Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-10-29
Sign of the seven, winch returned to

~NA 40
luted me in the manner prescribed as
messenger appointed by the high coun-
Gil of the priests seated before the
Ark of the Mysteries, and made hum
BILE obeisance before him.
''In all things I will obey the orders
that you put before me-" said.
"Such is your duty, my brother. The
command is that you return imme-
diately to the Sacred Mountain, so
that if human means may still prevail,
you, as the most skilled general At
lantis owns within her borders, may
still save the country from final wreck
and punishment. The woman Pho
renice persists in her infamies. The
poor land groans under her heel. And
now she has laid siege to our Sacred
Mountain itself. and swears that not
one soul shall be left alive in all At
lantis who does not bend humbly to
her will"
ut is a command. and obey it. But
let me ask of another matter that is
intimate to both of US. What Of
Nais?"
"Nais rests where you left her, UNI
touched. Phorenice knows by her arts
she has stolen nearly all the ancient
knowledge now-that still you live, and
she keeps Nais unframed beneath the
granite throne in the hopes that some
time she may use her as weapon
against you. Little she knows the
sternness of our priests creed, my
girls father, would sacrifice her blithe-
ly If her death or ruin might do title
Of good to Atlantis"
you go beyond me with your devo-
ton"
The old man leaned forward at me,
with glowering brow. What"
"Or my old blind adherence to the
ancient dogma has been Slapped and
weakened by events. You must buy
my full obedience, Zaemon, you want
it. Promise me Nais-and your arts, l
know, can snatch her-and I will be
true servant to the high council of the
priests, and will die in the last ditch
if need be for the carrying out of their
order. But let me see Nais given over
to the fury of that wanton woman,
and shall have no inwards left, ex-
cept to take my vengeance and to see
Atlantis piled UP in ruins as her flu
neral-stone."
Zaemon looked It me bitterly. "And
you are the man the high council
thought to trust as they would trust
one of themselves? Truly we are in an
Of II Fol
But, my lord-nay. must call you
brother still; we cannot be too nice in
our choosing to-day-you are the best
there is, and we must have you. We
little thought you would ask price
for your generalship, having once
taken oath on the walls of the Ark Of
the Mysteries itself, that always, come
what might, you would be servant Of
the high council of the clan without
fee and without hope of advancement.
But this is the age of broken vows,
and you are doing no more than trim
with the fashion. Indeed, brother, per-
haps should thank you for being no
more greedy in your demands
you may spare me your taunts.
You, by self-denial and profound
search into the highest of the highest
mysteries, have made yourself some.
| thing wiser than human; have pre-
served my humanity, and with it its
powers and frailties; and it seems
that each Of us has his proper uses,
or you would not now come to me.
Rather you would have done the gen.
eraling yourself"
| you make warm defense, my
| brother. But have no leisure now to
stand before you with argument. Come
to the Sacred Mountain, fight me this
wanton upstart empress, and, by my
beard! you shall have your Nais as you
left her as reward
1T is command Of the high council
which shall be obeyed. win come
with my brother now, as soon as he is
rested"
NAY" said the old man, 81 have no
tiredness, and as for coming with me,
there you will not be able. But follow
at what pace you may"
He turned and set off down the
snowy slopes of the mountain, and 1
followed; but gradually he distanced
me; and so he kept on, with speed al
ways increasing, till presently he
passed out Of my sight round the
spur of an ice-cliff, and I found my
self alone on the mountain side. Yes,
truly alone. For his footmarks in the
snow, from being deep grew shallower
and less noticeable, so that I had to
| OF 70 coo fIa,,, A,l ~, =,
vanished entirely, and the great noun
tain's flank lay before me trackless
! and untrodden by the foot Of man
since time began.
was not shaken by any great
amazement. Though it was beyond
my poor art to,compass this thing my
self, having occupied my mind in exile
more with memories of Nais than in
study of those uppermost recesses OF
the higher mysteries in which Zae-
mon was so prodigiously wise, still
had some inllling of his power.
Zaemon, I knew, would be back
| again in his dwelling on the Sacred
Mountain, shaken and breathless
even before ] had found an end OF
his tracks in the snow, and it be-
hooved me to join him there in the
quickest possible time. I had his
promise now for my reward, and
knew that he would carry it into eff.
feet. Beforetime had made an error
had valued Atlantis most, and Nais
my private love, as only second. But
now it was in my mind to be honest
with others even as with myself