The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1911-06-09
The Fires of Montezuma
Legends of the Aztecs.
JAMES JOHNSTON DAVENPORT.


character steps upon the stage;
the time. when Miotha, sister OF
Dongotha, claims a place, no un-
important place, In this wonu-
rous tale of the Fires of Monte
yuma. Stand back, ye throngng
crowds. till her heavenly place
shall shine ont from those DIM
regions into which imperfect ira
dition has so long consigned her
virtues and her charms. Rise,
peerles maid, rise out of that IN
existing world of mist, and stalM
forth in the full blaze OF sun
light. Thy brother judged not ILL.,
what fatal effects thy charms
might have produced, hadst thon
Miotha appeared earlier Intha
though lovely and beautiful, Tar
excelling all other maids OF the
mountain, yet surpassed not thee
matchless Miotha. Iutha was be-
trothed TO Olatha. Hide D0ngo-
tha. hide Miotha from Olatha $
ewes Let not his warm heart
waver. or even be tempted TO
wayer, in its loyalty to its pllgh-
ted faith. Let not Olatha see MI
otha. or even hear Of her, for 10
see her. or even to hear or her
to har of her thousand consuir-
ing charms. is to love her de-
votedly, passionately, deliriously.
Olatha cannot but love lutha,-
though the world were filled,
with Miothas. To her he hsa al
readypledged his whole heart
and his whole heart is stillhers,
andnone can divide with her the
empire of that heart. But he can
not see Miotha. In his bosom.
would he create another, and
new heart. and Miotha would
there sit in undivided sway.
Then. let not Gurutha s daugh-
ter, feel that though thousand.
hearts beat in Olatha s breast,
she were not the enthorned mis-
tress of them all.
Noble Dongotha, dwarfed as
thou art in person, what big
heart thou Dearest in tn bosom.
From the couch Of the sleeping
luna. Dongotha wends his way
out of the village of Zuni, over
many a league, to his lonely hut
in the mountains, where he and
Miotha dwelt. 1t stood in a deep
gorge, concealed by abrupt OF
heights of over hanging rocks,
with Just plot enough of level
ground to form, a lovely dale,
watered by silver rills which roll
ed over sands of gold. Tall pm
es and quivering aspens, rooted
in the rifted rocks, grew around
rising range above range. from
bottom to summit, presenting an
amphitheatrica forrest To tins
lone and lovely spot had Dongo-
tha borne his infant sister when
she was but two years old. Fot
fifteen years here had she dwelt,
and never from her home had
she set foot, nor thither had
other footsteps tended than OF
those of her brother Dongotha
and Miotha were the sole sur
viying descendants of that man
of solitude, who, in the far ole
West, near the Pacific, had in
terpreted the bird 5 voice int
a revelation made from the God
of their tribe to induce them t.
emigrate to this mountain land
Theeir parents died when Milo
tha was only two years old
For fifteen years, the orphan
girl had been missed from tn
village of Zuni, and strang
mystery hung over her disaE
pearance in the minds of It's II
habitants. Dongotha had ofte
been interrogated touching tn
where abouts and welfare OF n
sister. but his invariable answt
was. that she was happy IN
happy place. The villagers, II
ferrin2 at first from this stere'
typed answer, of apparent ev'
sivenes, that his sister, like hin
elf, had turned out an nnrlgn
" dwarf, soon ceased
press him on q point so delicat
a. they learned year after ye'
moro end more of them. The
lost sight Of her, till now q
vas never mentioned by the fe
who recollected her, save wi'
an ominos shake Of the hea
that told they might be tresdiz
o. saered ground
4 - - -.
Thsrs = psreeliar intere
thr9e sreuna dwarfS. A'shen'