Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-16

pie began to hail her with rapturous
shouts of "A goddess! our Goddess
Phorenice!" But for me they had no
welcoming word l think the set
rrimness 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repealed them.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 scat be-
meath the snakes outstretched head,
and she drew me down to sit beside
her.
She raised her iewelcd hand, and
a silence fell on that great throng,
ms though the breath had been sud
denly cut short for all of them
Then Phorencc made proclama-
ton:
Hear me, o my people, and hear
me, O high gods from whom | am
come. | take this man Dcucalion 20
be nv husband. to share with me the
prospcritv Of Atlantis, aud join me
i'm guarding our great possession.
Nav 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 holly on the
mouth.
In turn I also spoke: Hear me, O
most high gods, whose servant | am,
and hear me also, O We people. l
take this Empress Phorenice TO
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
his country perish as they have per-
ished in the past
And then too, who had not been
permitted by the fates TO touch the
kiss I had ever given a woman to
Phorence, that was now being made
my wife.
But we were not completely linked
yet.
"A woman is one, and man is one.
she proclaimed, following for the
first time the old form of words, "but
in marriage they merge. 50 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 pricl1ing 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 s6t. with her eyes
sparkling, "now you are part Of me
indeed, Deucalion, and I feel you have
strengthened me Already She pulled
down the neck Of her robe. LET me
make you my return
pricked the rounded Wilderness of
her shoulder. Gods. when 7 remem-
bered who was beneath us as we sat
on that throne, I 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.
My tongue was dry, my throat was
parched, and my face suffused, and
] thought I should have choked.
But the empress, who was ordinar
lily so acute, was misled then. at
thrills you?" she cried; sit burns
within YOU like living fire? | have
just felt it. BY my face! Deucalion,
i. | had known the pleasur, it gives
10 be made a wife, | do not think 7
should have waited this long for you.
All, yes; but with another man I
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
comes to a woman but once in her
time. and | would not change it foi
the glory of all my oonqucsts and the
whirI 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-
hcicIs 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
| had striven to play the part com
manded me for Atlantis good, but
there is a limit 10 human endurance,
and mine was reached. | was not all
anger towards her. I had some pity
for this passion of hers, which had
grown OF itself certainly, but which
7 had done nothing to check; and the
indecent frankness with which il was
displayed was only part OF the livery
Of potentatcs who faunt what mean
er folk would coyly aide. But always
before my eyes was picture of the
girl on whom her jealousy had taken
such bitter vengeance. and to in
vent spurious lovers talk then was 4
thing my tongue refused TO do.
words are poor things" I said
land ] am a man unused to women
and have but a small stock of any
phrases except the driest. Remem
Der, Phorenice, week agone | did
not know what love was, and now
that / have learned the lesson. some
what of the suddcneSt, the language
remains still to come to me. Ny in
wards speak; indeed they are full OF
speech; but 7 cannot translate into
bald cold words what they say"
And here surely the high gods
took pity on my tied tongue and my
misery, and made an opportunity foi
bringing the ceremony 10 an end. 4
man ran into the sG>Ilre shouting
and showing a wound that dripped
and presently all that vast crowc
which stood on the pavements anC
the sides of the pyramids and the