San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-16

4
that love for her fellow countrymen, the
Persian Guebers, prompted her allure
| ments to delay the departure of the young
| Armenian hero, the flower of the army.
Entreaties of parents and friends at last
prevailed, and Vahan departed to the war.
Before his coming the Persians had been
almost uniformly victorious, but now the
| bravery and generalship of the new leader
| aroused the despairing Armenians to re-
newed courage, and the tide of victory was
turned
Meanwhile spies had discovered in the
mountain cottage the cause of the princes
long delay. Thenceforth it was continu.
ally watched. One night a man was capt
ured while stealthily departing from the
place His speech and brave attempt to
outrun the horsemen proved him to be
one of the swift footed Persian couriers.
He carried message from the old Persian
fire worshiper, containing evidence of the
mo It diabolical treachery, the revelation of
all of Vahan's military plans, which, in
his confidence and enthusiasm, he must
have revealed to the old man. Last of all
there was plot for Turing the prince into
ambush.
The courier was slain at once, and the
old man and his daughter dragged before
the court of Armenia The father confessed
everything, and with erect form and flash
ing eyes even boosted of the partial success
of his plans But he begged piteously for
the life of his daughter, and said that she
knew nothing of the plan forNahan's be-
trayal, and that even he loved the young
man so we'll that he had planned capture
where death would have been more easily
accomplished. So great was the peoples
love for their prince that their rage knew
no bounds. The old man was condemned
to death by fire. He stood in the midst of
the flames more like martyr than the ac-
cursed sOrcerer that he was, and cried as
the fire ragged about him, 80 spirit of fire!
| thank thee that my sin against thee is
purified in thine embracesE'
Such was the force of the fathers en-
treaties, and such was the sanity beauty
of her own pure face, that some would
have freed the maiden. Butmany beauty
among the court ladies, on whom Vahan
had ever looked with disdain, could scarce
restrain her nails from blowing that
face, whose crime in her eyes was cot
that it had caused Armenia the loss of
many victories, but that it had won the
love of Fahan. She was condemned to
the milder death by the sword, though
many thought her viler magician than
her father, so wickedly fair was her en-
chantment of beauty, for our priests tell
us, in the words of the Holy Book, that
the devil often appears as an angel of
light.
While she lay in prison, awaiting eXecu
ton, Vahan heard of her condition. Ours
L., ,,,lr hot ha
horse for the capital. He rode like the
wind, night and day, and even his Koord
ish mare, that, under q forayer had jour
neyed for three days without food or rest,
whose limbs were like marble in their
frmness, dropped dead on the second
morning. Four horses died beneath the
furious rider, and still he came too late
On the morning of his arrival the maiden
had been brought into the public square,
and taken upon the platform constructed
in its center. None of the spectators had
ever seen so beautiful q being. Down
from her queenly head, about the fairest
of faces and loveliest of forms, ripping
even to her feet, fell the richness of her
hair, soft and silken as the spiders thread,
and golden as the sunlight. This glorious
witchery the eXecutiOner severed first to
allow the free sweep of his sword. The
vindictive queen, Vahan's mother, was by
her side, and gathered up the locks as they
fell. Then she scattered them to the
winds, and laid curse upon them, saying:
30 cleaning locks of the Fire Witch, that
like marsh light would have lured my
son to destruction, be We scattered to the
four corners of the world, TO be witness
to Armenian and to Persian, to Christian
and to unbelieveT, of the wickedness of
this enchantressl \ curse be on you, that
ye rest not forever either upon the earth
or sea or in the heaven, that the memory
of her treaChery may ever remainp'
As she ended down the valley in the dis
lance came Vahan, urging n wearied steed
and crying, "lnnOcentl Innocent" But
the eXecutioner was deaf to all commands
save the queens, and blind to all beauty,
| even that of a saint, for saint the maiden
surely seemed, with the shOrn locks of
gold surrounding her sorrowfu face as
| the halo hOvcrs over the weeping Mother
Mary. The great two handed sword whis-
| tied through the air, and the euchantress
was no more. The queen and all that were
| there fed like towards from the frantic
| curses of Vahan. All alone did he mourn
| over her body, and then departed to throw
| away MS lie In desperate battle with the
Persians. He and Vartan, his father, per-
| ished on the day when Armenia was freed.
Still, over the hills and valleys, forests
and streams, float the silken hairs on
| which the curse was laid. They rest not,
neither oh the earth below nor in the
| heaven above, but float forever between
them, a memorial to all the world of the
saint like enchantress, and the little Ar
menian children say, as they see the long
| golden threads stretching over the mead