The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-07
Our Daily $bcrt Story

negation. non-subiect[ He who can
 read it Is vietthf of the beautiful but
 rated queep/of the Nile. He Is a sub- Ject so Utterly under the thrall of Cleo patra /that she sways his every im- puls& lures him with the sorcery of her /weird will--and destroys him." /Well, as I am d being of negation, Snd take no stock whatever in such (nonsense as hypnotic power, will take l the book" Bitten by the poison of the asp just the same as the others Here is the key. The key I sell--the book never" He detached a tiny key from his watch chain and laid 1t upon my palm.
 The book was carefully wrapped up. the money was passed over and departed with my precious prize. | Like the man who possesses some | rare, luscious fruit that tickles his ap-
 petite with anticipatory delight. SO it
 was with me. I kept the little book | under lock and key in a secret drawer
 of my desk I owned it--it was mine.
 The mere matter of ownership was suf- | fcient delight for the present. I will
 read the book some day I was not a victim of superstition; was a being 1 of negation and non-subject. laughed and mocked at the silly non- sense of hypnotic power. Sucfi fancies would do for mystics, dreamers The
 book can await my pleasure. Several weeks after purchasing the
 strange little book I received a visit from my old friend Henry Lanca sakr. who had recently returned from a trip
 abroad. While seated in my library
 listening to his entertaining descrip- ton of life in foreign parts he mem tioned Egypt. In an instant the sub tect of the book came to my mind, and I said:
 T have something here which may be or interest to you, since you have been in the Orient" I took the book from the secret drawer and handed it to my friend. His face glowed-and then became suddenly pallid.
 He laid the book down and asked huskily:
 How came you by this accursed
 book?"
 told Henry about the circumstances adding that took no stock in the silly
 nonsense concerning hypnotic power. lCleopatra's spell and all that And then I safd:
 You seem to know something aboue the peculiar affair. Tell me candidly, what is there about the strange vol | ume?"
 T will, tell you this: If that book were mine would feed it to the flames ! there in the grate. That book is an imp of the devils own concoction. It | is as the poison of the asp" Just what the old book seller said. But do not believe in that sort of | trash"
 And I do," fell in a whisper from my friendships as he pushed the little | red book further from him. Arising. he began to pace the floor. He was | moved by some strange influence | which seemed to hold him in its power. | He was troubled his face was pale, and his eyes grew sombre and bright by l turns. Suddenly he paused by the desk | and reached out his hand and uttered
 in a tone of sadness:
 | q can no longer withstand the mys- | tic power that enthralls me. Give me | the key. I must read the book before | retire. I must learn tue weird secre. ! of the Sphinx. I must listen to the | siren song of the cruel but beautiful | serpent of the Nile" | started from my chair and asked as I lifted the book:
 You believe there is a power-some 1 subtle spell about this book that lures
 men to their death?"
 | T know. am" "A subject to the will of the madden | ing sorcery of the charmer of the Egyptian sands?"
 "I am! I will read the book" I dashed the book Into the flaming grate where 1t curled and twisted like | serpent The cover fell apart and ! the leaves were disclosed to my aston
 ishing gaze Every leaf was blank. l Not printed word did the book con | tain. My friend reached out his hand
 and thanked ma in a soft tone"