Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-09-21

in utter darkness in the bowels of that
mysterious place. | took couple of
strides forward so as TO clear the bsectng
tunnel, being terribly afraid lest | should
turn up in the dark if once | got confused
as TO the direction, and then paused to
think What was | 10 do? ] had no
match II seemed awful to attempt that
long journey back through the utter gloom
and vet | could not stand there all night
and If did, probably it would not help
me much, for in the bowels OF the rock ii
would be dark at midday as at midnight
! looked back over my shoulder-not a
sight or a sound | peered forward down
the darkness surely far away | saw some
thing like the faint glow Of fire. Perhaps
it was a cave where | could get light
at any rate it was worth investigating.
/ Slowly and painfully crept along the
tunnel, keeping my hand against its wall,
and feeling AT every step with my foot be
fore put it down, fearing lest ! should
fall into some pit Thirty paces-there
was a light, Pickering light shining
through curtains Fifty paces-it was
close at hand SiXty-oh, great Heaven!
was at the curtains, and they did not
hang close, so l could see clearly into the
little cavern beyond them. 1t had all the
appearance of being tomb, and was
lighted up by fire that burned in its cen
]
smoke Indeed, there to the left was
stone shelf with a little ledge TO it three
| inches or so high, and on the shelf lay
what took to be a corpse; at any rate, 1t
| looked like one, with something white
thrown over it, To the right was a SINH
lar shelf, on which lay some broidered coy-
erings. over the fire bent the figure of
woman she was sideways TO me and fac
inc the corpse, wrapped in dark mantle
that hid her face like nuns cloak. She
seemed to be staring at the Pickering flame
suddenly. as was trying to make up my
mind what TO do. with a convulsive move
ment that somehow gave an impression of
despairing energy, the woman rose to her
feet and cast the dark cloak from her.
1t was She herself
She was clothed, as had seen her when
she unvailed, in the kirtle of clinging
white, cut low upon her bosom, and bound
in at the waist with the barbaric double
headed snake and, as before, her ripping
black hair fell in heavy masses down her
back But her face was what caught my
eye, and held me in vice. not this time by
the force of her beauty, but by the power
of facinated terror. The beauty was still
there indeed but the agony, the blind
passion, and the awful vindictiveness dis
played upon those quivering features and
in the tortured look of the supturned eyes,
were such as surpass my powers of descrip-
ton
For moment she paused, her hands rails
ed high above her head and as she did SO the
white robe slipped from her down to her
golden gIrdle, barring the binding lowell
ness Of her form. She stood there, her
fingers clinched, and the awful look of
malevolence gathered and deepened on
her face.
Down came the clinched hands to her
sides, then up again above her head, and,
as am living and honorable man, the
flame Of the fire leaped up after them. al
most to the roof throwing fierce and
vivid glare upon She herself, upon the
trl,i ha
every scroll and detail on the rock work.
Down came the ivory hands again, and
as they did so she spoke or rather Kissed,
in Arabic, in a note that curdled my blood,
and for a second stopped my heart
Curse her. may she be everastingly
accursed.''
The arms fell and the flames sunk Up
they went again, and the broad tongue of
fire shot up after them; then again they
fell
Course her memory accused be the
memory of the Egyptian"
Up again, and again down,
Course her. the fair daughter of the
Nile, because of her beauty"
Curse her because her magic has pre-
vailed against me-
Curse her because she kept my be.
loved from me
Again the flame fell, and again she GOV.
cred her eyes with her hands.
Its no use-no use" she walled; "who
can reach those who sleep? Not even
can reach them,
Then once more she began her unholy
rites.
Course her when she shall be born again.
Let her be born accursed!
Let her be utterly accused from the
hour of her birth until sleep finds her.
"Yes, then let her be accursed, for then
shall l overtake her with my vengeance,
and utterly destroy her.
And so on. The flame rose and fell, re.
fleeing itself in her agonzed eyes; the
Kissing sound of her terrible maledictions
aud no words of mine, especially on pa