The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-08


 her hope of once more seeing the noble Persian kept her alive.
 | The sacred bull at Memphis had died and the priests had found no other Apis | to take It's place. The stars foreboded | woe and wars for Egypt. Amasis had become blind and had practically aban- doned the government of the country to Psamtik. The children of Phanas, boy and girl, who had been left by him in the care of Rhodopis, had been taken by i force from that refuge the boy murdered and the girl imprisoned by order of Psam- | tik. The prince had insulted the Greeks by this and other acts and had also alien ated the affections of the Egyptians by many acts of tyranny, while by his vacil- lation he had estranged from him all the wisest and most powerful nobles and priests of the land.
 Nitetis was thinking of this sad letter as she sat that night at the great feast to which Cambyses had bdden her Prince Bartja had just returned from a successful war against rebellious tribe and the king had promised that, should | he return from the campaign successful, 1 he might ask of him any one favor he pleased. Now at the feast the king de- manded what it was that Bartja wished l The prince, blushing, said that he would | like to be married. The king laughed and | said that 1t was high time Bartja said | that his love was fixed upon a girl whom he had met in Egypt At these words a great hope sprang up in the breast of Nitetis-was it Tanchot ?-who else ecould it be? Then the prince said in boyish way, looking down, that he desired to marry Sappho, the granddaughter of Rhodopis.
 Nitetis was just lifting a golden flagon to her lips. As she heard these words 1 which pronounced the doom of her sister her hand lost its strength and the golden beaker fell crashing to the marble floor The king looked at her in amazement Then sudden thought swept over him and almost blinded him. What could this emotion mean, thought he as he looked upon the pale and distressed face of Nite- tis, but that she loved Bartja? The king stood with trembling lips and convulsively casped hands. Ntetis looked at him to claim indulgence, but he dared not trust himself to meet the witchery of her glance and. turning his head, said hoarsely Lead the women to their apartments Boges. I do not wish to see them any ] more. Sleep well, my mother, and beware of feeding serpents in your breast. Sleep well, Egyptian, and pray that the gods | may give you greater power of decep- tion Friends, tomorrow hunt. Ho! fill the wine cup. But taste it well for to- l night I fear poison. Dost thou hear | Egyptian-poson! As is well known, all poison comes from Egypt" Nitetis stag gered rather than walked from the hall
 The gloating Boges saw her conducted to the palace in the hanging gardens Strict orders were given by the king that no one was to be admitted to see her. even his mother and sister were denied admittance And now Boges put into ex- 1 ecution his plot. Nitetis maid was named Mandane. She had been brought up by one of the high priests. Oropastes, in his household until he saw that his brother Gaumata and the girl had fallen in love | with each other.
 Then he had sent Gaumata off to the wars and had procured Mundane employ ment in the royal household, where she had now become maid to the Egyptian. Boges learned that Gaumata had secretly come to Babylon to try and see Mandane | He sought him out and told him that he would arrange for the desired interview. He saw Mandane and told her that that very night Gaumata would be with her She was to be at certain window of the pavilion occupied by Nitetis, where her lover would come to her. @ l There was a blue Nile lily in tank in the hanging gardens which the gardener had cultivated carefully as a compliment to Nitetis, and that night the gardener told the eunuch. the lily would bloom for | the first time Boges asked that he might bring some of the nobles of the court to