FEVER, FEAR, AND TROUBLED SLEEP
The next thing Tony knew, he was in ancient Pompeii. He was in the
buried city before it had been buried!
"How could this be?" you ask. "A person cannot live in the past!"
Ah, but Tony had arrived upon a queer ship. The name of the ship was
_Fever, Fear, and Troubled Sleep_.
Tony really and truly lay upon the ground dreaming. He lay where he had
fallen when we last left him. But, in his dream, he was in old Pompeii.
Old Pompeii appeared to him just as Anna's father and the guide had
told about it.
Tony believed that he lay in a corner of the Forum, the main square of
the town. It was night, and a group of beggars slept beside him. Tina
cuddled snugly in his arms.
All about him slumbered Pompeii with the smoke from Vesuvius curling
above in the black sky.
Tony looked up at the fire-mountain and, all at once, his heart seemed
to stand still. Why, that volcano was going to destroy Pompeii! It was
written in books of history! Everyone in the modern world knew it!
But here nobody knew it. How could they? They were ancient people. He
was living in the past. Tony, the beggar boy, was the only one who knew!
He must tell them!
He stood up. He saw those beautiful homes and gardens he had heard so
much about. Tomorrow they would be in ruins!
Tomorrow? How did he know that the end would come tomorrow? Tony could
not explain. But he did know. Dreams are like that.
[Illustration: OLD OLIVE OIL MILL: POMPEII]
He woke the beggars. He warned them of the coming terror. Frantically
he tried to explain to them the danger of what was about to happen.
"Vesuvius will erupt and destroy Pompeii," he said.
[Illustration: POMPEII]
But the beggars laughed at him.
"Stuff!" said one.
"Liar!" cried another.
Then they went back to sleep.
"You must believe me," cried poor Tony. "Run away before it is too late!"
"Stop your silly talk," said one of the beggars. "If you do not let us
sleep, we shall have you arrested as a mad sorcerer!"
Tony stole away with Tina under his arm. There was only one thing for
him to do. He must wake the town.
Soon dawn would come. Then the mountain would begin to shoot flames and
the whole city would rock.
He knocked at doors and tried to arouse the people. But angry, sleepy
voices told him to go away. Nobody would believe him.
Tony began to wonder whether anyone would ever believe him again. He had
lied so often. And now he was a thief besides!
He thought of little Anna. He had lied to her and he had stolen her pet.
He would be punished by the fire-mountain for all his wickedness!
[Illustration: SORRENTO
_Photo by Courtesy of Italian Tourist Information Office_]
But he and everyone else in Pompeii could still be saved if they would
only listen to him.
He began to cry out in the streets and to run back and forth. A young
Paul Revere!
"Awake! Awake! Vesuvius will erupt today! Pompeii will be buried! Run
and save yourselves!" he cried.
"Go home to bed, stupid boy!" growled the people.
But Tony would not go. He screamed louder and louder.
"To jail with him," said someone. "He must have an evil spirit!"
So poor Tony and his dream were thrown into jail in ancient Pompeii.
Morning came. Over the top of the volcano hung a dark cloud. The leaden
sky frowned down. Tony kicked at the bars of the jail. He screamed. He
pleaded. He cried.
"Quiet, foolish child," said one of the prison guards. "If you keep
your peace, you will be free tomorrow."
"There will be no tomorrow!" wailed poor Tony. "Oh, believe me and let
us all run! Run from Pompeii!"
"Ha! Ha!" laughed the guard. "You are only a lying little beggar! Nobody
believes lying little beggars!"
"But I am telling the truth!" insisted poor Tony. "I am! I am! You must
believe me!"
But it was useless.
As time went on the black cloud grew larger. Suddenly, a great rumbling
started. An immense wall of fire-red stones came crashing down the
mountain, destroying everything in its path.
The city was plunged into darkness. People began screaming and running
from their houses. Everything rocked back and forth.
"Let me out!" cried Tony. "Oh, save me! Madonna mia, never again will
I lie or steal! Oh, never! Save me! Save me!"
He held Tina tightly. She wriggled and tried to break away. All at
once she began to squeal. He had never heard a dog squeal like that!
Stones came hurtling against the prison wall. Some entered through the
bars and hit Tony in the face. He closed his eyes. He put up his arm
to ward them off.
Then the roar of the mountain ceased and the quaking of the earth
stopped. But that strange squealing went right on. A few small pebbles
still came flying.
He opened his eyes. The sun was shining. The sky was blue overhead.
Grey ruins lay all about him. Old, old ruins! Tony was in the modern
world. He had awakened from his dream!
But what was that something squirming to break away from him? It was
not Tina. It felt fat and slippery and.... He looked.
He was holding, by one leg, a frisky, pink pig! Its piteous shrieks
filled the silent, ruined city of Pompeii.
Where was Tina?
Just then, a shower of stones from a near-by wall hit him. He turned.
There was Tina, standing upon the wall, digging with her two busy,
front paws. She was scattering ruined Pompeii in Tony's eyes as fast as
she could scatter!
He freed the pink pig. It hurried off to its neighboring farm, a wiser
but sadder pig. It would never again go sight-seeing!
"Here, Tina!" he called.
She stopped her morning's work. She looked at her master.
"Good-morning," wagged her tail.
She jumped down into his arms and started to lick his cheek.
"Oh, Tina, Tina," he sighed, as he hugged her close. "All this time I
have been asleep! I have been dreaming about old Pompeii! It was not
true. It was a dream. Dio mio, how happy I am!"