Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-10-01

sure YOUR instant death in the Pit OF
Waters. But as it chances least OF any
thing on the earth do desire that my
ewes should lose sight of you, whom
now as ever love better than anything
on the EARTH
Now the senior grew white with rage,
and he broke in:
You will do well to keep such words
to yourself, Tilzal, for of this be sure, If
you do not, will add to my crimes,
and you shall not leave this place alive.
No need to look at your guards. What
do / care for your guards, who have
but one life to lose? Speak thus again,
and before they reach you, you shall be
dead"
Let him go on, husband, " said Maya;
''what can a few insults more or less
matter to us nowf Continue, n'ost no
BILE TilIal, but, for your own sake, re-
strain yourself and say nothing that
husband should not hear"
1T is for this reason" he went on,
taking no notice of the senor's anger,
that l have come here with plan to
save you all, YES. even this braggart
white man who has robbed me of you.
If Nahua and / are silent, who will
know of your crimes? And if the evil
dence of them is destroyed before your
ewes, who is there who can prove them?
Now, will be silent-at price. 1 will
even bring the true tablet of the proph-
ecy and the roll of Mattai's confession
and destroy them with fire before you"
"You viii be silent, said Maya, but
what of Nahua? VIII she be silent alsO?"
Now Tikal's dark face grew evil with
| some purpose of his own, though
whether it were of murder, or of what,
| / do not know.
Leave Nahua to me, " he said. ''fVith-
draw the charge you made against her
| of attempting to kill yonder child, and
free her thus of the need of appearing
this night in the sanctuary, ard swear
| to you that no word of her dreadful
| secret shall ever pass her lii's. Then
you will be tried upon one issue only,
that of having broken your oathS by
| flying the city, crime that is not be-
| yond forgiveness"
You spoke of price, Tikal; tell us,
what is that price we must pay?"
The price is yourself, Maya. Nay,
| lfear me out, and you, white man, keep
| 81 ent. If YOU will swear upon the
| Heart to become my wife within six
months from this day, then / on my
| part will swear that the white man,
| your husband, who is not your husband,
| for he won the consent of the council
| to his marriage by trick. shall be suf-
| fered to escape the land unframed,
taking with him his friend and so much
of our treasure and things needful for
their journey as he may desire.
Il will swear, also, and by this you
may see how deer and honestis my love
possessed of the place and rank which
he holds in the eyes of the people as a
Heavcn-scnt deliverer whose coming
was foretold by prophecy. My child
shall give place to yours. Maya.
Once before 1 held out the hand
of peace to You, Maya, but you refused
it and tricl1ed me, and from that refusal
has sprung the death OF your father and
many other sorrows.
''Do not refuse me again, lest these
sorrows should be increased and multi
piled upon you and upon us all. 1t IS
no strange or unnatural thing l ask OF
you that you should wed the man to
whom for many years you were
affianced, and take your place as the
first lady in this city, instead of giving
yourself over with your accOmpliccs tC
the most infamous of deaths"
''Yet it is the most strange and un'
natural, Tikal, that wife should be
asked to part thus from her husband.
But stay; it is for him to speak, not me,
for he may be glad to buy safety at
this cost. First, what do You say, lg'
natio? Tell me, though l fear your an
swer, for it is easy to guess. seeing that
Til1al offers all that YOU can desire,
freedom and treasure, to enable you tc
execute your plans"
cit is true. lady," replied, that he
offers me these things, though whether
or not he is able to give them cannot
say, and it is true, also, that / have nc
wife here whom | must leave. and nc
prospect save that of a traitors death
Still, lady. l remember certain promise
that made to you yonder in the wilder
ness when by your courage you saved
your husbands life, and / remember
also, that it was through me that he
nv friend, came to visit this accused
city. Therefore l say let our fate be
one fate"
"Those are very noble words, friend,
she said, ''such as could have come only
from your noble heart. Now, husband
do you speak"
Il have nothing to say, Maya" re
piled the senior, with n little laugh
''eXcept that / wonder why you waste
time which we might spend happily to
gether in listening to this fellows in
suits. If you bid me goto save you, per
haps 1 might think about it, but cer
tainly will not stir one pace from youI
side to save myself from any death"
1T seems that have got my answer,
said Tillal. MAY none of you regret il
tonight when you come to look dowr
L
presses, and l have much to do before
we meet again." and he turned t.
leave us.
} It might be thought that after Tila
: was gone we should have spoken to
: gether of what had passed, and of the
dangers that lay before us. But thi.
was not so; think VIC felt, ell of us
that there was nothing more to be said
1t is useless to fight against Fate, ant
it is still more useless to be afraid OF
him, seeing that whatever we do OF
leave undone, he has his will of us a
last.
So we sat and chatted of Indifferent
things, our life at the mine at Cumarvo
that night which we spent in tht
hacienda of Santa Cruz, the death O.
our brave companion, MolaS, and
know not what besides. Presently the
child awoke. and its parents occupied
themselves with it, finding resem
[ blances to each other in its tiny fea
/ lures, while | walked up and down the
hall, counting the lamps, smoking anC
wondering where / should be by thi:
time on the morrow
At length the gates opened. for now
| it was almost the middle of the night
( and there came through them Dina:
and a guard of priests. The old mar
: bowed before us and said that the time
had come to lead us before the council
: in the sanctuary, but that we were tc
} have no fear, seeing that from all thai
he had been able to learn our Offenst
would be lcnientlv dealt with
Mava asked what yy-oS 70 baoO,~,a -