The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-09-19

And 50 the days Of my probation sped away
till grew faint and weary at heart, for be.
ing now man, ny. and learned, Ionged q
make beginning OF the life OF men. And
ofttimes wondered IL this talk and prophe
cy Of the things there were TO be was but q
dream born OF the brains Of men whose
wish ran before their thought. was. in
deed, of the royal blood, that / knew; for
NY uncle, Scpa, the Priest, showed me the
secret record Of the descent, traced withou,
break from father unto son, and craven IN
mystic symbols upon tablet Of the stone Of
Sycne. But OF what avail was 1t to be royal
BY right when Egypt, my heritage, was q
slave Q slave TO do the pleasure and minis.
ter TO the luxury Of the Macedonian Lagida
-ay, and when she had been so long seri
that, pcrchance, she had forgot how TO put
on the servie smile OF bondage and once
more to look across the world with free
dom's glorious eyes.
And then / bcthought me OF my prayer
upon the pylon tower OF Abouthis and Of
the answer to my prayer, and wondered II
that, too, were q dream.
And one night, as. weary with study,
walked within the sacred grove that Is in
the temenos OF the Temple, and thought
such thoughts as these, / met my Uncle
Scpa, who also was walking and thinking.
t.Hold"' he cried, in his great voice;
"why is thy face so sad, Harmachls. Hath
the last problem that we studied over
whelmed thec."
NAY, my uncle" / answered. II am
overwhelmed, indeed, but not OF tho
problem; it was light one. Ny heart is
heavy within me, for l am aweary Of life
within these cloisters, and the piied-up
weight Of knowledge brushes me. 1t is OF
no avail to store up force which can not be
used.'
'.Ah. thou art impatient, Harmachis,'' he
answered: '.it Is ever the way Of foolish
youth. Thou wouldst taste of the battle
thou dost weary of watching the breakers
fall upon the shore, thou wonldst plunge
therein and venture the desperate hazard
or the war. And 80 thou wouldst be going,
Harmaehis: The bird would fly the nest
as, when they are grown, the swallows fly
from beneath the caves of the Temple.
Well, it shall be as thou desirest; the hour
is Vt hand. / have taught thee all that
have learned. and metninks that the pupil
hath outrun his master" And he paused
and wiped his bright, black eyes, for he
was very sad at the thought of my depart
urc.
asked, rejoicing: ..back to Abouthis to be
initiated in the mystery Of the Gods.''
s.Ay. back to Abouthis, and from AT outhis
to Alexandria, and from Alexandria to the
throne of thy fathers, o Harmachis! Listen,
now: things are thus: Thou knowest how
Cleopatra, the Queen. fled into Syria when
that false eunuch Pothinus set the will Of
Athletes at naught and raised her brother
Ptolemy to the sole lordship Of Egypt. Thou
knowest also how she came back, like a
Queen indeed, with great army in her
train, and lay At Pelusim, and how ut this
juncture the mighty Caesar. that great man,
that greatest of all men, sailed with a weak
company hithcr to Alexandria from Phar-
salIa's bloody field in hot pursuit of Pompey
But he found Pompey already dead, having
been basely murdered by Achillas. tho Cen
eral, and Lucius Septiinius, the chief Of the
Roman legions in Egypt; and thou knowest
how the Alexandrians were troubled at his
coming and would have slain his Iictors
Then, AS thou hast heard, Caesar seized
Ptolemy, the young King, and his sister
Arsinoc. and babe the army Of Cleopatra
and the army of Ptolemy. under Achillas.
which lay facing each other at Pelusim, dis
band and go their wars. And for
answer Achillas marched on Caesar aud be-
sieged him straitly in tho Bruchium ut
Alexandria, and SO, for awhile, things
were, and none knew who should reign in
Egypt. But then Cleopatra took up the dice
and threw them, andthis was the throw she
made-in truth 1t was u bold one For,
leaving the army at Pelusim. she came at
dusk TO the harbor of Alexandria, and alone
with the Siciiian Apollodorus entered and
landed. Then did Apollodorus bind her in
. bale of rich rugs. such as are made in
Syria, and sent the rugs as present to
Cesar. And when the rugs were unbound
in the palace, behold! within them was the
fairest girl on all the earth-ay, and the
most witty and the most learned. And she
seduced the great CRsar-even his weight
Of years did not avail to protect him from
her charms-so that. rs fruit of his folly.
he well-nigb lost his life and al the glory
he had gained in hundred wars
THE fool.' | broke in. 1.-THE fool. Thou
cillcst him great, but how can the man who
beth no strength TO stand against woman 4
wiles be truly great. Caesar, with the
world hanging on his word! Caesar. ri
whose breath forty legions marched and
changed the fate of peoples. Cesar, the
cold. the far-secing. the hero! Cesar, Il
fall like a ripe fruit into false girls lap
Why. in tho issue. Of what common clay
was this Roman Caesar, and how poor 9
thing.'
But Sepa looked at me and shook his
head.
"Be not so rash, Harmachis. and talk not
with SO proud voice. knowcst thou no,
that in every suit OF mali there is joint
and woe to him that wears it If the sword
should search it out. For woman. in hei
weakness, is yet the strongest force upon
the earth She is the helm Of all things
human: she comes in many shapes and
knocks at many doors: she Is quick ant
patient, and her passion is not ungoverD
able like that Of man, but as . gentle steeG
that she can guide cen where she will, and
| as occasion offers can now bit up and now
| give rein. She hath o captains eye, anG
| strong must be the fortress of tho hear
wherein she finds no place of vantage
Doth fhy blood beat fast in youth. she viii
| outrun it, nor will her kisses tire. Ar
| thou set toward ambition! she will uniocl
| thy inner heart, and show thee secret roads
| that lead to glory. Art thou worn anl
| weary. she hath comfort in her breast
Art thou fallen! she can lift thee up
and to the illusion of thy sense gilt
| defeat with triumph. Ay, Harmachis
| z1Asxfs,'
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