The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-02-14

awhile as /, Har-
eS&Ss1gssSG machis, went, the juice
SSsNsgE1 of the green herbs
XS@W0S3 which the old wife,
EIkS41&G2 Atoua, had placed
7EGA&aS upon my wounds
A@s7SS caused me much smart,
lEiNSIAa slE but presently the pain
lEs844y IE1 ceased. And of truth,
1zA believe that there was
lE@jlEfH9f virtue in them, for with
IBAAIYf. F-' in two days my flesh
lEY healed up, SO that after a time
@jI6flESN no marks remained. But be-
- thought me that l had dis
\, obeyed the word of the old
High Priest, Amenemhat, VINO was called
my father. For till to-day knew not that
he was in truth my father according to the
flesh, having been taught that his own son
was slain, as have written, and that he had
been pleased, with the sanction of the Di-
vine ones, to take me as an adopted son and
rear me up, that might in due season fill
an Office about the temple. Therefore was
sore troubled, for I feared the old man,
who was very terrible in his anger, and
spake ever with the cold voice of Wisdom.
Nevertheless, / determined to go in to him
aud confess my fault and bear such pun
ishment as he should be pleased to put upon
me. So, even with the red spear in my
hand and the red wounds on my breast, ]
passed through the outer court of the great
temple and came to the door of the chamber
where the High Priest dwelt. 1t is great
chamber sculptured round about with the
images of the solemn gods, and the light of
Ra (the SUM came to it in the daytime by
an opening cut through the stone Of the
massy roof. But at night it was lit by
swinging lamp of bronze. lpassed in with
out noise, for the door was not altogether
shut, and pushing my way through the
heavy curtains that were beyond, / stood
with beating heart within the chamber.
The lamp was lit, for the darkness had
fallen, and by its light I saw tho old man
seated in a chair of ivory and ebony at a
table of stone, wherein were spread the
mystic writings of the words Of Life and
Death. But he read no more, for behold
he slept, and his long, white beard rested
upon the table like the beard Of dead
man. The soft light from the lamp fell on
him and on the papyri, and on the gold ring
upon his hand, where were craven the
symbols of the Invisible One, but all
around was shadow. 1t fell on the shaver
head. on the white robe, on the cedar staff
of priesthood at his side, and on the ivory
Of the lion-footed chair; 1t showed the
mighty brow of power, the features cut in
kingly mold, the white eyebrows and the
dark hollows CT the deep-set eyes. l
looked and tre.abled, for there was about
him that which was more than the dignity
of man. So long had he lived with the
gods, and so long kept company with them
and with thoughts divine, so deeply was he
yersed in all those mysteries which we do
but family discern, here in this upper air,
that even now, before his time, he partools
of the nature of the Osiris, and was a
thing to shake humanity with fear.
stood and gazed, and as / stood he
opened his dark eyes, but looked not on
me, nor turned his head; and yet he saw
me and spoke.
..Why hast thou been disobedient to me,
o my son!" he said slow came it that
thou wentest forth against the lion when l
babe thee notr'
How knowest thou. my father, that
went forth." asked in fear.
show know i! Are there, then. no other
ways of knowledge than by the senses! o
ignorant child! was not my spirit with thee
when the lion sprang upon thy COM
panionl Did ! not pray those set about
thee to protect thee to make sure thy
thrust when thou didst drive the spear into
the lions throat How came it that thou
wentest forth, D my sonr' .
'.and went"
'sYes, know it; and because Of the hot
blood of youth, l forgive thee, Harmachis.
But now listen unto me, and let my words
sink into thy heart like the waters Of Sihor
into thirsty sand at the rising OF Sirius.
Listen unto me. Tho boaster was sent un-
to thee as q temptation, as trial Of thy
strength was he sent, and see! it has not
been equal to the burden. Therefore is thy
hour put back. Hadst thou been strong in
this matter, the path had been made plain
to thee even now. But thou hast failed,
and therefore is thy hour put back"
81 understand thee not, my father" an
swered.
''What was it, then, my son, that the old
wife, Atoua, said to thee down by the bank
Of the canalr'
And thereon told him all that the old
wife had said. nd
"And thou believest Harmachis, my
son!'
May I answered; show should be-
lieve such tales. Surely she is mad. All
Then for the first time he looked toward
me, who was standing in the shadow.
'sMy sonl my sonr' he cried, "thou art
wrong She il not mad. The woman spake
the truth; she spalle not of herself, but of
the voice within her that can not lie. For
this Atoua is prophecies and holy. Now
learn thou the destiny that the gods of
Egypt have given to thee to fulfill, and woe
be unto thee if by any weakness thou dost
fail therein! Listen! thou art no stranger
adopted into my house and the house of the
temple; thou art my very son, saved unto
me by this same woman. But, o Harmachis,
thou art more than this, for in thee and me
alone doth flow the imperial blood Of Egypt.
Thou and 1 alone of men alive are de-
scended, without break Or flaw, from that
Pharaoh Next nebf whom Ochus the Per-
sian drove from Egypt. The Persian came
and the Persian went, and then after the
Persian came the Macedonian, and now foI
nigh upon three hundred years have the
Lagida usurped the double crown, defiling
the land Of Khem and corrupting the wor-
ship Of his gods. And mark thou this; but
now, but two weeks since, is Ptolemy Neus
Dionysius, Ptolemy the Piper, VINO would
have slain thee, dead and but now hath the
eunuch Pcthinus, that very eunuch who
came hither, years ago, to cut thee Of, Sc.
at naught the will of his master, the dea>
Auletes, and placed the boy Ptolemy upon
the throne. And therefore hath his sister
Cleopatra, that fierce and beautiful girl,
fed into Syria; and there, if err not, will
she gather her armies and make war upon
err brother Ptolemy; for by her fathers
will was she left joint sovereign with him.
And meanwhile-mark thou this, my SON
the Roman eagle hangs on high. waiting
with ready talons till such time as he may
fall upon the fat wether Egypt aud rend