had unfoldea from
the bowels Of the earth covered the
sky, shut out the light of the sun and
enveloped the city in darkness. Then
an awful horror took possession If the
throngs a struggling mass Of men
and women dragging their children
moved TO escape from under tina.
frightful fall Of ashes.
Verus, sitting in his prison, heard the
bolt turn in the lock and, going to the
door, saw the dim form of his 1ailer
fleeing down the narrow passage lead
ing to the sea gate. Something white
fitted by him. He seized It and held
Livia There was q momentary Joy at
escaping from death by lions and fire.
but it was quenched by the prospect
of being smotbered by ashes or poi
soned by noxious gases. Hand In hand
they plunged down the narrow pas
sage between high stone walls tc the
sea gate and, passing through it, la
bored on to the shore There they
found the Mediterranean. sympathiz-
ing with its nelghbor, angriIy tossing
its waves To the northward the road
led TO the volcano; therefore turning
south, they pushed on toward the little
town Of Stabia.
Now they stumbled over obstacles
covered by the volcanic deposit. now
fioundered through drifts Of ashes Il
via finally sank exhausted Verua
caught her and carried her in his arms
past groups Of men. women and chfl-
G-en who We're falling by the way. the
dead here and there showing their dim
outlines under the ashes.
Gradually as they receded from the
mountain the way became lighter, and
as Yerus approached Stabia he saw
the sails Of a Roman fleet. But his
object now was TO get as far as posi-
bic, not only from the mountain, but
the lions and the funeral pvre. After