Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-10-18
The Lost Continent
By CUTcLlEFE HYNE
y cepyrsh. 1900 by cus,ne r1yn.
incompleteness; it. seemed as tho,ue

incompleteness; it seemed as though
half my inwards had been left be-
hind with Nais in the hollow of the
stone, and their place was taken by
, void which ached YEARLY; but still
carried a passive face, and q mem
ory that before all these private met
tiers stood the command of the high
council. which sat before the Ark Of
the Mysteries.
So weat and stood before Pho
renice, and said the words which the
ancient forms prescribed concerning
the carrying out of her wish.
"Then now" she said, 81 will give
| myself to you as wife. We are not
as others, you and I, Deucalion
There Is a law and form set down
for the marrying of these other peo-
pie, but that would be useless for our
purposes. We will have neither priest
nor scribe to join us and set down
the union. I am the law here in At
lantis, and you soon will be part of
me. We will not be demeaned by
| profaner hands. We will make the
ceremony for ourselves, and for wit
nesses there are sufficient in waiting.
Afterwards the record shall be cut
deep In tho granite throne you have
built for mo, and the lettering filled
In with gold, SO that it shall endure
and remain bright for always
Tho empress can do no wrong"
said, formally, and took the hand
ale offered me and helped her to
rise. We walked out from. the scar
let awning into the glare of the sun
shine. she leaning on me, flushed,
and SO radiantly lovely that the peo-
pie began to hail her with rapturous
shouts of "a goddess! our Goddess
Phorenice!" But for me they had no
welcoming word. think the set
grimness of my face both scared and
repealed them.
We went up the. steps which led to
the throne, the people still shouting,
and / sat her in the royal seat be-
meath the snakes outstretched head,
and she drew me down to sit beside
her.
| She raised her jeweled hand, and
silence fell on that great throng,
as though the breath had been sud-
denly cut short for all of them.
Then Phorenice made proclama-
ton:
Hear me. o my people, and hear
me. o high gods from whom am
come. take this. man Deucalion to
be my husband, to share with me the
prosperity of Atlantis, and join me
In guarding our great possession.
May all our enemies perish as she is
now perishing above whom we sit.'
And then she put her arms around
my neck and kissed me hotly on the
mouth.
In turn also spoke: clear me, o
most high gods, whose servant I am,
and hear me also, o We people. I
| take this Emprass Dhe.oAiee 10
wife, to help with her the prosperity
| of Atlantis, and join with her in
guarding the welfare of that great
possession. May all the enemies of
this country perish as they have per-
ished In the past"
And then too, who had not been
permitted by the fates to touch the
lips of my love, bestowed the first
kiss 1 had ever given woman to
Phorenice. that was now being made
my Wits.
Ra we we're not completely linked
yet
she proclaimed, following for the
first time the old form of words, "but
| in marriage they merge, SO that wife
and husband are no more separate,
but one CONFORMITY. In token of this
we will now make the symbolic join
ing together, so that all may see and
remember" She took her dagger,
and pricking the Drawn on my fore
arm till the bead of blood appeared,
set her red lips to it and took it into
| herself.
"Ah," she said, with her eyes
sparkling, NOW you are part of me
indeed, Deucalion, and feel you have
strengthened me already" She pulled
down the neck Of her robe. LET me
make you my return"
| / pricked the rounded whiteness OF
her shoulder. Gods! when I remem-
| bered who was beneath us as we sat
on that throne, could have driven
| the blade through to her heart! And
then /, too, put down my lips and
took the drop of her blood that was
yielded to me.
Ny tongue was dry, my throat was
/ parched, and my face suffused, and
thought should have choked.
| But the empress, who was ordinar.
lily so acute, was misled then. Ut
thrills your" she cried; st burns
within you like living fire7 / have
Just felt it. BY my face, Deucalion
il I had known the pleasure it gives
| to be made wife, do not think ]
should have waited this long for you
All, yes; but with another man ]
should have had no thrill. I might
have. gone through the ceremony
| with another, but it would have left
me cold. Well, they say this feeling
comea to Q woman but once In her
time, and would not change it for
the glory Of all my conquests and the
whirl of all my power" She leaned
in close to me SO that the red curls
of her hair swept my cheek, and her
breath came hot against my mouth.
"Tasted you ever any sweet SO de-
licious as this knowledge that we are
made one now, Deucalion. past all
possible dissolving?"',
could not lie to her any more just
then. The gods know how honestly
| I had striven to play the part com