The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-08-28
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BY TALBOT MUNDY

She had flowers woven in her hair
and others in her hand, as if she rode
from a bridal feast and were not in
mourning for plundered, butchered
city. They were headed northward
now, toward distant mountains, and
the dust of their long column went up
like a river of smoke, flowing from the
holocaust behind.
Yasmini shook her head inpatient
ly. The crystal clouded over, and
Kings eyes were free.
Il am tired of it." she said. 81 have
seen that so many times. l know they
won. know they found their way to
Khinjan. l know they began to build
an empire here l have seen all that
a hundred times. What l must know
is what mistake they made. What did
they do wrong? How did they come
to fail? Look again! Let us look
again
She never once let Kings hands go,
but pressed them tighter and tighter
until the circulation nearly stopped
and they grew numb. Her own
strength seemed endless-to grow
rather than to wane in proportion as
her yearning to look into the past
grew. Her attitude would have been
more understandable if she had believ-
ed herself and King to be reincarna-
tons OF those forgotten conquerors;
but she was too original for that. She
had said the old gods wished, and the
man and the woman were; the old
gods wished the same wish again, and
she and King were. Why, then, il
the old gods were contriving it all,
should she seek to steady the ark for
them? But down at bottom there is
no logic connected with gods many.
She clutched Kings fingers as if to
hold him there and to make him see
and understand the distant past, were
the only way to save him from mis-
takes.
Look" she insisted. Look again."
And he obeyed her. BY this time
obedience was much the easiest
course. Between times his eyes were
so weary he could hardly hold them
open, and It was ,only when he gazed
into the crystal that he could rest
them and feel easy. He knew well
that she was winning control over him
in some sort, and he fought against
it grimly. Soon he became Weirdly
conscious of being two men - one,
whom she had grasped and overcome,
a physical man who did not matter
much. and another, mental man who
was free from her. who could under
stand her, whom she could not reach
or touch.
Look" she insisted. Look" And
the crystal clouded over. He" strobe
out of the mist again, frowning, with
his chin hung low and fists clenched
tight at his sides. Four OF his own
men came out Of the mist to him and
greeted him respectfully, yet not with
out a touch of irony. They spoke to
him and pointed westward. One laid
a hand on his shoulder, but he shook
it off and the man reeled back as II
he had been struck. Another man
took UP the argument, but he shook
his head. They all spoke together, ges-
ticulating and growing angry; but he
stood calm among them, as a rock
stands in a storm. He folded his arms
across his breast after a while and
listened, saying nothing.
Then as if to end the argument for
good and all, he drew his sword and
held it out toward them, hilt first. tell
ing them again to kill him and have
done with it, They refused. He laugh
ed at them, but they still refused; so
he put his sword back in the sheath.
One of the men stepped into the