Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-08

of that princess Of tho golden King OF
Tezcuco who could have smiled at the
whsperings of her lord and. the tender
cadenccs Of music floating through tne
gardens his love had made For her, whlic
Just here his priests made their sacri-
fees and she, turning her eyes from his
ardent ones. now and then dangerously
watched-was Zornida mad or was she
sImply ancient Aztec or Toltec or Tez-
cucan born four or five hundred years
after her time? Her slow smile now as
she watched him. and no doubt read at
least a portion Of what lay In his mind,
was battling; he might have been look
ing back through the long dead years
upon the Tczcucan's princess; In her
eyes we're tender passion and q gllnt
that might have been reelection OF llght
from the sacricial knife.
Speculation aside here was one point
which Zoraida herself had vouched for !:
since girlhood she had been accustomed
to coming here. It would appear ineVf-
table that the atmosphere OF the place
would have deeply Influenced young
fancies; that what she was now was
largely due TO these conflicting inf1u-
ences. What wonder that she saw moth
ing unlikely in her dreamings Of herself
as queen of newly created empire?
All that Toraida was. all that she did,
all that she threatened to do, the pas
! sion and the regal manner and the look
of naked knife in her eyes, was but
TO be expected.
/ zoraida led on and he followed. Their
way led through the stonework he had
glimpscd trough the shrubs and vines.
| Here was a many roomed building,
walls richly carved into records of an
cient feaSts and glories, battles and
triumphs. They passed in through a
wide entrance; within the walls were
lined with satiny hardwoods, the panels
chosen with nice regard to color and
grain. Doors opened to right and left
and ahead. giving views of other cham
bers on Some walls of which still hung
ancient cloths there we're chairs and
tables and benches and chests. Zoraida
went on. straight ahead and to the door
way Of q much larger, high -vaulted
chamber. And again was Kendric treat
ed to n fresh surprise.
AS she stood in the door and he
looked over her shoulder, six old men,
evidently awaiting her arrival, bent
themselves almost to the floor in q rev
Crcntial posture that expressed greeting
and alteration. Again kendric's fancies
were drawn back into ancient Mexico
They wore loose cotton robes; their
ocards fell on their aged breasts; in
their sashes were long knives of itztli
lik< that upon the sacriicial stone
They might have been the old priest
who sacrificed for the Tczcucan, thcil
cXiStenCes prolonged Cternally here il
an atmosphere Of antiquity.
Ioraida spoke and they Strengthened
and one man answered. KcndriC cOulC
not understand word. Then. shufflinl
their Sandaled feet, tho six went on
through door at the side.
II thought you said" said Kcndric
that since your fathers death no MAJ
had entered hcrCT'
And do these six look as thougl
they had como here recently from th'
outside world:' she rctOrted. smiling
"'rhrs youngest Of them. Scnor jim
first came TO NczahuacOyotl's garden
more than sixty years ago. When. h
was less than a year old. hence bring
ing with him no knowledge of an,
other place than this
"And you mean that they have ncve
, gun" out from hCrc?'
"Would they thrust their head
through solid rock? Would they trea
along corridors rarpPtrd with snakes
, Would they grow wings and soar to In
=. stars up there? Not only have the
never gone out: they do not So much Il
know that there is an outside to so to.
! But you come TO them -
Xoraida laughed.
"And ! am spirit. goddess {
, worship, the ono who has always beer
l the power that created this spot an
themselves :"
"'rhcy arc captivcs and carctakcrs G