The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-12-15

thence while l put on thee thy wedding
bracelets" He nnclasped her clinging
hands himself, and lifted them high
above her head until they touched the
silver rings on either side OF the
dragons crested head. These snapped
round her wrists, holding her arms
fast. AS she lay, shrinking, her head
just below the dragons head, the wa
ter avoided her face and flowed regular
ly and smoothly down from her bosom
to her feet, whence it escaped down to
the marble floor below.
Farewell, my women, one and ALL"
said the princess. Zone last service only
may we do me. Pray only that may be
silent"
She neither felt her brothers kiss nor
heard the kings farewell, nor the sound
of his withdrawing; but shut her lips
and her eyes, and there lay, clothed with
terror as garment, covered to the
heart with flowing water, filed to the
lips with fear of the unknown thing
that would come with the coming of the
first moonbeam. She saw, dimly,
shapes come and go beside her, hands
wrung together in sorrow, hands held
over her in blessing, hands flung up in
passionate farewell; heard dimly the
voices of the high priest and his servi.
tors,and the distant familiar singing of
her own women mingle and mix and
fade away; and as the darkness grew,
the water-fow that enveloped her grew
in volume until it felt as though all the
waters of lake were bursting over her
shrinking breast. Presently silver
flute-note stole softly out from the
shadows near her head, and then the
sonorous tones of great Egyptian
harp:
1.-THE Moons way
Over the flowing waters which obey
The Moons white will; and all the goblin
things
That dip and dive midmost the water.
springs;
The whiteness Of the waters and the
white
Breath of those flowers that only bloom al
night;
All these be with the Moons bride to up.
hold
To keep her love warm while her breast
grows cold
Her heart alive to keep
Against the hour when she shall sink
asleep,
When Night and Death. and ebbing and
flowing tide,
Call the Moons bride"
And with the song there came
strength to lila, and she tried to drag
herself free from the silver shackles
that held her, crying: 81 will not be
bound. / came to lie here of my own
free will, and l will not be shamed.
Come to me, thou moon: am Chaldea,
1 am thy wife, and call to thee"
Then her armlets parted and fell
hands were free. Above her a great
roar of gathering waters broke out
from the dragons open jaws; but
Princess lila was past fear now, and she
rose up on the bed, waiting, while the
roar gathered sound and fury. And first
she swept the hair back from her face
that she might see her death, and then
she locked her hands about the dragons
carved neck.
"For l am to die here" she said, land
here is none other stay to hold me
steady while am a-dying."
And the roaring gathered and died
away, gathered and died away three
times; and now the princess began to
fear lest she should turn coward again.
So she loosed hold of the dragons neck
and lay down once more in her place
under the veil of flowing water; but
now her face was below it's shallow
stream. So for few seconds she lay
there drowning under film of water
no deeper than shallow rain-pool. And
then the roar gathered again, and the
waters burst over her, and she was
tossed, choking, up to the free air; and
then she was drowning again among
thick lily-roots and Shiny snake-coils.
And then suddenly an arm was clasp
ing her, and a heart beat against hers,
and her womanhood was burning out of
her--her body no more than a torch
kindled by white flame of moonlight.
And presently she was not lila, nor
drowning woman any more-but lay,
dead princess, on her marble bed, with
lilies from the bank grasped in her
clenched hands and tangled in her
tossed black hair. But her face shone
white as a pearl amid the night of her
hair, and the light on it was the men,
DRY of the kiss the moon had given her
ere he killed her.-Black and White.