Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-28
CHAPTER x
The Margin of the Mile.

/ -heheptah having come and the old re-
| slhe OF life resumed, Memphis subsidized
! 1+'o iei normal state of dignity Mentu
remained in his house preparing for his
iiNesti'ure with The office of murket Toyal
| archtecD. His hours were spent in study
| ana the coming and going of kenkcnes
crossed his consciousness as swiftly as the
! shadows wavered under his young palms
| HIS son might work for hours near him on
the mysterious drawings, but so deep was
| the great artist in the writings of the old
| murkets that he did not think to ask him
what he did. 1t mightfnot have won his
| attention even had he seen the young man
| burn the sheets of papyrus thereafter. and
| grow restless and dissatisfied. He remark
| ed however, that kenkenes was absent
| during the noon meal, but when the sun
| down repast was served and the young
| man was in his place, Mentu had forgotten
| that he had not been there at midday
| That night in his effort to bring forth
| the coveted expression in his dra wings OF
| Athor. kenkenes all but satisfied himself
The next day, without any apparent
J cause, he went back to the niche in the
| desert. stayed without purpose and de-
! parted when no tangible reason urged him.
| When the day declined he climbed down
| the front of the hill and crossed the mar
| row field toward his boat, which was bur
led in the rank vegetation of the waters
| edge At the Nile he noted. little dis
lance up the river a familiar figure among
| the reeds. For moment he hesitated and
| then rambled through the riotous growth
! in that direction. - AS he drew near. Rachel
raised herself from a search in a thicket
of herbs. her arms full of them and her
| face a little flushed
''Idler," said kenkenes
Not so. / hunting herbs to make
| SimpleS the sick "
How goes, it with the statue?' she
| asked
Slowly" he answered. But it shall
hasten to completeness when l once be-
gin
What wilt thou do with it when it is
done? Destroy it?"
| He shook his head with a smile
Leave it there to betray thee to the
vengeance of the priesthood one day?'
Il have fear of discovery"
Nay, but fear or unfear never yet warded
| off misfortune she said gravely. 1T is
better to entertain causeless concern than
| unwise confidence"
Rachel" he began, almost helplessly. Il
am beyond extrication in debt to thee-thou
| golden, thou undecipherable mystery"
| She flushed to her very brows, and her
| eyes fell quickly.
Il have appealed to all sources from
| which l might justly expect sympathv-to
| men of reason, of power, of mine own kin
and to women of heart-and not once have
l found in them the broad and kindly
| understanding which thou hast displayed
| for me out of the goodness of thy beautiful
| heart.
For the first time in the history of their
acquaintance she laughed, not mirthfully.
but low and very happily, and the Meeting
glimpse she gave him of her ewes showed
1 them radiant and glad He caught her
| hands, the bundle of herbs fell. and draw
| ing her near him, he lifted the pink palms
| to his lips and pressed them there
Nay she said, recovering herself and
Withdrawing her hands. Il am not an F,eyn-
tan, but Hebrew, unbiased by the preiu-
dices of thy nation 1t is not strange that
a rift in thine Egyptian make-up tbrouph
which reason shows. Any alien could COM
| fort thee as WE'LL"
And thou hast no more sympathy for me
than any alien would have?'' he asked
| somewhat piQtled
is there any other sympathizlng alien
with whom l may compare and learn?'' she
| asked with a smile.
She took up her bundle of herbs AGAIN
ana seemed to be preparing to leave him
How dost thou know these things?' he
asked hurr!edly; "all these things-sculr-
| ture, religion, history?'
Il was not born a slave" she answered
| simply.
Nay, cast out that word. I would never
hear thee speak it, Rachel
Then, l was born out of seryitude Nv
great grandsire was exempted by Seti when
| Israel went into bondage. His children and
| all his house were given. to profit bv the
| COVENANT. but the maine grew wealthy and
! powerful to The third generation NV father
, was Maai the Compassionate, who loved his
| brethren better than himself Them he
helped. Rameses the Great forgot his
fathers promise when he found he had
| need of my fathers treasure She
| paused and continued as If the recital hurt
her. There were ten-four of my mother s
house, six of my fathers. To the mines and
| the brick fields they were sent and in lit
! tie space / was all that was left"
| Mortified and conscience-stricken, Ken
kenes made as if toaspeak, but she went on
| hurriedly.
My mothers nurse. Deborah who went
with us into servitude. is learned. having
been taught by my mother, and | have
been her pupil.
.And there is not one of thy blood-not
one guardian kinsman left to thee?', Ken
kenes asked slowly.
mot one
Up to this moment, during every inter-
view with Rachel, Kenkfnes had forsworn
some little prejudice. or9sacrifieed some of
his blthe seh-esteefh. But the tragic mar
rative swept all these supports from him