Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-03-08

ooDolng, Wild with anxiety and grief,
kenkenes shook the inert body, plead
Ing frantically for some sign to guide
MIN to Rachel. But there was no re-
Spouse, for the dead speak not out of
Amenti.
At last Kenkenes laid the body down
ana stood up. It had come to him very
plainly that but for Atsu already these
DEAD servitors would have been be-
yond overtaking in pursuit of his love.
Though worshiper Of Israers God,
henkenes was still Egyptian in his in
st1ncts. The man who had died to
save Rachel he could not bury uncof-
lined In a grave of sand, where the
natural processes Of dissolution would
destroy him utterly. His and Rachers
debts to Atsu were great, and the de-
mand was made upon him now to dis
charge all that was possible in the
one act Of caring for the dead soldiers
remains. Kenkenes could not bear the
body back to the group he had left
about the king, for he had a mission
which concerned all the living who
were dear to him. Furthermore, the
sky was threatening, the desert was a
terrible place during high winds, and
he dared not delay.
Suddenly a thought struck him.
Travellers and seafaring men had told
him that there were settlements along
the Red sea. Might he not go forward
on his way after Israel till he found
one of these?
He led the largest horse past the
dead servitors and, persuading it to
stand, lifted the body Of Atsu upon its
back. With difficulty he mounted and,
supporting the limp burden with one
arm, turned again toward the south
east.
AS he went forward Kenkenes med4-
tated on the signs of this recent and
tragic event. He had searched through
out the length and breadth of Goshen
for Rachel, and none had seen her or
heard of her since she had fed from
Har-hat into the desert, eight months
before he had seen her last. Israel
was more ignorant of the whereabouts
Of Rachel than he. He could not tell
whether Har-hat knew where she was,
nor could he guess from the position
Of the fighters in which direction the
servants had meant to ride. The
tracks Of their horses were not to be
discovered In the great trampled road
way Israel had made.
OF this thing Kenkenes was sure. If
Rachel were with Israel she had joined
1t after he had left Goshen. In that
case he was going to her to ask after
her safety when he inquired after all
Israel. If she were still in Egypt he
would stop Har-hat's search forever.
This recollection added to his determi-
nation and intensified his zeal.
At the beginning of the great fields
Of sea grass he came upon little ham
let. It was considerable distance in
land, and the chief industry Of the peo-
pie could have been only the gathering
Of sedge for hay or the curing of herb
and root for medicines. Some of the
villagers were in sight, but the most of
them were out in the direction of the
lakes laboring in the marsh grass.
In the course of the past years
events Kenkenes had learned to be a
cautious and skillful fugitive. He did
not care to be caught and taxed with
the death of the man whose body he
bore. The village shrine was the struc-
ture nearest to him. 1t was built of
sun dried brick, with three walls, the
fourth side open to the sunrise. Ken
kenes dismounted and reconnoitered.
The shrine was empty, and none of the
villagers was near.
He lifted the dead man from the
horse and bore the body into the. sane
tuary. Before the image of Athor was
long table overlaid with slab of
red sandstone. Here the offerings were
left and here Kenkenes laid Atsu, Il
true sacrifice to the love deity. Rever-
emily the young man closed the eyes
and Strengthened the chilling limbs.
Going into his patrimony of jewels
sewn in his belt, he took an emerald
and, putting it in the hands, crossed
them above the breast. Then he laid
his mantle over the bier.
At the threshold he found soft
stone, and with that he wrote upon the
head of the long table the name of the
dead man and Mendes, his native city.
Under this he wrote further to the vii
layers, charging them, in the name of
the goddess, to care for the body rev.
erently and. return it to the tomb Of
Atsu's fathers. Having made note of
the emerald as remuneration for their
labors, he completed the inscription
without signature. ls5ss. sa.,.a ..ss
Thus he insured the safety and pres
ervation of the bones of Atsu, and in
the eye Of the average Egyptian he
had served the soldier well. But Ken
kenes was not satisfied.
AS he left the shrine he muttered
with trembling lips:
"Bless him! The fate is not kind
which yields to such goodness no re-
ward save gratitude. There must be,
because of the great Gods business,
some especial blessing laid up for
Atsu.'' lss 5
In the time he had spent in the sane
tuary the atmosphere had grown hazy,
and the sun shOne Obscurely. To the