The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-04-20
TIE SECOND ACT.
The Delusion Of a Student of
Egyptian Antiquities.
BY OWEN OLIVER.


AoMoMoasoNo;a sNoaoMoMo1oao
''Dr. Strange has told you of my de-
lusion," he said, with an unmirthful
SMILE 'tLet us start from the delusion.
l 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, was Amenemhat Nv,
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 unsad.
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,
"Kill me. if thou wilt. O king" she
said tauntingly, '.for in truth ! love
thee not at all!' A whole month
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. Gin the morning she shall
die Lest should break a kings
word rode to the great temple far
away. But ! could not sleep for the
thought of her great blue eyes, wide
with fear. So l rose and babe them
harness the swiftest horses to the light
est chariot, and Charmicles drove for
me, whose hand was lightest 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 lovedst slave, Charmicles,"
asked. and she loved not thee?"
eff l loved her little" he said.
"haply she would perish. o lord"
"And if thou lovedst her much?" He
looked at the moon Geeting through
the clouds for a long time. and his face
grew sad.
IF loved her enough, o King. per-
chance | should set her free"
covered my head in my robe and
said nothing. Was | 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 fell asleep and slept 1000
years
When was newborn child. 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 a big bull"
l touched the figure of Apis reverent
ly with my hand.
"This," ] said. sis a god.''
After leaving school devoted my
self to Egyptian antiquities. They
seemed to present no difficulty to me
and soon made a great name
Then l-met Nerissa. and for awhile
studied no more. There was no one
nothing else in all the world that mat
tered the least to me. became hel
accepted lover, and for few months
lived in paradise.
After this l had a strong fever. IL
the. dreams and delirium the past CAM
back to me. and when was well agail
remembered. j was Amenemhat ant
she was Numidea, the blue eyed slave
AS had ordered by the spell, was re
born to live with her again. Kales. he
lover, had known no spells, told my
self. So he was in the future or tn
past, perhaps by 1000 years. as tn
gods had ordered. and she was not TO
him, but for me. The thought of he
wrong in the past made me wondrous
ly tender of her, and she was alway
gentle. Yet tortured myself that sh
did not love me as loved her. ''Whe
we are married, it will come" toll
myself sit shall come"
One day in the spring we We're si
ting together. Rupert had come HON
on furlough from his regiment in l,
dia and came first to see me. The
looked at one another for long tim'
There Was remembrance In their eye
Fool that | had been to think myse
wiser than the gods! He was Kales.