Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-01-18

"Kallkrates," she said, in husky, trem
bling notes, forget me not Kallikrates
Have pity on my shame, | shall com,
again, and shall once more he beautiful,
swear tit is truel Oh-h-h-! and SHE
fell upon her face and was still
On the very spot where twenty centur
les before she had slain the old Killikrates
she herself fell down and died.
4 Overcome with the extremity of horror
We too. fell on the sandy floor of that
dread place, and swooned away
/ know not how long we lay thus Many
hours, | suppose. When at last opened
my eyes the other two were sull out.
stretched upon the floor. There, too, lay
the hideous little monkey frame, covered
with crinkled yellow parchment, that
once had been the glorious She. Alas it
was no hideous dream it was an awful
and unparalleled fact
What had happened to bring this shock
ing change about? Had The nature of the
life-gving fire changed? Did 1t perhaps
from time to time send forth an essence
of Death instead of an essence of Life?
Or was it that the frame once charged
with its marvellous virtue could bear no
more.
For some minutes | lay family turning
these terrors over in my mind, while my
physical strength came back to me, which
it soon did in that bouyant atmosphere.
Then | bethougnt me of the others, and
staggered To my feet, to see If could
arouse them But first took up Ayesha's
kirtle and the gauzy scarf with which she
had been wont to hide her dazzleing lovii
ness from the eyes of men, and averting
my head so that | might not look upon it,
covered up that dreadful relic of the glor-
ious dead, that shocking epitone of human
beauty and human life.
Then, stepping over the perfumed mas
SEES of dark hair that lay upon the sand.
l stopped down by job, who was lying
upon his face and turned him over AS
did so his arm fell back in "a way did
not like, and which sent a chill through
me. and glanced sharply at him. One
look was enough. Our old and faithful
servant was dead 1t seemed quite natur-
al that the poor old fellow should be dead.
When Leo came to himself, which he did
with groan and trembling of the limbs
about ten minutes afterward, told him
that Job was dead, he merely said. "OhW
And mind you, this was from no heart
lessness, for he and Job were much attach
ed to each other; and he often talks of him
now with the deepest regard and affection
NNhat is TO be done, old fellow?' he
said, In hollow, dead sort of voice.
Try and get out, suppose, | answer
ed; that is unless you would like to go
in there and pointed to the columns Of
fire that was once more rolling by.
II would go in if were sure that it
would kill me he said, with little laugh |
: 1T was my cursed hesitation that did this. |
If l had not been afraid she might never
have tried to show me the road But | am |
not sure. The fire might have the oppo.
site effect on me. 1t might make me i'm.
mortal; and. old fellow, have not the pa
thence to wait couple of thousand years
for her to come back again as she did for
me. l had rather die when my time comes
and | should fancy that it isn't far off
go my ways to look for her
Do you go in, if you like" But merely
shook my head.
"Well, my boy" said, 1--WE can't stop
here till we 60 the way of those two;" and
! pointed to the little heap under the
white garment and to the stifTening corpse
Of poor job. "If we are going we had
better go. But, by the way, / expect that
the lamps have burned OUT" and | took
up one and looked at it, and sure enough
IL had.
There is some more oil in the vase"
said Leo. indifferently, if it is not broken,
At least
Lets see il come once MORE. said Leo,
we shall never look upon Its like again in
his world Presently it had gone, and
we, too, turned to go
But before we did 50 we each took Jobs
,old hand in ours and shook it. The heap
beneath the white garment we did not un.
cover We had no wish to look upon that
terrible sight again.
"She called to me not to forget her, he
said hoarsely-and swore that we should
meet again. BY Heaven never can forget
ler. Here swear that. if we live to get
Put of this, will not for all my days have
lnything to say to another living woman.
Ind that wherever 60 will wait for her
Ls faithfully "a she raiied for mo