The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-12-14

knife trimmed off the branches and
fbers, and soon he was creeping care
fully up the tunnel, dragging the trunk
after him. When he had gone some
twenty PAGES he heard another frag-
ment of the root fall, and so he said in
his story, was minded to fly.
'sIt is !, Ignatio, and | have brought
lever. Now when lift, struggle for
ward If you can"
Then he placed the trunk of the thorn
tree in what seemed to him the best
position, and put all his strength upon
it. 1t was in vain; even SO he could
not stir the rock.
TRY little more to the right. I
said, family; there is a better hold"
He shifted the lever and dragged at
1t till his muscles cracked. and felt
the stone tremble as it's bulk began to
rise.
IF you can help ever so little, it will
come!" he gasped.
Then in my despair, though the an
guish of it nearly killed me, set my
palms upon the ground, and contract
ing myself like snake that is held
with forleed stick, thrust upwards
with my back, till the point of the stone
was raised to the height of eight or
ten inches from the ground.
For moment, and one only, it hung
there; next instant the lever slipped,
and down it came again. But had
taken my chance, for, clinging to the
floor with my fingers, SO soon as my
back was free, with a quick movement
dragged myself foot or more for
ward. Then the point Of rock that had
been lifted from my back fell again,
but this time it struck the ground be-
tween my thighs.
Now he seized me. by the arms and
tore me free, though l left one of my
long boots beneath the stone. strove
to rise, but could not because of the
hurt to my back.
= ''You must carry me, senior" said.
He glanced at the mass that trelnbled
above us, then, giving me the candle,
lifted me from the ground like an il
FAINT and staggered forward down the
tunnel. Perhaps we had gone some
seven or eight PAGES, not more, when
there was dreadful crash behind us,
The roof had fallen in and the spot
which we had occupied some thirty sec
onds before was now piled high with
rocks.
''On!'' said, 'scracks are showing in
the stone above us!' and he rushed for
ward till we found ourselves exhausted
the mine.
Now bowed my head and returned
thanks for my escape; then, lifting it,
l looked my preserver in the face and
said:
II swear by the name of God, senior,
that he never made a man nobler than
yourself
The next instant + fell forward and
tainted there among the ferns.
/ Ten days had passed since I was car
ried from the mouth of that acc,,rsed
mine back to C,rrnarvo III a litter, and
during all this time l had suffered
much pain in my back and been very
ill-so i'll, indeed. that I was scarcely
allowed to speak with anyone Now,
however, l was much better, and one
afternoon Senior Strickland, assisted
from my bed into hammock.
by the way, Ignatio," said the
eenor when Molas had gone, Il never
gave you back this charm of yours.
What queer-looking trinket it ISIS
be added, taking it from his neck;
land what did you mean by your talk
in the tunnel about it's making me heir
to the empire of the Aztecs in the heart
of every Indian, and the rest of it?"
'Know, senior, that this broken gem
liz the secret symbol of great order,
OF which you are now one of the lords,
seeing that the crowning and vital
ceremony of the creation Of Lord of
the Heart consists in the hanging of
the symbol about his neck for the
space of minute only by myself.
duty of the servant Of the Heart is 81
lence, and that silence l demand of
you
"But suppose that a man should not
keep silence, Lgnatio, what then2' he
asked.
! ''There is a land, senor," I an
swered, "where the most tallzativo
grow dumb, and its borders can be
crossed by all, even by the Lords OF
the Heart. for fearful is the doom of
, false brother"
''You mean that if repeat anything
I may hear shall be murdered?
Indeed, no, senior; but you may hap
pen to die. speak on the Heart; do
you hear with the ears?'
II hear with the ears" he answered,
catching my meaning.
Every well, senior. since you have
now sworn secrecy to me by the most
solemn oath that can pass the lips of
man, will speak to you openly.
You have heard the story of that
white man, or god, sometimes called
Quetzal by the Indians, and sometimes
Cucumatz, who came to these lands in
the far past and civilized their peoples2
"When Quetzal sailed away from his
people he left the stone, that once he
had worn upon his brow, of which this
is the half. to be a treasure to the
kings who came after him. Also he set
this fate upon it: that while the heart
remained unbroken, for SO long should
the people be one and whole; but if it,
came about that it was cut Or shat
tered, they should be divided with it,
to be no more one people until again
the fragments were one stone.
Nov, when these king brethren
quarrelled and parted, they sawed the
token asunder, as you see.
cat length it came into the hands of
the great Guatemoc, last Of the Aztec
emperors, who, before the Spaniards
hung him, found means to send it to
his son, from whom it has come down
to me.
NOW of this stone, through all the
ages it has never been lost, and it is
known in the land from end to end; he
who wears it for his life being called
Keeper of the Heart and also Hope Of
those who wait since it may happen
in his day that the two halves may
come together again"
''And what if they do?'
.'Then, so says the legend, the In
dams will once more be mighty nation,
and drive those who oppose them into
the sea as the wind drives dust"
Now the senior rose from his chair
and walked up and down the room.