The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-31

alone. Let us divide the task. l will look for the choice of life in the courts.
 You shall look for it in the modest | houses of the middle fortune"
 The next day he arrived at the Bas-
 sa's court with a splendid train that
 obtained immediate admittance for him.
 He announced himself to be prince , from a distant land and his liberality ! soon made him a member of the inti- 1 mate court circles. For a time he
 thought that 1t must be true happi-
 ness to be such a ruler as the Bassa, who was obeyed by thousands and had the power of making them happy by wise administration. But soon he found that the lives of all the Bas- sa's advisers and friends were full of plots. stratagems and treachery. Sud- denly one day a palace conspiracy reached success and within "A hours the Bassa was being carried in chains to Alexandria.
 "Is power useless for happiness" Rasselas asked his sister. "Or Is there happiness in supreme power? Is the
 Sultan the only truly happy man?" 1 In a short time the second Bassa
 was deposed and the Sultan who had appointed him was murdered by his i own Janizaries.
 ' Nekayah was no more successful in
 her search among private families than
 Rasselas had been in court. Some
 are the slaves of their servants" said ! she. "Others are kept in constant anxiety by the caprice of rich relatives. | wives are perverse. I have seen few
 families wherein all were good. Pow l erty is often concealed in splendor. A 1 great part of mankind waste each pres i ent day in contriving for the next. The ! opinions of children and parents are 1 generally opposed. Those whom nature
 has most closely united often live to prove each others torment"
 While you are seeking the wise
 way to live" said Imlac. when they
 told him the result of their quest, you
 are neglecting to live.' He proposed
 to them that they make a journey to see the pyramids and they agreed. | When they reached the mysterious
 monuments Pekuah declined trembling 1 ly to enter them. The Princess, after ! having tried in vain to encourage her.
 embraced her and left her in the tent.
 Then Rasselas and Nekayah, guided by
 Imlac, surveyed the gloomy wonders l of the interior and speculated as to ] the reason that impelled the building l of the mighty piles.
 i 'It was a king with power unlimited. treasures incalculable, dominion unques- toned, nothing but pleasure to live for, ! who built them, said Imlac. Having everything he could not bear the tedious ness of life, anu sought to alleviate it by seeing thousands labor without end. lay ing one stone for no purpose on another.
 The pyramids confess the folly of desire. |"
 When they emerged they found panic and grief among their tents. band of Arabs had rushed upon the camp to plum der it. A troop of Turkish horsemen had arrived in time to drive them off, but they had succeeded in carrying Pekuah with them.
 1 The Princess gave way to bitter grief and blamed herself for disaster At first she kept her hope alive by efforts to find and rescue her favorite Rasselas paid money to officials and private agents for information. messengers and armed men were sent to all places where Arab bands congregated, but no news came.
 Nekayah despaired at last and sank into hopeless dejection. "I permitted my fond ness to lessen my authority" said she to { Imlac Had I insisted on her company she would be safe now. 1t Is my fault and the kindness of my motive does not alleviate her bitter fate
 Great Princess" said Imlac, your ten derness for the timidty of Pekuah was generous and kind How would you have