The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-04-17

perlOr dress, when re was gwen
moody and ungracious path. But be
finally met al immovable obstacle in
) the shape Of a quarrel.
The stage oe hostilities was sufficient
ly advanced to be menacing, and the
young sculptor hesitated to ponder Oh
. the advisability Of pressing on. While
he waited several deputies Of the con-
stabulary, methodically silencing the
crowd, came upon these belligerents
in turn and belabored the foremost into
silence. The act decided the young
man. The feelings Of the rabble were
now in state sufficiently warlike to
make them forget their ancient respect
for class and turn savagely upon him
should he show any desire to force his
way through their lines. Therefore he
gave up his attempt to reach the tenn
pie and made up his mind to remain
where he was.
At that moment several gorgeous lit
tiers Of the belated wealthy rammed a
path to the very front and were set
down before the rabble. Kenkenes
seized upon their advance to proceed
also and, dropping between the first
and second litter, made his way with
little difficulty to the front With the
complacency Of man that has rank
| and authority on his side, he turned
CD the roadway and continued toward
the temple he was halted before be
had proceeded ten steps. A litter rich
| ly gilded and borne by four men came
pushing through the crowd and was de-
posted directly in his path.
But for the unusual appearance Of
the bearers Kenkenes might have
passed around the conveyance and con-
tinued. Instead he caught the con-
tagious curiosity Of the crowd and
stood to marvel The men were stall
wart, black bearded and strong Of fea-
ture and robed in no Egyptian garb.
They were draped voluminously in
! long habits Of brown linen fringed at
the hem, belted by yellow cord with
tasseled ends The sleeves were wide
and showed the wristbands of white
undergarment. The headdress was a
brown kerchief bound about the brow
with cord, also yellow.
While Kenkenes examined them In
detail long, indrawn breath of won-
der from the circle Of spectators causel
him to look at the alighting owner Of
the litter.
Ee took a backward step and halted,
| amazed.
Before him was woman Of heroic
proportions, taller, with the exception
Of himself, than any man in the crowd.
Upon her, at first glance. was to be dis
cerned the stamp Of great age, yet she
tswas as straight as a column and her
hair was heavy and midnight black.
Hers was the Semitic cast Of coun-
tenance, the features sharply chiseled,
but without that aggressiveDesS that
| emphasizes the outline OF q wiIhered
face. Every passing year had left its
mark on her, but she had grown old
! not as others Go. Here was flesh COM
! promising with age accepting its
majesty, defying its decay-a sublunar
assumption Of Immortality. There was
no longer any suggestion Of femininity;
the idea was dread power and unearth-
ly grace. Of such nature might the
sexless archangels partake
t.Holy Amenv' one Of the awed by
ISLANDERS exclaimed in whisper to his
neighbor. "Who is this?'
"a princess from Punt [Arabia]," the
| neighbor surmised.
ga priestess from Babylon" another
hazarded.
NAY, ye are all wrong" quavered ON
old man who had been looking at the
| newcomers under the elbows Of the
crowd "She Is an Israelite.'
Thou hast cataract, old man," was
the scornful reply from some one near
by. "She is no slave
"Aye," went on the unsteady voice,
81 know her She was the favorite wo-
man Of Queen Neferari Thermuthis.
| She has not been out Of the delta
where her people live since the good
| queen died forty years ago. She must
be we'll nigh hundred years old. Aye,
I should know her by her stature. 1t is
Of truth the Lady Miriam"
At the sound Of his mistress name
one of the bearers turned and shot a
sharp glance at the speaker. Instantly
the old man fell back, saying, as a
sneer Of contempt ran through the rab-
bic at the intelligence his words con-
veyed: "Anger them not. They have
the evil eyer
Kenkenes had guessed the national
ity Of the strangers Immediately, but
had doubted the correctness Of his sur
mise because Of their noble mien. If
he suffered any disappointment in hear
ing proof Of their identity it was imme-
diately nullified by the joy his artist
soul took In the stately Hebrew wom-
an. He forgot the mission that urged
him to the temple, and, permitting the
shifting. restless crowd to surround
him, be fingered, thinking. This proud