Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-13
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER ".
There was mourning in the house of Hor
necht, as in every house IN the city. Tht
men had shaved their heads and the womer
had strewn dust on their foreheads. TIL,
Captain's wife was long since dead, but hi:
daughter and her women met him with
waving wells and loud wailing, for theil
Lords brother-in-laH was bereft Of both o.
his frst-born son and of his grandson; anC
in how many houses of their circle Of
friends had the plague claimed its yictimsl
However, the fainting youth demanded all
the women's care; he was washed and the
deep wound in his head was freshly bound
up; strong wine and food were set before
him, and then, refreshed and strengthened,
he followed at the bidding of his hosts
daughter.
The dust-stained and exhausted lad now
stood revealed as a handsome young fellow.
His scented hair flowed in long, waving
locks from beneath the clean, white bandage,
and his classic, sunburnt limbs were COW
cred by Egyptian garments embroidered
with gold out Of the wardrobe of the cap
iain's deceased son-in-law. He seemed
pleased to see himself in the handsome
raiment, from which there proceeded a
fragrance of spikenard new to his expert
ence, for his black eyes brightly lighted up
his well cut features.
1t was long since the captains daughter
had seen a better favored youth, and she
herself was full of great and lovely charm.
After a brief married life with a man she
had never loved Kasana within year had
come back a widow to her fathers house,
where there was now no mistress, and the
great wealth of which she mad become
possessed by her husbands death enabled
her to bring into the warriors modest home
the splendor and luxury which to her had
become a necessity.
The father, who in many a contest had
proved himself a man of violent temper,
now yielded to her will in all things. In
past time he had ruthlessly asserted his
own, and had forced her at the age of Is
into a marriage with man much older than
herself This he had done because he had
observed that Kasana's young heart was set
on Joshua, the man of war, and he deemed
it beneath him to accept the Hebrew, who
at that time had no place of honor in the
army, as q son-in-law. An Egyptian could
but obey her father without demur when he
chose her q husband, and so Kasana had
submitted, though during the period of her
betrothaI she shed so many bitter tears that
the archer-captain was glad indeed when
she had done his bidding and given her
hand to the husband of his choice.
But even in her widowhood his daughters
heart clung to the Hebrew; for when the
army was in the field she never ceased to be
anxious, and spent her days and nights in
troubled unrest. When tidings came from
the front she asked only concerning Joshua,
and it was to her love for him that Hornechs
with deep vexation, ascribed her repeated
rejection of suitor after suitor. AS a widow
she had the right to dispose OF her hand. and
this gentle, yielding young creature would
amaze her father by the abrupt decisiveness
with which she made her independence felt.
not alone to him and her suitors, but like
wise to Prince Siptah, whose cause her
father had made his own.
This day Kasana expressed her satisfac-
ton at Joshua's homecoming so frankly
and unreservejly that the hot-tempered man
hastened out of the house lest he should be
led into some ill-considered act or speech.
He left the care of their young guest to his
daughter and her faithful nurse: and how
delightful to the lads sensitive soul was the
effect of the warriors home with its lofty.
airy rooms open colonnades and bright and
paintings; its artistic vessels
and ornaments, soft couches and all-pervad- |
ing fragrance. All this was new and
strange to the son of a pastoral patriarch. |
accustomed to live within tn. bare. gray |
walls of spacious but perfectly graceless |
farm dwelling; or. for months at time. in
canvas tents amid focks and shepherds,
and more often in the. open air than
under q roof or shelter. He felt as
hr-
transported to some higher and more
desirable world, and as though be became it
well in his splendid garb, with his oiled and
perfumed curls and freshly-bathed limbs
Life, indeed, was everywhere fair, even out
in the fields among the herds or in the cool
Of the evening round the fire in front of the
tent, where the shepherds sang songs, and
the hunters told tales of adventure, while
.he stars shown brightly overhead. But
hard and hated labor had first to be done.
Here it was a boy merely to gaze and
breathe, and when presently the curtain was
lifted and the young widow greeted him
Kindly and made him sit down bv her. now
questioning him and now listening svmpa-
hetically to his replies, be almost fancied
hat he had lost his Senses as he had done
lnder the ruins in the cellar, and that the
sweetest Of dreams was cheating him.
The feeling which now seemed to choke
lin and again and again hindered his utter
lnce was surely the excess of bliss poured
iown upon him by great Astarte, the part
Ter of Baal, of whom he had heard manv
ales from the Phenician traders who sun
lied the shepherd settlers with various
ood things and of whom he was forbidden
y stern Miriam ever to speak at home.
His people had implanted in his young
oul hatred of the Egyptians as the op-
ressors of his race; but could they be SO
wi, could he abhor nation among whom
here were such beings TO be found as the
air and gentle lady who looked 50 softly
nd yet so warmly into his ewes; whose
peech bewitched his ear like sweet music;
hose gaze set his blood in such swift mo.
on that he could hardly bear it. and
ressed his hand to his heart to still its
lid throbbing?
There she sat opposite to him on a stool
'vered with panther skin, and drew the
DOL from the distaf He had taken her
Iney and she had welcomed him warmly /,
ecause be was kin to the man she had loved
ON her childhood. She believed she
'uld trace likeness in him to Joshua. ,
though the boy still lacked the gravity of
le man to whom she had given her Young !
cart, when and how she herself could not l
ii, for he had never sued for her love, 4
A lotos flower was fastened into her we'll I
ranged waving black hair, and its stem
y in graceful curve on her bent neck.
und which hung mass of beautiful curls. y
hen she raised her eyes to look into his if I
as as though two deep wells opened before 1
m to pour streams of bliss into his Young .
east, and that slender hand which spun
e yarn he had already touched in greeting q
ID held in his own. Q
Presently she inquired of him concern
g Joshua and the woman who had sent
N message-whether she were young 2
d fair and whether there was any tie of s.
Ve between her and his uncle. At this
ohraim laughed aloud. For she who had