The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-06-04
POLICE VERSO.
A TRAGEDY OF A ROMAN ARENA.

| accepted obedience less a mockery
and more valuable possession than
1t could be under other circumstances.
The effort Of the speaker to save his
official dignity he saw. and while he
perceived that II gave him the very
opportunity he wanted, he none the
less hated the speaker for the conde-
| scension of II.
Torn by pride and anger, but in his
calmest voice. he ordered the legion TO
reform. They ubeyed. Taking his
place at the head of the staff. he spoke
q few ringing words to the men, re-
mindlng them of their oath and duty
| of utter obedience. and conciliating
them with n formal disclaimer of any
| possible Injustice to the defenders of
| the empire.
Then he spoke inaudibly to the
| quaester, aud that official rode for.
ward and proclaimed that the afore-
said centurions of the Fourteenth we're
| to suffer n fine. and that the leaders
| of the disorder during the review were
| to be punished with rations of barley
| instead of wheat for month. There
was no further breaking of ranks, for
| the legion knew that their favorite
was as wholly in their power to de-
fend and protect while under arrest
among them as when free.
The Prefect, fuming and vindictive.
| reached his palace to don his toga of
| state In his anteroom he found an I'M
| washed, greasy fellow. with fashion
| of lingering his battered felt hat IN
the presence of great folks. In our
days such a one would be known as
n private detective. Romans called
such professional spies.
The Project had many grievances
| against the world. But chief among
these was one which he felt as a
household shame and reproach. His
elder son was a sickly. dissipated, in
competent dandy. To compensate
nm for this, he had a younger boy
who was fine n specimen of mental
and physical manhood as the empire
could show throughout its length and
breadth. But this youth, who should
have been, he felt, his pride and ally,
had rebelled against his authority. lie
had even openly quarrelled with him.
and worst of all he had left his fathers
house, which was an unheardof act
for noble Roman. The lad had dis
appeared utterly and could not be
found. He was supposed to have gone
into the East. where his mother had
kinsmen in high command, against the
Parthians, and to be serving the state
there under false name.
All this had angered his father quite
enough. His rage and chagrin redou-
bled when the spy asserted that he
had positive information that the boy
was in Treves, and that he would be
able to find him In day or two with
a little extra money to spend on the
search. The Prefect gave the money
with a bitter heart. This news, #
true. boded disgrace as well as scandal
to his name. Inc world looked even
more hateful to him. His hound
fawned on him as he left his dressing
room. and he hit the beast blow with
his truncheon, which sent it yelling
across the pavement.
He mounted his litter at the door.
and again boots and gibes sounded
from the aleysways till the jeerers
fed before the rods of his Nubians.
The solemn lictors formed before the
litter. But before the eight Bithy-
mans had set their necks under the
litter-poles. a foaming courier handed
him dispatches from the war-office.
He opened them as the litter was
borne onward, and the first that he
read was a curt reprimand on his
transitional policy, and a brutally
commanding hint that he must cease
favoring the German chieftain whose
interests he had been furthering and
romehow transfer his influence to the
other side. as his favorite was an
enemy OF valuable and uncertain al
lies of Rome who dwelt across the
head-waters of the Danube.
This accumulation of checks, re-
buffs, and insults put his Excellency
into a humor which was more than
spiteful and vindictive. He was ready
to wreak his wrath on anything. He
would have enjoyed treating the EN-
and most of all did lie hate this popu-
lace and soldiery which jeered at him
| openly, and which was rejoicing at
having thwarted him. They had made
him do as they pleased in a matter
where he felt he had a right to do mis-
will, and he longed for an opportunity
of compelling them to do their best.
He reached the circus in fine mood
| for asserting his authority doggedly at
every opportunity.
Treves, the fourth city of the en-
| pire, possessed n circus which was
outranked in size and splendor by
those OF good score. The climate,
soil, and the political conditions gave
the people much work and compara-
lively little time or money for amuse-
ment. Yet the amphitheatre held six.
| ty thousand persons. The games were
to be magnificent that day. The Pre-
feet was giving them out OF his private
income and he himself was to be