Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-10-23
CLEOPATRA.
Being an Account of the Fall and Vengeance of Harmachis, the
 Royal EEyptien,
AS SET FORTH BY HIS OWN HAND
By H. RIDER HAGGARD,


 old wife, Atoua, who, though knew it not as yet, had offered up her fles and blood that might bs saved alive, came rNhning toward mo. For she had been gathering simples, wherein she had great skill, by the waters edge, not knowing that there was a lion nigh (and, indeed, the lions for the most part arc not found in the titled land, but rather in the desert and the Libyan and from a distance had seen that which have set down. Now, when she came near she knew mo for Earmachis, and, bending herself she made obelsance to me, and sa1uted me, calling mo Royal, and worthy of all honor, and beloved and chosen of the Holy Three, ay, and even by the name of tho Pharaoh tho Delivererl /.
 But I, thinking that terror had made her sick of mind, asked of her what she would speak.
 ''1s 1t great thing" asked, ''that should slay 6 lioni Is 1t . matter worthy cf such talk as thinei There live, and have lived, men who have slain many iens. Did not the Divine Tahutimes tho Osirian slAy with his own hand moro than two hundred Nonsa Is 1t not written on the tablet that; Is between the paws of the living Kore9olu (the 6phinx) that is set beyond Memfl, nigh to the seven pyramids, that he slew lions aforetimel And have not others done ikewisel Why, then, speakest thou thus, O foolish woman1'
 All of which l said because, having now slain the lion, was minded, after the man. ner of youth, to hold it as thing of no ac- count. But she ceased not to make obei- sance and to call me by names that arc too high even to be written.
 70 Royal One" she cried, 'wisely did thx1 <L4 4I- Spirit, the Knepth, was ln her. O thou conceived by godl See the omen. The lion there-he growls within the Capitol at Rome; and the dead man, he is the Ptolemy the Macedonian spawn that, like for eign weed, hath overgrown the land of Nile; with the Macedonian Lagide shalt thou go to smite the Lion of Rome. And the Macedonian cur shall fly, and the lion shall strike him down, and thou shalt strike down the lion, and tho land of Khem shall once more be freel free! freel Keep thy self but pure, according to the command ment of tho gods, O son of the Royal House! O hope of Kheml be but ware of Woman the Destroyer, and as I have said, 50 shall it be. Poor am I and wretched; yea, stricken with sorrow. have sinned in speaking of that which should be hid, and for my sin W born of my womb; willingly have I paid for thee. But have still of the wisdom of our people, TOT do the gods, in whose eyes all are equal, turn their countenances from the poor. The Divine Mother usis) hath spoken to me-but last night she spake-. bidding me come hither to gather herbs, and read to thee the signs that should see. And as have said, so shall 1t como to pass, If thou canst but endure the weight of the great temptation. Come hither, Royal One p' and she led me to the edge of the canal where the water was deep and still and blue "Now gaze upon that face as the water throws it back. Is not that brow fitted to bear the double crown1 Do not those gentle eyes mirror the perfect majesty of kings1 Hath not the Ptah, the Creator, fashioned that form to fit the im- perial garb, and awe the glance of multi. tudes looking through thee to God?
 'Nay, nay" she went on in another voice -ashrill old wife's voice-"I will-be not SC foolish, boy-the scratch of lion is a ven. omous thing, a terrible thing; yea, as bad as the bite of an asp-it must be treated, or else 1t will fester, and all thy days shalt thou dream of lions: ay, and snakes; and, also, 1t will break out in sores. But know of it-I know. I am not crazed for nothing. For mark, every thing has its balance-in madness is much wisdom, and in wisdom much madness. Lal lal lal Pharaoh him. self can't say where that one begins and the other ends. Now, don't stand gazing there, looking as silly as 8 cat in croous. colored robe; but just let me stick these green things on the place, and In six days you'll heal up as white as a three-yeal child. Never mind the smart of 1t, lad By Him who sleeps at Phltae, or at Abou- this, or at Abydos-as our Divine masters have 1t now-or wherever he does sleep which is Q thing we shall find out before we want toby Osiris, I say you'll live te be as clean from scars as sacrifice to Isis at the new moon, if you'll but let me put il on. ... -
 .1s it not 50, my good folkp' and she turned to address some people who had, un seen by me, assembled while she prophe sied. 'Tve been speaking spell oyer him medicine-lal la! there's nothing like . spell If you don't believe it, just come t, me the next tune your wives are barren it's better than scraping every pillar in th' Temple of Osiris, warrant. I'll make len bear like a twenty-year-old palm. But then you see, you must know what to say-that'l the point-every thing comes to point a last. Lai lar
 Now, when heard all this, I, Harmachis put my hand to my head, not knowing if
 dreamed. But presently looking up, say a gray-haired man among those who wer gathered together, who watched us sharply and afterward learned that this man wa
 the spy of Ptolemy, yea, the very man vgh
 had well-nfgh caused me to be slain o Pharaoh when was in my cradle. An,
 then understood why Atoua spoke so fool
 ishly.
 sThine are strange spells, old wife," h
 said. ''Thou didst speak of Pharaoh an
 the double crown and of form faohione
 by Ptah to bear it; is it not sop
 "Yea, yea-part of the spell, thSu fool
 and what can one swear by better nows
 days than by the divine Pharaoh, the Pipe,
 whom and whose music may the gods prt
 serve to charm this happy land' What bel
 ter than by tho double crown he wear,
 grace to great Alexander of Macedoniai B
 the way, you know about every thing. Hay
 they got back his chlamys yet, which Mitl
 ridates took to Cost Pempey wore it las
 didn't hel In his triumph, too. Just fanc
 Pompey tu tho cloak of Alexander-a pupp
 dog In hon's skin. And talking of non
 look what this lad hath done-slain lio l with hia own SDear and rioht 0lad v0,, vi