The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-18

the gods ask. o son. that man must pay. The immortals grant them happiness and wise thoughts" And the old man turned away.
 These spirits of darkness love me not thought Hippolytus land they would tempt me- Then, crying out to the throng of huntsmen who were still sing ing hymns of praise to Artemis, he bade them hurry to the banquet hall of the palace; that atfer the chase 1t was Q merry thing to sit at the festal board. Then, turning, he called on a groom and made his steeds the f1eetest and most. splendid in all Greece, to be in proper array and the chariot properly decked, as he would drive forth that afternoon. Seeing the old huntsman regarding him, the prince made a slight nod before the statue of Aphrodite and said laughingly and contemptuously: That for our Cyprian Queen-and naught beside"
 As the merry throng of hunters entered the palace the old man, kneeling before the statue of the goddess of love. said, 70 great Cyprian, will not follow that young man in his pride, but beg your mercy for him in the one language that your slaves may speak. the language of supplication. If his heart, in the wild froth of youth, surges against thee, be not angry, for the inmortals should be gentler and more forgiving than men, as they are wiser than men," Then he fol- lowed thoughtfully into the palace. As the company of the young Prince entered the royal portals there came out walking and talking together the ladies of the court discussing tn state of the Queen and gossipng, as women will, in palace or in hovel The Queen was, indeed, in a dlstressful state, but little did they guess the cause of 1t, though many were their guesses. Some spirit had laid a spell upon her, ventured one woman, while another was of the opinion that amid the hum of the sailors of the Piraeus had been some weary-browed venturer who had brought to the Queen some tidings. some far home grief that had bowed her low and chained her soul. Others suggested that perhaps the King had seen fairer face and that the Queen had discovered his infidenity.
 AS they talked there came out of the palace door the aged nurse of the Queen, followed by Phaedra herself, who was too weak to walk alone and had two hand maidens supporting her The royal daugh- ter of Minos seemed dying of some hidden disease, mental or physical, and, couch being hastily prepared for her upon the terrace, she was assisted to 1t and threw herself down there the very picture of woe and despair. Languidly she looked out over the land down to where she could see the flashing waters of the sea. The ladies of the court drew back to a re- spectful distance, but the old nurse smoothed the pillows of the Queens couch, and as she did so begged her to tell her what was her woe.
 'sHere," said the nurse, "are the sun and sky for thee, and the fresh winds blow over your brow. But thy brow is dark with something that cannot under stand. To thee all near things seem hate ful and all distant things sweet. Soon will again. Oh. it were better to suffer pain than to tend pain, as I do, for I bear SO4 wait AO sO DdNh lO gOAT CudllDtT your pain and mine own to see your pain. Yet all the life of mankind is but ailing and dim with doubt and trouble Rest to us comes never upon earth And if any far-off state there be- more dear and more enjoyable, a dark hand hath taken hold of 1t and concealed it from our sight, so that the mist is under us and the mist above us, and we are sick even of the life to which we cling For the other life is sealed fountain from which no streams of rest and refreshment reach us. The deeps below are unrevealed and we drift on legends forever"
 The Queen regarded the faithful nurse sadly for a while and then said: "Oh. that I might find a deep and clear spring whose waters would allay the fever in my blo od; spring in a great and flower strewn meadow. with long grass and a ring of poplars growing beside the spring" Nay, child," replied the nurse, speak not in this wild manner lest strangers hear and wonder" What care F" replied the stricken Queen. Take me then to the mountains past the great woods where the lean hounds seek their prey and the wild doe fees from forever. O ye gods, to shout as l | follow the hounds whining for blood and urge them on, to draw an arrow tight: to handle a keen and shining spear; l ] am sick of men and cities. o Atemis. thou mistress of the chase and of the wilds, grant me that I may hear be- side the sea the beat of horsehoofs as the flying steers haul along the swift and flying chariot" Why, child. how your mind goes athirst for one place and then long for another! How swift | from the mountain to the shore wend your thoughts! Come. tell your poor, old faithful nurse what is this woe which
 unjoints thy mind?"
 The Queen, recovering herself from the frenzy into which she had allowed herself to fall. regained her caimness and weakly assured her attendant that her distress was nothing but the de- sire for change; that if she could see new lands and new faces she would recover Tt is strange lthat King Theseus does not see into what a state his wife has fallen" unused the nurse
 But he perhaps believes as she says, that only change is necessary-that it is but some passing indisposition which holds her"
 The King had been absent for sev- eral days upon journey, and anxi ously did the nurse and the ladies of the court desire that he would return. For since his absence the condition of his wife had semed to be steadily grow