Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-08-20


IF that be the will of the council
have no choice but to obey" said
Natal. yet, though none else have
| done so. give my voice against it, for
1 hold that this is childishness, and
never did know any good to spring
from prophecies" and he paused as
though waiting for an answer
obey! Obeyr' said the council, for
curiosity had got hold of them, and
i they craned their necks forward to see
what might happen.
''Obey!" repeated Til1al But beware
how you shake the symbol, lest we
| should perish in the doom of waters
Then Natal set the two halves of
the ta1isrnan in the hollow of the
| Heart, and as before, in the midst of
an utter silence, the heart opened like
! a flower. Leaning forward, l saw the
eye within its hollow, but it seemed to
me that the fire had faded from the
heart of the jewel, for it now cleaned
| coldly, like the eye of a man who is
two hours dead. / think that Natal
noted this also. for as the symbol
opened he started and his hand shook.
Now, when they saw the marvel a
gasp of wonder rose from the council;
| then Tikal spoke, saying:
SIT seems that there was wisdom in
Zibalbay's madness, for the Heart has
| opened indeed, and within it is a stone
eye resting upon a plate of gold that is
covered with writing"
Read the writing" they cried.
Displacing the eye he lifted the plate
of gold and scanned it.
It cannot he said, shaking his head.
1T is written in character more an
cient than any have studied. Take
1T, Natal. for you are learned in such
signs
Now Malta; took the tablet and
studied it long with an ANXIOUS face,
Tl,fa
changed anon to wonder, or rather,
blank amaze, SO that l, watching him,
began to think. not knowing all the
cleverness of Natal, that the senior was
right, and the tablet had been tam
pered with since we saw it.
Read! Read!'' cried the council.
Brethren" he said, 1.-The words seem
clear. and yet SO stran ge is this writing
that fear my learning is at fault and
that had best give it to others to de-
cipher"
mo. read, read" they cried again,
almost angrily.
Then he read: This is the voice OF the
year of the building Of the sanctuary and
graved upon tablet of gold which he set in
Secret place in the symbol OF the sanctuary. to
be declared in the far-of hour when the lost
is found and the signs of the Day and the
Night are come together.
TO thee 1T speaks, unborn daughter Of
ton. When my people are grown old and
their number are lessened and their heart is
!. man of the race of the Wbite GOD som
OF the SeafOam, whom thou shalt lead hither
across the desert; for SO my people shall once once
shall be to thy child and the child of the god.
than my eagles wing between sunrise end set"
Now as he read the face of Tilxal
grew black with rage, and before ever
the echoes of his voice had died away,
he sprang from his seat, crying:
Whoever it was that wrote this lying
prophecy, god or man. let him be &C
cursed. Shall the Lady Maya, for her
it must be whose name is the name of a
nation. be given in marriage to the
white dog who awaits his doom without
that door, and shall his son rule over
us? First will I see her dead and him
with her!
a man named DimaS, who, as l learned
afterward, had been foster brother to
Ziba1bay. rose and answered angrily:
1T seems to me that these things
must be so. Tika1, and beware how you
utter threats of death, lest they should
upon the god, and the god has spoken
in no uncertain voice. The Lady Maya
must become wife to the white man.
Son of the Sea, and then things shall
befall as they are fated.''
WHAT" answered Tikal, sis this
wandering stranger TO De SET over me
and all of us?''
''That do not know" said the coun-
cillor; 1.-The writing does not say so; the
writing says that his son shall be set
over us. and as yet he has no son. But
this is certain that the Lady Maya must
be given to him in marriage, and in her
right he well may rule, seeing that she
is the lawful heir to her father and not
you. Tikal, although you have usurped
her place"
Now many voices called upon Maya,
and she stood forward and spoke with
downcast eyes.
What shall l say" she began, tex
cept one thing, that my will is the will
of the gods. and if it is fated that 1
should be given to the white man in
marriage, why, so let it be.
For many years was taught to look
elsewhere, but he W no was to have been
my husband"-and she pointed toward
Tikal-"chose himself another wife,
and now / see that he did this not alto
gether Of his own will, but because it
was SO decreed. Ono thing more: I,
whom am but a woman, have no desire
to rule or to take the place that the
Lady Nahua now holds. The writing
says that in a day to come. far-off
day. some child of mine, if indeed / am
that daughter of a chief whose name is
the name of a nation, shall rule in
truth Let him then come in his hour
and take the glories that await him.
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