Telegram-herald., 1889-09-13

= - t&r w. AtAt 80 80 - =
p-ssaes E1s1 Lac 4rrS~s Il ker erc@sk
o31 nSt kuow-ESw saszls kaew n who
never looksd ppen her ofAerwlss tasa
a. lsstrument 4 csr goi1t 4ad hs-y co4sss
Her oe4afy Lever s1lrrea ne. E4y, LET essn
wien sc ieaaes ever ne z11 breaIned
cpon ~ e4ir. never t1ooght Il = otaer-
W-Se thza 50 = HAT LElkks - l1e beauty -
. statue Wasl ia 70 - wetn sQc1 ce-
LxhLss 1 wEc s&s swora - lsls A1a oect-
c4teo . rs e.4ss q Egypt ., ye COOS,
bSaf ne witness tnst ! a. ln1cceat q this
t1iEg, whlcA was tie source - a. ny woe
2nd tEs wee q k1eni
How strange . thls love ef wemzE. tA@t
II > - snail IN is beglnalng 4ne IA Is
enc 80 great See. al tie nrsI II - even As
the lite spriDg q water weillng fren .
Mouut4ia heart Anc al the lsst what -
~ Il : mignty fiser tat noweth al
F gosies q JOY and MAKES vide laaos -
snlie- OR, perch4Ece i - = torrent ~ wash
IN = mood Of r1ia scross TIE nel1s or hope
bursting Ia the barriers of osslga. ana
bring 70 tumbled uotningness the tenement
cf mans purity and the temples If his
faith. For wnen the Invisible conceived
tAe orosr of the universe, DE SET within its
plan tals seed of woman's love that by is
/ most unequal growth i doomed TO 0rlug
about equality of law For now 70 lifts tns
I low u heights untold, anc now Il brings the
noble 70 the level Of the dust Aad thus,
while woman, that great surprise of Nature,
:. Good and EVil can never grow apart
For stll she stands, and, blind ~lta love,
shoots the shuttle Of our fate, and pOurs
sweet water into the cup ~ bitterness, and
( pOisons the wholesome breath Of life with
the doom of her desire. Turn this way and
/ turn thai she ls at hand 10 meet thee. Her
weakness j. thy strength, her might - ny
/ uadoing or her thOu arL 10 her Ns0
/ gsest she Is thy slave, yet holds thee
/ captive, al her touch honor witners. locks
/ open, aud barriers fail She Is Infinite as
/ ocean, she Il variable IS heaven, and her
name is the Unforeseen. Man, strive not 10
/ escape from woman and the love OF woman.
for, fy where thou wilt, she Is yet thy fate,
aud whate'er thou bulldest thou buildest II
for herl
And thus il came 10 pass that ], Harma-
CHS, w no had put such matters far from
me, was yet doomed 10 fall by the thing
held OF no account. For, see, this Char
mion; she loves newly, | knew not OF
her own thought she learned TO love me,
and OF her love came what shall be told.
ButI knowing naught, treated her even as
sister, walking as il were hand IN hand with
her toward our common end.
And so the time passed on till, at length,
al things were made ready.
II was the night before the night when
the blow should fall, and there were revel-
ings in the palace. That very day had seen
Sepa, and with him the captains Of band
OF five hundred men, who should burst into
the palace at midnight on the morrow,
when had slain Cleopatra the Queen and
nut the Roman and the Gallo legionaries
70 the sword. That very day had | sub
orned the Captain Psulus, who, since drew
him through the gates, was my wills slave.
Half by fear and half by promises Of great
reward had prevailed upon him, for his
was the watch, al the signal on the morrow
night TO unbar that small gate which faces
10 the east.
All was made ready-the flower Of Free
dom that had been five and twenty years
in growth was on the point Of bloom. Ia
every city, from Abu unto Athue, armed
companies were gathered, and from their
walls spies looked out, awaiting the com
ing of the messenger who should bring
tidings that Cleopatra was no more, and
that Harmachis, the Egyptian, had seized
the throne. All was prepared, triumph
hung to my hand as ripe fruit TO the hand
of the plucker. Yet, as | sat at the royal
-
coming woe lay cold within my mind. | sat
there in place OF honor, nigh TO the
majesty of Cleopatra, and looked down the
lines Of guests, bright with gems and gar
landed with flowers, marking those whom
had doomed to die. There before me lay
CleOpatra's self, in all her beauty. which
thrilled the behOlder as he is thrilled by the
rushing of the midnight gale, or by the
sight of stormy waters. j gazed on her as
she touched her lips with wine and toyed
with the chaplet of roses on her brow, be
thinking me Of the Dagger beneath nv
robe that / had sworn 10 bury il her breast.
Again, and yet again, | gazed and strove
10 hate her, strOve 10 rejoice that she must
de-and could not. There, too, behind
her-watching me now, as ever, with her
deep-fringed eyes-was the lovely Lady
Charmion. Who, to look at her innocent
face, would believe that she was the setter
Of that snare wherein should miserably
perish the Queen who loved her. Who
would dream that locked in her girlish
breast was the secret of so much deathi l
gazed, and grew sick at heart because |
must anOint my throne with blood, and by
evil sweep away the evil Of the land. At
that hour / wished. indeed, that | was
naught but some humble husbandman. who
in its season sows and in its season
garners the golden grainl Alas the seed
that had been doomed 10 sow was the red
seed Of Death, and now | must reap the
fruit Of the harvest
why. Harmachis. what ails theeir said
Cleopatra, smiling her slow smile HAS
tn golden ske Of stars got tangled. nv
astronomer or dost thou plan some new
feat of maRici Say what IS IT, that thou
dost so poorly grace our feast Nay, now,
+ did | not know, having made inquiry
thereon. that things so low as we poor
women are far beneath thy gaze, why.
should swear that Eros had found thee
out, Harmachis i'
NAY, that / am spared. Queen" I
answered "The servant Of the star marks
not tho smaller hight Of woman eyes, and
therein be IS happy"
Cleopatra leaned herself toward me. look
ing on me long aud steadily ia such fashion
that despite my viii the blood f1ttered at
my heart
Boast not. thou proud Egvpfian." shs
said In a low voice which none but ! and
CnarmiOn could hear. lest porchsnce thou
dost tempt me 20 match my mage against
thine What woman can forgive that man
should push Us by as tsinCs of no accounts
lis an insult 70 our sex that Natures self
abhors, and she leaned back and laughed
most musicsiy. But giancing NJ. / saw
Charmiou. her teeth uncn Der lip and 81
angry frown upon her brow.
Pardon. Royal Egypt ] answered.
coidly. but with such wit ss 7 could sun
mon. before the Queen 0f Heaven even
stars grow pale This I said ~ the
moon, which is the sgn n the Holy
Mother whom Cleopatra dared % rlvsl,
naming herself Isls come 20 esrth.