Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-04-23

| nisnda Natal. my father, wss known
to you al, seeing that Of the time Of
| hb death, and. indeed, nince THAI VA
appointed csciqns, be stood next to him
IN place and power among the People
Of the Heart, holding the offices in the
brotherhood which now are filled by
Dimas, and among them that Of
keeper Of the sanctuary.
yet, lords, Natal, my fnther, was
no true man. Alas! that | should have
to say II, seeing that 1t was more for
my sake that he sinned than for his
own. since he loved me and desired my
welfare above everything on earth. II
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 atfianced to the Lady
Maya, and also that | was ambitious
and desired to be great
Therefore 1t was that he deceived
Tikal, pretending that it had been re-
vealed to him by Heaven that the Lady
Maya and her father were dead in the
wilderness. Therefore II was also that
when he had persuaded him that she
was lost to him forever, he pressed 1t
upon the Lord Tikal that he should
marry me in place Of Maya, his
affianced, who was dead, promising him
10 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 knew nothing Of
them and thought in my folly that
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 l have learned since, he went to a.
balbay while he lay In prison and Of.
fered TO resign his place as cacique In
his favor for go long as he should live,
and no more TO oppose schemes II 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 1t CHANGED, Maya here
had set her heart upon the white man
during their journeyings together
through the wilderness, and refused to
be separated from him that she might
be palmed of In marriage upon Tikal.
Yet he might have won his way, for
their case was desperate, and the alter
native was death, had not Natal, my
father, found a plan whereby they
could be saved and remain the wife Of
the cacique.
This was the plan, lords: that
prophecy should be set in the symbol Of
the Heart yonder such as would deceive
the Council Of the Heart and bring it
about that Maya should be given in
marriage to the white man 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 1t that tablet which you have seen,
the tablet that foreshadowed the birth
Of deliverer. The rest you know"
1T is false cried many voices.
"Snch sacrilege,is not possible"
~ Is not Ialse, answered Nanua,
land will prove to you that the sacri.
lege was possible. The Heart was
opened and the false prophecy forged
by my father was placed within it,
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 1t was not
empty, for in 1t lay another prophecy,
true prophecy, which was removed
from 1t, that the lie which has deceived
you might be set in Its place."
Where, then, is that writing?" asked
Dimas.
Here" she answered, drawing the
tablet from her breast. "Listen-"and
she read:
1.-THE eye that has slept and Is
awakened sees the heart and purpose
Of the wicked. say that in the hour
Of the desolation Of my city, not all the
waters Of the Holy lake shall wash
away their SIM"
take It, lords, and see for your
selves" she continued, laying the tablet
on the altar 'And now listen again
and learn how 1t CHANGED that this relic
came into my keeping. After he had
wrought this great sin the curse Of the
god fell upon my father, and,
as you know, he was smitten with
sore disease. Then it came about that
when he lay dying remorse took him,
and he wrote certain paper which he |
caused to be witnessed and given to me,
together with this tablet
I'm my hand | hold that paper, lords;
hear it and Judge for yourselves
| have spoken truth or false
hood and she read aloud the confess
sion OF Natal that set out every detail
Of our plot, and the manner of It's ex-
acution.
Now, lords" she added when the
reading was finished and the signatures
had been examined, you will UNDER
stand how 1t happened that in my rage
1t this tidings | strove to kill yonder
infant, who has been palmed off upon
you as the seed Of the god, and | leave
I to You to deal with those who planned
The fraud"
no BE CONTINUED