Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-03-27

CHS, who had put such matters far from
me, was yet doomed to fall by the thing
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 I sub
orned the Captain Pauius, 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.
ALI was made ready-the flower of Free
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 COM
ing of the messenger who should bring
tidiDgs that Cleopatra was no more, and
that Rarmachis. the Egyptian, had seized
the throne. All was prepared, triumph
hung to my hand as ripe fruit to the hand
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. I sat
there in 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 il her breast.
Again, and yet again, gazed and strove
to hate her, strove to rejoice that she must
die-and could not. There, too, behind
her-watching me now as ever, with her
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 her? Who
would dream that locked in her girlish
breast was the secret of so much deatha I
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 hour I wished, indeed, that / was
naught but some humble husbandman, who
in its season sows and in it's season
gamers the golden grain! Alas the seed
that 1 had been doomed to sow was the red
seed of Death, and now I must reap the
fruit of the harvest!
''Why, Harmachis, what ails thee?' said
al mil
the golden skein of stars got tangled, my
astronomer? or dost thou plan some new
feat of magics Say what Is it, that thou
dost so poorly grace our feast. Nay, now,
did / 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, Harmachisl''
''Nay, that I 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 f1uttered at
my heart.
':Boast not, thou proud Egyptian" she
said in a low voice which none but I and
Charmion could hear, ''lest perchance thou
dost tempt me to match my magic against
tuluo. w udb WOudu Cdu forgive GQdL man
should push US by as things of no account?
IT'S an insult to our sex that Natures self
and she leaned back and laughed
most unsteady. But glancing up, I saw
Charmion, her teeth upon her lip and an
angry frown upon her brow.
Pardon, Royal Egypt" 1 answered,
coldly, but with such wit as I could sum-
mon, ''before the Queen of Heaven even
stars grow pale!'' This I said of the
moon, which is the sign of the Holy
Mother whom Cleopatra dared to rival,
naming herself Isis come to earth.
'sHappily said," she answered, clapping
her viii hands. s'Why, here's an astron-
omer who hath wit and can shape COM
plment. Nay, such wonder must not pass
lest the Gods resent it. Char
mion, take thou this chaplet from my hair
and set it upon the learned brow of our
King of Lone 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
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 so 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