Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-09-14
SH E..
A History Of Adventure.
by H. RIDER HACCARD.
(xIII CONTINUED

Ay, for time; but even to the world
they are born again and again. | even |.
Ayesha-for tha- Is my name, strangcr-I
say TO thee that wait now for one loved
to be born again. and here ! tarry till he
finds me, knowing OF surety that hither
he will come, and that here and here only
shall he greet me. Why dost thou suppose
that ! who am all.powertul | whose
loveliness is greater than the loneliness of
the Grecian Helen of whom they used TO
sing, and whose wisdom is greatcr-ay.
ten times more great-than. the wisdom Of
Solomon the Wise | who know the
secrets of the earth and rs riches, and can
turn all things 10 my uses | who have
even for awhile overcome Change, that We
call death-why, say, oh, stranger, dost
thou think that herd here with barbarian
lower than beasts?'
Il know not, | said, humbly
Because l wait for him l love. My
life has perchauce been evil, know not
for who can say what is evil and what is
goOd-so fear to die, even If could die,
which can not, to 90 and seek him where
he is. for between US there might be a wall
| could not clmb-at least | fear so
Surely easy would it be to lose the way in
those great spaces wherein the suns wander
on forever But the day will come, may
be, when ten thousand more years have
passed. and are lost and melted into the
vault Of Time, even as the little clouds
melt into the gloom Of night when he
shall be born again, and then, following a
law that is stronger than any human plan,
be will find me here, and of a surety his
heart will soften toward me though |
sinned against him; ay, even though he
knows me not again, yet will he love me,
if only for my beautys sake.
For a moment was dumfounded, and
could not answer The matter was too
oyerpowering for my intellect to grasp.
But even so, oh, queen, | said at last
''even if we men be born again and again
that is not so with these if thou speakest
truly" Here she looked up sharply and
| once more caught the flash of those
hidden eyes-"Thou," l went on, hur.
riedly, "who hast never died -
IT'S 50, she said "and ii is so because
l have, half by chance and half by learn
ing solved one of the great secrets Of the
world. Tell me, stranger, life is-why
therefore should not life be heightened for
awhile? What are ten or twenty or fifty
thousand years in 1.-The history of life?
Why, in ten thousand years scarce
will the rain and storms lessen
mountain-top by span in thickness
In two thousand years these caves
have not changed; naught has changed
but the beasts and man, who is as
the beasts. There i naught that is won
derful, about the matter, couldst thou but
understand Life is wonderful. ay, but
that it should be a little heightened is not
wonderful, Nature hath her animating
spirit as well as man who IS Natures
child and he who can find that spirit and
let it breathe upon him. shall live with her
life. He shall not live eternally, for Nature
is not eternal, and she herself must die,
even as the nature of the moon hath died.
She herself must die, say, or rather
change and sleep till it be time for her 10
live again. But when shall she die Not
yet, | ween; and while she lives, so shall
he who hath all her secret live with her.
All | have not, yet have ! some. mo-.
perchance, than any one who was before
me. Now to thee doubt not this thing
is great mystery therefore I will not
overcome thee with it now Another
time will tell thee more if the mood be
on me, though perchance | shall never
speak of ii again. Dost thou wonder how
/ knew that We were coming, and so saved
your heads from the hot pot%"
'Ay, oh, queen, answered, feebly.
Then gaze in the water" and she
pointed to the font.like vessel and then
bending forward held her hand over it
l rose and gazed, and instantly the water
darkened. Then it cleared, and saw as
distinctly as | ever saw anything in my
lfe-I saw, | say, our boat upon that
horrible canal. There was Leo lying at
the bottom asleep In it, with a coat thrown
over him to keep off the mosquitoes, in
such fashion as to hide his face, and my
self, Job, and NIahomed towing on the
bank.
l started back aghast, and cried out that
it was magic, for l recognized the whole
scene-it was one that had actually
occurred.
mo, no, oh, Holly" she answered. ut
is no magic; that is fiction of ignorance.
There is no such thing as magic, though
there is such thing as the knowledge Of
the secrets of Nature That is my glass
in it see what passes, if care to sum.
mon up the pictures, which is not often.
In the water | can show thee what thou
wilt of the past, if 1t be anything to do
with this country, and with what | have
known, or anything that thou, the gazer,
hast known. Think Of face, if thou wilt