Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-09-03

erpart, - son the palm Of her trembling
Here she stood for a moment, then
whispered in a faint voice:
Terror has taken hold of me, and
fear to do this thing.
s.Yet. Is must be done, and not By
me-" said Natal, 'sor we shall have
come on a FOOLS errand, and go back,
some of US, to FOOLS death" and he
looked toward me.
II will not do it," said. answering
his look, mot because fear your gods,
but my own conscience I do fear
s'Then will, said the senior, body,
s'for / fear neither. Give me that
trinket, Maya"
She obeyed, and ne had let the two
calves of the talismaa fall into their
place in the symbol.
For some seconds, SSe stood still,
watching the altar with eager eyes,
but the symbol never stirred Then 1
said:
1T seems, Natal, that you must
hide your lying writing elsewhere.
since yonder heart will not open; or If
it will, we have not found the key
'sWait little" broke in the senior.
"perhaps the springs are -vsted." And
he placed his thumb upon the halves of
the emerald and pressed SO hard that
the symbol trembled on its marble
bed.
'sBeware!" cried Natal. and before
the echoes of his voice had died away
all of rs started in establishment, for
10! the heart was opening like flower.
Slowly it opened, till the severed
talisman fell froEa it as its two halves
| lay back on the marble of the altar,
| revealing something hidden in it's
center that shone like an ember in the
lamplight.
| In the hollow of the heart laid upon
a square plate of gold, which was COW
cred with writing, glared red jewel
shaped like human eye, that seemed
| to answer stare with stare.
''If we stand like this we shall grow
| frightened" said the senior, roughly,
| CHANGING round him as he spoke; there
is nothing to fear In a red stone cut
| like an eye"
IF you think so, white man." an
swered Natal, in a voice that shook a
| little, strive as he would to command
| it; lift up the holy thing and give me
the writing that is beneath it. Stay,
first take this, and set it in the symbol,
| replacing the eye upon it" and he
handed him the forged tablet.
The senior obeyed, nor did anything
| happen when he lifted that dreadful
looking jewel and changed the true for
the false.
Read it," said Maya. as the tablet
was passed to Natal; '.you have
| knowledge of the ancient writings"
| perhaps it were best left unread, y
he said, doubtfully-
NAY" she answered; ''Iet us know
the worst. Read it."
Then he read these strange words in
a slow and solemn voice:
1.-The eve that has slept and is awak-
| 1,n Il of n
wicked. 1 say that in the hour of the
desolation of my city not all the waters
of the Holy Lake shall wash away their
| sin"
Now the faces of us who heard turned
gray in the lamplight, for, though the
gods of this people were false, we felt
that the voice of a true prophet spoke
| to us from that accusing tablet, and
that we had called down upon oul
| heads vengeance which we could not
| measure.
ibid 1 not tell you that it were wiser
to leave the writing unread" gasped
Natal, letting the tablet fall from his
hand as though it were snake.
The clatter of it as it struck the mar
BILE floor seemed to wake us from oul
evil dream, for the senior turned on hin
and said, fiercely:
'sWhat does it matter what the thing
as you forged the other"
''Ah! would that I had" answered
Natal; "but when doom overtalkes yor
and all of us, then shall you Learn
whether or not I forged this writ
ing" And he lifted it from the floor
and hiding it in the folds of his robe
added: ''Close the heart, white man
and give back the severed jewel to those
who wear it.
The senior did so, replacing the silker
cloth over the symbol SO that the altar
seemed to be as it had been.
''Now let us be going" said Natal
land rejoice that if yonder eye has seer
our wickedness, it is hidden from the
sight of men. Doubtless the vengeance
of the gods is sure, but that OF men Il
swift
As he spoke we turned to leave thu
sanctuary, and of a sudden Maya
screamed, and would have fallen haC
not the senior caught her. Well nigh
she scream, for there in the marrow
niche of the door by which he had en-
tered. stood white figure that at frs
took to be that of some avenginl
ghost.
Another instant and saw that in
deed it was ghost, the ghost OF ZlbaI
bay, or rather his body come back from
the boundaries of death to spy upol
our sacrilege before it crossed then
forever.
While he had seemed to be senseles
. upon the bed in the chamber, his sense
were awake, and oh, what must he hav'
suffered when he heard us plan on
fraud upon his sanctuary. Then whel
we had left him his fury and despair
unfettered the limbs that had beer
bound so fast and gave him strength I.
follow, though they could not unlocl
his frozen tongue.
Oh. never shall forget the rage
his quivering face, or the agony ant
horror of his tormented eyes as the.
, met ours.
He saw our fear, and with last effor
: staggered forward toward his daughter
! his clenched hands held above his head
Then foam, mingled with blood, 6urs
from his lips, and he sank down at he
feet dead.
Somehow we claimed and silence
l MAYA; somehow we escaped from tina
hateful sanctuary, and by slow degree
brought her and the dead body OF ne
: father up the narrow stairs and pa
> sapes to the hall above, where we lat
the latter on its bed. Then Natal ls1
us, and | remember no more TILL IN
next morning, when the mobiles az
| leeches came to watch by the body G
the caciuue and emba1m it in READINGS
: for the tomb.
| The next two days went heavily 10
: | the three of us, oppressed as we Wer
by the silent gloom of our prison an
the memories of that dreadful night.
!, ! A. Iann+b fhav carried away TT