The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-04-18

na65EEsmsH.sHS space OF eleven
~i days was thus kept
W(rzq FL prisoned in my cham
EN& bers; nor did / see
an GAls any one save the SEN
9#h @AN tries at my door, the
tN>R M slaves who in silence
IN 1A M brought me food and
WMVI drink, a d Cleo
HEEEK patra's self, who
A\WN&HtI camcontinually. But
A@N\l' though her words OF
W$S&6M\ w love were many,
WH&4NS naught would she tell me of
E4@ how things went without. She
GA came in many moods-now gay
SE and laughing, now full Of wise
thoughts and speech, and now
Gfi passionate only-and to every
mood she gave some new-found charm.
Full of talk she was as to how should help
her make Egypt great and lessen the bur-
dens of the people and fight the Roman
eagles back. And though at first I listened
heavily when she spake thus, by slow ad-
vance she wrapped me closer and yet more
close in her magic web, from which is no
escape. My mind fell in time with hers.
Then /, too, opened something Of
my heart, and somewhat also of
the plans that had formed for Egypt. And
she seemed to listen gladly, weighing them
well, and spoke of means and methods, tell
ing me how she would purify the faith and
repair the ancient temples-ay, and build
new ones to the Gods. And ever she crept
deeper and more deep into my heart, till at
length, now that all things else had gone
from me, learned to love her with all the
unspent passion of my aching soul. Ihad
naught left to me but Cleopatra's love, and
twined my life about 1t, and brooded DER
it as widow DER her only babe. And thus
the very author of my shame became my
all, my dearest dear, aud loved her with a
wild, deep love that grew and grew, till it
seemed to swallow up the past and make
the present as a dream. For she had con-
quered me, she had robbed me Of my honor
and STEPPED me TO the lips in shame, and l,
poor, blinded wretch! kissed the rod that
smote me and was her very slave.
Ay, even now, in those dreams which will
come when sleep unlocks the secret heart,
and sets all its terrors free to roam through
the open halls Of thought, 1 seem to see her
royal form, as erst saw it, come with arms
outstretched and loves own light shining
in her deep eyes, with lips apart and flow-
ing locks, and stamped upon her face the
look of utter tenderness that she alone
could wear. Ay, still, after all the years, I
seem to see her come as erst she came, and
still wake to know her an unutterable lie.
And thus one day she came. She had
fled in haste, she said, from some great
council summoned concerning the wars of
Antony in Syria, and she came, as she had
left the council, in all her robes Of state,
and in her hand the scepter, and on her
brow the ur9us diadem of gold. There she
sat before me laughing; for, wearying Of
them, she had told the ENJOYS, to whom she
gave audience in the council, that she was
called from their presence by sudden
message come from Rome; and to her the
jest seemed merry. Suddenly she rose,
took the diadem from her brow, and set 1t
on my hair, and on my shoulders her Royal
chlamys, and in nv hand the scepter, and
bowed the knee before me. Then, laugh
ing again, she kissed me on the lips and
said was, indeed, her King. But, remem-
bering how had been crowned in the halls
of Abouthis, and remembering also that
wreath Of roses whereof the odor haunts
me yet, rose pale with wrath and cast the
trinkets from me, asking her how she
dared to mock me-her Gagged birdl And
methinks there was that about me that
startled her, for she fell back.
'.Nay, Harmachis," she said, "be not
wroth! How knowest thou that I mock
thee! How knowest thou that thou shalt
not be Pharaoh in fact and deedi"
What meanest thoul" ! said. swift
thou, then, wed me before Egypt How
else can be Pharaoh nowr"
She cast down her eyes. "Perchance,
love, tits in my mind to wed thee" she said
gently.
'.Listen ~ she went on. 'Thou growest
pale here in this prison, and little dost thou
eat. Gainsay me notl know it from the
slaves. have kept thee here, Harmachis,
for thine own sake, that is so dear to me;
and for thine own sake, and thy honor s
sake. must thou still seem to be my prison.
err. Else wouldst thou be shamed and slain
-ay, murdered secretly. But here can l
meet thee no more; therefore tomorrow
will free thee in all save in the name, and
thou shalt once more be seen at Court as
my astronomer. And this reason will give
that thou hast cleared myself; and, more
over, that thy auguries as regards the war
hare been auguries Of truth-as, indeed,
they have, though thereon have no cause
to thank thee, for methinks thou didst suit
thy prophecies to 1t thy cause. Now fare
well; for must return to those heavy.
browed ambassadors; and grow not SO sud-
den wroth, for who knows what may come
to pass 'twixt thee and metz
And. with little nod, she went, leaving
it on my mind that she had it in her heart
to take me to husband. And, Of truth, /
do believe that, at this hour, such was her
thought For, if she loved me lot, still she
held me dear, and as yet she had not
wearied of me.
On the morrow Cleopatra came not, but
Charmion came-Charmion, whom had not
seen since that fatal night OF ruin. She en-
tered and stood before me, with pSle face
and downcast eyes, and her first words
were words Of bitterness.
pardon me-" she said, in her gentle |
voice, Gin that dare to come to thee in |
place. Not for long is thy joy |
delayed, for thou shalt see her presently.
lshrank at her words, as well might, |
and, seeing her vantage, she seized it.
~ come, Harmachis-Royal no moreI ! |
,ome to tell thee that thou art free! Free |
.hou art to face thine own infamy, and see |
( thrown back from every eye that trusted |
:hee, even as shadows are from water. I
,ome to tell thee that the great plot-the |
dot Of twenty years and more-is at Its
liter end. None have been slain, indeed,
lnless it's 6epa, who has vanished. But |
N the leaders have been seized and put IN
;hains, or driven from tia land, and tte,r
'srty i no more. The storm has melted J