Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-07-22


Of the partially ruined towers of an.
cient Thank. Once each year my moth
er visited 1t for the FIVE long years II
lay there In the process of incubation.
She dared not come oftener, for In
the mighty guilt of her conscience she
feared that her every move was
watched. During this period my ia
ther gained great distinction as a
warrior and had taken the metal from
several chieftains. His advance was
rapid, and he soon stood high In the
councils Of Thark. But one day he was
N, 955dse a away upon ,1 a long expedltion
on the natives there and despoil them
Of ~ r furs.
"He was gone for four years, and
men he returned all had been over
Tor three; for about year after his
departure. and shortly before the time
for the return of an expedition which
had gone forth to fetch the fruits OF
community incubator. the egg had
Matched. Thereafter my mother con.
ltinued to keep me In the old tower,
visiting me nightly and lavishing upon
me the love the community life would
have robbed us both Of.
"She taught me rapidly the language
and customs Of my kind, and one night
she told me the story have told to you
up to this point, impressing upon me
the necessity for absolute secrecy and
the great caution must exercise after
she had placed me with the other
young Thanks to permit no one to guess
that ] was further advanced In edu.
cation than they; and then drawing me
|close to her she whispered in my ear
1.-The name Of my father.
And then a light flashed out upon
the darkness Of the tower chamber,
and there stood Sarkoja, her cleaning,
baleful eyes fixed In frenzy of loath-
Ing and contempt upon my mother.
That she had heard the entire story
was apparent, and that she had sus-
Ipected something wrong from my
mothers long nightly absences from
lher quarters accounted for her pres.
lence there on that fateful night.
"Sarkoja FASTENED to Tai Hajus to
report her discovery, and while she
was gone my mother, wrapping me in
the silks and furs of her night cover
lings, so that I was scarcely noticeable,
descended to the streets and ran Wild
ly toward the outskirts Of the city, in
,the direction which led to the far
south, out toward the man whose pro-
Election she might not claim, but on
iUhnGa faHn chn xxrtch NA
more before she died.
"As we neared the city's southern
extremity a sound came to us from
across the messy fiat, from the direc-
ltion Of the only pass through the hills
(which led to the gates, the pass by
(which caravans from either north or
south or east or west would enter the
city. My mother from her hiding
place saw that the expedition was the
returning caravan bearing the young
Thanks. Instantly her plan was
formed, and as a great chariot swung
CLOSE to our hiding place she slipped
stealthily in upon the trailing tail
board, crouchlng low in the shadow of
the high side, straining me to her
iOOSoln III II frenzy OF love.
! "She knew, what did not, that
never again after that night would she
hold me to her breast, nor was II like
ly we would ever look upon each 9th
ier's faces again. In the confusion of
the plaza she mixed me with the other
children, whose guardians during the
Journey were now free to relinqulsh
their responsibility.
! II never saw my mother after that
night. She was imprisoned by Tai
tHajus, and every effort, including the
most horrible and shameful torture,
was brought to bear upon her to wiring
from her lips the name Of my father;
but she remained steadfast and loyal,
dying at last amidst the laughter of
rTal Hajus and his chieftains during
some awful torture she was under
going.
~ learned afterward that she told
them that she had killed me to save
me from like fate at their hands, and
that she had thrown my body to the
white apes. Sarkoja alone disbelieved
her, and feel to this day that she sus-
pects my true origin. but does not dare
expose me, at the present, at all
events, because she also guesses, ] am
sure, the identity of my father.
when he returned from his expedi-
tion and learned the story of my moth
ier's fate I was present as Tai Hajus
told him; but never by the culver of
muscle did he betray the slightest emo
tion; only he did not laugh as Tai Ha.
jus gleefully described her death
struggles. From that moment on he
Twas the cruelest of the cruel, and ]
am awaiting the day when he shall
Twin the goal of his ambition, and feel
lthe carcass of Tai HaJus beneath his
foot, for l am sure that he but waits
THE opportunity TO wreak a terrible
vengeance"
And your father, Sofa, is he with us
.now?" asked.
YES" she replied, but he does not
know me for what am, nor does he
know who betrayed my mother to Tai