Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-14
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
BY THEOPHILE GAUTIER
E FAVOR OF CLEOPATRA

well then, you shall be satisfied y
| said the Queen of the Nile. But
think the favor of Cleopatra no small
| thing, worth no small price. You have
allowed yourself wild and extravaganza
dreams You have imagined yourself
a Caesar or a Mark Antony-you have
dared to love the queen
| you even dared to think Cleopatra
might some day love you. Well, that
| is what is going to happen. / will
make your dream come true--it is my
whim, it shall be done. You shall
spend one glorious evening with me-
| a splendid banquet the tainment
of countless slaves, the smiles of
queen. / shall lift you from nothing
ness to the heights. But the price of
it all shall be that you die at the COM
pletion of it-with the memory of ii
| still bright in your mind but still un.
told.
But what are you doing on your
knees at my feet? Rise and give me
| your arm. Let us go within the
| palace"
There was then spread a banquet
| compared with which the wonders of
BelshazZar's feast must pale-for this
was one of the nights of Cleopatra,
Queen of Egypt All the. pleasures
known to that splendid ancient world
were there. 1t was all within the
space of few hours, and the SUI
premely fortunate youth who had
dared all and won was dazZled and
daZzled again.
There were dishes of 'phenicopters
tongues and the livers of scarus fish.
There were cells fattened on human
flesh, and cooked in brine. There were
dishes of peacocks' brains, and boars
stuffed with living birds. All the
marvels of those olden banquets were
heaped upon the three table surfaces
or the gigantic triclinium. The wines
OF Crete. or Massicus and of Falernus
1oamed up in crater wreathed with
roses and filled by Asiatic pages. Mu-
sicians played upon the sistrum, the
tympanum, the sambuke and the harp
with one-andtWenty strings So great
was the music that not even the deep
, voiced thunder could have made itself
heard there
Toward the close of the repast.
hCmp-backed dwarfs and mummers
engaged in grotesque dances and COM
bats. Then young Egyptian and
Greek maidens danced with inimitable
grace. Cleopatra herself arose from
her throne, threw aside her royal man.
tie, replaced her starry diadem with
garland of flowers, attached golden
castanets to her alabaster hands, and
danced before the young man who was
to pay for all this splendor by dying at
dawn
Night advanced-the last of the
black hours was about to take flight
"a faint blue glow entered into the
tumult of rudy light-day was break
ing. An Ethiopian brought a horn
vase to the young man which con-
tanned a poison SO violent that it would
have caused any other vase to burst
aSunder.
Flinging his whole life to Cleo
patra in one last look he lifted 10
his lips the fatal cup in which the en-
venomed liquor boiled up kissing.
Cleopatra turned pale-she was about
to stay the 'act and say: Live and
love me still desire it,
But just then a clarion was heard.
Four heralds entered to announce the
arrival of Mark Antony. And the
youth emptied the fatal cup at a gulp
and fell as though struck by lightning.
Cleopatra bent her head, shed one
burning tear.
by Hercules. my fair Queen" cried
| Antony. II made all speed in vain.
see / have come too late for the
banquet is over. But what is this
| corpse upon the pavement"
| Nothing" answered Cleopatra with
| a smile. only poison l was testing
| in case should ever be taken pris-
oner. My dear lord, please sit and let
us watch these Greek buffoons dance"