The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-10-13

AAG COuELLcE AuuTUuIOQ 1L was WOu- derful to find so long and tedious journey accomplished in such capital time.
 "What do you mean by that? How do you know how long it took?" de- manded Agamemnon.
 Don't you seer" said Clytemnestra. "Why, you say you had the fire light ed at Ida when you started; then, of course, they would see it directly over at Lemos and light theirs; and then at Athos, and then"
 "You are not time table, my love-" interrupted the monarch, coldly. q won't trouble you for all these de- tails. Come to the point"
 "The point is" she explained sweet ly, "that we have only just seen the beacon flame arrive here at Arach- n@us, after leaping from height to height across lake and plain; so that you, my dearest, must have made the distance with almost equal celerity !"
 "I came with the beacon," said Aga memnon, coughing; "perhaps that disposes of the difficulty"
 Perhaps" said the queen; "I mean quite. And now," she continued, after rapid exchange of glances with Egisthus, "you will come indoors, and have nice cup of coffee and warm bath before you do anything else, won't you?"
 He almost thought he would, he said fighting for ten long years with out intermission was dusty, tiriDg occupation, and he was accordingly about to enter, when his eye fell on the awnings and flags and the red stair carpet, which had been prepared for the betrothal festivities.
 "Now, my dear, this sort of thing is all very well, no doubt; but don't care about it. Pm a plain, honest ruler of men and hate fiummery and f1attery-particularly when it all comes out of my pocket Why, you've laid down the drugget from the Throne Room over all this gravel. Take it up directly; I decline to walk over it. Do you hear? This wasteful extravaganza is positively sinful. Take it up!"
 Clytemnestra assured him earnestly that they had had no intention of an- moving him with it-which was liter ally true; and suggested meekly that for the king to stay out in the court yard until all the decorations were re- moved might be a tedious and even 8 ridiculous proceeding. "If," she add ed, "he was merely unwilling to spoil the drugget, he might easily remove his boots, which were extremely mud dy for a monarch's."
 "Well, we'll, my dear, be it so," said the king. "I did not intend to chide you. It is only that have grown SO accustomed to the frugal, hardy life of a camp, that have imbibed soldiers contempt for luxury"
 And, removing his boots, he fol- lowed the queen into the palace, as she led the way with baleful ex- pression upon her dark and inscruta- ble face.
 As the pair passed up the steps and between the lofty pillars, the hounds howled from the royal kennels at the back of the palace, and-a stranger portent still-a meteor shot suddenly through the glowing gloom and burst in rain of colored stars above the housetop, while, shortly after, staff fell from above upon the heads of one of the chorus-and was shivered to fragments!
 Egisthus had strolled away under the colonnade, and Cassandra was left alone with the chorus. She stood apart, mystic, moody and impenetra- ble, letting down her flowing back hair.
 "You prophecy, do you not?" said the kind old man at length, wishing to make her feel at home; "might we beg you to favor us with a prediction just 8 little one?"
 Cassandra made excuses at first, as was proper; she had a cold, and was feeling the effects of the journey. She was really not inspired just then, she protested, and besides she had not touched tripod for ages.
 But, upon being pressed, she gave way at last, after declaring with a it- tie giggle that she was perfectly cer- tain nobody would believe single word she said.
 "I see before me-" she began, in a weird, sepulchral tone which she found it impossible to keep up for many sentences, "a proud and stately pile-but enter not. See ye yon ghoul among the chimney pots, yon amphis- bena in the back garden? And the scent of gore pervades itw
 'It is no happy home that is thus describedi" the chorus threw in pro- fessionally.
 "But the finger of fate is slowly unwound, and the hand of destiny steps in to pace the marble halls with heavy tramp. And know, old men, that the inevitable is not wholly un- connected with the probable?"
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