Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-02-20

al ~ "a "a tAS WA = "A tASAGAh klO
most powerful and beloved. Doth not
Octavianus give it forth that he makes war
not on Antony, nor even on his mistress,
Cleopatra; but on Charmion and Iras?'
"Yea, and think what it has been TO me
thus, even Of my oath to thee, to be forced
to eat the bread and do the biddings Of one
whom SO bitterly I hate!-one who has
robbed me of thee, and who, through the
workings of my jealousy, brought me to
that which l am, brought theet to shame, and
all Egypt to its ruin! Can jewels andriches
and the iiattery Of princes and mobiles bring
happiness to such q one as j, who am more
wretched than the meanest scullion wenchi
Oh, often have I wept till I was blind; and
then, when the hour came, I must arise aud
tire me, and, with q smile, 60 do the
bidding of the Queen and that heavy
Antony. May the Gods grant me to see
them dead-ay, the twain of them!-then
myself shall be content to die! Hard hath
been thy lot, Harmachis; but at least thou
hast been free, and many is the time that ]
have envied thee the quiet of thy haunted
cave"
81 lido perceive, o Charmion, that thou ART
mindful of thy oaths; and it Is well, foi
methinks the hour of vengeance is OF hand"
81 am mindful, and in all things lave ]
worked for thee in Secretion thee, and foI
the utter ruin Of Cleopatra and the Roman.
I have famed his passion and her jealousy,
Ihave egged her on to wickedness and him
to folly, and of all have I caused report to be
brought to Caesar. Listen! thus stands the
matter. Thou knowest how went the fight
at Actium. Thither with her feet went
Cleopatra, sorely against the will of Antony.
But, as thou sendest me word, ! entreated
him for the Queen, vowing to him, with
tears, that, did he leave her, she would die
Of grief; and he, poor slave, believed me.
And SO she went, and in the thick of the
fight, for what cause / know not, she made
signal to her squadron, and, putting about,
fled from the battle, sailing for Pelopon-
nesus. Ard now mark the end. When
Antony saw that she was gone, he, in his
madness, took o galley, and, deserving all,
followed hard after her, leaving his feet to
be shattered and sunk, and his great army
in Greece OF twenty legions and twelve
thousand horses without a leader. And all
this would no man believe, that Antony,
the smitten of the gods, had fallen so deep
in shame. Therefore for awhile the army
tarried, and but now tonight comes news
brought by Canidius, the General, that,
worn with doubt and being at length sure
that Antony had deserted them, the whole
of that great force hath yielded to Cesar"
Sand where, then, is Antonyl"
son a little isle in the Great Harbor hath
he built him q habitation and named it
Timonium; because, forsooth, like Timon,
he cries out of the ingratitude of mankind
that hath forsaken him. And there he lies
smitten by a fever Of the mind, and thither
must thou go at dawn, so wills the Queen,
to cure him Of his ills and draw him to her
arms; for her he will not see, nor knows he
yet the full measure of his woe. But first
my bidding is to lead thee instantly to Cleo
patra, who fain would ask thy counsel"
81 come" / answered, rising. "Leadt thou
on"
And so we passed the palace gates and
along the Alabaster Hall, and presently
once again I stood before the door of Cleo
patra's chamber, n once again Charmion
left me to warn her of my coming.
Presently she came back and beckoned to
me. snake strong thy heart" she whis.
pered, sand see that thou dost not betray
thyself, for still are the eyes of Cleopatra
keen. Enter"
"Keen, indeed, must they be to find Har-
machis in the learned Olympusi Had I not
willed it, myself thou hadst not known me,
Charmion," Imade answer.
Then I entered that remembered place
and listened once more to the splash OF the
fountain, the song Of the nightingale, and
the murmur Of the summer sea. With
bowed head and halting gait I came, till al
length I stood before the couch Of Cleopatra
that same golden couch wherein she had
sat the night she did o'ercome me. Then ]
gathered my strength and looked up
There before me was Cleopatra, glorious as
Of old, but, obi how changed since thai
|, night when I saw Antony clasp her in his
arms at Tarsusi Her beauty still clothed
her like q garment; the eyes were yet deer
, and unfathomable as the blue sea. The face
1 still splendid in its great loneliness. And
|. yet all was changed. Time, that could no
, touch her charms, had stamped upon hel
I presence such q look of weary grief as MAJ
not be written. Passion, beating ever ii
that fierce heart of hers, had written hi:
. record on her brow, and in her eyes shons
!. the sad light Of sorrow.
. Low / bowed before this most royal won
; an, who once had been my love and my de
struction, and yet knew me not.
, She looked up YEARLY, and spoke in hel
= slow, wellremembered voice.
, $50 thou art come at length, Physician
How callest thou thyself-Olympusl Til
a name of promise, for surely now that th'
. Gods Of Egypt have deserted US, we d.
!. need aid from Olympus. Well, thou hast
: learned air, for learning goes not witt
4 beauty. Strange, too, there Is that abou
4 thee which doth recall what / know not
Say, Olympus, have we met beforea"
: "Never, o Queen, have my eyes fallen o.
! thee IN the body" I answered. "Neve
+ till this hour, when I come forth from N,
i solitude to do thy bidding and cure thee 0
4 thy ills"
> "Strange! and even in the voice
Pshawi tits some memory that I can nc
{ catch. In the body thou sayesta then, pei
chance, 1 know thee in a dreaml"
Gay, Queen, in dreams have We met.
r 'Thou art q strange man who takes
. thus, but If what ! hear be true, u we
y learned; and. indeed, I do mind me Of tn
. counsel when thou didst bid me join N
v Lord Antony in Syria, and how things befe
according to thy work. Skilled must tho
n be in the casting of nativities and in th
4 law of inquiries, whereof these Alexandria
fools nave little knowledge. Once knew
o such another man, one -Harmachis," an
2 she sighed; shut long Is he dead-as
i would I were!-and at time I sorrow fe
y him." She paused, while I sank my hea
upon my breast and stood silent.
r "Interpret ne this, Olympus. In ii
battle at that accursed Actium, just as tt
fight ragged thickest and victory began
n smile upon US, q great terror seized q
IA Let an +