Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-12-27

where curious sight awaited them. In
huge chair set upon a dais sat Otter,
looking furious and by no means ut ease,
while stretched upon the ground in front.
of him lay four priests, who muttered
prayers increasingly.
welcome, baas, he cried in rapture
at the sight of Leonard. welcome, Shop
herdess-''
"You fool, " answered Leonard in Dutch,
but speaking in the most humble voice
and sinking to his knees. ''If you will
not remember that you are n god, will
break your neck rs soon rs we are alone.
Bid these fellows be gone. Tho Shepherd
eSs will translate for you
Go, dogs" said Otter, taking the hint.
Go and bring me food. would speak.
| with my servant, who Is named Baas,
and with my mother"
These are the words of the snake that
he speaks in the holy tongue, said Juan
M, and she translated them.
| Tho four priests rose, and bowling 90 tho
Garth crept backward out of the room. As.
soon ms they wcrc gone Otter leapcd from
| his throne, with an exclamation of rage
that caused the others to burst out laugh
ing.
Laugh, baas, laugh IL you will, said
the dwarf, for you have never been n god
and don't know what it Is What think
|
that great stool. while those accursed dogs,
burnt sinking st':G beneath my nostrils
| and muttcrCd nonsense. One hour more,
and should have fallen on them and
killed them, 10: Lave had no meat, and
hunger makes mo innd -
Hush said Leonard. II hcar foot
| steps. On to your throne, Otter, quick
| Juanna, stand by his side We will
| kneel'
| Ub.y had Iar.Iy- tI,,,c tn nl,,x- ~ hon rho
curtains were thrown aside, and a priest
| entered, holding vessel of wood covered
| with n cloth. Slowly he crept toward the
throne. with his head bent almost to his
knees Then, strengthening himself sud
denly. he lifted up the wooden vessel and
We bring you food, o Snake: Eat and
he satisfied
Otter took the dish, and lifting tho cloth
gazed upon its contents hunGrily. but with
an ever growing dissatisfaction.
Son Of n dog. hc cried in his own
tongue, lis this food To set before a mani
! And he held the platter downward, expos
| ing its contents.
They Were simple, consisting of various
| sorts of vegetables and water crosses, poor
| in quality, for the season was winter. and
| all OF them uncOokcd. In the center OF
/ this fodder, whether placed there in obc
dicncc to some religious tradition or by
| way OF ornament or perhaps to assist the
| digestive process Of the god, rs n tenpen-
ny nail is said TO assist that of an ostrich,
was fine ruby stone. not so big indeed
rs that which Soa had given Leonard, but
| still of considerable size and value.
Leonard saw it with delight, but not SO
the dwarf. the selfish promptings of whose
stomach caused him TO forget that his
master had )Uurneycd far to seek such
| gems as this. In the fury of his disap-
| pointed appetite he stood upon the foot
stool OF the throne, and Selling the ruby
hurled 1t Mt the priest, hitting him fair
between the eyes. Am l an eel, no
roarcd, that l should live on water grass
and rcd gravcl'''
Then the priest. terrified at the behavior
Of this strangc divinity, picked up the
| offending gcm-to the presence of which
| he attributed his angIr-and fed, never
| looking behind HIM.
Juanna and Francisco were seized with
uncontrollabl" laughter. while even Soa
dciGncd to smile. but Leonard did not
smile.
"Oh, you last descendant of generations
of asscs!'' he said bitterly. You ass with
four cars and tcnfOld bray! What have
| you done now? You have hurled the pre-
| cious stone at The head OF him who brought
it, and now hc will bring no more. Had
It not been fer you, doubtless with every
meal such stones would have been offered
| to you. and though you grew thin we
should all OF lH' have become rich, and that
| without trouble"
| Forgive me. haas" lamcntcd Otter
| but my rage took away my reason, and
| forgot. seq low what il is to be a god.
| 1t is tO bC f,tl upon stuff such would
| gripc an OK. oh. haas. would that these
devils had made you IA god and left mo
| your servant" And again he gazcd with
| disgust upon she water crcss and rows of
lcathcry vegetables assembling turnips.
You had better eat them, Otter" said
| Juanna. who was still choking with laugh
\ ter. IF you don't, you may get nothing
moro for day Evidently you are sup
posed to have a small appetite"
Then, driven to it by his ravcning hun
| ger, the wrctchcd Otter fell upon the tur-
, nips and devourcd them sullonly, Leonard
| rating him all the while for his uncqualcd
| stupidity.
Scarcely had he finished his meal when
there was stir without, and once again
priests entered, healed on this occasion by
| that same aged man who had acted as
1 spokesman when Juanna declared herself
on the previous day, and who, as they had
discovered, was named Nam. In fact, he
had many other and much longer names,
but rs this was tho shortest and most con.
| Nthltnt va Nutil lHtS IT.
CHANGED that Leonard was standing by
Soa, and when this priest entered. whom
she now saw for the first time, he noticed
that she started, tremblcd and then drew
back into the shadow of tho throne.
Some friend of the old lady's youth, -
thought Leonard to himself. Il hope
that he won't recognize her, that is ALL
Nam bent himself in alteration before
tho gods, and then began an address, the
4 ,INzF 90 xx-ks ak Ice, 4
from time To time. Bitterly did he gricvc
he said, that such insult had been Offered
to the snake as the presenting To him
among his food of the red stone known
as the blood of AGA. That man who had
done this folly was doomed to die. IL in
deed he was not already dead. Well could
they understand that. the mother and
snake having become rcconcilcd, the
proffering to Jal of that which reminded
him of the sin at long ago was n wicked
ness that might bring curse upon the
land. Let tho snake bo appcascd. Com
mand had bcCn given that all such stone:
should be hidden in n secret place by him
who had wrought the crime. and, rs he
had said, il the man returned alive from
| that place he should Ia slain. But hI
would not return alive. for TO gu thithel
was death. IL should bo death hence
forth even TO mention that stone, o
/ which but one should now DO seen in tn,
land-that which the mother worr ~
memory OF the past.
'Oh, Otter, my friend murmuret
Leonard to himself, If / don't pay yor
out for this my name is not Outram!'
But enough of the stones, went ON Nam
He had come upon n greater matter. Tha
night an assembly of all the people woult
be held in the great temple an hour bcforl
moonrisc, that the mother and the snak,
might take up their royalty in the pres