Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-03-08

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 the granite throne you have
built for me, and the lettering filled
in with gold, so that it shall endure
and remain bright for always
THE empress can do no wrong"
[ said, formally, and took the hand
she 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. 1 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repealed them.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 l 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
a 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 I am
come. l 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 holly on the
mouth.
In turn I also spoke: "Hear me, o
most high gods, whose servant 1 am,
and hear me also, o We people. I
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
this country perish as they have per-
ished in the past
And then 1 too, who had not been
permitted by the fates to touch the
lips of my love, bestowed the first
kiss 1 had ever given a woman to
Phorenice, that was now being made
my wife.
- nj fnIv lyaI
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, 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 I feel you have
strengthened me already" She pulled
down the neck of her robe. LET me
make you my return"
I pricl1ed the rounded whiteness of
her shoulder. Gods! when l remem-
bered who was beneath us as we sat
on that throne, l could have driven
the blade through to her heart! And
then I, 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
1 thought should have choked.
But the empress, who was ordinar-
lily so acute, was misled then. cit
thrills you?" she cried; sit burns
within you like living fire? 1 have
just felt it. By my face! Deucalion
if / had known the pleasure it gives
to be made a wife, 1 do not think
should have waited this long for you
All, yes; but with another man