Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-01-21

the charge against Nahua, the daughter
| of Natal, and against himself, Tillal,
the cacique and high priest of the CITY
of the Heart, had been considered, add
ing, in a slow and triumphant voice:
Let Nahua, the daughter of Natal,
who awaits without, be brought into
tho presence of the Heart"
We heard and gathered up our cour.
age to meet the advancing fate, for we
knew that death was on us, and that
Tor us there was no more pity or escape
The door opened and Nahua came
through it, dressed in the robes of her
rank, and wearing the green diadem
that could be carried only by the wife
or mother of the cacique.
What Is your pleasure with me,
lords?" she said proudly after she had
made her obeisance to the altar.
Then the priest of the Records rose
and read the charge, namely, that she
had attempted with her own hand to do
murder upon the body of the infant
child of Maya, Lady of the Heart, and
her husband, the white man, and also
that she had aided and abetted Tikal,
her husband, in various acts of cruelty
and mlsgovernment that were alleged
against him, asking her what She
pleaded in answer.
ITO the last charge, not guilty."
she said. "Let Tikal defend his own
sins. To the first, guilty. l did at
tempt to put an end to yonder brat, but
Maya discovered me, and was caught
and bound.'
"Surely, brethren" said Dimas, ris-
Ing, 1--WE need carry this matter no fur
ther. We have heard the evidence of
Lady Maya and the others, and now
Nahua confesses to her crime. She
confesses that she attempted to take
the life of him whom she knew to be
the sacred child, the hope of the Peo-
pie of the Heart, and for such sin it
seems to me that there is but one pun
ishment, though it is terrible, and she
who must suffer it is woman and of
high rank"
"Stay!" broke in Nahua. "You have
not heard me out, and have the right
to speak before am condemned to die.
You charge me with having attempted
to take the life of the sacred child, the
hope of the People of the Heart and
had done this, doubtless should be
worthy OF your doom, whereas, in truth,
l am worthy Of your praise.
Lords ofthe Heart, this child whom
you adore, the Heaven-sent child of
prophecy, whom tonight you would
anoint as your cacique, deposing Tikal,
my husband, and who, as you believe,
shall be the star to light our race to
greatness and to victory, is living lie,
a fraud and bastard!''
Now a confusion broke out among
the council, and angry voices called to
her to cease her blasphemies, but she
won silence and went on;
Hear me out. pray you, for even if
wished it should not dare to speak
thus at random, but am prepared with
proof of every word utter. You think
that would have killed this child to
wiring the heart of my rival Maya, and,
indeed, wish to wiring it, and that
would set my own son in his place, and,
indeed, wish to set him there, and vet
these were not my reasons for the
deed.
Lords of the council, listen to tale,
the strangest that you have heard, and
judge between me and Tillal, my hus-
band, and Maya, my rival, and her
friends. Natal, my father, was known
to you all, seeing that at the time of
his death, and, indeed, since Tilsal was
appointed cacique, he 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 father, was
no true man. Alas! that l should have
to say it, seeing that it was more for
my sake that he sinned than for his
own, since he loved me and desired my
welfare above everything on earth. It
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 af6anced to the Lady
Maya, and also that l was ambitious
and desired to be great
Therefore it 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 it was also that
when he had persuaded him that she
was lost to him forever, he pressed it
upon the Lord Tikal that he should
marry me in place of Maya, his
atfianced, who was dead, promising him
in 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 have learned since, he went to III,
balbay while he lay in prison and of
fered to resign his place as cacique in
his favor for SO long as he should live,
and no more to oppose schemes if he
would give him Maya in marriage after
| had been put away either by death OF
by divorce.
"This zibalbay would have done, and
gladly, but, as it CHANGED, Maya here
had set her heart upon the white man
dnring their ionrneyings together