The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-01-20
DEATH OF CLEOPATRA, QUEEN
OF EGYPT.

OE EG II.
cleopatra was celebrated for beauty and cum
ring. She had an intrigue with Julius Caesar, and
afterwards with Mark Antony-vho married her,
forgetful of his coanexion with Octsvia the sister
of augustus This behavior produced rupture
between Antony and Augustus, which resulted in
the defeat and death of the former We extract
from the American Monthly Magazine brief
Of the unhappy death Of the beautiful queen,
hearing Of the defeat and disgrace Of her sdored
Antony, whose body was brought to her palace
with the sad news She destroyed herself with
the bite of asq-and her maids who attended
her person, also committed SUEDE on the same
| occasion with their beloved mistress.l
Shortly after the arrival of the sad
news of Antony's defeat, came the
bearers of his corpse. But Cleopatra
was not moved. Her hands were fold
ed in her lap, the fingers unconsciously
playing with chain of mingled
strands of golden thresd and hair of a
dark auburn hue. Her face was very
Geld and pale, almost stern in its pas
sionless rigidity-the eye was cast
downwards, immovably riveted upon
the countenance Of the mighty dead
but from ihe long dark lashes t..erc
hung 10 teGr-all was composed, silent,
self-restraibed grief; an occasional
shiyer crept, as it were, electrically
through her entire frame, and now and
then her lipsmoyed. as though she were
communing with some viewless form,
but beyond fIis there was no motion
and no sound. At a distance beyond
from the miserable mistress sat group
of women, attired most gorgeOusly,
but their sad and cIonded aspects offer
ing fearful contrast to their sumptu-
Gus garments; near them, and OH & ta-
bic of the richest porphyry, uegligently
streWn with instrumcnts-the Grccian
lutte, the Egyptian systrum, and the
Italian pipe, with jewelled tisras, per-
fumes and cosmetics, and all the luxu-
ries of regal toilet. drinking cups Of
agate and TASKS of fcrystal-there stood
plain and country looking basket,
woven of the slender reeds that grew
beside Lake MGris, filled with the dark
and glossy leaves and purple fruit of
the fig tree. To 4 casual observer it
might have seemed that there was
nothing i'll the position or contents OF
that basket but the simple offering of
some grateful rustic to the palate of his
queen; but on nearer view there
might be seen on the foliage, long, sll-
my trails, twiniug hither and thither,
rs if left by the passage of some l0ath
some reptile. At times, too, there was
a light rustling sound, a motion Of the
leaves, not waving regularly as if sha-
ken by the breeze, but heaving up at
intervals from the life-strugglcs Of
something lurking beneath; and now a
scaly back, small black head, with
eyes glowing like sparks Of fire, and az
arrowy tongue, quivering and darting
about like lambcnt fame-it was the
deadly aspic of the Nile, the most fatsl,
the most desperately venomous of all
the serpents of Africa. Deeply, fear
/ fully skilled in the dark secrets of poi
| sOning and incantation, the wife and
sister of the Ptolemies hsd chosen this
abhorred mode of avenging the wrongs
Of Antony-of battling cool, malignant
hate of the little minded man whom
ROme's adulati0n had even then begun
10 style the AUGUST. Already had the
news been conveyed to her the stun
ming news that, save the name, she was
no more queen-but the rumOr had
fallen on deaf and nn,egarding ear.
After the first burbt of agony was over
when the self-immolatei victim was
borne to her in place of the burning,
feeling, living lover-she had caused
those hated reptiles to be conveyed TO
the tomb, which she had entered, while
yet alive, in the very recklessness OF
dissimulatiOn and caprice; she had ap-
piled them to her delicate bosom, and a
thrill of triumphant ecstacy ran thro'
her frame as she felt the keen ang OF
their venomed fangs piercing her flesh
and lmbuing the very sources of life
with the ingredients Of death.
And now she sat in patient expecta-
ton, brooding over the ruin she had
wrought; calmly awaiting the agony
that she well knew must convulse heI
limbs and distort her features from
their calm serenity-while her attend
ant maidens, with strange and unac
countable devotion, had heedlcssly fol.
lowed the example of her whom they
were determined TO accompany faith.
fully, not merely to the portals of the
tomb, but in the dark regions of futuri
t ty. Soon, however, the Ivretched girl;
rcpented their rashness, yet, repressing
their own anguish, lest It's expression
should augment that of her for whom
they had cast fife away, and for whom
even now, while the love Of earth wa
uppeImost in all their feelings, they fel
that they should cast Il away again