The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-13

1auls stepped across the threshold. s~
i'Take away this carrion, p said Cleopatra,
,vand fling It TO the litesa Stay, draw that
dagger from his traitor breast.n The men
bowed low, and the Knife, rusted red with
blood, was dragged from the heart Of Paulus
and laid upon the table. Then they seized
him by tho head and body and staggered
thence, andI heard their hsavy footballs as
they bore him down thestaius. llsed q 4
"Methinks, Harmachlsy thou art In an
evil causep she SAID when the sound OF the
footballs had diedtaway.u" SHOW strangely
doth the wheel Of Fortune turnl, But for
that traitor" and she nodded toward the
door BY which the corpse Of sPauhb had
been earriedgtI should now be as lila thing
TO look on as he Is, and the red rust en yon-
der knife would have been gathered from
my heart"
30 IL was Paulus who had betrayed me.
SAY" she went, on, ''and when thou
camest TO me last night, well k,lcw that
thou carnest 10 slay. When, time upon
time, thou didst place thy hand within thy
robe, knew that It grasped ndagger-hilt,
and thou vast gathering thy courage to the
deed which little thou didst love to doy Oil
II was strange, wild hour well worth the
living, and greatly, from moment TO mo
ment, did wonder which Of us twain would
conquer, as we matched guile with guile
and force TO force. lg4bts rH or.l oti
"Yea, Harmachis, the guards tramp be-
fore thy door, but be not deceived. Knew /
not that do hold thee TO me by bonds more
strong than prison chains; knew not
that am hedged from Ill at thy hands by
fence Of honor more hard for thee TO pass
than all the spears Of all my legions, thou
hadst been dead ere now, Harmachis. See,
here is thy knife" And she handed me the
dagger. SNOW slay me II thou canst" And
she drew near and tore open the bosom OF
her robe, and stood waiting with calm eyes.
"Thou canst not slay me-" she went on,
''for there are things, as know well, that
| noman-no such man as thou art-may do
and live; and this Is the chief Of them-te
slay the woman who is all his own. Nay,
stay thy handi Turn not that dagger
against thy breast; for il me thou mayst
not slay, by how much the more mayst thou
not slay thyself, o thou forsworn Priest
Of Isisi Art thou. then, SO eager TO face
that outraged Majesty in Amentil WITH
what eyes, thinkest thou, will the Heavenly
Mother look upon her son who, shamed In
all things and false to his most sacred vow,
comes to greet Her, his life-blood on his
handsl Where, then, will be the space for
thy atonement-if, indeed, thou mayst
atonew Iut a..' tt' O"
Then could bear no more, for my heart
was broken within me. Alasl II was too
true-I dared not die. To such pass was
l come that did not even dare TO diel !
flung myself upon the couch and wept-
wept tears OF blood and anguish,
But Cleopatra came TO me, and, seating
herself beside me, she strove TO comfort
me- throwing her arms about my neck.
"Nay, Love, look up" she said. "All is
not lost for thee, nor am angered against
thee. We did play a mighty game; but as
warned thee, matched my womau's
magic against thine, and have conquered.
But / will be open with thee. Both as
Queen and woman thou hast my pty-ay,
and more; nor do love TO see thee plunged
in sorrow. Well was It and right that thou
shouldst strive to win back that throne my
father seized, and the ancient liberty OF
Egypt Myself as a lawful Queen had done
the same, nor shrunk from the deed OF
darkness whereto was sworn. Therein,
then, thou hast my sympathy that. goes
ever out TO what is great and bold. Well is
II also that thou shouldst grieve over
the greatness Of thy fall. Therein,
then, as woman-as loving woman-thou
hast my sympathy. Nor is all lost The
plan was foolish-for, as l hold, Egypt
never might have stood alone; for though
thou hadst won the crown and country, as
without doubt thou must have done, yet
was there the Roman 10 be reckoned with.
And for thy hope learn this: Little am l
known. There is no heart in this wide land
that beats with q truer love for ancient
Khem than does this heart Of mine; nay,
not thine own, Harmachis. But heavily
have been shaclSled heretofore, for wars,
rebelllons, envies, plots have hemmed me
| In on every side, 80 that might not serve
my people as / would. But thou, Har.
machis, shalt show me how. Thou shalt be
my counselor and my love. Is 1t little
thing, o Harmachis, TO have won the heart
Of Cleopatra, that heart-fie on theei-that
thou wouldst have stilledl Ay, thou shall
unite me To my people, and together will we
reign, linking thus in one the new kingdom
and tho old. Thus do all things work fol
good-ay, for the very best-and thus, by
another and gentler road, shalt thou climl
10 Pharaoh's throne.
"See thou this, Harmachis thy treachery
shall be cloaked about as much as may be
Was IL, then, thy fault that o Romor
knaye betrayed thy plansl that thereon
thou vast drugged, thy secret paperI
stolen and their key guessedl VIII 1t
then, be blame TO thee that, the grea
plot being broken and those who built l
scattered, thou, still faithful 10 thy trust
didst serve thee OF such means as Natur'
gave thee, and win the heart OF Egypt
Queen, that, through her gentle love, thol
mightest yet attain thy ends and spreat
thy wings OF power across the rolling Nile
Am / an ill-counselor, thinkest thou
HarmachisW
lifted my head, and ray OF hope crep
into the darkness OF my heart; for whei
men fall they grasp at feathers. Then, 10
the first time, spoke.
"And those with me-those who truste'
me.-what OF themp
"Ay,n she answered, "Amenemhat, tn.
father, the aged Priest Of Abydos; an
Sepa, thy uncle, that fiery patriot, who's
great heart is hid beneath 80 common
shell Of form; and"
Methought she would have said Chal
mion, but she named her not.
Sand many others-oh, / know them all !
aAyin l said, "what Of themp
sBee thou, Harmaehis," she answered.
raising and placing her hand upon my arm
ssfor thy sake will show mercy 10 then
No more will do than must be done.
swear by my throne and by all the Gods
Egypt that not one hair Of thy aged father
head shall be harmed by me; and, II 1t
not too late, thy uncle Sepa win ali
spare, ay, and the others. will not do {
did my forsfather Epiphanes, who, wht
the Egyptians rose against hfn, dragg,
Athinis, Pausiras, Chesuphus and lrobas
! tus, bound 70 his chariot--not as Achilll