Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-04-17

M slaves who in silence
ri xA MI brought me food and
WMlvI drink, n d Cleo
3ES9EX patra's self, who
EANN@Hl camecontinually. But
A@N\A&>lW though her words of
W4NQ1M\N W love were. many.
M naught would she tell me Of
: A how things went without. She
MH came in many moods-now gay
VW and laughing, now full of wise
thoughts and speech, and now
passionate only-and to every
mood she gave some new-found charm.
Full of talk she was as to how I should help
her make Egypt great and lessen the bur-
dens of the people and fight the Roman
eagles back. And though at first listened
heavily when she spake thus, by slow ad-
vance she wrapped me closer and yet more
close in her magic web, from which is no
escape. My mind fell in time with hers.
Then /, too, opened something OF
my heart, and somewhat also of
the plans that had formed for Egypt. And
she seemed to listen gladly. weighing them
well, and spoke of means and methods, tell
ing me how she would purify the faith and
repair the ancient temples-ay, and build
new ones to the Gods. And ever she crept
deeper and more deep into my heart, till at
length, now that all things else had gone
from me, learned to love her with all the
unspent passion of my aching soul. Ihad
naught left to me but Cleopatrl's love, and
twined my life about it, and brooded DER
it as a widow DER her only babe. And thus
the very author of my shame became my
all, my dearest dear, and loved her with a
wild, deep love that grew and grew, till it
seemed to swallow up the past and make
the present as a dream. For she had con-
Quered me, she had 70 bed me Of my honor
and STEPPED me to the lips in shame, and /,
poor, blinded wretchi I kissed the rod that
smote me and was her very slave.
Ay, even now, in those dreams which will
come when sleep unlocks the secret heart,
and sets all its terrors free to roam through
the open halls Of thought, I seem to see her
outstretched and loves own light shining
in her deep eyes, with lips apart and fow-
ing locks, and stamped upon her face the
look of utter tenderness that she alone
could wear. Ay, still, after all the years,
seem to see her come as erst she came, and
still wake to know her an unutterable lie.
And thus one day she came. She had
fed in haste, she said, from some great
council summoned concerning the wars Of
Antony in Syria, and she came. as she had
left the council. in all her robes of state,
and in her hand the scepter, and on her
brow the urRus diadem of gold. There she
sat before me laughing; for, wearying of
them, she had told the ENJOYS, to whom she
gave audience in the council, that she was
called from their presence by a sudden
message come from Rome; and to her the
jest seemed merry. Suddenly she rose,
took the diadem from her brow, and set it
on my hair, and on my shoulders her Royal
chlamys, and in my hand the scepter, and
bowed the knee before me. Then, laugh
ing again, she kissed me on the lips and
said was, indeed, her King. But, remem-
bering how had been crowned in the halls
of Abouthis, and remembering also that
wreath Of roses whereof the odor haunts
me yet, I rose pale with wrath and cast the
dared to mock me-her Gagged bird! And
methinks there was that about me that
startled her, for she fell back.
t'Nay, Harmachis,'' she said, 'sbe not
wrethi How knowest thou that mock
thee2 How knowest thou that thou shalt
not be Pharaoh in fact and deed!''
what meanest thoua" I said. ssW1lt
thou, then, wed me before Egypsa How
else can be Pharaoh nows'
She cast down her eyes. "Perchance,
love, tits in my mind to wed thee" she said
gently.
'tListenr' she went on. s'Thou growest
pale here in this prison, and little dost thou
eat. Gainsay me not! know it from the
slaves. I have kept thee here, Harmachis,
for thine own sake, that is so dear to me;
and for thine own sake, and thy honol's
sake, must thou still seem to be my prison
er. Else wouldst thou be shamed and slain
-ay, murdered secretly. But here can 1
meet thee no more; therefore tomorrow
will free thee in all save in the name, and
thou shalt once more be seen at Court as
my astronomer. And this reason will give
that thou hast cleared myself; and, more
over, that thy augurieS as regards the war
have been auguries of truth-as, indeed,
they have, though thereon have no cause
to thank thee, for methinks thou didst suit
thy prophecies to 6t thy cause. Now fare
well; for I must return to those heavy
browed ambassadors; and grow not SO sud-
den wroth, for who knows what may come
to pass 'twixt thee and mea''
And. with a little nod, she went, leaving
it on my mind that she had it in her heart
to take me to husband. And, Of truth, I
do believe that, at this hour, such was her
thought. For, if she loved me not, still she
held me dear, and as yet she had not
wearied OF me.
On the morrow Cleopatra came not, but
Charmion came-Charmion, whom had not
seen since that fatal night OF ruin. She en-
tered and stood before me, with pale face
and downcast eyes, and her first words
were words Of bitterness.
ssPardon me,n she said, in her gentle
voice, Tin that dare to come to thee in
Cleopatra place. Not for long Is thy joy
delayed, for thou shalt see her presently
shrank at her words, as well I might,
and, seeing her vantage, she seized it.
II come. Harmachis-Royal no morel I
come to tell thee that thou art freei Free
thou art to face thine own infamy, and see
it thrown back from every eye that trusted
thee, even as shadows are from water. /
come to tell thee that the great plot-the
plot Of twenty years and moreNis ut ITS
utter end. None have been slain, indeed,
unless tits Sepa, who has vanished But
ii tho leaders have been seized and put IN
chains, or driven from the land, and tcear
party i no moro. The storm has melted