Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-05-08
The Sturp Teller:
A DAUGHTER OF BABYLON.

angry voice and his daughter vainly strove
to check her sobs, in order that she might
answer him; for the tears of maidens fell as
easily then as now, and young hearts were
as soft, and old heads as full of plans for
worldly gain and as forgetful of the power
of love as in the year of our Lord 1884; !;
though the scene was Babylon and the time
was five hundred years before the infant Je-
sus opened his eyes in the manger at Beth
lehem.
"Althea! Althea ~ called Beleses again !;
and Althea drew the veil of silver tissue
across her face, and entered the presence
of her father.
She stood before him, her willowy figure
clad in rich stuff, her face family outlined
beneath her veil, the dusky plaits of her
long hair reaching nearly to her knees, and
with bent head made him reverence as a
girl always makes to her father. But she
could not speak; sobs still chOked her voice.
Belises looked at her with mingled emo
tions. She was lovely as dream, graceful
as willow branch; but she had resisted his
command opposed herself to his will. He
stretched out s'hand in parental caress,
but ere he touched her, anger overcame af-
fection and he struck her, though lightly,
on the shoulder.
"Again dropping headn' he cried.
"Again weeping eye? Again an air as
though I had given command that thou
shoulds't be put to death, instead of order
ing all things we'll for thee? Why, girl,
thou art seventeen, and unwed! In year
or two thy beauty will fade, Thou wilt be
a maiden in the house of thy father and a
reproach to thy parents. And Arbaces is a
man of might and rich beyond compare.
Thou wilt have slaves, and jewels, and
honor Go to thy mother, girl, and tell
her thou has listened to my words, and
bid her see that the robes are of the
finest and richest stuff. 1 grudge nothing
when give my daughter to Arbaces, for
he will be a son to be proud of, a fitting
spouse tor thee, and must wed him."
But Althea at this uttered a little scream.
"Father," she cried, 81 will never marry
Arbaces. Rather will take my own life.
look upon, but he is nothing to me. Fa-
ther, love Balinea, and shame would be
my portion should l we'd one man while |
loved another. And my Balinea would
die-he has told me so. Father, have pity
on men
Butthe old man only laughed sarcastically.
''Thy Belina would die?" he answered
"The prate of fortune hunter, who has
made silly girl believe that he loves her.
For the sake of this Belinea who has neither
money nor the esteem of men-nothing but
Glle vi q WOllldll dilu lllc gnu VI SOuS
which he shares with the wild Birds thou
hast refused to wed more good men than
can now recall by name. This time Twill
be obeyed. 1 will consult an oracle as to
the day of thy wedding, and on that day
thou shalt become the wife of Arbaces."
mot while there is poison in Babylon,
or a river about its wallis" said Althea. 81
will live unwed rather than disobey my
father, but will be the wife of no one but
Belinea."
She spoke as only those speak who have
father listend with an angry comprehension
of the fact.
"Thou canst be resOlute, Althea," said he,
"but so can L. Mark me, for what l say
shall be so. If by to-morrow's dawn thou
dost repeat what thou hast but just uttered,
1 will send thee this year to the auction of
maidens, and there thou wilt be sOld-thou,
the loveliest maiden to-day in Babylon, to
whose bids for thee. Thou wilt bring a
fine price-a portion for some ugly or de-
formed woman who has no woOers; for at
this auction of maidens, wisely instituted
that the women of Babylon should all have
husbands, while for beauties rich men pay
great sums, poor ones receive money to take
to wife uncomely creatures, and so become
rich. Thy Belinea may 60 thither if he
pleases and bid for the hunchbacked Gissa.
He would gain fortune so; but he will not
be able to bid for thee; his purse is too short
for that"
"Father! Father!" screamed Althea.
But old Beleses flung her from him as
she clung to him, and left her lying pros
trate on the floor. Sobbing and weeping
she crouched there until day faded and
twilight fell. Then female slave, bearing
silver lamp, entered the room, ushering
in Althea's mother, Nasara, who, much
alarmed, had been searching everywhere
for her child. She bent over the weeping
girl, lifted her up in her own chamber.
There, among the silken pillows, she sooth-
ed her to rest, and to dreams of love and
Belinea. But Nasara had no power to in
duce her husband to forgive this beautiful
daughter, or to give her with suitable
dOwry to the man she loved.
Time passed on and brought the day of
the year on which the auction of maidens
was held in Babylon in those days. There
were fifteen maidens to be sold to the high
est bidder that day, and a great concourse
had gathered in the open space devoted to
that purpose, not only those who wanted to
pay for lovely wives or receive much need
ed money with unprepossessing ones were
there, but many came from curiosity; and
through the crowd went the whisper that,
in his anger, Beleses, one of the best known
citizens of Babylon. had sent his only
daughter, the marvellous beauty, Althea, to
be sold to those who wanted her for wife.
Girls who were pretty and girls who were
not sat together on a long stone bench, close
ly yelled and utterly silent. The auctioneer