The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-02-14

But as stood and gazed at the dead body
Of him who had tainted me, and at the car
cass of the lion, a woman, even the same
old wife, Atoua, who, though knew it not
as yet, had offered up her flesh and blood
that might be saved alive, came running
toward me- For she had been gathering
simples, wherein she had great skill, by the
waters edge. not knowing that there was
a lion nigh (and, indeed, the lions for the
most part are not found in the titled land,
! but rather in the desert and the Libyan
Mountaius), and from distance had seen
| that which have set down. Now, when
| she came near she knew me for Harmachis,
and, bending herself she made obeisance to
me, and saluted me, calling me Royal, and
| worthy of all honor, and beloved and chosen
of the Holy Three, ay, and even by the
name of the Pharaohi the Deliverer!
But /, thinking that terror had made her
| sick of mind, asked of her what she would
| speak.
sis it great thing" asked, "that
| should slay a lionl Is it a matter worthy
| of such talk as thine! There live, and have
| lived, men who have slain many lions. Did
| not the Divine Tahutimes the Osirian slay
with his own hand more than two hundred
| lionsl Is it not written on the tablet that
| (the Sphinx that is set beyond Memfi,
| nigh to the seven pyramids, that he slew
lions aforetime! And have not others done
lilSewise. Why, then, speakest thou thus,
o foolish woman!" 90 .
All of which i said because, having now
! slain the lion, was minded, after the man
l ner of youth, to hold it as thing of no &C.
| count. But she ceased not to make obei-
sance and to call me by names that arc too
high even to be written.
80 Royal Oner' she cried, "wisely did
| thy mother prophecy. Surely the Holy
Spirit, the knepth, was In her. o thou
| conceived by a godl See the omen. The
| lion there-he growls within the Capitol at
Rome; and the dead man, he is the Ptolemy
the Macedonian spawn that, like for
eign weed, hath overgrown the land Of
| Nile; with the Macedonian Lagid9 shalt
| thou go to smite the Lion of Rome. And
| the Macedonian cur shall fly, and the lion
shall strike him down, and thou shalt strike
down the hon, and the land of Khem shall
once more be free! freel free! Keep thy
self but pure, according to the command
ment of the gods, o son of the Royal
House! o hope of Khem! be but
ware of Woman the Destroyer, and
as have said, so shall it be.
Poor am and wretched; yea, stricken
with sorrow. have sinned in speaking of
that which should be hid, and for my sin
have l paid in the coin of that which was
born of my womb; willingly have / paid
for thee. But have still of the wisdom Ct
our people, nor do the gods, in whose eyes
all are equal, turn their countenances from
the poor. The Divine Mother nsis) hath
spoken to me-but last night she spake-
bidding me come hithcr to gather herbs,
and read to thee the signs that should see.
And as have said, 50 shall it come 70 pass,
if thou canst but endure the weight of the
great temptation. Come hither, Royal Onem
and she led me to the edge of the canal
where the water was deep and still and
blue snow gaze upon that face as the
water throws it back. Is not that brow
fitted to bear the double crown! Do not
those gentle eyes mirror the perfect
majesty of kings! Hath not the Ptah, the
Creator, fashioned that form to fit the i'm
perial garb, and awe the glance of multi
tudes looking through thee to God?
''Nay, nay" she went on in another voice
Ia shrill old wife's voice-"I WILDE not so
foolish, boy-the scratch Of lion is VEN
omous thing, a terrible thing; yea, as bad as
the bite of an asp-it must be treated, or else
it will tester, and all thy days shalt thou
dream Of hons: ay, and snakes; and,
also, i: will break out in sores. But know
of i'll know. l am not crazed for nothing.
For mark, every thing has its balan-ce-in
madness is much wisdom, and in wisdom
much madness. La Ia lal Pharaoh him.
self can't say where that one begins and
the other ends. Now, don't stand gazing
| there, looking as silly as a cat in a crocus-
colored robe; but just let me stick these
green things on the place, and in six days
you'll heal up as white as q three-year
child. Never mind the smart of it, lad.
By Him who sleeps at PhIe, or at Abou-
this, or at Abydos-as our Divine masters
have it now-or wherever he does sleep,
which is thing we shall find out before
we want TOBY Osiris, say you'll live to
be as clean from scars as sacrifice to Isis
at the new moon, if you'll but let me put it
on.
SIS it not so, my good folkl" and she
turned to address some people who had, un-
seen by me, assembled while she prophe-
sled. 'rve been speaking spell over him,
just to make a way for the virtue of my
medicine-la! la! there's nothing like
spell. If you don't believe it, just come to
me the next time your wives are barren;
it's better than scraping every pillar in the
Temple of Osiris, 1 warrant. I'll make 'em
bear like a twenty-year- old palm. But then,
you see, you must know what to say-that's
the polnt-every thing comes to point a.
last. Lai lap
Now, when heard all this, I, Harmachis,
put my hand to my head, not knowing if /
dreamed. But presently looking up, saw
| a gray-haired man among those who were
gathered together, who watched us sharply,
ID - "A I o1 hat
the spy Of Ptolemy, yea, the very man who
had wellnigh caused me TO be slain of
Pharaoh when / was In my cradle. And
then l understood why Atoua spoke SO fool
ishly.
thine are strange spells, old wife," he
said Thou didst speak of Pharaoh and
the double crown and of form fashioned
| by Ptah to bear it: is it not sos''
'Yea, yea-part of the spell, thou fool;
and what can one swear by better nova
days than by the divine Pharaoh, the Piper,
whom and whose music may the gods pre-
serve to charm this happy landi What bet
ter than by the double crown be wears,
grace to great Alexander OF Macedonian By
the way, you know about every thing. Have
they got back his chlamys yet, which NTH
ridates took to Cos. Pompey wore it last,
didn't he2 In his triumph, too. Just fancy
Pompey in the cloak Of Alexander-a puppy
dog in lions skin. And talking of lions,
look what this lad hath done-slain q lion
with his own spear, and right glad you vii
lage folks should be to see it, for it was
| very fierce lion. Just see the teeth and
| claws. His clawsl They are enough TO
make poor silly cid woman like me shrek
to look at them. And the body there, the
dead body, the lion slew it. Alack, he's an
Osiris now, the body. And to think Of it,
but half an hour ago he was an everyday
| mortal like You or me. Well, away with