The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1902-02-06

more beside, II he asks for II prettily.
He may have what all the other men
In the known world have sighed for,
and what none Of them will ever get.
But l have given enough OF my own
accord; he must ask me warmly for
those further favors."
"I ask" I said, "frst, that may
sweep the boundaries clear of this
rabble which Is clamoring against the
city walls"
"Pahl" she said, and frowned.
"IIave you appetite only for the
sterncr pleasures Of life? My good
Deucalion. they must have been rus.
tic folk In that colony OF yours.
Well. you shall give me news now OF
the toothsomeness OF this feast"
Dishes and goblets were placed be.
fore us, and we began to eat, though
had little enough appetite for
victual so broken and so highly spiced
But II this fnicking cookery and these
luscious wines did not appeal to me
the other diners in that gorgeous hal
appreciated II all to the full. They
sat about in groups on the pavement
beneath the light-jets like a tangle
of rainbows for color, and according
to the new custom they went into rap
lures and ecstasics over their enjoy
ment. Women and men both. they
fingered over each Utilization OF the
palate as though IL were n carcss OF
the gods.
Phorenice, with her quick, bright
eyes, looked on, and occn sionally flung
one or another a few words between
her talk with rnc, and now and again
called some favored creature up to
receive scrap OF Wand from the royal
dish. This the honored one would eat
with extravagant gesture. or (as hap
pened twicc) would put II away In th'
folds of his clothes as n treasure too
dear to be profancd by human lips.
To me this Hattery appeared gross
and disgustful, but Phorenice, through
use, perhaps, seemed to take IL rs
merely her due. There was, one had
to suppose, n weakness in her some
: where, though truly to the outward
seeing none was apparent. Her face
was strong enough, and II was
subtle also, and, moreover, II was
wondrous comely. All the courtiers
|
Phorenicc's face and the other beau
ties Of her body and limbs; and though
not given to appreciation in these mat
! tcrs, I could not but see that here at
least they had q groundwork for
, their admiration; for surely the gods
have never favored mortal woman
more highly. Yet lovely though she
: might be, for myself I preferred TO
: look upon Ylga, the girl. who. because
h OF her rank, was privileged to sit on
: the divan behind us as immediate at
r tendant. Th%e was an honesty in
d Ylga's face which Phorenice's lacked
d They did not eat to nutrlfy their bod.
I les, these feasters In the banqueting
= hall OF the royal pyramid. but they
n ate to cloy themselves, and they strut
r ted forth new usages with every plat
ter and bowl that the slaves brought
To me some of their manners were
closely touching on disrespect. Al
the halfway of the meal n gorgeous
popin ay--he was governor of al
out-provincc driven into the capita
by n rebellion In his own lands-thi'
gorgeous fop, | say, walked up he
tween the groups OF feasters will
flushed face and unsteady gait, and die
obeisance before the divan. "Mos
astounding empress" cried her, "fair
est among the goddesses, queen reg
nant Of my ndoring heart. hail!"
And so the feast went on, the guest
practicing their gluttonies and thei
absurditics, and the guards standing
to their arms round the circuit of th
walls as motionless and as stern n
n. the statues carven In the white ston,
id beyond them. But term was put I,
in the orgie with something OF sudden
n ness. There was stir at the farthe
y. doorway Of the banqueting hall, nn,
Is a clash, as two OF the guards joine,
n their spears across the entrance. Bu
b. the man they tried to stop-or per
ID haps II was to pin-passed them nm
ID harmed, and walked up over the pave
~ mcnt between the lights and tn
n. groups of feasters. All looked roun
at him; a few threw him ribald words
but none ycntured TO stop his prog
- ress. 4 few, women chiefly, ! coul
4, see shuddered as he passed them b,
-, as though wlntry chill had come owe
them; and In the end he walked u
NV and stood In front OF Phorenicc's d
:. van and gazed iixedly on her, bu
80 without making obeisancc.
lie was frail old man, with whit
~, hair tumbling on his shoulders an
:" ragged beard. The mud OF wayfarn
u" hung In clots on his feet and !cgi
=" His wizened body was bare save fo
a single cloth wound about his shon
- ders and his loins, and he carried !
his hand n wand with the symbol q
" ~ our Lord the Sun glowing ut its Ill
w That wand went to show his east,
~ but In no other way could recoi
" nizc him.
-. took him for one of those ascctic
a. ~ the Priests clan, who had TO
~ sworn the steady nurtured life of III
y, Sacred Mountain. and who lived ~
~, in the dangerous lands among III
y, burning hills. where there Is dali
W. peril from falling rocks, from III
~ streams. from evil vapors, from SUI
81 den assuring OF the ground and fro
=, other movements OF those unstab
aa territories, and from the greater II
IT, ards and other monstrous beas'