Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1889-12-05


pulse more fasti Hardly art thou now my
frIend-for, Of a truth, scarce can trust
tnee. But, once more, bewarei To me
thou mayest do thy worst; but If thou dost
dare to lift finger against our cause. that
day thou diest! And now Is this play
donei"
Aud as, wild with anger, spoke thus,
she shrank back, and yet further back, till
at length she rested against the wall, her
eyes covered with her hand. But when
ceased she dropped her hand, glancing up,
and her face was the face of o statue,
wherein the great eyes glowed like embers,
and round them was ring Of purple
shadow.
"Not altogether done," she said gently;
"the arena must yet be sanded!" This she
said having reference 70 the covering up of
the blood stains at the gladlatorial shows
with fine white sand. We'll" she went on,
"waste not thine anger on thing so vile.
l have thrown my throw and 1 have lost.
VR victis !-ah! Va victisl Wilt thou not
lend me the dagger in thy robe, that here
and now may end my shame. Not Then
one woru more, Most Royal Harmarhis: II
thou canst, forget my folly; but, at the
least, have no fear from me. am now, as
ever, thy servant and the servant of our
cause. Farewelir'
And she went, leaning her hand against
the wall. But ], passing TO my chamber,
flung myself upon my couch and groaued in
bitterness OF spirit Aiasl we shape our
plans, and by slow degrees build up our
house of aope, never counting on the guests
that time shall bring to lodge therein. For
who can guard against-the Unforeseen. =
At length I slept, and evil were my
dreams. When l woke the light of the
day which should see the red fulfllment Of
the plot was streaming through the case
ment, and the birds sang merrily among
the garden palms. l woke, and as woke
the sense of trouble pressed in upon me,
for remembered that before this day was
gathered to the past must dip my hands
in blood even in the blood OF Cleopatra,
who trusted me! Why could not hate her
as shouldl There had been time when
had looked on this act of vengeance with
somewhat of a righteous glow of zeal. And
now-and now, why, 1 would frankly give
my royal birthright to be free from its ne
cessityl But, alas! knew that there was
no escape. / must drain the cup or be for
ever cast away. I felt the eyes Of Egypt
watching me, and the eyes Of Egypt's Gods.
I prayed to my Mother Isis to give me
strength to do this deed, and prayed as 1
had never prayed before; and, o wonder!
no answer came. Nay, how was thisl
What then had loosed the link between US
that, for the first time, the Goddess deigned
no reply to her chosen servant Could it be
that / had sinned in heart against hera
What had Charmlon said-that loved Gle
opatraa Was this sickness lovea Nay, a
thousand times nay twas but the revolt
of Nature against deed of treachery and
blood. The Goddess did but try my
strength, or perehance she also turned her
; holy countenance from blood.
rose filed with despair, and went about
my work like q man without soul /
oonned the fatal lists and noted all the plans
-ay, in my brain 1 gathered up the very
words of that proclamation of my Royalty
which on the morrow should issue to the
startled world.
sCitlzens Of Alexandria and dwellers in
the land of Egypt" 1t began, "Cleopatra,
the Macedonian, hath, by the command Of
the Gods. suffered justice for her crimes"
All these and other things did. but did
them as a man without soul-as q man
moved by force from without and not
from within. And so the minutes wore
away. In the third hour of the afternoon
1 went, as by appointment fixed, to the
house where lodged my uncle Sepa-that
same house to which some three months
gone l had been brought when, for the
first time, entered Alexandra. And here
I found assembled in secret conclave the
leaders Of the revolt in the city, to the num-
ber of seven. When had en' red and the
doors were barred, they rated them
selves and cried: "Hail Pharaohr' But
bade them rise, saying that not yet was
Pharaoh, for the chicken was still in the egg.
Yea, Prince" said my uncle, "but his
,eak shows through. Not in vain hath
Egypt brooded all these years; an thou
fail not with that dagger-stroke Of thine
and how canst thou faila-naught can now
stop our course to victoryr
sit is on the knees of the Gods" / an.
| swered.
May" he SAID, 'the gods have placed the
| issue in the hands Of a mortai-in thy
hands, u Harmachis land there is it safe.
| See; here are the last lists. Thirty one
thousand men who bear arms are sworn To
rise when the tidings come to them. With.
in five days every citadel in Egypt will be
in our hands, and then what have we to
feara From Rome but little, for her hands
are full; aud, besides, we will make al
lance with the Triumvirate and, If need be,
buy them off. For of money there is plenty
in the land, and if more be wanted thou.
HarInachis, knowest where tits stored
! against the need of Khem, and outside the
Romans reach Of arm. Who is there to
harm US! There is none. Perchauce, in
this turbulent city, there may be asiruggle
and q counter plot to bring Arsinoe tc
Egypt and set her on the throne. There
fore must Alexandria be severely dealt
with-aye. even to destruction, If need be
And for Arsinoe, thuse go forth tomorrow
slay her secretly"
There remains the lad CRsariou,"
SAID. Rome might claim through Caesars
son, and the child of Cleopatra inherits
Cleopatra's rights. Herein is double
Danger
'Fear not" said my uncle; tomorrow
Casarion joins those who begat him in
Ament. / have made provision. The
Ptolemies must be stamped out, SO that nc
shoot shall ever spring from that root
blasted by Heavens vengeance
"Is there no other meansr asked sad
ly. "My heart is sick at the promise o1
this red rain of blood. Well know the
child; he hath Cleopatras fire and beauty
and great Caesars wit Twas shame u
murder him."
"Nay, be not so chicken hearted, Har
machis," said my uncle, sternly. "Wha
ails thee. theni II the lad Is thus, tbs
more reason that he should die. Woulds
y
from the throueT"
BE il so," 1 answered, signing. "a
least he Is spared much, and will 20 henc'
innocent OF evil. And new for the plans.
Long we sat taking counsel, till at length
IN face OF the great emergency and ou
high eruurise felt something Of the spirI
OF IprIatr days how Das IACc Gt4 Deaft
At the last all was ordered, aud SO ordered
that it could scarce miscsrry, for It was
6xed that If by any chance could not come
10 stay Cleopatra on this night, then should
the plot hang in the scale until the MORROW,
when the deed should be done upon occar
sion. For the death of Cleopatra was the
signal. These matters being finished, once
more we stood and, our hands upon the
sacred symbol, swore the oath that may not
be written. And then nv uncle kissed me
with tears Of hope and JOY standing in biz
Keen black eyes. He pleased me, saying
that gladly would be give his life, ~, and Q
hundred lives If they were his, if be might
but 1--we to see Egypt once more nation,
snd uae, HarnzchI the descendant OF its
royal and ancient blood. seated on thu
Throne. For of truth was he patriot in
deed, asking nothing for himself. and CIV
ina all things TO his cause. And kisset
| him in turn, and thus we parted. Nor II
the flesh did ever see him more who hsti
] earned the rest that as yet is denied 70 me
30 went, and, there being yet time
HSlked swiftly frem n!aee g Raaea n z!