The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-03-03

AuCA OkcAALS5 = 1OAu0Q paEc4mSnG ne
read to them the omens for the future
year, announcing the findings of those
whose duty it was to study the stars and
other signs. He prayed aloud to Chalcu
to be merciful, to tempt no man beyond
his strength, to bring no evil to the city.
but to be satisfied with the sacrifice of
his servants.
It was evident that each word was
echoed by the grooming fear stricken
multitude, TO whom, as we shall see, the
serpent emblem meant more than mere
idea, and represented real and horrible
memory Of a terrific event.
1t was high noon, the rays of the sun
falling from Immediately overhead upon
the city, so that the great dialpost cast
but an inch or two of purple shadow.
The dread event of the day was about
to occur, and the people pressed one an
other closer in their desire to obtain a
nearer view. Very many slipped from
the ranks and mounted to the highest
houaetops in order to witness every de-
tail of the awful scene.
Iklapel, standing motionless on the
temple, felt that the procession was
nearing him. a strange comming1ing
Of fear and hope moved him, for the
memory Of the voice in the storm was
fresh ia his mind, and he felt that the
hour had come for the manifestation or
Intervention which he expected. The
head of the procession had already nearly
reached the temple summit He heard
the measured tread of feet as they
mounted the graded causeway, and knew
that in another moment Kulcan with
his charge would stand beside him.
Had Iklspels vision been what it was
of old, and had his eyes been directed
upward toward the frowning cliffs, he
would have been startled to see face
peering down upon the wondrous scene
"a face in which establishment and
qualification were mingled, for the own
er of it saw white faces in the multitude
below him and felt himself safe. He
would have seen a body belonging to
the face emerge and descend the crum-
bling, ladderlike pathway, rife and bird
in hand, in eager anticipation of a well
come which meant food and drink to a
hungry and thirsty man. But Iklapel
saw nothing, nor did one eye turn in all
that host of gazing faces upward toward
the real sun-to the golden emblem of
which they sacrificed.
Each face was turned toward the tenn
pie in a fixed expectancy, eager to catch
every action of the priests and the VIC
tim. Many were there who had seen
but one such sight, when children; chill
dren were there to see it for the first
time-were to be held up so that they
might see and hold it in their minds;
aged and middle aged, who had seen it
10eD e oil
waited the last dread act in the tragedy.
The litter containing Aimee was at
last placed before the altar, and to the
surprise of all the girl stepped from it
calmly and with f1rmness. Her face
bore no trace of the Intoxicating aitsi,
its effects having passed away in the
trying hours of the morning. Borne up,
even until the last terrible moment, by
firm conviction that Kulcan. her
avowed lover, would devise some means
to save her, she faced the four dread fig
ures of the death priests and suffered
them to bind her shapely arms behind
her without movement or a shudder.
But when Iklapel stepped forward as
the We.rd chant of the Kahilo began and
handed Kulcan the sacrifcial knife she
started, and her eyes were filed with a
fearless appeal. Even yet her faith in
his wisdom and his love did mot desert
her, but when she saw that he trembled
and averted his eyes chill swept her
frame and the awful truth burst upon
her in moment. Casting her eyes up
ward in wild, terrified gaze, she saw
what Gained her in an instant, and she
faced her lover with a confident, tender
smile upon her face.
Kulcan had taken the knife, an ancient
blade of white quartz-a material which
supplied SO many beautiful stone weapons
! to the prehistoric races-and he stood
before Aimee with pallid face, the cold
perspiration upon his brow glistening in
the sunlight, in an attitude of prayer.
| He had come to the supreme test his
| priesthood and his love, and the priest
| had conquered the lover, but he wanted
the courage to strike the blow; the mo-
ment was one of the deepest torture to
him and to most of the spectators, who,
spellbound with emotion, stood in deep
est silence, unbroken by even breath.
Chalpa, the second priest, standing
close to Iklapel, his dark face, drawn
lips and set teeth making him a living
resemblance of the god of evil himself
cursed under his breath at the delay.
''Tha coward dare not strike" he NUT
tered. An, would that he dared re-
fuse! Then should hold his place thi:
day, for the people would tear him t.
pieces for spelling this goodly sport
Let me but grasp the knife and they
would be rarely served. Anal the dog
will do it after allr' for Kulcan had
raised his head, and with one long de
spairing look deep into the girls smiling
eyes placed the blade against her bare
throat with a hand whose trembling
made the weapon fash in the light like {
row of diamonds. AS he drew in hi.
breath with a shuddering effort the
multitude gave an audible, gasping res
piration; then, with one quick movement
he raised the knife aloft, his eyes fxet
on the spot upon her throat where thu
blow must fall.
But while it trembled against TIT
shadow Of the cliff. darting back il
slender shafts the rays of that sun il
whose dread service it had drank tn
blood of his victims for unknown ages
there came sharp, ringing report tina
echoed and rolled like thunder along tn
canyon walls, and the knife was shat
tered in q thousand fragments, which
falling, dashed the sacred embe=s from
the altar and extinguished the fire IL
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