The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-10-25

it was scarcely possible to understand
| them: but, collected and written, they
served as taliSlnan and formulas of love,
sphinx and sphinge: at the age of nuhility
Youths of both sexes visited the bronze
beasts and kissed their lips the girls kissed
the lips of the beast whose face was given
Il triangular shape by pointed beard, and
the Young men kissed the lips of the beast
| which had the breasts of a women.
One day YOUTH who was already as
strong as 4 man and more learned than \
sage, after kissing the sphingc upon the
said
"SphnTc, answer me.
The sphingr answered thus:
Child, how did y"u discover the secret
of lstakar:"
Il have discovered it, since ynu answer
me.
"Comc back tomorrow said the
Sphinwe: 1t is the day when the people
| amllse themselves AT the game of the sacred
| bath, the dav when the young girls just
| budding into maturity show themselves
naked on the shores of the lake. Instead
| of following the people, come here, and |
will do your will, since You have the secret
| of IStakar'
On the morrow, rs soon aS the youth had
arrived, a little door opened slowly in the
wall, while with 4 lamentin~ voice the
sphinge uttered the single word:
"Gow
"Then the youth entered into the outer
| world. \ long time he walked, with eyes
| raised to gaze at the blue forests in the
distance, at the white tower tipped with
gold at the palace with the lighted win
| dows, ut the radiant flight of the angels;
so long that night fell upon he desert and
he went to sleep.
Three times night fell upon the desert
and three times the young man slept, his
| head resting on Il stone.
ON the morning of the fourth day, a. he
stretched his weary and implorin% arms
| toward the marvels at the horizon, still as
| far away and as beautiful as ever, an eagle
| descending, lighted on the stone where he
had slept.
Eagle" said the y"nlh, have pity on
| me; take me and bear me to the top "t yon
ivory tower"
The eagle took the youth.
"Iouth, lie on my back between my
| wings, and will bear YOU to the ivory
| tower.
The eagle flew away, like Gcryon, and
the youth, stretched between its wings, in
the white tower tipped with gold, still far
| off and beautiful.
\ long time the eagle flew, so long that
| they reached a country where the days are
the tower loomed AT the horizon amid the
| flving angels, above the blue forest and the
palace with the lighted windows.
Every century the Youth asked in the
anxiety of desire:
| Eagle. shall we soon arrivt:'
| But the eagle, without answering, gave
the air violent stroke with its wings and
they passed through countries where the
| flowers are suns and where the women hang
stars in their ears; and still the ivory tower
Shone in the distance, always pure, always
| beautiful.
| Eagle, shall we soon arrivc:' asked the
YOUTH in sad and broken voice Eagle,
my hands have grown yellow and my
hair has turned white. Eagle, shall we
| soon arrive:
I'VE have arrived, old man." replied the
eagle, lighting on the >tn,e upon which the
youth had slept the third night of his jour
ncy. ''IIcre is the tower. here is the forest
here is the palace, here are the angels, as
YOU saw them when took You between my
wings; we have made the tour of the worlds
without attaining your desire and now you
are old and about to die; 90 home ut least
tn die
The eagle disappeared, having shaken
of its burden, and the old man. falling
violently among the stones, went to eleel
and dreamed.
| His first movement on waking, was Il
look with his weary eyes for the divine
marvels upon which his love had fed 50
long, but the horizon was bare, forming
only a black circle. He was not surprised
for his dream had prepared him to know
and understand the truth at last; "ricvcd
at the loss of light, he yet r"joirrh to know
that the horizon was II black circle, and
| =, 4
walking without rest, ii took him but i've
DAYS To reach the "atr guarded 10y tht
sphinNc>
1t was open He entered and said.
20 sphinx. friend of my youth, here
am | return from Il Journey s" long that
my hands are yellow and NV hair is white
hut | know the truth lnndtr there i,
neither blue forest, "r white tower tipped
with gold, or palace with lighted windows
or radiant flight of archan gels: | have ira
yerstd the world and the worlds stretched
on the base of the eagle, and now | know
know that the universe is girdlrd with y
black circle made of darkness, and that the
morvel of the horizon is only the useless
Hover of the eternal Illusion know and
will Kill Illusion. | know and will tell the
truth. Peoples, here is the truth" .
But the sphinge, at si@n from her male
companion in bronze, rose sadly, and, with
her paw of a compassionate lioncsS, crush
ed the monster who had lrarr!>cd the
worlds between the wings Of Gcry"n.
He" MAY | steal a kiss
Shc-"YeS, if you'll not keep it.