Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-03-02

her waist with a girdle
Her dark hair flowed about her Shout
ders, in either hand she held the lilies,
red and white, and upon her forehead
glowed the ruby like blood red star. She
sat quite still, her eyes set wide in horror,
and first the moonlight CLEANED upon the
gem bound to her forehead, next it showed
the white and lovely face beneath, then
her snowy arms and breast, the whiteness
of her robes and throne and the hideous
demon head whereon it was fixed. No
spirit could have seemed more beautiful
than this woman set thus on her dizzy
throne in that dark place of blood and
fear. Indeed in the unearthly light she
looked like spirit the angel of beauty
triumphing over the hideousness of hell,
the angel Of light trampling the devil and
his works 1t was not wonderful that this
fierce and barbarous people sighed like
reeds before the wind when her loveliness
dawned upon them, made ethereal by the
moon, or that thenceforth Leonard could
never think of her quite as he thought of
any other woman. Under such conditions
most well favored girls would have up
peared beautiful. Juanna did more; she
seemed divine,
AS the light grew downward and the
shadows thinned before it Leonard fol-
lowed with his eyes and presently diseov-
cred Otter. The dwarf, naked except for
his girdle and the fringe upon his head,
was also enthroned, holding the ivory
seepter in his hand but in seat of
ebony placed upon the knees of the colos-
sus, nearly 40 feet below Juanna Then
Leonard turned to consider Francisco's po-
sition and his own and found it terrible
enough. Indeed the moment that he dis
covered it was nigh to being his last, for
in company with two priests of the snake
they were standing on the palm of the
right hand Of the idol, that formed lit
tie square, which they had won in the
darkness through a tunnel hewn in the
arm of stone. There they stood unprotect-
ed by any railing or support, and before
them and behind them was sheer drop
of some 80 feet to the water beneath or to
the rock of the platform.
Leonard saw and for moment turned
faint and dizzy; then, dropping the butt
of his rifle on the stone, he leaned upon
the barrel till his brain cleared. 1t was
well for him that be had not known what
lay beneath when but now he thrust his
foot into vacancy, for then his senses
might have failed him. Suddenly he re-
membered Francisco and opened his eyes,
which he had closed to shut out the yawn-
ing gulf beneath him. 1t was not too SOON
The priest had seen also, and conscious
ness had deserted him Even as Leonard
turned his knees gave way, and he sank
forward and downward. Quick as thought
Leonard stretched out his right hand and
caught Francisco by the robe he wore;
then, resting his weight upon the rifle, he
strained at the PRIESTS falling body with
rection was turned, and it fell sideways
upon the platform, not downward into
space. Leonard dragged at him again and
thrust him into the mouth of the little
tunnel through which they had reached
this dreadful eminencc, where he lay quiet
and safe, lost in blessed insensibility.
All this took place in few seconds.
The two priests of the snake, who stood by
them as calmly as though their feet were
still on the solid earth, saw it, but made
no movement. Only Leonard thought
that they smiled grimly, and horrible
fear struck his heart like a breath of ice
What if they waited signal to cast him
DOWN. 1t might well be So Already he
had seen enough of their rites to enable
him to guess that theirs was a religion of
blood and human sacrifice. He shiveret!
and again turned faint, SO faint indeed
that he did not dare to keep his feet, but
sank into sitting posture, resting his
| back against the stone of the idols thumb