Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-06-04
CIINITI.R MIL


At Tikal', words the company mur.
INJURED in asjouiNl,urut. and Natal.
bending forward. began to whisper IN
his ear. Tii>ai listened for moment.
then turned upuu him ii,rcrly and then
said aloud 50 all could hear him:
Il tell YOU. Natal. that | will hr no
party la this iniquity. HAS such athiug
been heard of before that the Lady at
the Heart, Ia" highest lady H. the land
should he Iivcn in marriage To n
stranger. who. like some lost dog, haS
wandered Ia our ra'y?'
The prophecy" h;-an Mattai
The prophecy! ! put no faith in
prophecies. Why >huJ!d LOBBY q ur.'.h
ccy written new. when or 10y WHOM
| do not know" This lad, wa, ry
ailianccd bride, and now AN asked Il
unite her to q nan ric~N wan. who il
not even Of our blood or faith. Well
| will not"
surely, lord, You bla~phcme," an
severed Natal. Growing Wruth, ''sce.
ing that II IS u"i for The highest prizes,
To speak against tn oracle At the god
Also. he added, with meaning, what
can II hc Ia you V ho are not ten days
wed Ia III" lady al your side, that She L.
whom one" yoU were aiiianccd should
choose anot h,r a. her husland""
Nv hat i il To- mo- asked Iil,al furi
ouSly. III You desire To know will
tell you. 1t j. everything. How did
colac to break my troth and to take
Your daughter as wife? Through
Won, Natal. through You. IL liar and
false prophet. Did you not swear a.
me that Maya was dead yundcr ia tie
Wilderness Aud did You not. to
satisfy your own ambitions. fierce Ec
on 10 take your daughter Ia wife, ny.
and Is no; this marriage between the
Lady Of the Heart and the white man Il
/ plot Of yours, devised for the further
ing of your cnds?"
Now, while all stood astoriShcd, of a
sudden Nahua. who hitherto had lis
tened in stony silence, rose and said:
My lord Tillnl forrc,s that common
I courtesy shnuid protect even an unWyl-
come wife from public insult" Then
she turned and left the hall hy the door
I which was behind her.
Now Il murmur nf pity for the lady
and Indignation against the man ran
/ through the company, and as il died
away Tillal said:
Evil will come of this nights work
/ and in il will have no hand. DO what
| Won will and abide the ISSUE" and he
I fore any could speak in answer he also
| had left the hall followed by his guard,
/ For awhile there was silence, then
! foil began to talk confuSedly, ahd
some of the members of the Brother
/ hood of the Heart, rising from their
/ chairs. took hurried counsel together
! At length they reseated themselves,
/ and, holding up his hand to secure
| quiet, Natal spoke thus:
Forgive me" he said, addressing the
] IL f.atx MI
rough, but it is hard for me TO be calm
/ in the face of the open insult which has
/ been put upon my daughter and myself
! before YOU all. will not stoop To an
4 swcr the charges that the lord TilSal
has brought against me Ia his rage.
| Surely, some evil power must have af-
/ fiictcd him with madness, that, forget
! ting his honor as a man AMI his duty a.
/ Ia prince and priest, he should dare To
rS.icr such calumnies against the god
| weNvocship, the white nan whom the
god has chosen to-be a husband to the
Lady Maya, and myself, the keeper of
the sanctuary. There were many
among You who held rue foolish when.
after much prayer and thcnght, to fur
Their what believed to be the true in
terests of the whole people, gave my
voice in favor of the lifting up of Tilial
to fill the place and honor OF cacique
In room of our late prince, Zibalbay,
i whom we thought dead with his daugh-
! ter in the wilderness. Tonight l see
! that they were right, and that I was
foolish indeed.
but enough Of regrets and bitter
talk that make i'll music at n marriage
feast. Tikal, the head of our hierarchy,
has gone, but other priests are left, nor
Is his will the will of the Council or of
the People of the Heart, for whom the
Council tspeaks. Their will 1t Is that
this marriage should go forward. and
Dimas, my brother, as the oldest
among us, call upon you to celebratp
it."
Now the company shouted in ap-
plause, for they were set upon thu
strange union of white man with their
lady, il only because it was new thing
and touched their imagination, and
even those of them who were of his party
were wroth with TilSal on account OF
his i'll behavior and the cruel affront that
he had offered TO his new-made wife.
SO soon as the tumult had died away
the old priest, Dimas, rose. and taking
the hands Of Maya and the senior, ht
Joined them and said very touching
and beautiful prayer over them, bless
ing them and entreating the spirit
Heart of Heaven, and other gods to give
them increase and to make them happy
in each others love.
Lastly, he laid white silken clotl
which had been prepared upon theil
heads rs they knelt before him, Ind
loosing the emerald girdie about this
waist of the bride, took her right hand
and placed it upon the arm Of the
senior, then he bound the girdle round
wrist and arm. bucllled it, and in a few
solemn words declared these twain tC
be man and wife in the face of Heavier
and earth till death undid them.
Now the cloth was lifted and the cir
die loosed. and standing upon their feet
the new wed pair kissed each other be
fore the people. A shout Of joy wen
mp that shook the paneled roof, anC
one by one, ia order of their rank, the
guests pressed forward to wish JOY {,
The bride and bridegroom, most of then
bringing sotBb costly and beautiful
gift, which they gave INTO the charge %
the waiting ladies. Las of all cam,
the old priest, Dimas, and said:
''Sweet bride, the gift that ! am com
mandcd by the council to mage to you
though of little value in itself, is We
one of the most precious TO be fount
} within the walls of this ancient city
being nothing less than the holy sym
Dol of the all-seeing Eye of the Hear
! Of Heaven, which through you men be
hoid to-day for the first time for many
gencratioHs.
Swear il always, lady, and remembeI
that. though this jewel has no sight
| yet that eye OF which 1t is token frou
: hour to hour reads your most secre
soul and purpose. Make your thoughts
then. as fair as your body, and let you
: breast harbor neither guile nor evil, TO
of all these things in day to come 20,
: must surely give account"
As he spoke he drew from the cas-
} that hid il nothing less than that awfu
: eye which we had seen within the hol
: low Of the heart when with unhallowe,
} hands we robbed il, substituting tn,
, false for the true. Now it had been Sc
: in band of gold and hung to n colder
! chain which he placed aboat her neck
J SO that the red and cruel-loolling gen
lay cleaning on her naked breast
. Maya bowed and muttsred some word
| of thanks. but ! saw that her spiri
| failed her at the touch Of the ominou
thing. for she turned faint and would
have fallen had not her husband caugh
. her 10y the arm.
. ITO BE Continued
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