The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1920-11-24
The Worlds
Oldest
Love Stories
By Maubert st. Georges
Cogfght leo. by The Press Publishing %.
The New lork Evening WORLD.
A0METUs AND ALcEsTIs.

A DMETUS, the King Of Thessaly,
~ the largest and most northcriy
province of Greece, was a very
handsome man. So handsome was he
that even Diana, the virgin goddess
Of the chase, fell in love with him.
one day she took him in a cloud,
transported him to Olympus and Of
ltTed to make him an immortal IL he
would marry her. But Admctus loved
Alcestis, the beautiful daughter of
Polias, King Of Colchis, and refused
her offer. There was. nothing for
Diana to do but release him, so she
brought him back to his palace, but
inwardly she was very angry.
Admetus upon his release proceed
ed to Colchis to sue for the hand Of
Alcestis. Pelias, urged by Diana,
made it a condition that he must
bring a chariot drawn by lion and
boar. This secmvl an impossible
condition. At that time, however,
the god Apollo, Diana's twin brother,
was spending nine years in the SER
vice Of Admetus as penance for hav-
ing killed the CyClops, the workmen
of the Vulcan. To HIM Admetus went
in his difficulty and Apollo found 1t
easy to fulfil the condition imposed
by Pelas.
Alcests being won, Admetus fur
Their angGred Diana by forgetting to
sacrifice to her on his wedding day.
In the possession of the woman he
loved he felt all-powerful, the equal
of the gods themselves.
The first few days went by in ideal
| happiness. They knew not the fate
in store for them. Diana, brooding
over her wrongs and how she had
been thwirted in her love, decided to
be avenged. So she smote Admetus
with an incurable disease.
At first Admetus paid no attention
TO his sickness. But day by day 1t
grew worse, until he was confined to
his bed. Physicians attended him,
seeking to cure him by all the means
known to them. Finally Apollo was
called in and instantly recognized II
as "A sickness sent by the immortal.
In the pursuit of his duties to Ad-
metus he set about finding out who
| had thus struck down his master, and
| soon discovered that 1t was his sister
! who was the cause of the trouble. He
! pleaded with her so eloquently that
eventually she was persuaded to re-
| lent to this extent: If somebody would
be willing to contract his sickness
and die for him, Admetus would be
saved. That much revenge she de-
manded.
| Apollo returned to earth and gave
Admetus the verdict, and then APP
pealed TO his friends. But none would
volunteer. All those who in danger
would have fought for the privilege of
dying for their King now feared when
1t came TO contracting a devastating
sickness.
Things seemed hopeless, and Adme-
| tus was almost resigned to his fate,
when Alcestis, in her love for him.
and unknown to him, for he would
never have consented, undertook to
take his place. Now Apollo under
stood his sisters cunning. She had
foreseen this, and believed. Alcestis
once dead, it would be easy for her 70
win Admetus.
When the latter found himself
| cured and heard at what price he
was to buy his health nc was like one
mad. Yet there seemed to be no way
out. But once more Apollo went to
Olympus, and this time appealed to
! Jupiter himself. All that Jupiter
! had to say was that things must
take their course, and that the only
way TO save Alcestis would be to find
| one sufficiently strong to overcome
Death when he came to claim her.
SO Apollo went to Hercules. the
only one who could possibly grapple
with Death and hope to conquer, and
enlisted his aid on behalf of Ad-
metus. So when Death came TO
claim Alcestis, he found at the en-
trance OF Hades one who challenged
him to fight for Alcestis. "A terrible
struggle took place, but at last Her
cules vanquished Death and led AL
cestis back to Admetus. Thus, in
spite OF Diana, these two lovers were
finally united through the good Of
fices of Apollo and Hercules.