The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-04-03
! THE SECOND ACT.
!. The Delusion Of a Student Of
5 Egyptian Antiquities.
BY OWEN OLIVER.

8 Egyptian Antiquities. 8
3 BY OWEN OLIVER. {
AoMoMoMoMoMo NNoMo ;oAoAoM
CDR. Strange has told you of my de-
lusion," he said, with an unmirthful
smile. "Let us start from the delusion.
1 cannot very well tell my story in any
other way"
He pushed his papers aside, leaned
back in the coy reading chair and
folded his hands. This is the story.
Four thousand years ago, when men
worshiped God under the name of Osi-
ris and Isis, l was Amenemhat ~,
king in KEN, which you call Egypt.
My conquests and learning are craven
upon the great tablets, but the scribes
left unsaid what should be unsaid.
Therefore you will seek in vain for
mention of Numidea, the slave.
Felix, the trader, brought her from
over the Mediterranean. When she
stood before me, with flushed cheeks
and with tears in her pale blue eyes,
'sKill me, If thou wilt, o king" she
said tauntingly, 'for in truth love
thee not at al1p' A whole month l
wooed her, disdaining force, and she
said no more Then she cast her eyes
upon Kales, the captain of the guard,
and cared less than ever for me.
''Take her to the deathsmen,' COM
manded. 'In the morning she shall
die" Lest I should break kings
word rode to the great temple far
away. But l could not sleep for the
thought of her great blue eyes, wide
with fear. So rose and babe them
harness the swiftest horses to the light
est chariot, and Charmicles drove for
me, whose hand was iightest upon the
reins. All the night we sped in the
moonlight, with the sand flying in long
clouds behind us and the great pyra-
mid scowling upon us from afar.
eff thou loyedst slave, Charmicles,"
1 asked, ''and she loved not theeT
sIf l loved her a little" he said,
'shaply she would perish, o lord"
"And If thou lovedst her muchT He
looked at the moon feeting through
the clouds for long time. and his face
grew sad.
.sIf / loved her enough, o King, per-
chance should set. her free"
covered my head in my robe and
said nothing. Was I not racing the
flying hours to open her prison doors?
Ra, the sun god, sprang up and
laughed upon the land, and Charmicles
wiped the sweat from his brow and
ceased to strike the horses as they
painted and struggled to the base OF
the great pyramid. where the prison
was.
And, behold, they had tortured her,
and she had died in the night!
So / went back to the temple and
dwelt alone. Presently made spell,
from my arts, that might be reborn
when she was reborn, and another
spell that died and none knew why.
So I fell asleep and slept 1000
years.
When l was newborn child, I knew
none Of these things, but one by one
they came back to me.
One evening my father held me upon
his knee and showed me quaint pic
ture book, and trembled with vague
remembrance.
"This is how people drew in Egypt
thousands of yesterdays ago." he said.
''The lines are all straight, because
they were cut upon stone. See, these
are archers, and these are horses. and
this looks like big bull"
touched the figure Of Apis reverent-
ly with my hand.
"This," l said, sis god"
After leaving school I devoted my
self to Egyptian antiquities. They
seemed to present no difficulty to me,
and soon made great name.
Then l met Nerissa, and for awhile l
studied no more. There was no one,
nothing else in all the world that mat
tered the least to me. became her
accepted lover, and for few months !
lived in paradise.
After this 1 had strong fever. In
the dreams and delirfum the past came
back to me. and when / was well again
remembered. l was Amenemhat and
she was Numidea, the blue eyed slave.
AS had ordered by the spell, was re-
born to live with her again. Kales. her
lover, had known no spells, told my
self. So be was in the future or the
past, perhaps by 1000 years, as the
gods had ordered. and she was not for
him, but for me. The thought of her
wrong in the past made me wondrous-
ly tender of her, and she was always
gentle. Yet tortured myself that she
did not love me as loved her. when
we are married it will come" told
myself. ut shall come"
One day in the spring we were sit
ting together Rupert had come home
on furlough from his regiment in In
dia and came first to see me. They
looked at one another for long time.
There was remembrance in their eyes.
Fool that | had been to think myself
wiser than the gods! He was Kales.
After that they seemed always meet
ing. The light leaped into their faces
when they saw each other. They look
ed wistfully backward when they part
ed. / entreated Nerissa to hasten our
wedding day, but she tearfully refused.
Suppose, she said, that we had
made mistake after all. Sometimes l
think She paused here, and when l
questioned her she was silent.
One evening went slowly into her
boudoir and heard them talking pas
sionately. l fingered behind a great
screen. 1t was an unworthy thing to
do, but / would have done worse, far
worse, for love Of her.
'You love mey' he said trimphantly.
'You love mel You are mine by right,
Nerissa, my dear"
ssHnshp she sobbed. Hush! l am
his-your friend'sl promisedl''
"You do not love him! You cannot
love himl"
ooh, | have tried!" she cried. Then
he took her In his arms and comforted
her-he who had been my friend.
went stealthily away. But when
her lover was gone ]. retnrneds intend