Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-04

the doors. Kenkenes opened his wallet and
displayed the signet The scribe TOOK IT
and read the Inscription. There was no
doubling the young mans right to the
jewel, for here was the name OF Mentu.
even as the chief adviser had given 1t In
Identifying the prisoner. The omclal
frowned and stroked his chin.
This petitions the Pharaoh he said at
last Il cannot pass upon it.
Send me to my cell, then, and do thou
follow" Kenkenes said. Il have some
what to tell thee
Take him to his CELL" the official said
to the men as he returned the signet to
the prisoner. II shall attend him.
Il have but to crave messenger or thee
"a swift and sure One-one VINO can hold
his peace and hath pride in his calling.
can offer oil he demands. And this, further.
Keep his going secret. for l am beset and
I would Tot have my rescue by the Pharaoh
thWarted.''
L can send thee a messenger" the jailer
answered.
The solid section of wall swung shut be-
hind him and the great bolts shot into
place.
and the lailer stood without. scribe at his
side At sign from the jailer, the latter
made as though to enter. but kenkenes
stopped him.
Il have need of your materials only" he
less" The man set his case on the floor
and Kenl.enes put ring of silver In the
outstretched palm
Fail me not in a faithful messenger" the
prisoner repeated to the jailer. The officlai
nodded and the door was closed again.
Kenkencs sat on the floor beside the case,
laid the cover bat ok and taking out mate
ria]s, wrote thus:
Ito my friend, the noble Hotep, greeting:
This from Ke1kenes, whom ill-fortune
can not wholly possess, while he may call
thee his friend.
" speai, to thee out of the prison at Tape.
where I'M held for stealing bondma1den
and for executing a statue against the
caLons OF the sculptor's ritual. The accu-
mulated penalty 1or these offenSes Is great
my plight is most serious.
THE plying gods have left me one chance
for escape. If / fail 1 shall moider here,
for my counsel is mine and the demons Of
Amenti shall not rend 1t from me.
The tale Is short and miserable But for
the necessity 1 would not repeat 1t, for 1t
publishes the humiliation Of sweet inno-
cnnce.
Suffice it to say that the offended is She
of whom We talked one day on the hill back
of Masaarah; III, offender Is Har-hat who
hath buried me here in Tape.
lone morning he saw her at the quarries
and taken with her beauty, asked her at
the hands of the Pharaoh. for the nate
fullest bondage pure ma1denhood ever
knew.
"She fled from the mlnions he sent to
take her. and came to me in that spot on
the hillside where thou and 1 DID talk.
There the minions found US, and by the
evidence they looked upon, l am further
charged with sacrilige.
Thou dost remember the all-poWerful
signet. which my father had from the In
comparable Pharaoh He lost 1T in the
tomb of the king three years ago. abandon
that it was not to be found.
so strong was my faith that the signet
was in the tomb that when this disaster
overlook her I came to Tape at once to
look again for the treasure. l found 1t.
But by some unknowable miSchance my
enemy discovered my whereabouts, and
third minion. who escaped my wrath before
the statue that morning, appeared in the
city and caused me to be delivered up, to
the authorities on the charges already
named.
"She is hidden, and 1 have provided for
her protection as well as I may, against
the wishes of the strongest man in the
land. For her immediate welfare l am not
greatly troubled. But alas! would be
with her-thou knowest, o my Hotep, the
hunger and heartache of such separation.
IF the Pharaoh honor not the signet
herein inclosed. tell my father of my plight,
let me know the decision of the king, and
then L shall trust to the Hathors for lib
erty.
"Of this contingency / would not speak
at length. 1t may be tempting the caprice
of the Seven Sisters to presuppose such
misfortune.
Let not my father intervene for me. He
shall not endanger himself further than 1
have already asked of him.
But remember thou this injunction most
surely That it shall be last and there
fore freshest in thy memory, l put this ct
the end of the letter.
Put the petition herein inclosed into the
Pharaoh's hands, For my life's sake let
1t not come into the possession Of any
other.
"I shall write no more NV scant elo-
quence must be saved for the king.
Gods! but it is good to have faith in
friend. l salute thee KENkENEs.
The letter to Hotep complete Kenkenes
took up another roll apd wrote thus to
Mereptah
ITO Meneptah, Beloved of Ptah Ambas
sador of Amen, Vicar of Ra. Lord Over
Upper and Lower Egypt, greeting"
At this point he paused. His power of
expression, aghast at the magnitude of the
stake laid on its successful use, became
panic-stricken and fled from him. He fear
ed that words could not be chosen which
would justify his sacrilege or prove his
claims to Rachel greater than Har-hats.
Meneptah would be hedged about with
prejudice against his first cause, and de-
tered by the prior right of Har-hat in the
second The last man that talked with the
king nodded him. Flattery alone might
prevail against coercion. 1t was the one
hope.
Kenkenes seized his pen and wrote:
son of Mentu. thy murket
II give thee true story, o Defender of
Women.
.There is a maiden whose kinsmen died
of hard labor In the service of Egypt Not
one was left to for her. OF all her
house, she alone remains. They died in
ignominy. Shall the last remnant of the
unhappy family be stamped out In dis
honor?
IF one came before thee seeking to in
suit innocence, and another begging leave
to protect it, thou wouldst choose for him
who would keep pure the undefiled. Have
not said my king?
Before thee even nDw is such a choice
ALREADY thou hast given over the mas
teIship OF Rachel daughter of Maai the
lsraelite, to thy fanbearer, Har-hat By
the lips of his own servants, | am informed
that he would have ppt her in his harem.
'She fed from himnand l hid her away.
for l could not bearrto deliver her up to
the despoler.
II love her-she loveth me. Wilt thou not
give her to me to wife?
Thine llustrious sire bespeaketh thy IA
vor, out of Amenti. Behold his signet and
its injunction.
"Furthermore 1 confess to sacrilepe
against Athor, in carving a statue which
ignored the sculptor's ritual For this. and
for hiding the ISraelite am imprisoned in
the city stronghold of Tape
Il would be free to- return to nv love and
comfort her, bur If 1t shall overtax thy
generosity to release me, 1 pray thee an.
10, NM -