The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-03-22
ID / O n
Il H E S I B Y l. S
Il CLASSIC, CHRISTIAN NOVEL,,
MILES GERALD KEON,
Author of Harding the Money Spinner" etc.
Il CLASSIC, CHRISTIAN NOVEL,
From the Catholic World

(Continued.)
| Our hero conceived some underlined misgiv
ing from these words, rather from the tone
perhaps, in which the project had uttered
| them. Unable to question the speaker, hi
| slowly returned to poor little Bengna, and
said, Well, Benigna, have ascertained what
yon have to do; and, first of all, Claudius
expects you within"
AS he spoke, he knocked at the door. This
time only one leaf of it was opened, and q
slave, standing in the aperture and scanning
Paulus and his companion, demanded their
business; while the sentries on either hand at
the sculptured pillars of the porch, looked and
listened superciliously.
" Is the secretary-slave Claudius here r.
| asked the youth.
Before the porter could reply steps and
voices resounded in the hall within, and the
porter spraDg out of the way, hinging almost
into Paulus's face the other leaf of tho door
and bowling low. Three gentlemen, two OF
whom apparently were halfdrunk, their faces
flushed, and their arms linked together, APP
peared staggering upon the threshold, where
they stood awhile to steady themselves before
emerging into the street.
az tell you, my Pomponius Flaccus," said he
who was in the middle-a portly man, with a
good-natured, shrewd, tipsy look" it is all q
pretty continuance, and there will be no
slaughter, for the beast is to be muzzled."
"And tell you, my Lucius Piso," returned
he on the left, why drinker, "my governor
of Rome, my dedicatee of Horace"
81 am not the dedicatee of Horace" inter
rupted the other; "pooR Horace dedicated the
art-poetical to my two sons"
Glow could he do that ~ broke in Pompo-
MUS. "You sec double. Two sons, indeed !!
How many sons have your tell me that
Again, how could one man dedicate single
work to double person answer me that
You know nothing whatever about poetry,
except in SO far as it is fiction but we don't
want fiction in these matters. We want facts;
and it is q fact-a solemn fact-that the slave
will be devoured"
al hold it to be merely q pleasant fiction"
retorted Piso fercely.
"Then appeal to Thrasyllus here" rejoined
the.other. 40 thou Babylonian seer! will not
Claudius the slave be devoured in the circus
before the assembled people 7"
At these words our hero looked at Benigna,
and Benigna at Inn, and she was astounded.
He who was just questionable man of
CHASTITY face, with long, black hair hanging
down to his shoulders, and sunken, wistful,
melancholy eyes-wore an Asiatc dress. He
was not intoxicated, and seemed to have fallen
by chance into his present companionship,
from which he appeared eager to disengage
himself.
Gently shaking off the vague hand of Pompo
MUS F1accus, he acted the oracles did.
"You are certainly right" he said but he
glanced at Lucus Piso while speaking, aud
then stepped quickly into the street, which he
crossed.
Each of the disputants naturally deemed
the point to have been decided in his own
favor.
You hear p cried Flaccus; "the horse is
to paw him to death, and then to devour him
alive"
Glow can he :" said Piso. "How can he,
after d--d-death, devour him alive Besides,
Thrasyllus declared that was right"
why" shouted Flaccus, if we had not
been drinking together all the morning,
should think you had lost your Senses"
p" Not by any MEANS" said Piso "and will
prove to you by logic that Claudius the slave"
(again at this name our hero and poor little
Rsnigua locked ct each OtheE-shs starting and