i '
yl 'ry'Jf - n m 1 in .wniH .. 1
he (Jolumblnrt,
AW INDEPENDENT JOXHINAV
ftu roousiiHD EVEnr satuiway, in"
f'""ooMbrB, Columbia Count)-jTlHi" 't
Two DolUri a yenr.'ln ndvance. J tiotJptUJ In
4Ttoe,TwononrtntidI-nrTy Ccnt. "
"AddrcM all lettors to
orconon ir, Moonn,
IMItor of tho Columbian,
lllooimburg, Columbia County, I'n.
THE PROPHECY.
6 BY CI.AKA CLYD1-.
"Draw nearer, llltlo Alice.
' T1 dark and cold without,
.""And through the plnc-trco branches,
" ' Tho North winds shrlelc nnd shout;
Tilt your llttlo hands heforo you,
Your hend upon my knee,
And I will tell to you a tolo
Thnt onco wns told to mo,
'"Tin alxty-tiinc long years ago
Or oventy, It Is true
'My Rrandatro told to mo Uio talo
That yours now tells to you ;
ti'vlla wan 11 tender-hearted man,
With thin hair snowy while,
And Btood as no.ir on to the Kiavo
As I now stand to-night."
"Tho old man softly murmured on,
Of hopes ond friends In Heaven,
Of boyish hopes nnd boyish faults
J , The last long slnco forgiven ;
1 Of the dark mnntlo Death hath tlirown
't Upon hi j home, bereft
Of young nnd fair and Joyous ones
,' When ho, so old, was left,
fa little grnudchlld nt his kneo
, , Haw ho remembered not
' ' ' TB.6 promised tale, nor naked him for
' What ho bo soon forgot,
Aiid sdftly both fell fast a.slcep,
And he; with faco so while,
Had truly told how near tho grnvo
Ho stood that very night.
THE IRON SHROUD.
. . BY WILLIAM MUDFOHD.
' 'The cnstlo of the Prince or Tolfl was
built on the suinmitof the towering and
precipitous rock of Scylla, nnd com
manded a magnificent view of Sicily In
All-its grandeur. Here, during tho wars
of tho middlo ages, when the fertile
plains of Italy were devastated by hos
tllo factions, those prisoners were con
fined for whoso ransom u costly price
was demanded. Here, too, inadungeon
. excavated deep In the solid rock, tho
miserable victim was Immured whom
rovengo pursued tho dark, fierce, and
uhpltying rcvengo of an Italian heart.
Vlvenzio tho noble and tho generous,
tho fearless In battle, and tho prltlo of
Naples in her sunny hours of peace
fell beneath this subtle and remorseless
spirit. He was tho prisoner of 'fold,
and ho languished In that rock-encircled
dungeon, which stood alone, and
who3o portals rtovcr opened twice upon
a living captive.
It had tho semblanco of a vast cage ;
for tho roof and tho floor and the sides
wore of iron, solidly wrought and spa
ciously constructed. High above there
ran a range of seven grated windows,
guarded with massy bars of tho same
rrjntal. which admitted light and air.
Save these and the tall foldlngdoors be
neath them, which occupied tho centre,
no chink or chasm or projection broko
tho smooth black surface of tho walls.
An Iron bedstead, littered with straw,
stood in one corner, and beside it, a
vessel witii water, and a coarso dish
filled with coarser food.
Even tho intrepid soul of Vlvenzio
shrunk with dismay as he entered this
abode, and heard tho ponderous doors
trlpple-lockcd by tho silent rutUans wlio
conducted him to it. Their silence
secmod prophetic of his fate, of tho liv
ing grave that had been prepared for
him. His menaces and his entreaties,
his indignant appeals for justice, nnd
his impatient questioning of their in
tentions were alike vain. They listened
but spoke not. Fit ministers of a crime
.that should havo no tongue.
How dismal was tho sound of their
rotlrlng steps ! And as their faint ech
oes al-u along uio winning passages, a
fearful prcsago grow within him, that
nevermore tho faco or voico or tread of
man would greet his senses. Ho had
seen human beings for tho last time !
And he had looked his last upon tho
bright sky and upon tho smiling earth
and upon a beautiful world ho loved,
and whoso minion ho had been ! Here
ho was to end his life a life ho had
Just begun to revel In! And by what
means? By secret poison or by mur
derous assault? No; for then it had
beon needless to bring him thither
Famine, perhaps a thousand deaths in
onol It was tcrriblo to think of; but It
was yet more terrlblo to picturo long,
long years In a captivity so appalling, a
loneliness so dreary ; thought, for want
of fellowship, would loso itself in mad
ness, or stagnate into idiocy.
Ho could not escape unless ho had tho
power, with his baro hands, of rending
iwunuer mo sonii iron wans 01 mspris
on. Ho could not hope for liberty from
tho relenting mercies of his enemies.
His instant death under any form of re
fined cruelty was not tho object of
Tolfl for ho might havo Inflicted it, and
ho had not. It was too evident, there
fore, ho was reserved for somo promedi
tated scheme of subtlo vengeance ; and
what vengcuttco could transccndln fiend
lsh mallco cither tho slow death of
famine, or the still slower one of solitary
incarceration till tho last lingering
spark of lifo expired, or till reason lied,
and nothing should remain to perish
but tho bruto functions of tho body?
Itwas evening when Vlvenzio en
tcred his dungeon; and tho approaching
shades of night wrapped It in total
tln'rk'ness, as ho paced up and down, re
voicing In his mind these horrible fore
bodings. No tolling bell from easllo
or from any neighboring church or con
VcutT.struck upon his ears to toll how
tho hours passed. Frequently ho would
stop nnd listen for somo sound that
might betoken tho vicinity of man;
but tho solitude of tho desert, tho silence
'of tho tomb, uro not so still and deep as
tho oppres&ivo desolation by which ho
vas, encompassed. His heart sunk
Svltliin him, and ho throw himself de
jectedly upon his couch of straw. Here
deep gradually obliterated tho con
bcionpncfcB of misery, and bland dreams
wafted I1I1 delighted r-nlrit to f.cene
1 1'"
VOL. I. NO. 21.
which were onco glowing realities for
mm, in whoso ravishing Illusions ho
soon lost tho remembrance that ho was
Tolfl's prisoner.
lien lie awoko it was davllclit: but
how long ho had tdept ho know not. It
might bo early morning or it might be
sultry noon ; for ho could measure time
by no other note of its progress than
light nnd darkness, llo had been m
happy In his sleep, amid friends who
loved him, and tho sweeter endear
ments of those who loved him iw friends
could not, that, In tho first moments of
waking, lih startled mind seemed to
admit the knowlcdgo of his situation,
as If it had burst upon him for tho first
time, fresh in all Its appalling horror.
Ho gazed round with an air of doubt
and amazement, nnd took up a handful
of tho straw on which he lay, as though
no would ask himself what It meant.
But memory, too faithful to herofllce,
soon unveiled tho melancholy past,
while reason, shuddering ut tho task,
Hashed before his eyes tho tremendous
future. The contrast overpowered him.
He remained for sometime lamenting,
likoa truth, tho bright vMous that had
vnnished, and recoiling from the pres
ent, which clung to him as a poisoned
garment.
When ho grow more calm, ho sur
veyed his gloomy dungeon. Alas! the
stronger light of day onlyf-erved to con
firm what the gloomy indistinctness of
tho preceding evening had partially
disclosed tho utter impossibility of
escape. As, however, his eyes wan
dered round and round, and from
place to place, lie noticed two circum
stances which excited his Mirprlso and
curiosity. The one, ho thought, might
bo fancy; but tho other was positive.
His pitcher of water, and tho dish
which contained his food, had been re
moved from his side while he slept,
and now stood near the door. Were he
oven inclined to doubt tlii-J, bv suppos
ing lio had mistaken tho spot where
ho saw them over night, lio could not ;
for tho pitcher now in his dungeon was
neither of tho samo form nor color as
tho other, while tho food was changed
for some oilier and better quality. He
had been visited, therefore, during tho
night. But how had tho petvon ob
tained entrance? Could he havo slept
so soundly that the unlocking and open
ing ol those ponderous portals woro ef
fected without waking him? He would
havo said this was not possible, but that
in doing i-o, ho mul admit a greater dif
ficulty, an entrance by other mean-', of
which ho was convinced there existed
none. It was not intended, then, thnt
ho should be left to perish from hun
ger; out tlio secret and mysterious
mode of supplying him witli such food
seemed to Indicate that lio was to havo
no opportunity of communicating with
a human being.
Tho other eircumstanco which had at
tracted hisnoticowns tho disappearance,
as ho bel'eved, of one of the seven grat
ed windows that ran along the top of
ids prison. He felt confident that he
had observed and counted them ; for ho
was rather surprised at their number,
mil there was something peculiar in
their form, as well as in tho manner of
theirarrangement, at unequal distances.
It was so much easier, however, to sup
pose he was mistaken than that a por
tion ot the solid iron, which formed the
walls, could havo escaped from its posi
tion, that lie dismissed the thought from
ids mind.
Vlvenzio partook of tho food that was
heforo him without apprehension. It
might ho poisoned ; but if it were, lio
knew ho could not e.-capo death, should
such bo the design ol Totii; anil the
quickest death would bo tho speediest
relief.
Tho day passed wearily and gloomily,
though not without a faint hope that,
by keeping wateli at night, lie might
observe when the person came again to
bring him food, which lio supposed ho
would do in tho samo way as before.
The mere thought of being approached
by a living creature, and the opportuni
ty it might present of learning the
doom prepared or preparing for him,
imparted somo comfort. Besides, if lie
canio alone, might ho not in a furious
onset overpower him ? Or ho might bo
accessible to pity, or the inllueuces of
such munificent rewards as ho could be
stow If onco moro at liberty, and mas
ter of himself. Say ho wero armed.
The worst that could befall, if norbribo
nor prayers nor force prevailed, was a
faithful blow, which, though dealt in a
damned cause, might work a de.-lrcd
end. There was no chance so desperate
but It looked lovely in Vivenzio's eyes
compared with tho Idea of being totally
abandoned.
Tho night came, and Vlven;:Io
watched. Jtornlng came, ami Vlven
zio was confounded! He must have
slumbered without having known it.
Sleep must havo stolon over him when
exhausted by fatigue; and In that Inter
val of foverish repose ho had been baf
fled: for there btood his replcni-hed
pitcher of wiuor, and there his day's
meal I Nor was this all. Casting Ids
looks toward tho windows of ins dun
goon, ho counted but five! Hero was
no deception ; and lio was now con
vinced there had been uono the day be
fore. But what did all this portend?
Into what strange and mysterious den
had ho beon cast? Ho gazed till his
eyes ached; iio could discover nothing
to explain tho mystery. That it was so,
lio know. Why it was ho lie racked hi
imagination In vain to conjecture. Ho
examined tho doors. A felnglo clrcuni
stance convinced him they had not boon
opened,
BLOOMS BURG,
A wUp of straw which ho had care
lesly thrown against theni the preced
ing day, as ho paced to nnd fro, re
mained whero ho had east it, though it
must havo been displaced by tho slight
est motion of cither of the doors. Tills
was evidence that could not bo disput
ed; and it followed there must be somo
secret machinery In tho walls by which
a person could enter. Ho Inspected
them closely. They appeared to lilin
ouo solid and compact mass of Iron; or
joined, If joined they were, with such
nice art that no mark of division was
perceptible. Again and again ho sur
veyed them, and the floor and the roof,
and that range of visionary windows,
as ho was now almost temped to consid
er them ; ho could discover nothing, ab
solutely nothing to relieve his doubts
or satisfy his curiosity. Sometimes ho
fancied that altogether tho dungeon had
a more contracted appearance that It
looked smaller; but this lie ascribed to
fancy, and tho Impression naturally pro
duced upon his mind by the undeniable
dlsappearauco of the two windows.
With intense anxiety Vivcnzlo look
ed forward to the return of night; and
as it approached ho resolved that no
treacherous sleep should again betray
him. Instead of seeking Ids bed of
straw, lio continued to walk up and
down his dungeon till daylight, strain
ing his eyes in every direction through
the darkness, to watch for any appear
ance that might explain these myste
ries. While thus engaged, and, as nearl v
as lie could Judge (by the time that after
wnrd elapsed before the morning came
in), about two o'clock, there was n slight
tremulous motion of tho floors. He
stopped. The motion lasted nearly a
minute; but it was so extremely gentle
that ho almost doubted whether it was
real or only imaginary. He IMemd.
Not a sound could be heard. Presently,
However, lie felt a rush of cold air blow
upon him; and dashing toward the
quarter whence it seemed lo proceed,
ho stumbled over something which he
judged to be tl'o water ewer. The ruh
of cold air was no longer perceptible;
and as Vi von.io .stretched out Ids hands,
he found himself close to the walls, lie
remained motionless for a considerable
time; but nothing occurred during the
remainder of the night to excite his at
tention, though lio continued to watch
with unabated vigilcnce.
The first approaches of tho morning
wero visible through tho grated win
dow.-, breaking, with faint divisions of
light, the darkness that pervaded every
other part, long before Yivon.io was en
abled to distinguish any object in his
dungeon. Instinctively and fearfully
he turned his eyes, hot and inflamed
with watching, toward them. There
were four ! 1 lo could see only four ; but
it might lie that somo intervening ob
ject prevented the fifth from being per
ceptible; and iio waited impatiently
to ascertain if it were so. As the light
strengthened, however, and penetrated
every corner of the cell, other objects of
amazement struck his sight. On the
ground lay the broken fragments of the
pitcher lie had used the tiny before, and
at a small distance from them, and
nearer tho wall, stood tho one he had
noticed tho flrst night. It was filled
with water, and beside it was his food,
lie was now certain that by somo me
chanical eontrivanco an opening was
obtained through the iron wall, and
that through this opening tho current
of air had found entrance. But how
noiseless! for had a feather almost wav
ed at tho time he must have heard it.
Again lie examined that part of the
wall ; but both to sight and touch it ap
peared ono even and uniform surface,
while to repented and violent blows
there was no reverberating sound indic
ative of hollowuc-s.
This perplexing mystery had for a
time withdrawn his thoughts irom the
windows; but now, directing his eves
toward them, he saw that the fifth had
disappeared in the same manner as the
proceeding two, without tho least distill-
uNhablo alteration of external appear
ances. I no remaining lour looked as
the seven had originally looked, that is,
occupying at Irregular distances tho top
of tho wall on that side of tho dungeon.
The tall folding-door, too, still seemed
to stand beneath, in (he centre of those.
lour, as it nau nrst stood in tho centre
of tho .-even. But lio could no longer
doubt what, on tho preceding day, lie
fancied might bo tho client ot visual de
ception. The dungeon tcm smaller.
The roof had lowered; and theopiiodlo
ends had contracted the intermediate
di-tam o by a space equal, ho thought
to that over which tho three window:
had extended, llo was bewildered In
vain Imaginings to account for the--e
thing!. Somo frightful purposes sonu
dovillsh torture of mind or body, some
unheard ol devices for producing exiiui
sito luisory lurked, hewnsstire, In what
had taken place.
Oppressed with this belief, and dis
tracted moro by tho dreadful uncettain
ty of whatever fato impended than he
could bo dismayed, ho thought, by tho
knowh'dgoof tho worst, hosat ruminat
ing hour after hour, yielding his fears
in succession to every haggard fancy
At last a horrlblo suspicion 11 ished sud
denly acro.-a hi - mind, and ho starkd
up wun a ir.uiue air. vo:" no ex
claimed, looking wildly round ills dun
goon, and shuddering ns Iio siioko;
"ytvs, it must bo so! 1 see it! I feel the
maddening truth like tcuvlilng flames
upon my brain! F.tornul Ood! support
inn! it must hobo! Yes, yea, that is to
be my lato! on roof will descend I
thoio walls will hem mo round, and
slowly, hlowly crush mo in their iron
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, J8GG.
arms! Lord God! look down upon me,
and In mercy strlko mo with Instant
death! Oh, fiend! Oh, devil ! is this
your revenge?"
He dashed himself upon tho ground
In agimy, tears burst from htm, and the
sweat stood In largo drops upon his faco ;
he sobbed aloud, ho tore his hair, ho
rolled alinut like ono suffering intolera
ble anguish of body, and would have
bitten tho Iron lloor beneath him; he
breathed fearful curses upon Toltl, and
ho lay still, weeping as a child would
weep.
Tho twilight of departing day shed its
gloom around him ero lie arose from
that postnro of utter and hopeless sor
row, lie hnd taken no food. Not ono
drop of water had cooled tho fever of
his parched lips. Sleep aid not visited
ids eyes for six and thirty hours. He
was faint with hunger,; weary with
watching, and with the excess of his
emotions. Ho tasted o: Ills food ; he
drank with avidity oftho water, and
reeling, like, a drunken man, to Ids
straw, cast himself upon it to brood
again over thnappallinglmago that had
fastened itself upon ids almost frenzied
thoughts.
He slept, but Ids slumbers were not
tranquil, llo resisted, its long us lie
could, their approach ; and when at last
enfeebled nature yielded to their influ
ence, he found no oblivion from hi.s
cares. Terrible dreams haunted him ;
ghastly visions harrowed up ids imag
ination ; he shouted and screamed as if
he already felt the dungeon's ponderous
roof descending on him; ho breathed
hard and thick, as though writhing be
tween its iron walls. Then would ho
spring tip, staro wildly about. him,
stretch forth Ids hands to bo sure that
lie yet had space enough to live, and
muttering some incoherent words, sink
down again, to pass through tho same
fierce vicissitudes of delirious sleep.
The morning of tho fourth day dawn
ed upon Vivcnzlo ; but it was high noon
before his mind shook oil' its stupor, or
he awoke to a full consciousness of his
situation. And what a fixed energy of
despair sat upon ids pale features as lie
cast his eyes upward and gazed upon
tho three windows that now alone re
mained! The three! there were no
more! and they seemed to number his
own allotted days. Slowly and calmly
he next surveyed the top and sides, and
comprehended all tho meaning of Un
diminished -height of i tho former, as
well as of the giudua! ni-'proxiiiiation
of tho latter. Tho contracted dimen
sions of his mysterious prison were
now too gross and palpable to bo tho
juggle of his heated imagination.
Still lo-t in wonder at tho means, Vl
venzio could put no client upon Ids rea
son as to tho end. By what horrible in-
onulty it was contrived that walls and
root-anil windows should thus silently
mil imperceptibly, without noiso and
without motion, almost fold, as it were,
within each other, he knew not. lie
only knew they did ,-o; and ho Vainly
trove to rack the miserable wretch who
might be immured there with anticipa
tion merely of a fate from which, in the
crisis of ids agony, lio was to lie re
prieved.
Gladly would lie havo clung even to
this po-sibility, if his heart would havo
let him; but lie felt a dreadful assurance
of its fallacy. And what matchless in
humanity it was to doom tho sutlerer
to such lingering torments; to lead him
day by day to so appalling a death, un
supported by the con-olations of reli
gion, unvislted by any human being,
abandoned to himself, deserted of all,
and denied even the sad prlvilego of
knowing that his cruel destiny would
awaken pity! Alone ho was to await a
slow-coining torture, wlm-e most exqui-
ite pangs would bo Inflicted by that
very solitude and that tardy coming.
"It is notdeath I fear," hoexclaimcd,
but the death I must prepare for! ..Mo
thinks, too, 1 could meet even that
ill h'irriblnaud revolting ns it is if it
might overtake me now. But where
shall 1 find fortitude to tarry till it come?
How can I cultivate the three long days
and nights I have to livo; there is no
power within mo to bid the hideoiisspie-
tro henco; none to make it familiar to
my thoughts, or myself patient of its
errand. .My thoughts rather will fleo
from me, and I grow mad in looking at
it. Oil! for a deep sleep to fall upon
mo! That so, in death's likeness, J
might embrace death itself, and drink
no moro of tho cup that is presented to
me tluin my fainting spirit lias already
tasted !"
In tho midst of theso lamentations,
Vlvenzio noticed that ids aecu-tonied
meal, with tho pitcher of water, had
been conveyed, us before, into his dun
geon. But tills circumstance no longer
ccclted his surprNe. His mind was
overwhelmed witli others of a far greater
magnitude. It suggested, however, a
feeblo liopo of deliveranco; and thoro is
no hope so feeble as not to yield somo
support to a heart bending under des
pair, lie resolved to watch, during the
ensuing night, for the signs lio had be
fore observed, and should ho again feel
tho gentle, tremulous ''motion of tho
floor, or tho current of air, to seize that
moment for giving atidlblo expression
to his mUery. Somo person must bo
near him, nnd within reach of his voice,
at mo instant wnen nis toon was sup
plied; somo one, perhaps, susceptlblo
of pity. Or, If not, to bo told oven that
his apprehensions woro just, and that
his fato was lo lio what ho foreboded,
would bo proferabloto n suspenses hlcJi
hung upon tho posrlbllity of his wortt
fears being visionary
The night came, and as the hour ap-
'.preached when Vivcnzlo imagined he
might expect tho signs, 0 stood fixed
and silent as a statu j. lie feared to
breathe, almost, lest he might lose any
sound which would warn him of their
coming. While thus listening, with
every faculty of mind and body strain
ed to nn agony of attention, it occured
to him ho should bo more sensible of the
motion, probably, if iio stretched him
self along thulron lloor. He according
ly laid himself softly down, and luyl
not been long in that position when yes
ho was certain of it the lloor moved
under him I Ho spranj up, and in n
voice suffocated nearly with emotion,
called aloud. Ho paused tho motion
censed lie felt no stream of air all was
hushed no voico answered to his ho
burst into tears ; nnd as ho sunk to tho
ground, In renewed anguish, exclaimed,
"Oil, my flodl my Clod I You alone
havo power to save menow, or strength
en me for the trial you permit."
Another morning dawned upon tho
wretched captive, and the fatal index of
ills doom met ids eyes. Two windows !
and lien days and all would be over!
Fre-ii food fresh water! The mysteri
ous visit had been paid, though he had
Implored It in vain. Hut how awfully
was his prayer answered in what lie
now saw! The roof of the dungeon was
within a foot of Ids head. The two ends
were so near that in six paces ho trod
thospace between them. Vlvenzio shud
dered as he gazed, and as his steps trav
ersed tho narrow area ; but his feelings
no longer vented themselves in frantic
wailings. With folded arms and clench
ed teeth ; with eyes that wero blood
shot with much watching, and fixed
with a vacant glare upon the ground;
with a hard, quick breathing, and a
hurried walk he strode backward and
forward in silent musing for several
hours. What mind shall conceive, what
tongue utter, or what pen describe the
dark and terrlblo character of his
thoughts? Like the fato that moulded
them, they had no similitude in the wide
range of this world's agony for man.
Suddenly he stopped, nnd his eyes were
riveted upon that part of tho wall which
was over his bed of straw. Words are
inscribed there! A human language,
trai 'd by a human hand! llo rushed
toward them; but his blood freezes as
he reads :
" 1, Ludovico Sfor;;a, templed by the
gold of the Prime of Tolfl, spent llnvi
years in contriving and executing this
accuised triumph of my art. When it
was completed, the perfidious Tolfl.
more devil than man, who conducted
me hither one morning to be witness, as
lie said, of its perfection, doomed m
to lie the victim of my own pernicious
skill; lest, as lio declared, 1 should di
vulge tho secret, or repeat the effort of
my ingenuity. May Ood pardon him,
as 1 hope I ie will me, that ministered to
Ids unhallowed purposes. Miserable
wretch, whoever thou art, that readejt
these Iiue.s,fallon thy knees, and invoke,
as 1 have done, Ills su-taiuing mercy
who alone can nerve thee to meet tho
vengeance of Tolfl, armed with this tre
mendous engine which, in a few hours,
must crush you, as it will the needy
wretch who made it."
A deep groan burst from Vivcnzlo.
He stood, like ono transfixed, with di
laled eyes, expanded nostrils, nnd quiv
ering lips, gazing at this fatal inscrip
tion. It was as if a voico from a sepul
chre had sounded in his ears, "Pre
pare." Ilopo forsook him. There was
Ids sentence, recorded in those dismal
words. The future stood unveiled be
fore him, ghastly ind appalling. His
brain already feels the descending hor
ror; his bones seem to crack and crum
ble in the mighty grasp of the iron
walls! Unknowing what it is lie dues,
he fumbles in his garment for some
weapon of si'll'-ili'struclion. 1 le clench
es his throat in ids convulsive gripe, as
though he would strangle himself at
once. He stares upon the walls; and
his warring spirit demands, " Will they
n t anticipate their oillce if I d.i-h my
head against them?" An hysterical
laugh chokes him as he exclaims, " Why
should I? Ho was but it man who died
first in their fierce embrace; and I
should bo less than man not to do as
much !"
I'he evening sun was descending, and
Vlvenzio beheld its golden beams
through ono of the windows. Wind a
thrill of Joy shot through his soul at the
lght! It was a precious link that unit
ed him, for tho moment, with the world
beyond. There was ecatacy in the
thought.
As ho gazed, long and earnestly, it
seemed as if tho windows hail lowered
sufficient for him to reach them. With
one bound lio was beneath them; with
ono wild spring he clung to tho bars.
Whether it was so contrived purposely
to madden with delight tho wretch who
looked, ho knew not; but, at tho ex
tremlty of a long vista cut through the
soli 1 rocks, thoocean, thoky,theeetUug
sun, tho olive groves, shady walks, and,
In tliofarthe-t distance, delicious gl Imps
o.s of magnificent Sicily, burst upon hi-
sights .How exquisite .wai. thy tu4
breeze as it swept across ids cheek, load
ed with fragrance! lie inhaled it as
though It wero tho breath of contin
ued life. And there was a freshness in
the landscape, and in tho rippling of tho
calm, green sea, that fell upon hi.s with
ering heart like dew upon tho parched
earth. How ho gazed, and panted, and
still clung lo Ids hold ; sometimes hang
ing by one huud.somotlines by tho other,
and then grasping tho bars with both,
as loth to quit tho smiling paradise out
stretched before hint ; till, exhausted,
and his hand- swollen and benumbed,
PIUCE FIVE CUNTS.
ho dropped helpless down, and lay for a
considerable tiino stunned by the fall.
v hen ho recovered tho gloiiotis vis
ion had vanished. Ho was in-darkness.
Ho doubted whether It wns not a dream
that had passed before his sleeping fan-
y; liul gradually ldsscattered thought'
returned, and with them eamo remem-
irauce. Yes! he had looked once agaii.
ipon the gorgeous sptei'.dor of nature!
Jnco again his eyes had trembled be
leath their veiled lids at the sun's radl
uice, and sought repute In the soft ver
dure of tho olive free or (ho gentle swell
of undulating waves. Oh, that he were
a mariner, exposed upon tlio-o waves
to the worst fury of storm and tempest,
or it very wretch, loathsome with dis
ease, pluguo stricken, nnd Ills body one
leprous confaglou front crown to sole,
hunted forth to gasp out the remnant or
infectious lifo beneath tho-e verdant
trees, so he might shun the destiny upon
whose edge lie tottered I
Vain thoughts like these would steal
over hi.s mind from time to time, in
spite of himself; but they sen reel v
moved it from that stupor into which1
it had sunk', and which kept him, during
the whole night, like one who had been
drugged with opium. He was equally
Insensible to the calls of hunger nnd of
thirst, though the third day was now
commencing since oven a drop of water
had passed his lips. He remained on
tho ground, sometimes silting, some
times lying ; at intervals sleeping heav
ily, and when not sleeping, silently
brooding over what was to come, or
talking aloud, in disordered speech, of
his wrongs, of his friends, of his home,
and of those ho loved, with a confused
mingling of all.
In this pitiable condition tho sixth
and last morning dawned upon Vlven
zio, if dawn it might be called the
ili in, obscure light which faintly strug-'
led through the one solitary window
of ids dungeon. He could hardlv be
said to notice the melancholy token.
And yet he did notice it ; for, as lie mis,
ed his eyes and saw tho portentous
sign, there was a slight convulsive dis
tortion of ids countenance. But w hat
did attract his notice, and at the sight
of whii'h his agitation was excessive,
was the change the iron bed had under
goii". It wa a bed no longer, it stood
heforo him the visible semblance of a
funeral couch or bier! When he lie
held this he .'farted from the ground,
and in raising him-elf suddenly struck
his head airnitist the roof, which was
now so low that he could no longer
stand upright. "God's will lie done!"
was all lie said, as he crouched his body
and placed his hand up m the bier, for
such it was. Tho iron bedstead had
b'-en so contrived, by tho mechanical
art of liiidovico Sforza, that, as the ad
vancing walls came in contact with its
head and feet, a pro-sure was produced
upon concealed springs, which, when
made to play, set in motion a very sim
plo though ingeniously contrived ma
chinery that affected the transformation.
The object was, of course, to heighten,
in tho closing scene of this horrible
drama, nil tho feelings of despair and
inguish which the preceding ones had
irouscd. For the samo reason the last
window was so made as to admit only a
shadowy kind of gloom rather than
light, that tho wretched captive might
bo surrounded, as it were, with every
seeming preparation for approaching
death.
Vlvenzio seal: d himself on Ids bier,
riicn he knelt and prayed fervently;
and sometimes tears would gush from
him. The air seemed thick, and ho
breathed with difficulty; or it might be
that ho fancied that it was so, from tho
hot and narrow limits of his dungeon,
which were now po diminished that he
could neither stand up nor lio down at
his full length. But ids wa-ted spirits
and oppressed mind no longer struggled
with him. He was paL-t hope, and fear
shook him no more. Happy if thus re
venge had struck its final blow; for lie
would havo fallen beneath it almost un
conscious of n pang. But such a lethar-
y of tho soul, after such an excitement
of its fiercest passions, had entered into
tho diabolical calculations of Tolfl ; and
tho fell artificer of his designs baa im
iigined a counteracting device.
Tlie tolling of an enormous bellstrucl;
upon the ears of Vlvenzio I Ho started
It beat but once. Tho sound was so
close and .stunning that it seemed to
shatter ids very brain, while it echoed
through the rocky pasage like rever
berating peals of thunder. This was fol
lowed by a sudden crash of tho roof and
walls, as if they were about to fall upon
and clo-e around him at once. Vlvenzio
screamed, and Instinctively spread forth
his arms, as though ho had u giant
strength to hold them back. They had
moved nearer to him, and wero now
motionless. Vivcnzlo looked up, and
saw the roof almost touching Ids head,
even as lie sat ittweriug beneath it ; and
lie felt thata farther contraction of but
a few hiAfPonly must commence the
frightfuli operation. Housed UgJlio had
been, ho now- gtl-pcd for breath. His
Jioilx. shook violently ho was nearly
bent double. His hands rested upon
either wall, and ids feet were drawn
under him to avoid the prceaiiro in
front. Thus ho remaliad for mure than
an hour, when that deafening bell beat
again, and again there eamo tho crash
of horrid death. But tho concussion
was now so great that it struck Vlven
zio down. As ho lay gathered up in
losfcnod bulk tho bell beat loud and fre
quent, crash succeeded crash ; ami on
and on eamo tho mysterious engine of
death, till Vivenzio's smothered groans
were heard tin in in ! lb- was liornbix
V-ff 1 II- "
tow of (U'fili.'iinrJ.
VineqSnr?,orle or three liiwrtlons $1 60
ilnchsutiquViil nm rtlon Km tlmu tlihtcMi.
me Square one Month '.. .,.. 2 00
T.i " " 3 (o
Three " " , j w
fmr " ' " o 00
Itnlf odiunii " lo oo
Ono column " ...-.., lj 00
UMsmtiir's nml Admltillmtorfl Suttc. it (,
AWIlWs Wtttft., ' . 2 m
IMllurlnl JfotleeslwrtiiprVnts'iK;? line.
Other ndvritleiilentlnei led aeeordlng tospc
rlaleonlrsctr
i n- licit oy the poncd'oiis rooliitidcollaps
ng sides ; nnd tho flattened bier was
'lis Jron Nhroml,
PUZ2LES IN ANCIENT PHILOSO
PHY. Amonvi other fatuous undent dialec
tic problems mo the following dliem
iiiis, which nro framed with wonderful
Ingenuity, the actiteness displayed In
their construction being probably un
surpassed. Tho f ' is called Sjlloits--HIM
CrvmdiiiK, and n...y be thus stated:
An infant, while playing on tho bank
if n river, was seized by a crocodile.
The mother, hearing Its cries, rushed to
its assistance, nnd by her tearful en
treaties obtained a promise from tho
rocodlle (who was obviously of tho
highest intelligence) that lie would glvo
It her back iPsho would tell him truly
what would happen to It. On this tho
mother (perhaps rashly ) as-erted, " lroi
will not hr it htirh," Tho crocodllo'
mswers to this: "if you havo spoken
truly I cannot give back the child with
out destroying the truth of your asser
tion; if you have spoken faKely, I can
not glvo lijiek the child, because you
have not fulfilled the agreement : there
fore 1 cannot give it back", whether you
have spoken truly or falsely." Tho
mother retorted: "If I havo spoken
truly, you must give back the child by
virtue of your agreement; if I havo
spoken fal-cly, that can only bo when
you have given back tho child ; so tliat,
whetherl have spoken truly or falsely,
the child must be given back." History
is silent as to the issue of this remarka
ble dispute.
Of a similar nature is tho other ex-
amplo above mentioned, which is even
miro acutely stated. A young man
named Kuuthlus received lessons in
riiclorlcfront Protagoras, it being agreed
that a certain fee should be paid if tho
pupil was successful in tho first eauso
lie pleaded. Kunthltw, however, neg
lected to undertake any cause, and Pro
tagoras, in order to obtain his fee, was
compelled to sue him. F.ualhlus de
fuidod himself in the court, and it was
consequently the young nan's first
-uit. The master argued thus : " If 1
be succes-ful in lids cause, O Kutlialus,
you will bo compelled to pay, by virtue
of the sentence of these righteous Judges;
and should I even be ttnsucce-sful, you
will then have to pay me in fulfilment
of your original contract." To this tho
apt pupil replied i " If 1 ! Mice-AWful,
O master, I shall be free by tho sen
tence of those Judges; and If I bo un
successful, I shall bo free by virtue of
tho contract." The story states that
such convincing arguments, thus dia
metrically nppocd, completely stag
gered tho judges, who, being quite un
able to decide, postponed the Judgment
sine die. Chambers' s Journal.
A BABY SAVED BY A DOG.
ItinTT.Ntxd from a visit lo New Or
leans, we were fortunate enough to se
cure a pasago in a steamboat with but
few passengers. Among tho ladies, ono
especially in terep ted us. SIio was tho
widow of a wealthy planter, nnd was
returning with one only child to her
father's home. Her devotion to tho
child was very touching, and tho eyes
of her old black nurso would fill with
tears as she bc-otight her mistress " not
to love that boy too much or tho Lord
would take him away from her."
We parsed through tho canal nt hou
svi , and stopped for a few minutes
at the wharf, when tho nurse, wishing
to sou tho city, w alked out on tho guard
at tho back of the boat, where, by a sud
den effort, tho child sprung from her
aims into the terrible current that swept
toward tho falls, and disappeared im
mediately. Tho confusion which en
sued attracted the attention of a gen
tleman who w as in the front part of tho
boat quietly reading. Bising hastily lu
asked for some article the child had
worn. The nurso handed him a tiny
apron she had torn off in her effort to
retain the child in her arms. Turning
to a splendid Newfoundland dog that
was eagerly watching Ids countenance,
ho pointed first to tho npron, nnd then
to the spot whero the child had gono
under.
In an instant tho noblo dog leaped
into the rushing water, and ho also dis
appeared. By tills timo tho excite
ment was Intense, and somo person on
shore, supposing tho dog was lost as
well as the child, procured a boat and
started otf in .search of tho body. Just
at this time the dog was seen far away
with something in his mouth. Bravely
lie struggled with tho waves; but it
Was e ident that hi.s strength was fast
failing, and moro than ono breast gavo
a sigh of relief and the boat reached him
and It was announced that ho saved tho
child, and it was still alive. They wero
brought to tho shore tho dog and tho
child, tiiviuga glaiij'o to satisfy her
self that the child yas le.illy living,
the young mother rushed forward, and
.sinking beside tho dog, throw her arms
around his neck and buret Into tears.
Not many could view tho sight un
moved, nnd as sho caressed nnd kissed
his shaggy head, she looked up to its
owner and said "oh, sir, I must havo
this dog! 1 am rich; tako till 1 have,
everything, but glvo mo my child's
preserver!" Tho gentleman smiled,
and patting hi.s dog's head, said "I
am very glad ho ha been of service to
you; but nothing could induce mo to
part with him."
" How is coal this morning, ?'said a
man in u coal-yard to an lrinlimau,
' Black as Iver, oejabirs," said Pat,