The Washington times., 1906-02-25

Nay, thy time is not yet, thou stu
hast work to do. Endure my Holly
It's only for a breath"
Then she looked at the Shsman, TIT
man turned to stone who all this whit
had stood there as a statue stands, an,
cried:
Awake
Instantly he seemed 10 thaw into life
his limbs relaxed, his breast heaved. h.
was as he had always been-aneient
gnarled. maIevolent
Il hear thee. mistress he said. bow
ing as a man bows to the power that
he hates.
Thou seest. simbri?'' and she waved
her hand
Il see. Things have fallen as Atene
and I foTetold, have they not? Ere
long the corpse of a new-crowned Khan
of Kaloon,' " and he pointed to the gold
circlet that Ayesha had set on Leo ;
brow " will lie upon the brink Of the
PIT of FIame'-as l fOTetold-' An evil
smile crept into his eyes, and he went
on:
"Hadst thou not smote me dumb. !
who watched could have warned thee
that they would so befau: but. great
mistress, il pleased thee to smite me
dumb And so IL seems, o Hes, that
thou hast overshot myself and lest
broken at the foot of that pinnacle
which. step by step. thou mast climbed
for more than two thousand weary
years. See what thou hast bought at
the price Of countless lives that now
before the throne Of Judgment bring
accusations against thy powers miSused
and cry out for Justice on thy head. -
and he looked at The dead form Of Leo.
81 sorrow for them; yet. 0 Simbri,
they were well spent Ayesha answer
cd. rcflectively. who. by their fore
written doom. as it was decreed, held
thy knife from falling. and thus won
me my husband. Ay. and I am happy
happier than such blind bats as thou
can see or guess. For. know that now
with him ] have rewed my wandering
soul divorced by sin from me. and that
Of our marriage kiss which burned his
life away there shall still be born to
us children of Forgiveness and eternal
Grace. and all things that are pure and
fair
Look thou, Simbri- 1 will honor thee
Thou 81 I be my messenger. and, be
ware! beware, I say. how tnou dost full
FIJI thine office. since Of every syllable
thou must render an account
Go thou down the dark paths of
death. and since even my thought may
not reach to where he sleeps tonight.
search out my lord and say to him
that the feet of his spouse. Ayesha, are
following fast Bid him have no fear
for me. who. by this last sorrow. have
atoned my crimes and am in his en-
brace regenerate. Tell him that thus
it was appointed. and thus is best since
now for him also mortality is left behind
and true life begins. Command him
that he awaits me in the Gate Of Death.
Thou hearest?'
II hear, O Queen, Mighty-from-of
Old"
zone message more. Say TO Atene that
I forgive her Her heart was high. and
greatly did she play her part, There,
in the gates. we will balance our &C
count. Thou hcarest?''
= hear. 0 Eternal Star that hath con-
quered Night
Then. man. begone!'
As the word left Ayesha's lips, Sim
bori leaped from the floor. graspfng at
the air, as though he would clutch his
own departing soul, staggered back
against the Dpdfu Wnere Leo and j had
eaten, overthrowing it. and. amid a rain
of gold and silver vessels, fell down and
died.
She looked at him. then said to me:
See. though he ever hated me. this
magician, who has known Ayesha from
the first did homage to my ancient ma
jesty at last, when lies and defiance
would serve his end no more No longer
now do I hear the name that his dead
mistress gave to me- The 'Star-that-
hath-fallen in his lips and in very truth
is become the -which-hath- burst
MISUNDERSTANDING and rearisen.
shines fOrever-shines with its twin i'm
mortal to set no more-my Holly Well,
he is gone. and ere now. those that
serve me in the Under wOrld-dost re-
member thou saWest their captains IN
the sanctuary-bend the head at great
Ayesha's word and make her place
ready near her spouse.
But oh. what folly has been mine,
When even here my wrath can show
such power. how could [ hope that my
lord would outlive the fires of my love
Still it was better so. for he sought not
the pomp ] would have given him, nor
desired the death of men. Yet such
pomp must have been his portion in this
Door shadow OF a world. and the steps