The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-09-23
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S SC.VLL,A

camp of the enemy lay just outside
the walls Of the city. A truce had
been declared that the people might
celebrate their holy rites to the gods.
And SO, grateful Tor the lull in the
ssrrfc which for six months had
borne heavily upon them, the peo-
81 p.e threw care to the winds and put
Ill their hearts and souls into the
s pure pleasure of this one blessed
iay. They needed not that this re-
preyc was but the false hope sent
r cruel fate and that the darkest
81 81 hour Of their trial was coming swift
s. s. II on silent wings.
S. The people now passed in throngs,
sll -ayly attircd in their holiday
& clothes, which for months iiad::heen
put aside. It was time for the
81 urunony of sacrifice, and the young
4 naidens, dressed in spotless white,
with white flowers intwined in. their
locks and trailing over the flowing
81 !obcs, looked like seraphs, with their
81 roung faces all aglow with holy en-
g thusiasm.
On a smooth, rolling plain, COW
& cred with: its natural carpet: t:of green
s. and dottedwith flowers which seem
q ed like sprinkling of'sunbeams, the
i atar had been erected. The process
8 SION formed slowly, the white robed
q 4aidens coming, first, chanting and
9 sgaying SLIGHTLY to an: easy; dancing
7#.ep. Then followed essyyoaths q
d the kingdom, their boyish voices
y taking up the strain, of the maidens,
d swelling it.louder and rolling it over
a the long ranks.
\ When these hsd formed q circle
q about the altar, a long avenue was
3 left clear, and then the glory Of the
4 procession came:into view. Six tiny
q nsidens, clad in rainbow hue, held
4 In their hands masses Of flowers in
i twined about ribbons and leading
i by them a snow white bull. It's
\ horns were like ivory and shone in
i the sunlight. No flower OF erna-
ment was needed to add a charm to
the perfect animal.
i Walking beside it, her arms thrown
earessingly around its neck, was the
4 pride of the kingdom, Scylla, the
j kings daughter. She was tall and
4 slight and as graceful as reed.
4 Her dark hair@hung about her in
4 hstrous coils and swept over the
j back of the bull. Her -obe was of
j cloth of gold, and deep purple anne
s thysts fastened its folds and glisten-
] ed from her black hair. Other orna-
4 mcnts she had none.
4 Closely following her was Nisus,
\ the king, surrounded by his guards.
He, like his daughter, was tall and
4 dark, with the same kind of hair,
3 except that one lock, falling over his
shoulder, shone purple, like the light
! from her amethysts.
i No wonder the daughter loved the
purple stone, even as Nisus treas
qred the purple lock, for it reflected
4 the light from that lock on which
depended the safety Of the country.
1 The children led the bull to the
! altar. Scylla stood beside it till
the king approached with the gleam-
ing knife Then, with q low cry, she
threw her arms about the creatures
neck and pressed q kiss on its white
tace. But hen grief did NOT inter
fupt the ceremony, aaid this. sacrifice
vas made. Il
! When scyfla reached home she
went up. into the high tower Of the
1 palace, from which she could look
down over The whole city and be-
yond IT. Ontside the walls sha aaw,
as she had seen Cor the last ak
months the camp of King Minos Of
Crete, and beyond the wide plain the
ocean stretching out, out, to liberty.
For though che was q princess.
llScyla felt like q bird I'm q golden
cage. D
As ska looked down over the camp
aud watched the tents q figure is-.
sued from one Of them. During the.
whole tine Of tke siege she had
jwatched the ensmy from the tower,
Eand had learned to distinguish off,
Ieers by name. And he who but
qow emerged from his tent .Yas no
Iher than King Minos shim6alf.
1t was easy to know him from the
others, for, tail as they were, he.
lovertopped them an, as q great oak
p the midst Of q beech grove. Then.
too, his; bearing was that of "a King.
THAT noble brow revealed q charac-
Ter grand good and just. IN fact,
the king was what u king should be,
and when, dressed III his. flowing Dur
[ple, hesrode his white horse he had
|al the; charms That q knight could.
wish town d fair lady heart. Ss7ssl. B,
B. And SScylla looked till he passed
from her view. .aa she had done every.
time she had seen him. s.; 8 3; B &
A Then wild thoughts csSulrsed
EthrCfv