Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-25
THE LADY OF THE HEAVENS ;
By H. RIDER HAGGARD.
A Of q.

weakness. Mole sank down upon the
stones. Richard bent over her TO lift
her to her feet again. but she thrust him
away saying slowly and in sasps:
Let me be. the doom has hold Of me,
am dying. l passed within the fence
to fire the tree. and its poison Is at work
within me. and the curse of all my peo-
pie has fallen on my head. Yet l have
saved thee. my sister | have saved thee
and thy lover for the Dwaffs~ are no
more. and the gray people are gray ashes.
For my loves sake | did the sina let
my love atone the sin if it may. or at
least think kindly of me through the
long. happy years that are to come. and
at the end of them then seek for lost
Mole in the world of ghosts if she may
be found there"
AS she spoke they heard sound of
something scrambling among the stones.
| and at one of the four entrances of the
turret there appeared hideOus. fire-twist-
ed face. and little form about which
hung charred and smoldering strips of
raiment. 1t was Edo. who had climbed
the wall and found them out There he
sat glowering at them. or rather at Mole,
who was crouched upon the floor
Come hither. daughter of Seyapi. he
screamed in his kissing, snakelike voice.
who hast made an end of the ancient
people of the ghosts. Come hither and
tell me why thou didst this thing. for |
would learn the truth before l die. that
may make report OF IL 10 the ldlhers Oh
our race"
Mole heard. and crept toward him; to
Rachel and Richard IL seemed though
she could not disobey that summons. Now
they sat face to face outside the turret.
clinging to the stones, and her long hair
flowed outward on the gale.
II did it, Eddo,' she said. Ito save
one whom l love, and him whom she
loves. ] did 1t TO avenge the death of
Nya upon you all, as she babe to do.
I fia of hyr -iel O.
is full, and because / was appointed to
bring thy doom upon thee. Thus ends
the greatness thou hast plotted SO many
years to win, EddO.
Aye" he answered thus il ends. for
the magic of the white one there has
overcome me, and thus with 1t ends the
reign of the ghost kings, and the forest
wherein they reigned, and thus. too, thou
endest, traitress. who hast murdered them
and whose soul shall be split with their
souls
AS the words left his lips suddenly Eddo
sprang upon Mole and gripped her about
the middle Richard and Rachel leapt
forward. but before ever they could lay
in his rage and agony had dragged her
to the edge of the wall. For moment
they struggled there in the vivid light
of the flaming forest. Then Edo
and still holding Mole in his arms hurled
himself from the wall, to fall crushed
upon its foundation stones sixty feet be-
Meath.
Thus persisted Mole. who, for loves
sake, gave her life to save Rachel, as
once Rachel had saved her.
1t was morning, and after the tempest
the sky was clear and cool. for heavy
rain had fallen when the wind dropped,
although far away the dense clouds of
rolling smoke showed where the great
fire still ate into the heart of the forest.
Rachel and Richard, seated hand in hand
In the little tower on the wall, looked at
one another in that pure light, and saw
be mistaken.
What shall we do?" asked Richard.
Death is very near to us.
Rachel thought awhile. then answered
The dwarfs are gone. We have nothing
more to fear from them. Yonder where
the fire did not burn dwell their slaves,
whose villages are full of food. and be-
You'd them live the Umkuu. who know
and would befriend me. Let us go and
seek food who desire to live on together.
If We may
So they climbed down the wall, and with
difficulty, for they were very feeble,
crawled over the stones which they had
piled up in the passage to keep out the
dWarfs, and thus passed to the open belt
beyond. A strange scene met their eyes.
all the wide lands that had been covered
with giant trees were now piled over with
white ashes amongst which, here and
tftcIe. StOUu ana
trunk. The journey was terrible. but fol-
lowing ridge of rock whereon no great
trees had grown. hand in hand they
passed through the outer edge of the
burnt forest in safety. until they came
to one of the towns of the slaves upon
the fertile plain beyond. which led up
to the desert. No human being could they
see. since all had fled, but the kraal was
full Of sheep and cattle that had been
penned there before the fire began, and
in the huts were milk and food in plenty
They drank of the milk, and, after a
while. ate a little. then rested and drank
more milk, till their strength began to re-
| turn to them. Toward evening they went
out OF the town, and standing on a mound
looked at the fire-wasted plain behind,
and the green. grassy slopes in front.
They seemed quite alone in tie world.
those two. and yet their hearts were full
We're left to each other they knew that
they could never he alone.
See. Rachel" said Richard. pointing to
the smoldering wreck of the forest.
there He's our past. and here in front of
us spreads the future clothed with flow
erS.'
Yes, Richard" she answered, out
Mole and all whom l love save you are
buried in that past, and in front of us
the desert is not far away.
Life is ours, Rachel, and love is ours,
and that which saved us through many a
danger and brought me back to you will
surely keep us safe. Do you fear to pass
the desert at my side?
She looked at him with shining eyes,
and answered:
No, Richard. l fear no more, for now l
seem to hear the voice of Mole speaking
in my heart, telling me that trouble is be-
hind us. and that We shall live out our
lives together, as my mother foresaw that
we should do
And there on the mound. standing be-
tween that dead sea of ashes and the
green slopes of Towering plain, Rachel
stretched out her arms to the man to
whom she was decreed.
The end