The Iola register., 1890-06-06

knew. But In my rOugn disgufse anc imp
| ing gait none knew me. Atlength came
| as the sun sank, near to the great QUITE
pylon of the Temple; and here l crouchet
| down in the ruins of a house, not knowing
wherefore had come or what was abou
to do. Like lost OK had strayed from
far, back to the fields of my birth, and fol
WHAT II my father, Amenemhat, still
lived, surely he would turn his face from
mel Idared not go into the presence o
my father. I sat hidden there among tn.
broken rafters and idly watched the pylor
gates, to see If perchance faceI knew
should issue forth. But none came forth Of
entered in, though the great gates stoot
wide; and then / saw that herbs were
growing 'twIxt the stones, where no herb:
had grown for ages. What could this be
Was the Temple deserted Nay; how could
the worship of the eternal Gods have
ceased that for thousands 6 years had
day by day, been offered In the holy
placel Was, then, my father deadi Il
well might be. And yet, why this silencei
where were the priestsi where the
worshipersl No more could / bear the
doubt, but as the sun sank red crept like
hunted jackal through the open gates
and on till reached the first great Hall OF
Pillars. Here ] paused and gazed around
me-not sight, not a sound in the dim and
holy placei On with beating heart ! went
to the second great hall Of six-and-thirty
pillars, where had been crowned Lord OF
all the Land; still not q sight or sound
Thence, half fearful of my own football, SC
terrible did 1t echo in the silence of the de.
serted Holes, passed down the passage OF
the names Of the Pharaohs toward my ia
theirs chamber. There still swung the cur.
tain DER the doorway; but what would
there be withinl- also emptinessi lifted
it, and noiselessly passed in, and there in his
carven chair at the table whereou his long
white beard flowed down, sat my father,
Amenemhat, clad in his prIestly robes. Al
first thought that he was dead, so still he
sat; but at length he turned his head, and
saw that his orbs were white and sightless
He was blind, and his face was thin as the
face Of a dead man, and woeful with age and
grief.
I stood still and felt the blind eyes wan.
dering over me. could not speak, dared
not speak to him; would 60 and hide my
self afresh.
Already had turned and grasped the cur
tain, when, in deep, slow voice, my father
spoke:
"Come hither, thou who vast my son and
art traitor. Come hitler, thou Harmachis,
whereon Khem builded up her hope. Not
in vain, then, have drawn thee from far
awayi Not in vain have / held my life in
me till heard thy football creeping down
these empty HOLES, like the football of q
thiefp'
"Ohl my father" I gasped, astonished.
''Thou art blind; how knowest thou mer'
SHOW do know theei and askest thou
that who hast learned Of our lorel Enough,
I know thee and l brought thee hither.
Would, Harmachis, that 1 knew thee not
would that had been blasted of the in
visible ere drew thee down from the
womb of Nout TO be my curse and shame,
and the last woe of Khemrn
''Oh, speak thou not thus" I moaned, sis
not my burden already more than can
bearl Am not myself betrayed and utterly
outcast. Be pitiful, my fatherr'
aBe pitifull be pitiful to thee who hath
shown so great pitya Thy pity twas which
gave up noble Sepa to die beneath the hands
of the tormentorsr'
''Oh, not that-not that!' cried
"Ay, traitor, thatI to die in agony, with
his last poor breath proclaiming thee, his
murderer, honest and innocentl Be pitiful
to thee, who gaveth all the flower Of Khem
as the price of wanton's arms!-thinkest
thou that, laboring in the darksome desert
mines, those noble ones in thought are pitt
full to thee, Harmachisl Be pltiful to thee,
by whom this holy Temple of Abouthis hath
been ravaged, its lands seized, its priests
scattered, and alone, old and withered, left
to count out its ruin Ito thee, who hath
poured the treasures of Her into thy leman's
lap, whe hath forsworn thyself, thy country,
thy birthright, and thy Godsl Yea, thus
am tiful:-Accursed be thou, fruit of
my loins Shame be thy portion, Agony thy
end, and He'll receive thee at the last! !!
Where art thoul Yea, grew blind with
weeping when heard the truth-sure, they
strove to hide it from me. Let me find thee
that may spit upon thee, thou Renegade!
thou Apostatei thou Outcastr'-and he
rose from his seat and staggered like liv-
ing wrath toward me, smiting the air with
his wand. And as he came with houtstretched
arms, awful to see, suddenly his end found
him, and with cry he sank down upon the
ground, the red blood streaming from his
lips. ran to him and lifted him; and as he
died, he babbled:
''He was my son, bright-eyed, lovely
boy, and full of promise as the spring; and
no*-and now-oh, would that he were
deadr'
Then came pause, and the breath ratified
in his throat.
"Harmachis," he gasped, ''art there9"
"Yea, father" ...
'Harmachis, atonel-atoneI Vengeance
can still be WI 1eaked-forgiveness may still
be won. There's gold; I've hidden it
can tell thee-ah, this pain
Farewelll''
And he struggled family in my arms, and
was dead. Thus, then, did and my holy
father, the Prince Amenemhat, meet togeth-
er for the last time in the flesh, and for the
last time part. ..