The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1894-08-01

Cleopatra drew near and looked upon the
dead and him who lay dying as l had
dashed him to the ground, ard on me, her
lover of two days gone, whose head rested
now on Charmion's white robes.
met the Queens glance. "Sparc mott"
I gasped; 'pa victisr' Then flush gath
cred on her brow, methinks it was flush
of shanel
"Dost love this man at heart, Char
nlion," she said, with little laugh, shat
thou thrustest thy tender body 'twixt him
and the knives Of these scxless hourdsl"
and she cast look Of ecorn upon the
cunuchs.
"Nay," answered the girl, fcrcely. "But
can not stand by to see brave man muir
dercd by such as these"
"Ayn said Cleopatra, She is a brave
man, and gallcnt!y he fought; never have
/ seen so fierce fight even IL tho games
at Romel Wen, l spare his life; though
It's weak of me, womanish weak. Take
him to his chamber and guard him till he ia
healed or-dcadn
And then my brain reeled, great sick
ness seized upon me, and | sank into the
nothiIgnesG Of swoon.
Dreams, dreams. dreams without end
and ever changing, as for years and years
7 seemed TO toss upon sea of agony. And
through them vision of q darl-eyed WON.
ans tender face and the touch Of
white hand soothing me to rest. Visions,
too, of a Royal countenancc bending at
times oyer my rocking bed-a countenalce
that | could not grasp, but whose beauty
flowed through my fcvered veins and was a
part of me-yisions Of childhood and of the
Temple towers of Abouthis, end Of the
whitc-haired Amenemhat, my father--ay!
and an ever-present vision Of that dread
hall in Amenti, and Of the small altar and
the Spirits clad in flannel There | seemed
TO andereveriastnGiy calling on the Holy
Mother, whose merory l could. rot grasp;
calling ever and in.vain Ter no cloud de-
seconded upon the altar, only from time to
time tho voice pealed a3oa3. "Strilie out
the name of Harmachis, child OF Earth
from the living Book of Her, who Was and
II and Shell Be Los! lest iostin
Andthcn another voice would answer:
"Not yeti not yeti Repentance 10 at
hand; strike not out the name of Har-
machls, child Of Earth, from tho living
Book of Her, who Was ald Is and Shall
Bel BY suffering may sin be wiped 8way"
Invoke to fad myself III my own chamboc
in the tower of the palace. SO weak was
that scarce could lift my hand, and li1r
seemed but to flutter in my breast rs tlut
ters dying dove. I could not turn my
head; could not stir; yet in my heart there
was a sense of rest and of dark trouble
done. The light hurt my eyes; l shut
them; and as | shut them, heard the sweep
of woman's robes upon the stair, and
swift, light step that well knew. 1t was
that of Cleopatra
She entered, and her football drew nigh.
felt her comet Every pulse in my poor
frame beat an answer to her football, and
all my mighty love and hate rose from the
darkness of my death-like sleep and rent
| me in their struggled She leaned over NE /;
her ambrosial breath played upon my face.
could hear the beating of her hearth
Lower she leaned, till at last her lips
touched me softly on the brow. "Poor
mani heard her murmur. "Poor, weak,
dying mani Fate hath been hard to thee!
Too good vert thou to be the sport of such
a one as I, the pawn that l must move in
my play of policyl Ali Harmachis !
thou shouldst have ruled the camel
They could give thee learning, those plot
ting priests; but knowledge of mankind
they could not give thee, nor
fence thee 'gainst the march
of Natures law. And thou didst love me
with all thy heart-ahl well ! know it!
Man like, thou didst love the eyes that, as a
pirates lights, beckoned thee to ship
/ wrecked ruin, and didst hang doting on the
] G,Ne hot TOD h,,b N nd .nn tbap
/ 'slave'i Well, the game was fair, for thou
wouldst have slain me; and yet grievel
So thou dost die! and this is my farewell to
I theel Never may we meet again on earth;
( and perchance, it's well; for who knows,
! when my hour Of tenderness is past, how
might deal with thee didst thouliv Thou
dost die, they say-those learned long -faced
fools, who, If they let thee die, shall pay the
pricel And where, then, shall we meet
again when my last throw is thrownl We
shall be equal there, in the kingdom tina,
Osiris rules. A little time, a few years
perchance tomorrow, and we shall meet
then, knowing all am, how wilt thou gree
me there. Nay, here, as there, still mus
thou love me; for injuries can not touch tho
immortality Of such a love as thinel Con
tempt alone can, like acid, eat away tn,
strong love of noble hearts and reveal the
pitiful truth in its poor EalSedness. Still
must thou love me, Harmachis; for what
ever my sins, yet am l great aud set abov,
thy scorn. Would that | could have lovet
thee as thou lowest mel Almost did s,
when thou slewcst those guards; and yet
not quite.
"Oh, what a fenced city Is my heart, tina
none can take 1t, and cen when | throw
wide open the doors no man may win it
citadel Oh, TO put away this LONELINESS
and lose me in another's soul. Oh, for
year, month, an hour 10 quite fosget poll
CIV, peoples and my pemp Of place, and b
but loving womanl Harmachis, fare the
WE'LL Go Join Great Julius whom thine ar
called up from death before me, and tak
Egypts greetings to him. All, well foole,
thee; and / fooled C@sa--perchance befor
tbs done fate will find me and myself shsl
be fooledi Hsrmachis, fare thee wellr
She turned to 90, and as she turned
heard the sweep Of another dress and ID
light fall of another woman's foot
"Ahi tits thou, Charmion- Well, for a
thy watching, the man dice"
cay" she answered. In . voice thick wit
grief. "Ay, o Queen, so say the physicians
Forty hours hath he been in stupor so dee
that at times his breath could hardly If
my ear, placed against his breast, take nc
tice Of the rising Of his heart. For ten lonl
DAYS I now have watched him day an,
night, till NINE eyes stare wide open wit
want Of sleen. ard fer fsin,ness, scarce cel