The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-12-07

Then in my ears I heard only the song o.
the nightingale, the murmur of the summer
sea, and the music Of Cleopatra's laugh OF
victory followed me softly and yet mere
soft as sank away to sleep.
Once more my life came back, and with It
sense Of deadly sickness and OF aching
pain. opened ray eyes and saw kindly
faces bending DER me, and knew that was
in room Of builded house.
sHow came hitherP' asked, family.
ssOf a truth, Poseidon brought thee,
Stranger" answered rough voice in bar
barous Greek, tsfor we found thee cast high
upon the beach like dead dolphin, and
brought thee to our house, for we are fisher
folk. And here methinks must thou no
awhile, for thy left leg is broken by the
force Of the waves"
strove to move my foot, but could not. Il
was true, the bone was broken shove the
knee.
.'Who art thou and how art thou namedp"
asked the rough-bearded sailor.
81 am an Egyptian traveller whose ship
hath sunk in the fury Of the gale, and Olym-
pus am named" answered, for Olympus
these people called mountain that we had
sighted, and therefore took the name at
hazard. And as Olympus henceforth was
known.
Here with these rough fsher-folk did
abide for the half Of a year, paying them
little out of the sum of gold that had come
safely ashore upon me. For long was IL DE-
fore my bones grew together again, ana
then was I left somewhat of cripple; for
who had been so tall and straight and strong
now limped-one limb being shorter than
the other. And after recovered from my
hurt, still lived there, and toled with
them at the trade of fishing; for whittier
should 90 or what should do that knew
not. and tor awhile, fain was to become
peasant fisherman, and so wear my weary
life away. And these people entreated me
! kindly, though, as others, they feared me
much, holding me to be a wizard brought
hither by the sea. For methinks that my
sorrows had stamped so strange an aspect
on my face that men gazing thereon grew
! fearful Of what lay beneath its calm.
There then l abode, till at length one
night as Law and strove to sleep, great
restlessness came upon me, and mlgnty
desire once more to see the broad face Oh
Sihor. But whether this desire was OF the
Gods or born Of my own heart, not knowing
can not tell So strong was it at the last,
that before it was dawn Irose from my BED
of straw, and clothed myself in my hsner
garb, and, because had no wish to answer
questions, thus took farewell OF my hum
BILE hosts. First on the well-cleaned table OK
wood placed some pieces of gold, and then
! taking pot of -four 1 streWed 1t IN the
form of letter-writing-
':Ihis gift from Olympus tie Egypt'o'', ss''e
returns into the sea-"
Then went, and on the third day came
to the great city of Salamis, that is also on
the sea. Here abode in the fsherman's
quarter till a vessel was about to sail tof
Alexandria, and to the captain Of this YES
sci. man of Paphos, hired myself as
sailor. We sailed with favoring wind,
and on the fifth day came to Alexandria,
that hateful city, and saw the light glarine
on it's golden domes.
Here might not abide. So once again
hired myself out as sailor, giving my
labor in return for passage, and we passed
up the Nile. And from the talk OF men
learned that Cleopatra had come back =
Alexandria drawing Antony with ner, anu
that together they lived in royal state in
the palace on the Lochias Indeed, the
boatmen already had a, song thereon, which
they sang as they labored at the oar. Also
I heard how the galley that was sent to
search for the vessel whi'h carried tho
Syrian merchant had foun1ered with oil
her crew, and the tale that ;he Queens as
tronomer, Rarmachis, Nad flown to
Heaven from the roof OF the house at
Tarsus. And the sailors wondered because
! I sat and labored, and would not sing their
r,bald songs Of the loves Of Cleopatra For
they, too, began to fear roe, md mutter con-
corning me among themfelves. Then
! knew that was man ascursed and SGT
apart-a man whom none might love.
On the sixth day we drew nigh ia
Abouthis, where left tho craft, and right
glad were the sailors to see me go. And
with a breaking heart, walked through
the fertile fields, seeing faces that well
knew But in my rough disguise and limp
! ing gait none knew me. At length came
as the sun sank, near to the great outer
pylon Of the Temple; aud here crouched
down in the ruins of house, not knowing
wherefore I had come or what was about
to do: Like lost OK / had strayed from
far. back to the fields Of my birth, and for
what? If my father, Amenemhat, stit
| lived. surely he would turn his face frosl
mel Idared not go into the presence Of
nv father. sat hidden there among tha
broken rafters and idly watched the pylou
gates, to see if perchance a facet knew
ahnui ia iaeua forth But none came forth o.
entered in, though the great gates stood
wide; and then 1 saw that herbs were
growing 'twlxt the stones, where no herbs
naQ grown Tor ages. what could this DOT
| Was the Temple deserted2 Nay; how could
the worship Of the eternal Gods have
ceased that for thousands Of years had,
day by day, been offered in the holy
placea Was, then, my father deada +
well might be. And yet, why this silencel
where were the priests1 where the
Worshipers2 No more could I bear the
doubt, but as the sun sank red I crept like
q hunted jackal through the open gates,
and on till reached the arst great Hall OF
J Pillars. Here paused and gazed around
| me-not sight, not sound m the dim and
holy placed On with q beating heart went
to the second great hall Of six-and-thirty
! pillars, where had been crowned Lord Of
| all the Land still not . sight or a soundl
Thence, half fearful Of my own football, 50
terrible did It echo in the silence Of the de-
serted Holes, ! passed down the passage OF
the names Of the Pharaohs toward my f.
theirs chamber. There still swung the cur.
tain DER the doorway; but what would
there be within7- also emptinessl j lifted
II, and noiselessly passed in, and there ID his
earven chair at the table whereon his long
white beard flowed down, sat my father,
L