The times., 1898-03-06
THE MARRIAGE OF LILA.

Woe worth this wedding of mine.
| Princess lila.
In gown stiff with silver thread. and
| the heavy-towered crown of a Chal-
| dean princess of the blood, she stood
! tall and white and still, amid her wall
| ing waiting women on the threshold of
| her bridal chamber. And behind her
| her kindred stood watching her grave
| ly. They had brought her TO her mar
| rage with shoutings and with music,
| but at last all the wedding songs Were
! sung through, and the MINISTRIES had
| fallen silent now, one by one, and her
women stood wailing a death song
shrilly, and the princess lay long weep
| ing in her fathers arms.
The Moon will be angry that his VIC
| tim is SO long of coming. and because
the princess is faint-hearted the water
| floods will drown us ALL, whImpered
! woman in the distance.
| 'Chhaldea breeds no faint hearts,,
| said the high priest, speaking as il TO
| himself; It's the outland blood of her
mother, belize"
| This Princess MA heard, and her
| white face burned with proud honor.
| "A gift is a gift. servant of the Moon,
And L give my gift willingly. though il
! be only my poor life" And she gave
her hand to her women to kiss farewell.
! Then she turned to the king.
Father and king, grant me boon.
/ There is your knife and here Is my
| breast. Win you slay me yourself
lord?' cried the princess eagerly. KING
and father,I will kneel down before you
and clench my teeth. and / will not
not speak nor cry, though your hand
shake and your knife miss, and wound
me before it kill"
Il cOuld not do ii daughter
! Your knife is sharp; L will bare my
| breast, 1 will guide the knife myself
| indeed, l will take my death dumbly
| from you: / will not make one moan,
dear lord and father. You viii not fear
| to strike if / do not draw back to cry
out?" the princess plead gently. May
| not take the quick death rather than
! the slow, priest? I win not finch for
the cutting steel; it's only the unknown
thing that l dread
No, lady, there must be no blood
shed in the house of the Moon"
''Then, dear father and king. might
not l die strangled with my own hair
as did my cousin. Babba of Urukh? And
her slave told me that because the wo-
men she bade kill her were timid she
| kneeled down to die and made little
moan, but covered her face and died
! quickly; and surely there are enough
| of my women here TO Strangte me-
| See" and she lifted in her hand long
black tress, my hair is long enough for
the task, and thick enough; and if one
of the guard held me ON my knees with
his hands on my shoulders, surely L
! should not struggleat all. See you now,
if the priest held my hands two women
| might easily strangle me-NamTna and
| Urion, you are strong enough. Since /
come here only to die, may not my Wo-
men do for me this thing?"
mo, since that would annul your
great gift lady since his wife must go
living into the Moons arms. "Tfs but
few steps nOw-room for the Moons
wife, you that stand by! Behold the bed
| where you sleep tonight. Princess lila.
| Other maids have gone mad with the
waiting, or died of it; and some weak
| ones have gone shrieking to death; but
| this bride is of the blood royal of Chal-
| dea, and will feel no fear, said the
high priest smoothly. stand back, all
| that the princess may look upon her
sleeping place"
| The princess came forward and stood
| beside the bed, looking at it with wide
| eyes into which there slowly crept a
| shadow of great fear. 1t was all of ash
white marble finely carved into the
likeness of lacework. dimly lighted by
| four swinging silver lamps; but of silk
en- and wooden covers there were none.
And at the head of the bed crOuched a
sculptured dragon, from whose yawn-
ing jaws flowed a stream of icy water
And / TO lie there, priest?'' The
princess shivered.
AS other women have lain, lady.
sleeping or walking, till death found
them"
AT least. I am not to die alone?'
said the princess family.
THE Moon is the only one in the sky,
princess; and when ne loves and when
he slayS he is alone.
IF it must be. it must-and the gods
will be my help. Priest, ye have leave
to 60"
Barefoot and bareheaded must they
be who mount those steps" said the
high priest. not moving.
1t is a hard saying bids me die bare
foot like d slave; but to do the Moons
will [ came hither, and l will do it, +"
said the princess.
There is a band of blue Jewels round
your throat, lady; and the Moons wife
wears no jewels.
DO you take off the string of tur-
qouises about my neck. my golden arm
let's and my anklets, women. What
more?
please you. put off the crown of
your decree, princess Sacrifices know
no rank when one comes to lie on the
Moons bed
What more. priest?'
You must put off your scarlet cloak
Blood is red and your blood is not to
flow, princess. Had you elected To die
at the altar of the Sun, the sacred
knives would drink deep of your blood;
so you might come TO the sacrifice IN
| scarlet robes indeed, but being chosen
| to be the wife of the Moon. 1t Is by
water you must lay down your life.
| Now cloak was of TOVal scarlet
and the king himself took this from his
daughters shoulders and because her
sacrifice was a voluntary one and not
one of force, the princess took off her
crown with her own hands and laid It,
signing gently, at her fathers feet. Now
| q waiting woman united her girdle and
unbound her hair and slave undid her
sandals. and her naked feet and lightly
yelled bosom shrank from the Keen cold
of all the winds blowing through the
pierced pillars and the clinging chill of
| the wet white floor
'Brother." cried the princess, sob
bing.
Thou art no more my sister. but
| bride of the Moon and sister of the
| Moon" cried her brother. He held her
hand fast, in cruel Kindness, and led
her up the dripping steps, Fastening
her reluctant feet and lifted her upon
the bed.
.Lay thyself down here. sister. and
take thy courage about thee, Hasten
thy fareweIls and keep us here no
longer: for thy kindred must not wait,
and thy bridegroom Will not wait Why
shouldst thou be afraid?'
The princess obeyed him and lay
down. trembling much, and covered her
ewes with her hands. Father" she
cried.