Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-05-11
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she answered These liars here told you
that the deliyerer was dead. Is 1t not sos
He is not dead. He lies bound in yonder
CELL but had spoken word Of it to you
then he would have died. 0lfan, do you
know how my consent was won to be your
wifes A shutter within that door was
opened, and he, my husband, was shown
to mo- gagged and bound and being held
over the mouth of hideous pit in the floor
of his prison that leads know not where.
/ Consent, or he dies, they said, and for
my loves sake / consented. This was the
| plot Olfan to marry me to you partly be
cause the woman yondcr who was my
nurse, did not desire my death and partly
that Nam might use me to save himself
from the anger of the people. But do not
think that you would have kept me long,
Olfan, for this was in the plot also-that
when you had served their purpose you
should die by secret means, as one who
knew too much.
1T is lie,' said Nam.
Silence" answered Juanna
Let that door be opened, and you shall
! see If l have lied"
Wait awhile. queen, said Olfan, who
appeared utterly overcome. If under
stand you right, your husband lives, and
therefore you say that the words that we
| have spoken and the oaths that we have
sworn mean nothing, for you are not my
wife. y
THAT is so, Olfan'
''Then now am minded to turn wicked
and let him die, y said the king slowly
for know this, Shepherdess, cannot give
you up"
| Juanna grew pale as death, realizing
| that this mans passions, now that once he
| had given them away, had passed beyond
| control.
II cannot give you up he repeated
fHave | not dealt well with your Did /
not say to you, Consent or refuse, as it
| shall please you, but having once consent
| ed you must not go back upon your words?'
! What have l to do with the reasons that
prompted them? My heart heard them
and believed them. Queen, you are wed to
me. Those oathS that you have sworn may
not be broken. 1t is too late, now you are
mine, nor can | suffer you to pass from me
back to another man, even though he was
your husband before me. y
But the deliyererl Must then become
my husbands murderer?'
Nay, I will protect him, and, if it may
be, find means to send him from the land +"
Juanna stood silent and despairing and
at this moment Soa, lying on the couch,
broke into shrill and mocking laugh that
stung her like a whip and reused her
from her lethargy
king" she said, Il am at your mercy,
not through any wanton folly of my own,
| but because fate has made a sport of me
King, you have been hardly used, and, as
you say, hitherto you have dealt well with
me. Now l pray you let the end be as the
beginning was, so that | may always think
of you as the noblest among men, except
one who died this day to save me. King,
you say you love me. Tell me, them If my
life hung upon word of yours, would
that word remain unspoken? Such was my
case / spoke the word and for one short
hour | betrayed you. Will you, whose
heart is great, bind me by such an oath as
this, an oath wrung from me to save my
darling from the power of those dogs2 If
this is so, then | have erred strangely in
my reading of your mind, for till now |
have held that you were man who would
perish ere he suffered his more evil part to
force helpless woman to be his wife, one
whose crime was that she deceived him t.
save her husband"
She paused, and clasping her hands as
though in prayer looked up into his trou-
bled face with bcseeching eyes, then, rs
he did not speak, went on:
King, l have one more word to say.
You are the strongest, and you can take
me, but you cannot hold me, for that hour
would be my last and you would be but
the richer by your broken honor and a
dead bride"
Olfan was about to answer when Soa,
fearing lest Juanna's pleading should pre-
vail against his passion, broke in, saying:
BE not fooled, king, by woman S pretty
speeches or by her idle threats that she
will kill herself She will not kill herself.
| know her we'll. She loves her life too
much, and soon, when you are wed, she
will love you also, for It is the nature of
us women to worship those who master
US. Moreover, that man, tho deliverer is
not her husband, except in name. For
months | have lived with them, and l
know it, Take her, king, take her now,
this hour, or live to mourn her loss and
your folly all your life's day
II will not answer that slaves false
hoods, said Juanna, drawing herself up
and speaking proudly, land it We're moro
worthy of you not to listen to them, king
| have spoken. Now do your will BE
great or little be noble or be base, US your
nature leads you"
And suddenly she sank to the ground,
and shaking her long hair about her face
and arms burst into bitter weeping.
Twice the king looked at her. Then he
turned his head as though he dare look no
more and spoke, keeping his eyes fixed up
on the wall.
Rise, queen, - he said hoarsely. Cease
your tears, since you are safe from me
Now as always I live to do your will, but
I pray you hide your face from me as
much as may be, for, lady, my heart is
broken with love for you, and I cannot
bear to look on that which I have lost. +"
Still sobbing, but filled with admiration
and wonder that a savage could be thus
generous, Juanna rose and began to muir
mur thanks, while the captains stared and
Soa Knocked and cursed them both.
THANK me not" he said gently at
seems that you who can read all hearts
have read mine Alright, or perchance you
fashioned it as you would have it be- And
now, having done with love, let us to war.
Woman, what is the secret of that door,
Find it for yourself, - snarled Soa 1T
is easy to open when once you know the
spfing-llhe woman S heart, OlIan.
Or If you cannot find it, then it can
be forced-like woman's love, Olfan
Surely you who are so skilled in the win
ming of a bride need not seek my counsel
as to the opening of door, for when 1
gave it but now upon the first of these
matters you would not hearken, Olfan,
but were melted by the sight of tears that
you should have kissed away"
Juanna heard, and from that moment
made up her mind that If she could she
would give Soa to doom. Nor was it Won
derful, for few women could have par
doned what she had suffered at her hands,
Drive the spear into her till she speaks,
comrade, said Olfan. Then Soa gave up
mocking and told the secret of the door
fro BE Continued
The Boiling Point.