The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-02-11
A DAUGHTER OF BABYLON.

der that she might answer him; for the
tears of maidens fell as easily then as
new, and young hearts were as soft,
and old heads as full of plans for world
" gain and as forgetful of the power
Of love, as in this year of our Lord
1884; though the scene was Babylon,
and the time Eve hundred years before
the infant Jesus opened his eyes in the
manger at Bethlehem.
"Altheal Altheai' called Beleses
again; and Althea drew the veil of sill
YER 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 to her
knees, and with bent head made him
the reverence girl always made to
her father. But she could not speak;
Sobs still choked her voice.
Beleses looked at her with mingled
emotions. She was lovely as dream,
graceful as q willow branch; but she
had resisted his command, opposed
herself to his will. He stretched out
his hand in parental caress, but ere
he touched her, anger overcome affec-
ton, and he struck her. though lightly,
upon the shoulder.
again a dropping heads" he cried.
again weeping eye? Again an air
as though / had given command that
thou should'st be put to death, instead
Of ordering all things well for thee?
Why, girl, thou art seventeen, and I'M
wedI In year or two thy beauty win
a. Ia L. Al
house of thy father and a reproach to
thy parents And Arbaces is man of
might, and rich beyond compare Thou
wilt have slaves, and jewels, and hon.
or. Go to thy mother, girl, and tell
her thou hast listened to my words,
and bid her see that thy robes are of
she finest and richest stuff. l grudge
nothing when give my daughter to
Arbacss, for he will be son to be
proud OF, fitting spouse for thee, and
thou must wed him."
But Althea at this uttered little
scream.
Father" she cried, II will never
marry Arbaces. Rather will take my
own life. Arbaces is rich and powerful
and not i'll to look upon, but he is moth
ing to me. Father, love Balinea, and
shame would be my portion should /
wed one man while 1 loved another
And my Balinea would die-he has told
me 50. Father. have pity on me!''
But the old man only laughed ssr-
castically.
''Thy BelineA would die?" he an
swered The pirate of fortune hun
ter, 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 the
faee Of q woman aid THE gift gift 6e f song,
which he shares with the wild birds,
thou hast refused to wed more good
men than / can now recall by name.
This time ! will be obeyed. / will con-
suit an oracle as to the day of thy we'd
ding, and on that day thou shalt be-
come the wife of Arbaees.
mot while there is poison in Baby
Ion, or river about its walls, said
Althea. II 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 formed unalterable resolutions,
and her father listened with an angry
comprehension Of the fact
Thou canst be resolute, Althea,
said he, ''but SO can L Mark me, for
what say shall be so. If by to-mor-
rows dawn thou dost repeat what thou
hast but just uttered, will send thee
this year to the auction of maidens, and
there thou wilt be sold-thou, the love-
lest maiden to-day in Babylon, TO who
~
fine price--a portion for some ugly or
deformed 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 un-
comedy creatures, and so become rich.
Thy Belinea may go thither if he pleas
es 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"
'.Fatherl Father!'' screamed Althea.
But old Beleses flung her from him
an she chung to him, and left her lying
PROSTATE on the floor. Sobbing and
weeping she crouched there until day
faded and twilight fell Then female
slave, bearing a 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 weering girl, lifted
her up in her arms, and bore her away
to her own chamber There, among
the silken pillows, she soothed her to
rest, and to dreams of love and Belinea.
But Mascara had no power to induce
her husband to forgive this beautiful
daughter, or to give her with a suita-
BILE dowTy 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 highest bidder that
day, and o great concourse had gath
cred In the open space devoted to that
purpose, not only those who wanted to
pay for lovely wives or receive much
needed 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 Baby
Ion, had sent his only daughter, the
marvellous beauty, Althea, to be sold
TO whose wanted her for wife.
Girls who were pretty and girls who
were not sat together on a long stone
bench. closely yelled and utterly silent.
The auctioneer walked about with an
air Of Importance. Anxious parents
whispered to their children. An old
man with long white beard chuckled
% himself over bag Of gold. A poor
man whose necessities were known to
all Babylon, though he was virtuous
and of good character, solemnly gazed
at the little crooked figure of Gissa,
who had come to be sold of her own
accord, and who, doubtless, would
bring the greatest sum with her.
The green and white robe, belted
with embossed silver about the taper
waist of Althea; the white hands, the
gorgeous armlets, the long earrings Of
rich gold. distinguished Althaa from
her companions, though she was close