The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-04-24
CHAPTER XIII.
fro BE Continued

pasped his wife. Il had begun to pre-
pare myself for sleep when, looking
into wonder mirror. saw her behind
me having in her hand a naked knife
and searching the room with her eyes,
Presently they fell upon the cradle,
and. lifting the knife, she took a step
toward it. Then | turned and gripped
her, holding her as well as | was able,
but she was too strong for me and
dragged me forward, so that had it not
been for Ignatio here by now she
would have made an end of our child"
''Is this true?" said the senior to
Nahua.
1T is true, white man, she answered.
"Why do you desire to kill one so in
nocent?" he asked again.
''Is il not natural that / should wish
to destroy the child who is to supplant
my child, and to break the heart of the
woman who has broken my hearth"
Nahua answered sullenly. Among
MANY other things | have learned,
white man, of that ceremony which is
to take place tomorrow, whereat my
husband is to be deposed and my child
dishonored. that they may make room
for you and your child, you, the white
wanderer, and your son, the heaven
born, the foreordained."
What have we to do with these
things, o woman with the heart of a
pumaP" he asked. ''If Tikal is to be
driven from his place, it is because of
his crimes"
And if you and yours are to be set
in it, white man, without doubt it is
because of your virtues; and yet, black
hearted knave that you are, l tell you
that l know all the truth. l know
how you forged the prophecy setting
the false for the true within the holy
symbol of the heart. know also that
my father helped you to the deed, for,
although he is dead, he wrote down
that tale before he died and gave it to
me, together with the true prophecy
that you dared to steal from the holy
sanctuary.
Eyes, 1 have the proofs, and when
needful l will show them. did not
come here to do murder, at least upon
the infant, but the sight of it sleeping
in its cradle overcame me, and of a
sudden | determined to wreak my ven
geance upon it and upon its mother.
In this have failed, but when l de-
nounce you to the council, then / shall
not fail; then you will be known for
what you are, and die the death that
you deserve"
1T comes into my mind, husband, "
said Maya, coldly, that if we would
save our own lives we must rob this
woman of hers. Such doom she has
richly earned, nor will any blame us
when they learn what was her errand
here"
at seems that it is So" answered,
sadly, land yet the thing is awful"
L - 1No
said the senior, land it falls on me to do
it for the sake of my wife and child"
Now he stepped to where Nahua lay
and knelt beside her, and we two drew
aside, sick at heart, and hid our faces
in our hands. Presently he was with
US again.
rs it done?" asked Maya, hoarsely.
mo, nor will it be by me-" he an
swered, in fierce voice; sooner would
l choke the breath out of my own body
than strangle this defenselesS woman,
cruel-hearted murderess though she is.
If she is to be killed, some other man
must do the deed"
Then it will remain undone," said
Maya. And now, since We have thus
determined, let us think of flight, for
the night draws on, and in fight is our
only hope"
What, then, is to be done with this
woman?" l asked. 1--WE cannot take
her with u.s."
mo, but we can leave her here,
gagged and bound, till they chance to
find her." answered the senior.
"Hearl1en, Nahua, we spare you, and
to do it go forth to our own deaths.
Nav Your fierce heart learn lesson OF
mercy from the deed. Farewell"
Two hours had gone by and three fig
ures wrapped in rough serapes, such
as the common people wore, one OF
whom, a woman, carried an infant IN
her arms. might have been seen eau
tiously descending the city wall by
means of wooden ladder that ran from
its summit to the jetty built upon piers
at the foot of it, which was used as a
mooring place for boats during the
months of inundation.
As was common at this season of the
year, the lake was already rising, and
floating in the shallow water at the
end of the jetty lay a pleasure skifi
which the senior and were accustomed
to use for the purpose of fishing when
ever we could escape for a few hours
from our wearisOme life in the city
Into this skiff we entered, and, having
nOlSlSu LuC Sdll. SCI OuI DN NhS
stars, steering for that village whence
a year before we had embarked for the
City of the Heart.
The wind being favorable to US oul
progress was rapid, and by the first
gray light of dawn we caught sight OF
the village not a mile away. Here
however, we did not dare to land, fol
we should be seen and recognized
therefore we beached our boat behind
the shelter of some dwarf water palms
three furlongs or more below the vii
lage, and, having hidden her as well a:
we were able, set out at once toward
the mountains.
At length the evening fell. and we
camped for the night, if camping it car
be called to sleep beneath the shadow
of a cedar tree without fire and with
little, food having no covering except
our serapes.
Toward morning the air grew cold
for already we were at some height
above the lake. and the tender infant
began to wall piteously, wall thai
wrung our hearts. Still we rose witt
the sun and went on our way, for i
seemed that there was nothing else K
do. Throughout that day, with ever
wearying footsteps, we journeyed, TIL
at sunset we reached the snow line