The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1894-03-28


was slain, as have written, and that hehad
been pleased, with the sanction OF the Di-
vine ones, to take me as On adopted son and
rear me up, that / might in due season ill
an Office about the temple. Therefore was l
sore troubled, for I feared the old man,
who was very terrible in his anger, and
spake ever with the cold voice of Wisdom,
Nevertheless, determined to 20 in to him
and confess my fault and bear such pun
ishment as he should be pleased to put upon
me. So, even with the red spear in my
hand and the red wounds on my breast, /
passed through the outer court OF the great
temple and came to the door of the chamber
where the High Priest dwelt. 1t is great
chamber sculptured round about with the
images of the solemn gods, and the light Of
Ra (the sup) came to 1t in the daytime by
an opening cut through the stone Of the
massy roof. But at night it was lit by a
swinging lamp Of bronze. passed in with
out noise, for the door was not altogether
shut, and pushing my way through the
heavy curtains that were beyond, stood
with q beating heart within the chamber
The lamp was lit, for the darkness had
fallen, and by its light l saw the old man
seated in chair Of ivory and ebony at o
table Of stone. whereon were spread the
mystic writings Of the words of Life and
Death But he read no more, for behold
he slept, and his long, white beard rested
upon the table like the beard Of dead
man. The soft light from the lamp fell on
him and on the papyri, and on the gold ring
upon his hand, where were craven the
symbols of the Invisible One, but all
around was shadow. 1t fell on the shaver
head, on the white robe, on the cedar staff
Of priesthood at his side, and on the ivory
of the lion-footed chair; it showed the
mighty brow Of power, the features cut in
kingly mold, the white eyebrows and the
dark hollows CT the deep set eyes. l
looked and trembled, for there was about
him that which was more than tho dignity
of man. So long had he lived with the
gods, and so long kept company with them
and with thoughts divine, so deeply was he
versed in all those mysteries which we do
but family discern, here in this upper air,
that even now, before his time, he partook
of the nature Of the Osiris, and was
thing TO shake humanity with fear.
stood and gazei, and as l stood he
opened his dark eyes, but looked not on
me, nor turned his head; and yet he saw
me and spoke.
"Why hast thou been disobcdient to me,
o my son'" he said Show came it that
thou wentcst forth against the lion when
babe thee notl'
"How knowest thou, my father, that
went forthr' asked in fear.
''How know II Are there, them no other
ways Of knowledge than by the sensesl o
ignorant child was not my spirit with thee
when the lion sprang upon thy COM
parionl Did l not pray those set about
thee to protect thee to make sure thy
thrust when thou didst drive the spear into
tho lions throat How came it that thou
wcntest forth, 0 my SOM"
"The boaster tainted me-" I answered,
land went"
"Yes, know it; and because of the hot
blood Of youth, forgive thee, Harmachis.
But now listen unto me, and let my words
sink into thy heart like the waters Of Sihor
into thirsty sand at the rising Of Sirius.
Listen unto me. The boaster was sent un-
to thee as temptation, as trial of thy
strength was he sent, and seei 1t has not
been equal to the burden. Therefore is thy
hour put back. Hadst thou been strong in
this matter, the path had been made plain
to thee even now. But thou hast failed,
and therefore is thy hour put back
II understand thee, not my father" an
swered Ns'---@----s
"What was It, then, my son, that tho old
wife, Atoua, said to thee down by the bank
of the canall'
And thereon told him oil that the old
wife had said.
"And thou believest, Harmach',, my
son"
''Nay," answered; show should I be.
leve such tales. Surely she is mad, AL
the people know her for mad"
Then for the first time he looked toward
rle, who was standing in the shadow.
''Iy son! my sonr' he cried, "thou ar,
wrong. She is not mad. The woman spake
the truth; she spake not Of herself, but Of
the voice within her that can not lie. Fol-
this Atoua is prophecies and holy. Now
learn thou the destiny that the gods OF
Egypt have given to thee to fulfill, and woe
be unto thee il by any weakness thou dos
fail therein! Listen! thou art no stranger
adopted into my house and the house Of the
temple; thou art my very son, saved unit
me by this same woman. But, Harmachis
thou art more than this, for in thee and m;
alone doth how the imperial blood Of Egypt
Thou and ! alone of men alive are de
scended, without break or flaw, from tina
Pharaoh Next nebf whom Ochus the Per
sian drove from Egypt. The Persian cam
and the Persian went, and then after tn,
Persian came the Macedonian, and now 70
nigh upon three hundred years have tn
Lagidn usurped the double crown, deiilinl
the land Of Khem and corrupting the wor
: ship of his gods. And mark thou this; bu
now, but two weeks since is Ptolemy Neu
Dionysius, Ptolemy the Piper, who woul
have slain thee, dead and but now hath tn
eunuch Pothinus, that very eunuch VIII
came hither, years ago, to cut thee of, Sc
at naught the will Of his master, the dea
Auletes, and placed the boy Ptolemy upo
the throne. And therefore hath his siste
Cleopatra, that fierce and beautiful CIR
fled into Syria; and there, if err not, wi
she gather her armies and mako war upo
her brother Ptolemy; for by her father
will was she left joint sovereign with hin
And meanwhile-mark thou this, my SON.
the Roman eagle hangs on high, waitin
with ready talons till such time as he ma
fall upon the fat wether Egypt and rem
him. And mark, again, the people c
, Egypt are weary Of the foreign yoke, the
hate the memory OF the Persians, sick 6
( heart are they Of being called Men {
p Macedonia in the markets of Alexandria
o The whole land mutters and murmur
4 beneath the yoke Of the Greek and tn
5 shadow Of the Roman. Have not the
t been oppressed! Have not their childre
Q been butchered and their gains wrung froi
them to fill the bottomless greed and lu.
+ Of the Lagidei Have not the temples bee
forsakena Ay. have not the divine maize
ties Of the eternal gods been set at naugi
by these Grecisns babblers who have dare
n to NEEDLE with the immortal truth
N and name the Most High by anotht
name (Serapisl, confounding the SUI