The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-03-28


| for heri
And thus it came to pass that /, Harma-
CHS, who had put such matters far from
me, was yet doomed to fall by the thing I
held of no account. For, see, this Char
mion; she loves newly, knew not OF
her own thought she learned to love me,
| and of her love came what shall be told.
Butt, knowing naught, treated her even as a
| sister, walking as it were hand in hand with
her toward our common end.
And so the time passed on till, at length,
all things were made ready.
It was the night before the night when
the blow should fall, and there were revel-
ings in the palace. That very day had seen
Sepa, and with him the captains of band
of five hundred men, who should burst into
the palace at midnight on the morrow,
when had slain Cleopatra the Queen, and
put the Roman and the Gallo DICTIONARIES
to the sword. That very day had sub
orned the Captain Paulus, who, since drew
him through the gates, was my willis slave.
Half by fear and half by promises of great
reward had prevailed upon him, for his
was the watch, at the signal on the morrow
night to unbar that small gate which faces
to the east.
II
dom that had been five and twenty years
in growth was on the point of bloom. In
every city, from Abu unto Athue, armed
companies were gathered, and from their
walls spies looked out, awaiting the CON-
ing OF the messenger who should bring
tidipgs that Cleopatra was no more, and
that Harmachis. the Egyptian, had seized
the throne. All was prepared, triumph
hn fo hop riy, 70 he. n 4
of the plucker. Yet, as sat at the royal
feast my heart was heavy, and a shadow Of
coming woe lay cold within my mind. sat
there in a place of honor, nigh to the
majesty Of Cleopatra, and looked down the
lines of guests, bright with gems and gar
landed with flowers, marking those whom
had doomed to die. There before me lay
Cleopatra's self, in all her beauty, which
thrilled the beholder as he is thrilled by the
rushing of the midnight gale, or by the
sight of stormy waters. gazed on her as
she touched her lips with wine and toyed
With the chaplet of roses on her brow, be-
thinking me of the dagger beneath my
robe that / had sworn to bury III her breast.
Again, and yet again, l gazed and strove
to hate her, strove to rejoice that she must
die-and could not. There, too, behind
deep-fringed eyes-was the lovely Lady
Charmion. Who, to look at her innocent
face, would believe that she was the setter
of that snare wherein should miserably
perish the Queen who loved herl Who
would dream that locked in her girlish
breast was the secret of so much deathi l
gazed, and grew sick at heart because I
must anoint my throne with blood, and by
evil sweep away the evil of the land. At
that houl wished, indeed, that l was
naught but some humble husbandman, who
in its season sows and in its season
gamers the golden grain! Alas! the seed
that had been doomed to sow was the red
seed of Death, and now l must reap the
fruit of the harvestl
"Why, Harmachis, what ais theew said
Cleopatra, smiling her slow smile. "Has
the golden skein of stars got tangled, my
astronomer or dost thou plan some new
feat of magic? Say what Is 1t, that thou
dost so poorly grace our feast. Nay, now,
did l not know, having made inquiry
thereon, that things so low as we poor
women are far beneath thy gaze, why,
should swear that Eros had found thee
out, Harmachisp'
'.Nay, that l am spared, o Queen"
answered. 1.-THE servant of the star marks
not the smaller light of woman's eyes, and
therein he is happy"
Cleopatra leaned herself toward me, look
ing on me long and steadily in such fashion
that despite my will the blood fiuttered at
my heart.
''Boast not, thou proud Egyptian" she
said in low voice which none but I and
Charmion could hear, ''lest perchance thou
dost tempt me to match my magic against
thine. What woman can forgive that man
should push US by as things of no account!
IT'S an insult to our sex that Natures self
abhors,'' and she leaned bach and laughed
most unsteady. But glaucing up, saw
Charmion, her teeth upon her lip and an
angry frown upon her brow.
Pardon, Royal Egypt" I answered,
coldly, but with such wit as I could sum-
mon, 'sbefore the Queen of Heaven even
stars grow paler' This l said of the
moon, which is the sign of the Holy
Mother whom Cleopatra dared to rival,
naming herself Isis come to earth.
.Happily said," she answered, clapping
her While hands. "Why, here's an astron-
omer who hath wit and can shape a COM
pliment. Nay, such wonder must not pass
unnoted, lest the Gods resent it. Char
mion, take thou this chaplet from my hair
and set it upon the learned brow of our
Harmachis. King of LOue he shall be
crowned, whether he will it or will 1t not"
Charmion lifted the chaplet from Cleo
patra's brows and bearing it to where
was, with smile set it upon my head, yet
warm and fragrant from the Queens hair,
but so roughly that she panied me some
what. And this she did because she was
wroth, although she smiled with her lips
and whispered: IAN omen, Royal Har-
machis." For though she was 50 much a
woman, yet, when she was angered or suf-
fered jealousy, Charmion had childish
way.
Having thus fixed the chaplet, she court
esied low before me, and with the softest
tone of mockery named me, in the Greek