The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-03-21

rseao me TINS ridcie, tnou Egyptian SPHINX,
and I'll show thee roster path to fortune
than all thy stars can point Thou hast
brought the omen, solve thou its problem"
I'm good hour do / come, most mighty
Queen" made answer, '.for have some
skill in the mysteries Of sleep, which is, as
thou hast rightly guessed, stair whereby
| those who are gathered to Osiris may from
time to time enter at the gateways Of our
living sense, and, by signs and words that
can be read Of mortals thereto duly learned,
repeat the echoes Of that Hall of Truth
which is their habitation. Thereby also the
messengers of the guardian Gods may de.
scend in many shapes upon the half-loosed
spirit of their choice. For, o Queen, to
those who hold the key, the madness of our
dreams can show q clearer purpose and
speak more certainly than all the acted
wisdom Of our waking life, which is
dream indeed. Thou didst see great Cesar
in his bloody robe, and he threw his arms
about Prince C9sarion and led him hence.
Hearken now to the secret Of thy visions.
Twas Caesars self thou sawest coming to
thy side from Amenti in such suise as
might not be mistaken. When he embraced
the child C9sarion he did it for sign that
to him, and him alone, he passed his great
ness and his love. When he seemed to
lead him hence he led him forth from Egypt
to be crowned in the Capitol, crowned the
Emperor of Rome and Lord of all the lands.
For the rest, know it not. 1t is hid from
me-"
Thus, then, read the vision, though to
my sense 1t had more evil meaning. But
it is not we'll to prophecy evil unto Kings.
Meanwhile Cleopatra had risen, and, hay
ing thrown back the gnat gauze, was seated
upon the edge Of her couch, her eyes fixed
upon my face the while her fingers played
with her girdle's jeweled ends.
''Of a TRUTH" she cried, "thou art the
best Of all magicians, for thou readest my
heart, and out of the rough shell Of evil
omen drawest the hidden sweetp
Gay, o Queen!" said Charmion, who
stood by with downcast eyes, and me-
thought there was bitter meaning in her
soft notes; may no rougher words ever af-
front thy ears, and no evil passage less
closely tread upon its happy sense" Cleo
patSa placed her hands behind her head, and
leaning back looked with half shut eyes.
"Come, show US Of thy magic, Egyptian"
she said. 1T is yet hot abroad and am
weary Of those Hebrew Ambassadors and
their talk Of Herod and Jerusalem. I hate
that Herod, as he shall Finland l will
have rome of the Ambassadors to-day,
though little do yearn to try my Hebrew
on them. What canst thou do? Hast thou
no new tricks By Scraps! if thou canst
conjure as well as thou canst prophecy thou
shalt have a place at court, with pay and
perquisites to boot. and thy lofty soul doth
not scorn perquisites."
"Nay," answered, "all tricks are old
but there are some forms of magic to be
,,&t, L-k
perchance, be new to thee, o Queen! Art
thou afraid to venture on the charm?'
"Naught / fear; go on and do thy worst.
Come, Charmion, and sit thou by me. But,
stay, where are all the girls2-Iris and
Merira-they, too, love magic"
'Not So" said; ''the charms work i'll be-
fore SO many. Now beholdv' And, gazing
at the twain, 1 cast down my wand upon
the marble and murmured a spell. For
moment it was still, and then, as muttered,
the rod slowly began to writhe. It bent it.
self, it stood on end, and of its own motion
moved. Next it put on scales, and behold
it was serpent that crawled and fercely
Kissed.
"Fie on thee" cried Cleopatra, clapping
her hands; s'callest thou that magica Why,
tits an old trick that any wayside conjurer
can do. have seen it score of times"
"Wait, o Queen" answered; ''thou hast
not seen ALL" And even as l spoke the SER
pent seemed to break in fragments. and
from each fragment grew a new serpent.
And these, too, broke in fragments and
bred others, till in a little space the place,
to their glamOred sight, was seething sea
OF snakes, that crawled, Kissed and knotted
themselves in knots. Then made sign,
and the serpents gathered themselves
about me, and seemed slowly to Irvine
themselves about my body and my limbs
till, save my face, l was wreathed thick
with kissing snakes.
"Oh, horrible! horriblei' cried Char
mion, hiding her countenance in the skirt of
the Queens garment.
'sNay, enough! Magician, enough" said
the Queen; "thy magic overwhelms u.s."
WAVED my snake-wrapped arms, and all
was gone. There at my feet lay the black
wand tipped with ivory, and naught be-
side.
The two women looked one upon another |
and gasped with wonder. But 1 took up |
the wand and stood with folded arms be- |
fore them.
SIS the Queen content with my poor art!" |
asked most humbly.
"Aye, that am ], Egyptian: never did |
see its like! Court astronomer art thou |
from this day forward, with right of access |
to the Queens presence. Hast thou moro
Of such magic at thy call!"
Eyes, Royal Egypt; suffer that the
chamber be a little darkened and I will |
show thee one more thing"
"Half am l afraid" she answered;
nevertheless, do thou, Charmion, even as
this Harmachis says"
made as though the twilight was
ut hand came forward and stood me be- |
side Cleopatra ''Gaze thou therew /
said, sternly, pointing with the wand to the
empty space where had been, sand thou
shalt behold that which is in thy mind"
Then for q little space was silence, while
full at the spot.
And as they gazed a cloud gathered be-
fore them. Very slowly it took shape and
form, and the form it took was the form Of
, man, though as yet he was but vaguely
mapped upon the twilight, and seemed now
10 grow and now to melt away.
Then cried with loud voice:
"Shade, conjure thee, appearr'
And even as cried the Thing, perfect in
every part, leapt into form before US, sud
len as the flash of day. His shape was the
shape of Royal Caesar, the toga thrown
about his face, and on his form a vestment
bloody from a hundred wounds. An IN
slant so he stood, then l waved my wand
md he was gone.
turned me to the two women on the
ouch, and then 1 saw Cleopatra's Lovely
ACE all clothed in terror. Her lips were
lshy white, her eyes stared wide, and the
1esh was shaking on her bones.
"Manr' she Sasped, ''man! what art
hou who canst bring the dead before our
,yesn'
81 am the Queens astronomer magician,