The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-10-17

though little do yearn 70 try my HEBREW
on them. What canst thou do! Hast thou
no new trickl BY Scraps! il thou cansl
conjurc as well as thou canst prophecy thou
shalt have 3 place ut court, with pay and
perqnisitcs to beet and thy lofty soul doth
not scorn pcrquisites."
Nay" answered, s.ali tricks are old
but there are some forms OF magic to be
rarely used. and with discretion, that may,
pcrcnancc, be new to thee, o Queen! Art
thou afraid to venture on the charm!'
"Naught fear; go on and do thy worst.
Come, Charmion, and sit thou BY me. But,
stay, where are all the girls?-Iris Gnd
Merir!-thcy, too, love magic"
mot so,' said 1.-THE charms work i'll be-
fore so many Now bchold!' And, gazing
at the twain, cast down my wand upon
the marble and murmured q spell. For a
moment it was still, and then, as muttcred,
the rod slowly began TO writhc. 1t bent it.
self, it stood on end. and OF its own motion
moved. Next 1t put on scales, and behold
it was serpent that crawlcd and lerccly
Kissed.
'.Fie on thec!' cried Cleopatra, clapping
her hands; ''callest thou that magic. Why.
it's an old trick that any wayside conjnrcr
can do. have seen it q score of times.''
..Wait, q Queen, ANSWERED; 'sthou hast
not seen all" And even as l spoke the SER
pent seemed to break in fragments. and
from each fragment grew q new serpent.
And these, too, broke in fragments aud
bred others, till in . little space the place,
to their glamored sight, was seething ses,
OF snakes, that crawled, Missed and knotted
themselves in knots. Then made sign,
and the serpents gathered themselves
about me, and seemed slowly to Irvine
themselves about my body and my limbs
till, save my face, ! was wreathed thick
with kissing snakes.
''Oh. horrible! horrible.' cried Char
mion. hiding her countenance in the skirt OF
tho Queens garment.
Nay, enough! Magician, cnough" said
the Queen; THY magic overwhclms u.s.
waved my snakc-wrapped arms, and all
was gone. There at my feet lay the black
wand tipped with ivory, and naught be-
side.
The two women looked one upon another
and gasped with wonder. But I took up
tho wand and stood with folded arms be-
fore them.
rs the Queen content with my poor art.''
asked most humbiy.
AYE, that am ], Egyptian: never did ]
see its like! Court astronomer art thou
from this day forward. with right OF access
to the Queens presence. Hast thou more
Of such magic at thy call:''
'Yes, Royal Egypt; suffer that the
chamber he 4 little darkened and will
show thee one more thing
.'Half am afraid" she answered
nevertheless, do thou, Charmion, even as
this Harmachis says
So the curtains were drawn and the
chamber made rs though the twilight was
at hand. came forward and stood me be.
side Cleopatra. .tiaze thou thcrer'
said. siernly, pointing with the wand to the
empty space where had been, land tho:
shalt behold that which Is in thy mind.''
Then for a little space was silence, while
the two women gazed fixedly and half fear
full at the spot.
And as they gazsd cloud gathered be.
fore them. Very slowly it took shape and
form, and the form it took was the form Of
man, though rs yet he was but vaguely
mapped upon the twilight, and seemed now
to grow and now to melt away.
Then cried with loud voice:
"Shadc, coniurc thee, dppear!r'
And even as cried tho Thing, perfect il
every part, leapt into form before us, sud.
den as the fash Of day. His shape was the
shape of Royal Caesar, the toga thrown
about his face, and on his form vestmcnt
bloody from hundred wounds. An IN
slant 50 he stood, then l waved my wand
and he was gone.
turned me 10 the two women on the
couch, and then / saw Clcopatra's lovc.y
face all clothed in terror. Her lips were
ashy white. her eyes stared wide, and the
flesh WAS shaking on her bones.
Man" she :asped, '.mGa! what art
thou who canst bring the dead before our
eyes!'
81 am the Queens astronomer magician,
servant-what the Queen Wills l an.
swcrcd, laughing. "Was this the form that
was on the Queens mind!''
She made no answer, but, rising. left the
chamber by another door.
Then Charmion rose and took her hands
from her face, for she, too, had been strick.
en- with dread.
..How dost thou these things, Royal
Harmachis!' Sue said '.Of q truth fea.
thee
.'Bc not afraid; answered. ..PercLancc
thou didst see naught but what was in thy
mind. All things are shadows. How canst
thou then know their nature. or what is and
what only seems to be! But how goes It'll
Remember thou, this sport is played to an
end
ut goes wcll,' she said. sBy to-mor.
rows dawn these tales will have gone
round, and thou wilt be more feared than
any man in Alexandria. Follow me, Ipray
thce.n
fro BE coNTISuED.l