Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-03-26
the emptiness Of the place snsse me

like succession Of blows. The
groves, once SO trim,were now shaggy
and unpruned:; Wind had whirled the
leaves in upon the temple floors, and
they lay there unswept. The college
of youths held no more than a musty
smell to bear witness that men had
once been grown there. The homely
palaces of the higher priests, at enc
time so ardently sought after, lay
many of them empty, because not
even one candidate came forward
now to canvass for election.
Evil thoughts surged up within ne
as I saw these things, that were d.
rect promptings from the neither
gods. There must be something
wanting" these tempters whispered,
sin a religion from which so many
of it's priests fed at the first pinch OF
persecution"
I did what I could to thrust these
waverings resolutely behind me; but
they refused to be altogether ousted
from my brain; and so 1 made COM
promise with myself: First, would
with the help that might be given me,
destroy this wanton Phorenice, and
regain the kingdom which had been
given me to my own proper rule; and
afterwards I would call council of
the seven and council of the three,
and consider without prejudice if
there was any matter in which our
ancient ritual could be amended to
suit the modern requirements. But
this should not be done till Phorenice
was dead 81 was tlrmly planted in
her room. would not be a party,
even to myself, to any plan which
smacked at all of surrender.
And there as walked through the
desolate groves and beside the cold
affairs, the high gods were pleased to
show their approval of my scheme
and to give me opportunity to bind
myself to it with solemn oath and
VOW. At that moment, from his dis.
tant resting place in the east, our
Lord the Sun leaped up to begin an
other day. For long enough, from
where I stood below the crest of the
mountain, he himself would be in.
visible. But the great light of his
glory spread far into the sky, and
against it the Ark of the Mysteries
doomed in black outline from the
highest crag where it rested, lonely
and terrible.
+ For anyone unauthorized to &C
nearer than a thousand PAGES to this
storehouse of the highest mysteries
meant instant death. On that day
when I was initiated as one of the
seven I had been permitted to go neal
and once press my lips against its
ample curves; and the rank of my
degree gave me the privilege to re
peat that salute once on each day
when new year was born. Bu'
what lay inside it's great interior
and how it was entered, that was hid
den from the seven. even as it was
from the other priests and the com
mon people in the city below. Only
those who had been raised to the sub
lime elevation of the three had {
knowledge of the dreadful power:
which were stored within it.
I went down on my knees where
was, and Zaemon knelt beside me
and together we recited the prayer
which had been said by the priests
from the beginning of time, giving
thanks to our great lord that he ha
come to brighten another day. An'
then, with my eyes fixed on the blac]
outline of the Ark of Mysteries
vowed that, come what might, I a
least would be true servant of tn
high gods to my llfe's end, and tina
my whole strength should be spen
in restoring their worship and glory
CTn Re Continned