Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-04-30

iudu Iosiubs uuu pltcOuo tblh uOUut tuc
child, and at dawn upon the third day
she died. Before she died her senses
returned to her, and she spoke TO her
husband beautiful and tender words
which seem too holy 10 set down.
She turned to the senior, and in
gasping and broken voice prayed Of him
not to forget her or her child | heard
him answer that this she need not fear,
as his happiness died with her, and
even II he should escape he thought
that they would not be parted for very
long, nor could any other woman take
her place in his heart.
She blessed him and thanked him,
caressing his face with her dying hands.
and unable to bear more Of such sight
l left them together.
An hour later the senior came from
the watchhouse, and though he did not
speak one glance at his face was enough
TO tell me that oil was over.
Thus died Maya, Lady Of the Heart.
the last Of the ancient royal blood Of
the Indian princes, myself alone ex.
cepted, very sweet and beautiful
woman, though at times headstrong
and capricious.
Now while Maya lay dying we learned
that some Indians still lived on the
mainland, men and women who had
been sent there TO tend the crops, for
we saw canoe lowering round what
once had been the Island Of the Heart
1t was manned by three Indians, and
was advancing toward US, and we sig
nailed to them to paddle round to the
steps Of the pyramid. They did, and,
taking with us all the food and such
few articles Of value as were to be
found in the watch house, the four OF
us embarked, though not without diff
Guilty, for the current ran SO strong
round the crumbling angles of the pyra-
mid that It was hard to bring the canoe
up to the stairs.
From the Indians we learned that
those on shore were so overwhelmed
with horror at the catastrophe which
had fallen upon their holy city that
they did not dare TO approach the place
where 1t had stood. But when last
night they saw the great flame Of
Maya's funeral pyre they knew that
men still lived on the pyramid, who, as
they thought, were signaling to them
for help, and ventured ont to save them.
They asked us how 1t came about that
the waters had overwhelmed the city
which had stood among them safely
from the beginning Of time. We re.
piled that we did not know, and the
priests with us, now that they had es-
capped with their lives, seemed too pros
trated to tell our deliverers that we
had been imprisoned in the hollow Of
the pyramid, even If they knew that
/, this was SO.
On reaching the shore we found lit,
tie gathering of awe-stricken Indians,
perhaps there may have been one hun
dred and fifty Of them, the sole sur
vivors Of the People Of the Heart.
Open-mouthed and almost without
comment, they listened to the terrible
tale Of the sudden and utter destruc.
ton of the city.
| lhSh wv OuT ldCtS W llt
mountains, and on the second day
crossed them safely, for Maya had told
us the secret of the passage which we
had passed blindfolded. Thus at length,
having looked our last upon the blue
waters Of the Holy lake, sparkling in
the sunshine above the palaces of the
city and the bones of its inhabitants,
did we leave that accursed Country of
the Heart, where so much evil had be-
fallen us.
1t was terrible journey, and once
we both Of us fell III with fever, from
which | thought that we should not re-
cover, but recover we did by the help Of
some wandering Indians who nursed
us, ard at length reached this place,
from which we had fed for our lives
nearly two years before.
| Then the hacienda was deserted, for
It had the reputation of being haunted,
though some Of the Indian dependents,
or rather slaves, of that great villain,
Don Pedro Moreno, still worked patches
OF the land.
| Well, the senior took q fancy to stay
in the place, for 1t was here that he
had first seen his wife; aud so we sold
that girdle of emeralds which Maya
took from the chest Of ornaments and
gave to me when we were imprisoned
in the hall Of the pyramid tby the way,
do not lose the clasp, for it is the only
remaining relic Of the People Of the
at a cheap rate from the government Of
the day, who had entered into posses
sion Of them, this house and the wide
lands around 1t, that have cultivated
ever since.
| For now my ambitions were finished.
! had played my first card and it had
failed me, and, albeit with sorrowful
mind, | abandoned my hope for the re.
generation Of the Indians, which had
no longer the means or the vigor to at.
tempt. Also was no longer lord of
the Heart, for II was lost yondcr be-
meath the waters Of the holy lake and
with 1t went much Of my power
For five years the senior and | lived
here together but | think that during
oil this time he was dying. He, who
! used to be so strong In body and merry
In mind, never, regained his health or
spTrts IRON riiat n0ur wilvn rrGyu uiru
upon the pyramid, and though he sell.
dom spoke OF her know that she was
always present in his thoughts.
Twice IN the spring seasons he SUI
fered from calenturas, as we call the
fever OF the country, which left him
sallow in face and shrunken in body.
and when the spring came round for