The Irish standard., 1889-12-14

! sob, what art thou!'' she cried, casting
down her basket. wicked man, hast thou
/ murdered this holy One, the only holy One
I in Egypt? Surely the curse viii fall on
I thee, for though the Gods do seem to have
forsaken US now in our hour Of trial, yet is
their arm long, and certainly they will be
avenged on him who hath slam their
! anointed!'
'Look me, Atoua," Icried.
ssLooki az, I look-thou wicked wanderer
who hast dared this cruel deed! Harmachis
! is a traitor and lost far away, and Amen
emhat, his holy father, is. murdered, and
now I'm all alone without kith or ka
gave them for hun. gave them for Har-
, nachis, the traitorl Come, STAY me also,
| thou wicked one.''
| Itook a step toward her, and she, think
| ing thatI was about to smite her, cried out
/ In fear:
May, good Sir, spare me! Eighty and
| six, by the holy Ones, eighty and six. come
next food of Nile, and yet would I not die,
| though Osiris is merciful to the old who
served him! Come no nearer-help! help!
help!"
ssrhou fool, be SILENTLY said; ''knowest
thou me not2"
''Know thee?-can know every wander
ing boatman to whom Sebek grants to earn
livelihood till Typhon claims his owne
And yet-why, it's strange-that changed
countenance that scar?-that stumbling
gait! Ills thou, Harmachis tits thou, oh,
my boy! Art come back to glad mine old
eyes? hoped thee dead! Let me kiss
| thee?-nay, forgot Harmachis is a trail
tor, ay and a naurdererl Here lies the holy
Amenemhat, murdered by the traitor,
o+ hotro
none of traitors and of parricides! Get thee
to thy wanton tits not thou whom did
nurse.''
"Peace, womanl peacel 1 slew not my
father-he died, alas! even in my arms!''
SAY, surely, and cursing thee, Harmachis !!
Thou hast given death to him who gave thee
lifei La! Ia! I am old, and I've seen many
a trouble; but this is the heaviest! I never
like the looks of mummies; but would I
were one this hourl Get thee gone, pray
thee!'' ...
sold nurse, reproach me notl-have I not
enough to bear?''
s'Ah, true, true! / did forgetl Well;
and what is thy sin? A woman was thy
bane, as women have been to those before
thee, and shall be to those after thee. AND
what a woman! LG! la! I saw her, a
pointed by the evil Gods for destruction!
And thou, young man bred as a priest
an i'll training-a very i'll training! Twas
no fair match. Who can wonder that she
mastered thee? Come, Harmachis; let me
kiss thee! 1t is not for woman to be hard
upon man because he loved our sex too
much. Why, that is but nature; and
Nature knows her business, else had she
made us otherwise. But this is an evil
case. Knowest thou that this Macedonian
Queen of thine hath seized the Temple
lands and revenues, and driven away
the Priests-all, save the holy Amen
emhat, who lies here, and whom she left,
know not why; az, and caused
the worship OF the Gods to cease within
these walls. Well, he's gone!-he's gone!
and indeed he is better with Osiris, for his
life was sore burden to him. And bark
thou, Harmachis: he hath not left thee
empty handed; for as the plot failed. he
gathered all his wealth, and it is large, and
hid 1t--where, can show thee--and thine
it is by right of descent"
''Talk not to me of wealth, Atoua. Where
shall I go and how shall hide my shameE'
''Ahl true, true; here mayst thou not
abide, for if they found thee, surely they
would put thee to the dreadful death-ay
even to the death by the waxen cloth. Nay:
will hide thee. and, when the funeral rites
of the holy Amenemhat have been per
formed, we will fly hence, and cover us from
the eyes of men till these sorrows are for;
gotten. Lai la! it is sad world, and full
Of trouble as the Nile mud is Of beetles
Come, Harmachis, come"