Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-31

once sent Tor Cer1a
You said, Ceria." the queen began
when Ceria appeared. that since we
cannot control the legion by force we
must do II by our feminine arts The
time has come when an application of
those arts is necessary. The soldiers
are constantly leaving their barracks
and I fear win tamper with some of
our weaker sisters and. having effect
ed foothold in our community, will
reduce US to the slavery we have pre-
viously endured. ! have ordered the
captain to keep his men in their bar
racks. and he has admitted that he
cannot control them. Have you any
thing to propose?"
'TswiL think the matter over, oh,
queen, and see If l can concect a
! plan"
Ceria withdrew, and while she was
/ thinking of the matter there was a
! commotion among the women OF Kan
thos. One party held that since wom-
/ en- were dependent on men for prutec-
| ton they must continue to be their
slaves. Another declared that G m,E-
/ take had been made In admitting the
men: they should at once be sent
! away.
Those who believed that the men
should be sent away prevailed, and
the queen was petitioned to issue an
order for the legion to depart at once.
To this she was obliged to assent, and
the order was issued.
Several days passed. during which
the women watched for preparations
on the part of their army for de-
parture. but could perceive none Then
the queen sent for its captain and ask
ed him why her order had not been
obeyed. He replied that he had issued
1t In her name, but his men seemed
averse to obeying 1t. Some of them
had formed attachments to women of
the island while the latter were still
Athenians. and some had been cap
tivated since. They were all we'll sat
listed with their enlistment and claim
ed that they could not be discharged
till its term had expired.
The queen In her extremity sent for
Ceria and asked her If she had thought
Of plan to get the men away by
strategem. To this Ceria replied:
"Oh. queen. the fault Is In our wom-
those for whose sake the men are re-
naming and you win be rid of this
incubus"
Now, the queen was greatly vex-
ed at this proposition. for 1t would
cause her own expulsion. She there
fore declined to avail herself OF Ce-
ria's plan. But Ceria, who, being a
beauty, was tired of remaining In Sc
clusion, went among the queens sub
1ects and stirred up sedition, so that
at last Thenia was forced by a clamor
to yield An order was issued to the
captain that every man who was re-
manning on the island for love of one
of the queens subjects should march
to the palace son a certain day and
hour and declare publicly the name Of
the woman he loved.
On the appointed morning a great
stir appeared In the barracks of the
legion. The queen and her subjects
took position before the palace and
awaited the coming OF those men who
were to declare their love. What was
their CONSERVATION to see every man
, in the legion form in column and.
} headed by their captain, with banners
flying and the sun glittering on their
armor, march out of barracks toward
the palace.
The queen swooned.
BY the time the legion drew up in
line before her she had recovered and
by an effort controlled herself. The
captain advanced several PAGES, salut-
ed with his sword and declared himself
! a sutton for the queens hand. Thenia
blushed and covered her face with her
hands. Then lieutenant advanced
and announced his love for Ceria. He
!, had no sooner done so than others ad-
vanced holding up their hands, crying
"And IT, And III And Ip till fully
third of the legion were clamoring
for recognition as the girls lovers.
. Discipline was at an end. the men
breaking from the ranks and each
choosing the girl he desired.
Now, the legion numbered barely
tenth OF the citizenesses OF Xanthos,
and. as was TO be expected, the SOL
diers' chose the most cOmely and other
! wise attractive OF the women, who
made no objection whatever to being
: chosen. Indeed. many OF them had
/ for some time been secretly receiving
= the attention of certain of the men.
There necessarily remained n large
/ number of women unchosen. These re.
marked the detection OF their queen
, and their chosen fellow citiZenesses
/ with bitter condemnation. One OF
these. who saw IN the action OF the
soldiers the fall Of the community, de-
livered speech to her sisters which
was as full of severe invective as her
features were repulsive. Then the
body of unchosen women departed In
anger very much like the chorus in a
Greek play going or the stage.
The record In which this story Is
~ given IN the Greek language does not
lstate whether the soldiers remained at
hXanthos or whether they and their
Hwives sought other homes. leaving the
, fkland to the uncbosen citizenesses &c
/ Work out their scheme of independ-
exc
= Al o. -. A