The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1902-02-14

with it the bodies Of some half-scORR
of workmen who had died from acct
dents OF their exertioRs during the
building, and there stood the throne,
splendid in it's carvings, and all ready
for completion. The lower part stood
more than two man-keights above the
ground, and no stone of its courses
weighed less than 20 men; the upper
part was double the weight of any of
these, and was carved so that the
royal snake encircled the chair and the
great hooded head overshadOwed it.
A9t at present the upper part was not
Oh ;tS hsl, Bang held up high by lift
iug-rams, for 7sAst purpose all men
knew.
It was to face this scene, then, that
came out from the royal pyramid at
the summons Of the ehamberlains in
the cool of next morning. Each great
man who had come there before me
had banner-bearers and trumpeters to
proclaim his presence; the middle
classes were in all their bravery Of APP
parel; and even poor squahd creatures,
II
their dusky skins, had turbans and
wisps of color wrapped about their
heads to mark the gayety of the day.
The trumpets proclaimed my COM
ing, and the people shouted welcome;
and, with the gorgeous chamberlains
walking backward in advance, went
across to a scarlet awning that had
been prepared, and took my seat upon
the cushions beneath it.
And then came Phorenice, my bride
that was to be that day, fresh from
sleep, and gorgeous in her splendid
beauty. She was borne out from the
pyramid in an open litter of gold and
ivory by fantastic savages from Eu-
rope, her own refinement of feature
being thrown up into all the higher
relief by contrast with their british
ugliness. One could hear the people
draw a deep breath of delight as their
eyes first fell upon her; and it is easy
to believe there was not a man in that
crowd which thTonged the square who
did not envy me her choice, nor was
there a soul present (unless Ylga was
there somewhere veiled) who could by
any stretch imagine that [ was not
overjOyed in winning so lovely wife.
For myself, 1 summoned up all the
iron of my training to guard the ex-
preston of my face. We were here on
ceremonial to-day-a CHASTITY enough
affair throughout all its acts, if you
choose, but still ceremonial; and 1
was minded to show Phorenice grand
manner that would leave her nothing
to cavil at. After all that had been
gone through and endured, did not
intend a great scheme to be shattered
by letting my agony and pain show
themselves in either a shaking hand or
a twitching cheek. When it came to
the point, 1 told myself, I would lay
the living body of my love in the hol-
low beneath the stone as calmly and
with as little outward emotion as
though had been mere priest car
rying out the burial of some dead
stranger. And she, on her part, would
not, knew, betray our secret. With
her, too, it was truly: "Before all, At
iantiS."
think it spared a pang to find that
there was to be no mOckery or flip
pancy in what went forward. All
was solemn and impressive; and,
though a certain grandeur and somber-
ness which bit deep into my breast was
lost to the vulgar crowd, I fancy that
the outward shape of the double sac
rifice they witnessed that day would
not be forgotten by any Of them, al
though the inner meaning of it all was
completely hidden from their minds.
When it suited her fancy, none could be
more strict on the ritual of a ceremony
than this many-mooded empress, and
it appeared that on this occasion she
had given command that all things
were to be carried out with the rigid
exactness and pomp of the older man
ner.
So she was borne up by her Eu-
ropeans on the scarlet awning, and L
handed her to the ground. She seat
ed herself on the cushions and beck
oned me to her side, entwining her
fingers with mine, rs has always been
the custom with I'll, RS of Atlantis and
their cOnsorts. Anu there before US
as we sat a body of soldiery marched
up, and, opening out, showed Nais in
their midst. She had collar of metal
rO1nd her neck, with chains depending
from il firmly held by a brace of
guards, so that she could not run in
upon the spears of the escort, and thus
get a quick and easy death, which is
often the custom of those condemned
to the more lingering punishments.
But it was pleasant to see that she
still wore her clothing. Raiment,
whether of fabric or skin, has its value,
and custom has always given the gar
ments of the condemned to the soldiers
guarding them So, as Nais was not
stripped, could not but see that some
one had given money to the guards as
recompense, and in this 1 thought 1
saw the hand of Ylga, and felt graft
tude towards her.
The soldiers brought her forward to
the edge of the pavilion's shade, and
she was hidden PROSTATE herself be-
fore the empress; and this she wisely
did, and so avoided rough handling