Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-10-08
HEART OF TIE WORLD.
BY H. RIDER HAooARD.
4 strazgs Story, Tzkrn Fron Manuscript BE.
gaesfhed by 9n Old Mexican Indian 10 KS
TREAD and COmrzde, an EegIisA-
nan Eamed Je1es.
COPYRIGHTED. 1924. By H. Rider Haggard

CHAPTER XXIV-CoSTISuED.
Lords of the council, listen to tale,
the strangest that you have heard, and
judge between me and Til1al, my hus-
band, and Maya, my rival, and her
friends Natal, my father, was known
to you all, seeing that at the time of
his death, and, indeed, since Tikal was
appointed cacioue, he stood next to him
IN place and power among the PEG lie
Of the Heart, holding the offices In the
brotherhood which now are filed by
Dlmas, and among them that of
keeper Of the sanctuary
yet, lords, Natal, my father was
no true man. Alas that / should have
10 say 1t, seeing that it was more for
my sake that he sinned than for his
own, since he loved me and desired my
welfare above everything on earth It
was this love of his that ruined him.
making him false to his god, to his
oaths, and to his country. Thus. IN the
beginning, he knew that since / was a
child / had set my heart on the Lord
Tikal. who was afianced to the Lady
Maya, and also that | was ambitious
and desired to be great.
Therefore it was that he deceived
Tilzal. pretending that it had been re-
vealed to him by Heaven thzt the Lady
MAYA and her father were dead in the
when he had persuaded him that she
was lost to him forever, he pressed it
upon the Lord Tikal that he should
marry me in place of Maya, his
affianced, who was dead, promising him
in return that he would bring it about
that he should be anointed cacique OF
the People of the Heart.
'!All these things and others he did.
though at that time l knew nothing of
F,1T hot
Tikal married me because he loved me
and desired me as the companion of his
life and power.
Then Zibalbay returned on the
night of my marriage feast, and with
him came Maya and the strangers. and
from that hour my husband began to
hate me. because / was his wife in
place of MAYA, whom he loved More.
as have learned since, he went to Iii
balbay while he lay in prison and Of
fered to resign his place as cacique in
his favor for so long as he should live,
and no more to oppose schemes Il he
would give him Maya in marriage after
had been put away either by death or
by divorce.
This Zibalbay would have done. and
gladly, but, as IL Glanced Maya here
had set her heart upon the white man
during their journcyings together
be separated from him that she might
be palme1 off in marriage upoo Tillal
Yet he might have won his way, for
their case was desperate, and the alter
native was death, had not Natal. my
father. found 4 plan whereby they
colld be saved and REM in the wife of
the caciquc.
This was the plan, lords: that a
prophecy should be set in Che symbol of
L i
the Council of the Heart and bring 1t
about that Maya should be given in
marriage t0the white mar whom she
loved. Lords, this was done At the
dead of night they crept to the Sanctu-
airy. and opening the Heart, placed with
in it that tablet which you have seen,
the tablet that foreshadowed the birth
Of delivercr. The rest you know"
1T is false" cried many voices
such sacr;iege is not possible"
1t Is rot false" answered Nahua,
land / will prove 20 you that the sacri-
Iege was possible. The Heart was
opened and the false prophecy forged
by NV father was placed within 1t,
where it was found by you on the night
of the festival of the Rising of Waters,
this day last year. But when the holy
Heart was opened, behold! it was not
empty. for in it lay another prophecy,
n
from it. that the lie which has deceived
you might be set in its place.
Where. THIN. is that writing?" asked
Dirnas.
Here" she answered, drawing the
tablet from her breast 'Listen-"a and
She read:
The eye that has slept and is
awakened sees the heart and purpose
of the wicked. l say that in the hour
I So
waters of the Holy lake shall wash
away their sin.
Take il. lords, and see for your
selves" she contin ued, laying the tablet
on the altar. And now listen again
and learn how it CHANGED that this relic
came into my keeping. After he had
wrought this great sin the curse OF the
narnelcss god fell Upon my father, and,
Us ron know. he was sTnitten with 4
+ sore disease. Then it came about that
T when he lay dying remorSe took linn,
( and he wrote a Ger slin paper which he
caused TO be witnessed and given to me,
together with this tablet
In my hand hold that paper, lords;
hear it and ju igc for yourselves
whether have spoken truth or false
hood and she read aloud the comics
sion of Natal that set ont every detail
( of our plot, and the manner of its ex-
ecutioa.
Now. lords she added when the
reading was finished and the signatures
had been examined. ''you viii under
stand how it happened that in my rage
at this tidinrs | strove to XII yondcr
infant. who has been palEled off upon
you as the seed of thc god. and / leave
il to you 20 deal with those who planned
The fraud"
CHAPTER XIV.
FAREWELL