The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-04-17
fro BE CONTINUED
CHAPTER xii

At Tikal'S words the company muir
INJURED in establishment, and Natal
bending forward, began to whisper in
his ear. Tikal listened for moment
then turned upon him fiercely and then
said aloud SO all could hear him:
81 tell you, Natal, that l will be nc
party to this iniquity. Has such thing
been heard of before that the Lady OF
the Heart, the highest lady in the land,
should be given in marriage to a
stranger, who, like some lost dog, has
wandered to our gate?"
THE prophecy" began Natal.
1.-THE prophecy l put no faith in
prophecies. Why should obey proph-
ecy written now, when or by whom
l do not knOw2 This lady was my
affianced bride, and now l am asked to
unite her to nameless man, who is
not even of our blood or faith. Well,
/ will not"
Surely, lord, you blaspheme," an
swered Natal, growing wroth, ''see-
ing that it is not for the highest priest
to speak against the oracle of the god.
Also, he added, with meaning, what
can it be to you who are not ten days
wed to the lady at your side, that she to
whom once you were affianced should
choose another as her huSband?"
What is it to me?" asked Tikal furi-
ously. IF you desire to know l will
tell you. 1t is everything. How did 1
come to break my troth and TO take
your daughter as a wife? Through
you, Natal, through you, the liar and
false prophet. Did you not swear to
me that Maya was dead yonder in the
wilderness? And did you not, to
satisfy your own ambitions, force me
on to take your daughter to wife, ay,
and is not this marriage between the
Lady of the Heart and the white man
plot of yours, devised for the further
ing of your ends?"
Now, while all stood astonished, of
sudden Nahua, who hitherto had lis
tened in stony silence, rose and said:
My lord Tikal forgets that common
courtesy should protect even an unwel-
come wife from public insult" Then
she turned and left the hall by the door
which was behind her.
Now murmur of pity for the lady
and indignation against the man ran
through the company, and as it died
away Tikal said:
Evil will come of this nights work
and in it l will have no hand. Do what
you will and abide the ISSUE" and be-
fore any could speak in answer he also
had left the hall followed by his guards.
For awhile there was silence, then
folk began to talk confusedly, and
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
audience. IF my words seem few and
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
Swer the charges that the lord Ti1al
has brought against me in his rage.
Surely, some evil power must have af-
f1icted him with madness, that, forget
ting his honor as man and his duty as
a prince and priest, he should dare to
utter such 'calumnies against the god
we worship, the white man whom the
god has chosen to be husband to the
Lady Maya, and myself, the keeper of
the sanctuary. There were many
among you who held me foolish when,
after much prayer and thought, to fur
Their what l believed to be the true in
terests of the whole people, l gave my
voice in favor of the lifting up of Tilzal
to fill the place and honor of cacique
in room of our late prince, Zibalbay,
whom we thought dead with his daugh-
ter in the wilderness. Tonight l see
that they were right, and that | was
foolish indeed.
But enough of regrets and bitter
talk that make i'll music at 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 ESpeal1s. Their will it is that
this marriage should go forward. and
Dimas, my brother, as the oldest
among US, call upon you to celebrate
it."
Now the company shouted in APP
plause, for they were set upon this
strange union of white man with their
lady, if only because it was a new thing
and touched their imagination, and
even those of them who were of his party
were wroth with Tikal 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, he
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 cloth
which had been prepared upon their
heads as they knelt before him, and,
loosing the emerald girdle about the
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, buckled it, and in few
solemn words declared these twain to
be man and wife in the face of Heaven
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 went
up that shook the paneled roof. and
one by one, in order of their rank, the
guests pressed forward to wish joy to
the bride and bridegroom, most of them
bringing some costly and beautiful
gift, which they gave into the charge of
the waiting ladies. Last of all came
the old priest, Dimas, and said:
Sweet bride. the gift that am COM
manded by the council to make to you,
though of little value in itself, is yet
- - 10