The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-09-26

When the high priest had made an END
Of his prayer, the first Of the four great
electors rose, saying:
s1Guatemoc, in the name Of God and with
the voice of the people Of Anahuac, we
summon you to the throne of Anahuac.
Long may you live, and justly may you
rule, and may the glory be yours of beat
ing back into the sea those foes who would
destroy us. Hail to you, Guatemoc, em-
peror of the Aztecs and Of their vassal
tribes" And all the 800 Of the council Of
confirmation repeated in a voice of thun-
der, HAL to you, Guatemoc, emperor
Now the prince himself stood forward
and spoke:
tsYou lords Of election and you, princes,
generals, mobiles and captains OF the coun-
ell of confirmation, hear me. None can
say what the gods have in store for us. 1t
may be victory, or it may be destruction,
but be it triumph or death, let US swear
a great oath together, my people and my
brethren. Let us swear to fight the Teu1es
and the traitors who abet them, for our
cities, our hearths and CUR altars, till the
cities are smoking ruin, till the hearths
are cunbered with their dead and the al
tars run red with the blood Of their wor-
shippers. So, if we are destined to conquer,
our triumph shall be made sure, and if We
are doomed to fail, at least there will be q
story to be told Of u.s. Do you swear, my
people and my brethren?"
eve swear" they answered, with a
shoGt.
sit is well," said Guatemoc. land
now may everlasting shame overtake him
who breaks this oath!''
Thus. then, was Guatemoc, the last and
greatest of the Aztec emperors, elected to
the throne of his forefathers.
When all was done, hurried to the pal
ace to tell Otonie what had come to pass
and found her in our sleeping chamber ~
ing on her bed.
ssWhat ails you, Otomies'' asked
ssAlas, my husband, - she answered, the
pestilence has stricken me! Come not near
me, pray you; come not near. Let me be
nursed by the women. You shall not risk
your life for me, beloved
Peace said and came to her. 1t
was too true. I, who am a physician,
knew the symptoms well Indeed bad 1t
not been for my skill Otomie would have
died. For three long weeks fought with
death at her bedside, and in the end con-
ouered. The fever left her, and, thanks
to my treatment, there was no single scar
upon her lovely face During eight days
her mind wandered without ceasing, and
it was then learned how deep and per-
feet was her love for me- For oil this,
while she did nothing but rave OF me, the
secret terror of her heart was disclosed
that should cease to care for her; that her
beauty and love might pail upon me SO
that should leave her, that 1.-The flower
maid, " for so she named Lily, who dWelt
across the sea should draw me back to her
by magio-this was the burden Of her mad
ness. At length her senses returned, and
she spoke, saying:
.sHow long have lain i'll, husband?'
told her, and she said, And have you
'nursed me all this while and through so
foul sickness?"
eyes, Otomie, I have tended you. %
'.What have / done that you should be
so good to me?' she murmured. Then
some dreadful thought seemed to strike
her, for she moaned as though in pain and
said: "A mirror! Swift, bring me mir
ror.''
gave her one, and rising on her arm
eagerly she scanned her face in the dim
light of the shadowed room, then let the
plate Of FURNISHED gold fall and sank back
with a faint and happy CRY:
81 feared, she said, II feared that l
had become hideous, as those are whom
the pcstilence has smitten, and that you
would cease to love me, than which it had
been better to die.
.For shame, said. ''Do you, then,
think that love can be frightened away by
some few scars?"
eyes" Otcmie answered; that is, the
love of man-not such love as mine,
husband. Had I been thus-ah, shuddcr
to think of it-within q year you would
have hated me. Perhaps it had not been
so with another, the fair maid OF far away,
but me you would have hated. Nay, Know
it, though know this also-that should
not have lived to feel your hate. On, am
thankful, thankful!'
So Otomic recovered from her great SICK
ness, and shortly afterward the pcst1lencc
passed away from Tcnoctitlan. And now
had many other things to think OF, TO"
the choosing of Guatemoc, my friend and
blood brother as emperor meant much ad-
vancemcnt to me, who was made gen
eral of the highest class and IL principal
adviser in his councils. Nor did spare
myself in his service, but labored by day
and night in the work of preparing the
city for siege, and in the marshaling of
the troops, and more especially Of that
army of Otomies, who came, as they had
promised, to the number of 10000. The
th1c1. Indian,