The record-union., 1892-10-15

child Miriam, which / am compelled TO
wear"
Truly, Princess, what is he that you
should think of him?' muttered Kamai-
akan.
HE satisfies my heart.u was the reply.
And am resolved never again 10 give
up this mortal habitation to her you call
Its rlghtful owner. / will never again
leave this world, which I enjoy, for the
unknown darkness out Of which you
called me-"
Princess, the gods do not permit such
dealings. They may, indeed, suffer you
to live again; but you must return
as an infant, in flesh and bones of your
| own"
"The gods have permitted me to re-
turn as L have returned; and you well
know, hamaiakan, that, except you use
your art to Danish me and restore Mi
rIam, there is nothing else that can work
a change"
| Murder is not lawful, Semitzin, and
to do as you desire would be an act not
| different from MURDER
"On my head be it, theni" exclaimed
| the Princess. 'Would it be less q muir
| der to send me back to nothingness than
TO let her remain there? Mine is the
| stronger spirit, and has therefore the bet
| ter right to live. l ask OF you only TO do
! nothing. None need ever know that Mi
/ Ram has vanished and Semitzin lives in
| her place. | wear her body and her feat
| ures, and am content to wear her name
| also If II must be so.s'
| Hamaiakan was silent He NAV well
| be pardoned for feeling troubled in the
! presence of a situation which had never
1 before confronted human being. Two
women, both tenants of the same BODY
| both in love with the same man. and
/ therefore rivals of each other, and each
claiming right 10 existence. 1t was a
/ I'll ftls.Iat ,.<NI,l 1
/ lily wished that separate tenement
might be provided for each of these two
souls that they might fight out their
/ quarrel III the ordinary way. But his
| magic arts did not extend to the creation
| of tiesh and blood. At the same time he
| could not but feel to blame for having
! brought this strenuous spirit of Semitzin
! once more into the world, and he was fain
| 10 admit that her claim was not without
| Justification. Ills motives had been eX-
! cellent, but he had not foreseen the con-
! sequences i'll which the act was to land
| him. let he more shrank from wrong
| ing Miriam than from disappointing Sc
mitZin.
! But the latter was not to be put off by
| silence.
There has been change since you
and | last spoke together" She said II
am aware OF it, though ] know not how,
! but, IN some manner, the things which
Miriam has done are perceptfble TO me-
! When | was here before she did not lean
! toward this youth; now she has given
herself to him, and, ii l again should van
ISM l should never again find my way
! Dack. But 1t shall not be so, ana there
is way, kamaiakan. by which / can
| surely prevent 1t, even though you refuse
! To aIU Ine.
Indeed, Princess, / think you mis-
| take regarding the love of Miriam for
this young man; they have seen little of
each other, andit may be, as you your-
SELF said. that he has persisted in the will
| derness."
II believe he lives" she answered. 81
| should know 1t were it otherwise. But if
| / cannot have him neither shall she. |
have told you already that unless you
swear 10 me not TO put forth your power
upon me to dismiss me / will not lead
you to the treasure. But that is not
/ enough: for men deceive, and YOU are a
| man. But ii at any time hereafter | feel
| within me those pangs that tell me you
| are about TO separate me from this world
at That moment, halnaiakan, l VIII drive
this knife through the heart OF Miriam!
If cannot keep her body, at least it shall
be but corpse when | leave it. You
know Semitzin, and you know that she
| VIII keep her wordp'
She reined iii her horse as she spoke,
| and sat gazing upon her companion with
made gesture Of gloomy resignation.
1t shall be as you say, then, SenitZin,
and upon your head be ii. Henceforth
| Miriam Is no more. But do you beware
OF the vengeance OF the gods whose laws
you have deiied." -
Let the gods deal with me as they
| WILL" replied the AZtecan. "A day of
happiness with the man l love is worth
an age of punishment
Mammalian made no answer, and the
two rode forward in silence.
1t was midnight, and bright star,
| nearly in the zenith, seemed to hang pre-
ciSely above the summit of the great
white pyramid at the mouth of the gorge.
ut was here that we stopped" OBJ
served SemitZin. I'VE tied our horses
among the shrubbery round yonder
point. Thence we must go on foot. Fol-
low me-"
She struck her heels against her horses
sides and went forward. The lean and
why Indian had already betrayed symp-
toms OF fatigue, but the young Princess
appeared as fresh as when she started
Not once had she even taken draught
from her canteen, and yet she was closely
clad, from head to foot, in thedoublet and
leggings of the Golden Fleece. One
might have thought it had some magic
and possibly, as is sometimes seen in
trance, the energy and concentration of
the spirit reacted upon the body.
She turned the corner of the pyramid
but had not ridden very far when an OBJ
ject lying in her path caused her to halt
and spring from the saddle. kamaiakan
also dismounted and came forward
The dead body of mustang lay on the
| ground, crushed beneath the weight of a
fragment of rock, which had evidently
fallen upon it from hight. He had APP
parently been dead for some hours. He
was without either saddle or bride.
do you know him?" demanded Sc
mitZin.
1T is Diego" replied Kamaikan. st
know him by the white star on his muz-
zle. He was ridden by the Senior Free
man. They must have come here before
the earthquake. And there lay the sad
die and the bride. But where is Senior
Freeman?'
HE can be nowhere else than in this
valley" said Semitzin, confidently. Il
knew that I should find him here.
| Through all the centuries and across all
| spaces we were destined to meet. His
horse was killed, but he has escaped. 1
shall save him. Could Miriam have done
this? Is he not mine by right?"
e., MsM