| Show An 1llperOrs s Dejree By EDWARD S TM ZttE Copyright All rights reserved CHAPTER L I j th f I 1 > 4j fb I bL I j I I t J I 1 L 0 < J t W 1i i q rt f I r = il i Y 1 II i Lit then all of you Many centuries ago there lived i the cast an emperor who loved his people and was beloved by them He had grown old happily and no wasteful wars had reduced his coffers nor whitened the hair upon his majestic head Strong cal and dignified he wielded a paternal pater-nal scepter above his subject and when he went among them they bowed before him i affection It had come about a the years went by that h people consulted con-sulted him upon all kinds of curious problems and if mother doubted the vigor of her babe she sought audience of the king Merchants and lawyers doctors doc-tors and soothsayers took much stock in his royal judgnrjnt and when his eye beamed hopefully there was joy throughout through-out the hind Thus it happened that the emperor was nearer t his people than are his kind in modern days and he felt the pulse of his race and knew the health so t speak of his kingdom at large Watching closely therefore the temper of those about him the aged sovereign a time went on became convinced that the besetting sin of those who called him king was self conceit This I worried him and in the dark watches of the night he would toss about upon I h royal couoh crying Egotists oh egotists A the conviction grew upon him the peace of h earlier days fast fled from him A simple man himself he held immodesty abhorrent and prayed to the strange gods whose presence filled h mind to keep his people humble in his sight It may be that this itself was proof that he was not as modest as an earnest king should lie but still the fact remains that they who make obeisance to a monarch should hold their pride in check There was one strong reason why the emperor should be so firm in this regard for he possessed no heir and in the course of nature Ms throne would descend to his daughter and her spouse Thus was it that he wished to leave a modest kingdom anil one easy to be ruled One morning as the emperor paced his audience hall these thoughts were thick upon him Why should men hold their heads so high and women plume themselves upon their beauty Was not ocuth the end of all The rainbow faded and the flowers had died The bloom upon the forest must depart and the golden glory that made the sea so fair must pass away with night He himself him-self had once been lusty and soft white hands had smoothed his face and called h beautiful but now old age had creased his face and crowned his head with snow Why should men walk so jauntily and women talk as though they held the secret of immortal youth Surety Sure-ty of all the sins that tempt the human race none i so foolish as that of self conceit Thus thought the emperor as he looked about upon his court and wondered won-dered why his advisers were so richly dressed deeA morning passed the good old potentate grew grave Case after case came before his notice and in every instance in-stance the conceit of man had made essential es-sential protest to the throne Never before be-fore had the passion of self conceit seemed to Mm so hateful and as the day went on his royal brow grew black H courtiers grouped around looked up at him in dread for they knew his heart was kind and feared to see his gentle face so strangely overcast What t k the king that he should I speak so sharp they whispered to each other i tones of dread and when ho I turned h roving eyes upon them they shuddered through and through and pulled each others robes and coughed I At length there carno before the king a I man whose dress betokened wealth Raising Ms voice he spoke i tones that thrilled the throng and boasted of his wealth Then asked he of the emperor revenge upon a man who as he claimed had wronged him of h gold The man who was accused stepped forward then and loudly claimed that he himself was rich and of Ms mental I for had made his wealth And further i fur-ther still he boasted of his probity and puffed his wife and said that his child fat The a courtiers laughed but on the brow of himwho brw ruled the land a growing cloud was seen What meant i 1 th strange emotion of the king Full j many a time fools and their fancies had stood before h throne Why was it then that a he gazed upon the men I who argued heatedly before him now Ms countenance so gentle in its mold should grow so stern and set What i this one boated of his gold and another of his wife and child Was that a cause for Mm who bat upon a throne to lose h poise and scowl a though his royal head Oirobbed from painful thoughts So thought h courtiers as they watched ilei 1 king and listened t the foolish wating of the men who made tile tight After a time there was sT hence in the hal and a verdict in the case was hoped for from all who had listened to the of the litened nonsense same L But still the king looked black and F leaned h head upon h hand and frowned When after time had passed he raised his regal brow smiled sweetly on the court and beckoned thin ancient lord who fitood well with h chef I whispered consultation thfltwo old men bent their heads together while the courtiers remained and wondered what had happened t their ever ready king As time went on suspense became a potent po-tent and a growing lain Why should S p so simple a question of right and wrong I I delay the throne long The proof was positive that here injustice had been done and though defendant claimed a handsome wife and most stupendous child the legal minds of all who heard his plea scoffed at such defense I Surprise was therefore great when still another counselor was beckoned by the king Surely this was trifling with all The courtiers smiled precedent courers smied then coughed then shifted nervously Each one felt that h most honored lord was growing very old At length the I i silence as of death fell upon the whisper I 1 The the ing throng emperor dismissing gray haired men who had come to his assistance again fell t musing and all awaited his most fateful words After hi fatefu wors Aftr a time he slowly rose j Men of my realm he said and you who bring your case to this the court of last resort listen t your king I have I heard the facts in this most foolish suit and I have been annoyed There is not as it seems to me a truly modest man left in my domain The egotist is all supreme su-preme You boast of your wealth your wife your babe My courtiers stand about feeling proud that they possess neither wealth nor wife nor babe Our young men boast of their strength and ou old men claim to be wise Homely I women think they are fair and fair women try to seem bright Even the children who play at our knees smile in Conceit in all its an egotistic way a1 it j I forms is rampant in the land I love so well I haveheld counsel with the truly I wise men of my domain They tell me to be firm I shall be I assure you The I egotist must go There is in my vast empire no room for Mm who feels in h I puffed up heart that he i greater than the worm which wiiggles beneath our feet Listen then all of you and let the lord keeper of the scrolls note carefully care-fully my words I hereafter any one of my subjects shall express by word or deed manner satisfac ded or m nner overweening satsfac tion in Ms achievements h possessions or his appearance he shall lose his head Any case which comes under this new law shall be tried by me and my advisers ad-visers You may go The suit which led t this command is of too trivial 3 character to call for my decree And I I take heed all of you how you give voice t the egotistic thoughts that gve boiling in your brains I One by one the courtiers filed from I the hall casting dark looks upon the last counselor the thin and evil couelor evi looking Ramek the king had summoned to Ms throne But Ramek the wise heeded not their looks as he plucked a flower in I the garden and placed it in his bosom For well he knew that he controlled the ear of the king and when he wished to raise a storm the royal clouds would answer to Ms word And in this swer h word case he had Ms ends t serve for he loved the daughter of the king and feared that his rival Prince Hauiassar had already won the hand of the Princess Bru I Then throughout the city spread the i news of the emperors decree Over mountains plains and rivers traveled the words of the law and word new in distant dis-tant villages the people groaned in fear that their king was growing old and harsh The faces of the women woro sarcastic smiles and playfully would they enjoin their husbands t keep their I heads But the men murmured and in some place the ever ready plotter saw u chance to raise revolt for even in the most peaceful kingdom there is always present the man who loves to stir up the people against their lord So the days went by and all men were I humble No longer did the boaster free his tongue nor the dandy tell of his triumphs I tri-umphs in love The lawyers and the I doctors the soothsayers and the merchants mer-chants went about in silence and when they referred t themselves spoke in a deprecating way refreshing to hear Once more the face of the emperor took on its accustomed smile He was pleased with his people for they seemed to him sufficiently humble to satisfy his most exacting mood The boaster no longer appealed to the throne and the courtiers wore a subservient air which appealed to the heart of the autocrat Seeing the monarch in this pliant state Prince Hamassar a handsome and wea1thy youth whose diffidence had often been noticed by the king felt encouraged en-couraged to plead for the hand of the Princess Bru I was no easy task which he thus essayed The man who won the hand of the emperors child would be king one day and this fact had been a potent motive in the unsuccessful unsuc-cessful suit of Ramek the wise Thus it was that there was great excitement ex-citement in the laud when the emperor yielding to the blushing intercession of his child graciously xicknowleded the worthiness of Prince Hamassar and placed in his the hand of Princess Bru The courtiers smiled and shouted in acclaim I ac-claim but Ramek frowning stole from the hall i silence and when ho reached the street breathed a vow of vengeance t the gods What if he were old and thin Was he not wise Who was this Hamassar that he should win a king dom and bride while better men must bow before him and wander boW alone beneath be-neath the stars But hold the end was not yet Was there not a way to overcome over-come this bold presumption on the part of a prince formerly so modest Surely Kamek who had placed an emperor beneath be-neath his thumb should not be defeated because for a moment the force of youth ha3 proved too much for his gray hairs Communing thus with himself the Cassius like figure of tho defeated suitor approached the palace The day was hot and as he removed his hat and lAt trio flower scented breeze play with his silvered locks i face became stern with a vengeful and determined purpose I pur-pose Could Hamassar and the Princess I Bru have seen that look their transports would have been much less pronounced U E7fra 1 I 1 1 T > piiiIrJ 1h i i I J f j c I have the handhandsomest 1 nose in the The palace of Prince Hamassar was I gay with brilliant lights and on the soft warm air of night arose the jo3rous < rs of a drinking song The gardens which surrounded the great mansion seemed I feel the influence of the gayety for the flowers welcomed the kisses of the night wind and the trees and shrubs murmured mured as though humming the air that echoed from the banquet hall The fountains splashed merrily and when the ni9on came up seemed to laugh at their own silvery beauty I Wit n the palace dark faced eunuchs I hurried about dispensing the hospitality of their lord For Prince Hamassar Prnce Hamasr entertained en-tertained that night 200 mighty men in honor of his betrothal to the emperors child The banquet room presented a I glorious scene About the table were gathered t statesmen poets merchants I of the land and the feast before them I was worthy of their rank Stern men of i I battle sat among the men of peace and 1 men learned i the law conversed politely with their clients 1 doctors ly clents Sharp eyed j were glad to see the viands and the wines disappear fast for well they ew that indigestion sharp and painful would i give them work next day So each guest was lifitvnv in his own TiRfnlinr way nnil decorum gave place to mirth as the night waxed old At the head of the room sat handsome Prince Hamassar Ms dark fine face lighted with a smile Why should he not be glad Youth wealth and fame were his and the promise of a crown The fairest maiden in the world had given him her troth He was beloved by the people and possessed the friendship I of the king A he gazed about him that night and saw among Ms guests the great men of the land his pulse beat wildly and he drained a glass of snow cooled wine to quiet the fever of conceit which he knew was throbbing in his brain brainNear him sat the wise but wicked Rainek decked in gorgeous robes and looking even thinner than before placed as he was between two robust men But Ramek though not great i flesh had a brilliant tongue and his witty jests amused those who heard them so that a roar of laughter ever and anon arose from his corner of the board Out of his small burg eyes he watched the prince and often pledged his health in a brimming goblet of the headiest wine Hamassar unsuspecting of Ms rivals purpose drank freely and laughed boisterously bois-terously at the pungent words of Ramek the wise When the fun was at its height and sedate and solemn counselors had forgotten for-gotten their dignity and sang and drank as though they were boys on a lark Ramek arose and called in loud tones for silence After a while the uproar ceased the wine was untouched for a moment the song died away in cheerful echoes through the palace and all eyes were turned upon the cadaverous courtier who stood near the prince I My friends said Eamek holding a glass of wine in his hand it gives me great pleasure to propose a gves It is seldom that so many circumstances of good omen surround a man a those which crowd upon him whose health it is fitting we should drnk To most men youth itself is a sufficient joy I What then should be the satisfaction of a man who is not only young but handsome hand-some rich and over whose head there hangs the promise of a crown We who love our land who give our lives to its advancement and look with jealous eyes I upon all that affects its welfare can truly say that the event which is celebrated I cele-brated by this gathering here tonight lee with our warm approval I can well remember the clay when our host I was d little child It is hard for me to realize that the fleeting years have changed Mm from a toddling boy into a j firm able man filled with a lofty purpose pur-pose and crowned at the outset of his career with the laurels of success But I i must not detain you further for I see that every glass is filled JIy countrymen country-men I give you the health and happiness happi-ness of Hamassar prince and an emperors em-perors hope I A wild shout of acclaim shook the air Standing the guests drank the toast in a way which proved hat they loved the prince and were glad of his advancement advance-ment Hamassars face flushed as he heard the mighty cheer and met the glances of affection which fell upon him from all sides AR Ramek saw the fever in the princes eye and noted the trembling trem-bling of his jeweled hand he smiled mat ma-t liciously and seemed to gain a few i 3 pounds of flesh i After the guests were again seated and quiet had been restored Prince Hamassar began in a trembling voice his l reply to Rameks sp ech Ho was f much affected by conflicting emotions and at first his words were feebly put It is hard to express the inner feelings feel-ings of the heart at such u time as this he said The warm words of my friend the wise and courtly Ramek and your approval of his praise have filled me with a joy I cannot now display dis-play Here he paused and seemed to feel the disturbing influence caused by the gaze of 400 eyes The crisis unnerved un-nerved him and seizing a tumbler of wine ho drained it t the lees It was a fatal step My friends he began again there is nobody soso beautiful as my bebe betrothed I am proudproud of her Me No man here he braced himself a hittleno man ever won so wonderful wonder-ful or no wonder soso wonderful Well what I mean to say is that she is wonwonderful See Now want you to observe that she has the most hie beautiful hair and eyes and her figure her figfiguro runs up into the millions Seehic Furtherfurthermore I am not ugugly myself I tell youhicmy friends have the handhandsomest in the world See There is no nose so finn in outline so deldelicately tapered so overwhelmoverwhelmingly impressive impress-ive a mine See Now I say do you Eeehie By this time the palace was in an uproar up-roar It was bad enough that Hamassar was drunk but the guests realized with horror that in his boastfulness their host had placed his head in peril The emperors em-perors decree made his speech a capital offense and so open a defiance of the law could not be overlooked Cared for by servants Hamassar was led away to his sleeping apartments and the guests dispersed I groups they sauntered through the grounds inhaling 1 the cooling breeze which wandered down from the mountains The moon in all her glory shed a soft radiance over the sleeping city and helped to quiet the excited ex-cited mood of Hamassars friends A hour later the city was wide awake discussing dis-cussing the details of Hamassars folly I and wondering what would be the outcome out-come of it all I Ramek after seeintr that Hnir J l J L 7 0 I 1 was safely guarded hurried to the palace of the emperor craved admission to his lord and related to the startled king the stOry of the night The emperor could not believe Ms eats Hamassar noted for humility hadboastedin public I could not be There must be some mistake But other guests near to the king in rank had followed Ramek to the palace and confirmed his tale Let not the princess know of this till morning said the broken hearted king t Ms attendants You tell me Ramek that Hamassars house is surrounded by guard nIt is my king 1 At daylight then see to it that he is taken to the prison And let every guest at this most dreary feast hold himself in readiness to testify before me Now leave me to my sleep But sleep canie not to the king and in the morning his face had aged ten years i One however looked man younger I than his wont as the sun came up and throw the gaunt shadow ofRamek across the pavement of tils prison yard He had grown youthful by degrees as he saw Hamassar still dull from the fumes of wine dragged from Ms bed and hauled through the streets to a cell His face had gown fuller every moment a he paced the courtyard and reflected on the plight of his ruined rival Surely he soliloquized there isno escape for this drunken braggart The emperor cannot afford to let his law beta be-ta pled on by one so high in place Well have my plans turned out Ha massar was an easier victim than I had hoped to find him I knew not that drugged wino would so quickly turn a wise and modest man into a boastful fool But enough of this I must go home and rest When Hamassar regained Ms senses he looked about him in surprise His head ached Ms face was pale and beneath be-neath h eyes dark shadows lay Even his handsome nose was redder than should be the model for the world Where am I exclaimed In his mind was a confused image of a banquet ban-quet hal and dancing lights and strains of merry music to which familiar faces seemed to nod in time In prison sir a negro said coming to his couch In prison What mean you slave I Hamassar confined in a cel It cannot be I dream He lay back upon the couch and slept again CHAPTER I In solemn council the highest court was met The emperor looking old and worn gazed down upon a vast impatient throng while near him his weeping daughter sought in vain to find Hamassar through her tears The audience hall was packed orHamassars case had made great noise and from the distant corners of the land the people came to hear his fate Perhaps they all had hopes that if the emperor gave him pardon the harsh decree would be revoked and once again their nimble tongues might chatter of themselves Men from the mountains and men from the plains quiet villagers and noisy herdsmen nobles high in rank and beggars from the streets jostled each ether in the shadow of the throne Never before hadso largo a crowd attended a session of the court The Princess Bru was a handsome woman dark haired darkeyed and tall Her face clean cut was somewhat proud but her smile though sad today told of a kindly heart l hearts went out to her as she dried her tears and looked about her nervously Poor child the women said and the men felt that Prince Hamassar had full Pruce fl excuse ex-cuse for having lost his heart whatever might yet1 happen to his head Ramek alone xof all that vast assemblage assem-blage felt a savage satisfaction at the plight of the woman ho thought he loved The sorrow in her face testified that Hamassar had her heart and Ramek rejoiqed that he had made her suffer His evil face wore a bitter smile as he looked about him and saw in the eyes of all naught but love and pity for the grl At length Hamas ar closely guarded and with his wrists enchained was led before the throne He had grown old in a night His head he earned proudly and when he made obeisance to the tins did so with a princely grace that made the strangers friends to him at once There was silence for a time Then slowly the emperor arose and in a voice Df sorrow said Hamassar erstwl 1 a prince and our prospective son you are charged with disobedience of our will Our late decree de-cree tis said your foolish tongue has boldly held as naught I this bo true your head is forfeit to the state A great sigh a though the wind murmured mured in a forest arose from the crowd and the princess broken hearted sobbed aloud Then one by one the guests aL the princes feast told in subdued tones the Etoryof his fall how he had boasted of his bride and dubbed his nose unrivaled A witness after witness wove about the neck of the accused a chain of iron the thin face of Ramek shone with demoniac joy while the emperors countenance grew constantly more grave The maidens surrounding the Princess Bru fanned her constantly as though in fear that she would faint Hamassar kept his eyes upon the floor and seemed determined de-termined to conquer all emotion At length sufficient testimony had been id before the king to establish the guilt of the accused The crowd pressing forwardto catch every word murmured among themselves and there was fjji echo of pity in their tones For doubtless most of them knew that wine when taken in excess playa strange pranks with men And to them all it seemed a though Hamassars wordo had not been greatly out of place for the beauty of tho princess dazzled them all and they had to acknowledge that Hamassars noso was a work of art Such lenient thoughts as these entered not tho emperors head He sat buried in contemplation for a while after tie last witness had stepped aside Hamassar said the king the evidence evi-dence in all its details lies before me What have you to say before I tell your doom 0 doomMost Most gracious lord in firm and manly man-ly voice the prince replied the honesty of these my friends I cannot well impeach im-peach for what they say they say unwillingly un-willingly But in very truth I remember remem-ber nothing of the boastful words they charge me with Your clemency I ask not but lot one say that never in my conscious con-scious thoughts havo I had wish to disobey dis-obey your very wise decree The fearless manner of the prince impressed im-pressed the throng and a murmur of applause ap-plause caused a smile to cross the face of the Princess Bru For a moment even tl nnTror 011 1ccq Atr Rt if f f I l i was only for a moment His brow again I j darkened and he communed in silence with himself There was not a sound in the hal Every one knew that life or death hung upon the next words of the king and Ramek gazed eagerly at the stern face upon which all eyes were turned Youworq Hamassar said the emperor em-peror at length are doubtless true but they alter not the sentence that must come I your own home before two hundred guests you break the letter and the spirit of ou law Your crime if I forgive you would corrupt the land and once again tho egotist and braggart would meet us at every turn My word would be but wind to my people and they would call their king a man of straw The law must be enforced I and my child have loved you well and 1 your sad fate has filled our hearts with gloom But though a father I am also a king I must be firm although I long to grant you mercy He paused he e and thero were those who thought they heard him sob Hamassar your sentence I pronounce Before tomorrows tomor-rows sun has set behind the hills your head must fall May the deities that love our land be land to you A dread silence followed these fateful words Hainassaro face was white but his lips trembled not at all Suddenly upon the startled air arose a shriek and rushing forward the Princess Bru sprang up the stairway to the throne Throwing Throw-ing her white arms about her fathers neck she cried Oh spare him Spare him Save him for my sake Silence my child the emperor sternly cried though his hand touched her shoulder lovingly Remember you are the daughter of a king Guards remove re-move the prisoner Most gracious lord exclaimed a white haired man pushing his way through the throng permit me a word before the prisoner departs Speak said the emperor curtly 1 but see to it that your words are few and to the point I Stepping forward until he stood in full view of the crowd the old man said vew That his head is forfeit to the state according to the ruling of our king is true I heard them and I know But in our courts the spirit not the letter of the law is held to be the thehighest guidance I guid-ance for our use Now let us look at i Prince Hamassars case The witnesses have shown that in an egotistic way he boasted of his nose He spoke not of his head nor claimed that any feature I but his nose was worthy of a praise What follows The letter of the law demands de-mands that he shall lose his head But th punishment is tom severe The de j i cree was laid down not to oppress our land but to make ou people modest Therefore I say that its spirit will be carried out in full if Prince Hamassars nose is severed from his face Let Mm lose that of which he bragged and if in the future he shall vaunt the beauty of his ears or call his hands unrivaled let further mutilation be his fate This is strict justice and mercy and reason here go hand in hand A roar of applause resounded through the the old clever palace a mans speech came to a sudden end The emperor looked pleased and seemed t reflect that a nose i not essential to a soninlaw Tho Princess Bra clapped her fair hands delightedly and even Hamassar seemed to lay aside for a moment his studied and phlegmatic pose Old man you have spoken well the emperor said Your reasoning is most profound I hereby revoke the sentence just pronounced and decree that Most gracious Mng broke in Ramek rushing forward grant me 1 moment before you take another step Whatmeans this noise wise Ramek the emperor cried You were not wont to be a rattlepate Nor am making foolish interruption now my lord but as a subject sometimes some-times useful to the state I crave your notice to a word or two Go on then and be quick Permit me then to say that in his argument my aged friend has spoken brilliantly He is skillful in the law and his persuasive voice went to my inmost soul But bear in mind my kinsthat this especial case will serve for precedent pre-cedent and a tho late decree is now interpreted in-terpreted so shall its influence for all time be felt Now mark you According Accord-ing to the counselor who just now spoke it i sufficient for the law that he who disobeys it should lose that of which he boasted Hamassar then forfeits to the state Ms nose But we must bear in mind that he also showed in word and manner I quote from the decree overweening over-weening satisfaction in Ms betrothed According therefore to ou friends interpretation in-terpretation Hamassars nose and your ow daughter gracious king must be cut off There is no middle course I tho spirit of the law demands the sacrifice sac-rifice of Prince Hamassars nose it cries out also for the blood of the Princess Bra I put the matter plainly for this is a crisis when to mince words would be criminal I feel that the death of Hamassar would be a national na-tional calamity I have always loved him well and have rejoiced in bis advancement ad-vancement But tho life of one man only is not here at stake I the law be construed in n loose and careless way there is no telling how cruel its application applica-tion may yet become By holding to the letter of this stern decree all danger is avoided and D precedent here set for many generations yet unborn Let Hamassar rise to a joyous contemplation contempla-tion of the fact that in his death he will confer upon posterity a great and lasting last-ing boon I thank you much 0 king for and that granting me this time hope you will understand my heart I am striving to protect the welfare of our land If I have erred your own great wisdom will surely set me right Rainek ceased and as his voice in jeering echoes died away a shudder passed over the assemblage For his words though harsh were wise and all who heard them knew the prince must die The Princess Bra sobbed painfully and the emperors face was grave He found himself in a strange dilemma He might save the prince by cutting off his nose and beheading the Princess Bru but with his daughter dead Hamassar could not be his soninlaw On the other hand if he killed Hamassar of course he could not wed him to his daughter Whichever way he played the game he lost The throng before him deeply moved seemed to gaze up at him in pity and the silence in the hall proved that his subjects felt deeply the misfortune of their king After a time he spoke I This is a weighty matter he said gloomily and not to bo decided in a trice I must ponder it at length Ha massar I remand you to prison for a week At the end of that time your u doom shall be announced Gentlemen I the court adjourns CJTR I 7 I A hideous old woman stood before her Surrounded by her women the Princess i Prin-cess Bru looking heavy eyed and weary reclined upon a divan Two days and nights her tears had flowed and the beauty of her face was marred She realized re-alized that her lover had no chance of escape and the thought of tho dreary life before her well nigh drove her mad Why oh why did he touch the treacherous treach-erous wine she would cry out in the wne cr still watches of the night Why did he vaunt my charms and talk of his darling nose Hamassar 0 Hamassar I cannot let you die Herwomen regretted her sad fate and in gentle ways offered her what consolation consola-tion lay in their power But they made no impression on her bruised and bleeding bleed-ing heart Their task was fruitless because be-cause the emperor distrustful of himself I refused to see Ms child or let her plead i her lovers cause in any way whatever i As Bru reclined that morning listlessly listless-ly upon her couch and watched ths sunbeams sun-beams chase the brilliant colors on the rugs her face wore a hopeless look a though she had played her last coin on the black and the red had won At last came forward one of her damsels and < stood near the couch Weep not fair princess first she said turning kindly eyes upon the emperors em-perors child There yet may be a way to save the prince I I What mean you girl asked Bra coldly though with some surprise Delude De-lude me not with false and fleeting hopesHave I Have you not heard continued the maiden unabashed of a wise old woman I wo-man who lives in the mountains many miles from here and watches from her cave the changing stars From the book of nature she learns strange secrets that we know not of I have heard it said that her mind i quick although her face is queer Perhaps this woman could advise you well 1 We catch afc straws who drown exclaimed the Princess Bru Send straight for this old crone And tell the messenger to ride right hard and bring her back at once The lay wore on to night the night to day and still the princess sleepless as before awaited eagerly the coming of the dame The sun arose and shone in splendor on a city plunged in gloom For the people loved Hamassar and felt that Ms doom was hard I vain they had sent petitions and petitioners to plead before the king His face retained its sternness and he refused to hear their plea High noon had come before the 1 Princess Bru still listless from her sorrow sor-row heard from her woman that the hag was there I Admit her quickly said the unhappy happy girl watching the hangings eagerly Ahideous old woman stood before herr < her-r as a twig and bent with the weight of years In her eyes however burned the light of a searching mind and one forgot her ugliness when she deigned to smile No obeisance made she as she entered the royal presence but leaning on her stick awaited tho words of Bru You come from far good mother Accept my thanks You must be weary Seat yourself upon this couch that you may talk in comfort The kind words of the princess seemed to please the aged crone for she smiled grimly and sank down upon the seat Must Prince Hamassar die wise her woman aked the emperors child voice trembling as she felt the import of her words i I cannot tell my child What do my mountains know about Hamassar A I came hither I heard that he had disobeyed your fathers late decree Tis true but is there no escape I cannot oh I cannot let him die I She sobbed aloud and her maidens rushed around her fanning her devoutly and pressing her to drink She touched her lips to the cooling water and seemed refreshed Then calmly to her guest she told the story of Hamassars fall and how it was that his head had not yet fallen from its trunk I silence the old woman listened and when the princess prin-cess ceased spoke not a word After a timo she said tme I must ponder this alone and search the stars tonight The law i too severe se-vere but a it seems to me its right interpretation in-terpretation has not yet been reached Tomorrow I will come to you and may have words to say worthy your royal ears Till then have hope for womans wit i often potent even where men have failed So saying she slowly left the room and the princess wept to see her goAt go-At length the fatal day arrived which brought with it Hamassars final doom Again the audienco hall was thronged The emperor looked old and i as ho slowly mounted to his throne and smiled sadly on his people Ramek was there the light of triumph in his eyes and a flush upon his thin and sunken cheeks The crowd was restless and guards well armed were scattered through the hall Rumors had reached the king that certain cer-tain lawless spirits had sworn to save the prince When the culprit still in chains was brought before the throne a cheer rang out which reached the crowd outside and was echoed back from the very center cen-ter of the city The emperor turned pale but Ms month was firm and h eyes glowed with a stern unshaken purpose poseSilence he cried and let the outer door be closed I Then he arose and said A womans voice pleads for a hearing before the doom of Prince Ha massar shall be known Reluctantly my royal promise I have given that my daughter should address the court i There was a buzz of excitement in the r 17 l Q haJ Ramek looked surprised and Ha massars gloomy face betokened a pas ing interest in these words After 1 moment a side door opened and the Princess Bru surrounded by her court entered the hall She looked superb Rich robes and jewels added to the beaut of her face and form and a murmur mur-mur of admiration broke from the mobile mo-bile throng Ramek sprang forwaid and offered her Ms arm but she haughtily haugh-tily waved him aside One glance she cast upon Haraossar full of love and cheer then proudly advanced toward the throne Never before had the princess carried herself so well in her fathers sight He looked upon her with pride and as she bowed before him smiled down upon her with affection She i every inch a queen afecton < to himself Even if Ramek had not made h speech a week ago it would have been a shame to wed her to a man without a nose Standing alone upon the dais from which orators addressed the court the princess gazed calmly before her There a not a tremor in her face and she awaited patiently the cessation of the noise her appearance had produced Afc length she spoke By the kindness of my king I am allowed to stand here for a moment to 5perk a favr words in defense of Prince Hamassar Well do I know that the greatest lawyers of the realm have pronounced pro-nounced his case defenseless Well do I know that MB sentence once pronounced pro-nounced is now again to be affirmed Why come I then to raise a womans voice where men whose tongues are bold refuse to stand Why do I lay aside the modesty of sex and reverse the customs of our land Because I love Hamassar do you say No because be-cause I love the right and would not see my king and name disgraced For know you all that the execution of the prince would be in full defiance of all law Your patience for a moment and Ill explain What is the purpose of the decree against which Prince Hamassar erred I it not that in this mighty empire the egotist and boaster may have no place Has Ha massar until the moment of his unlucky lucky speech been given to the habits of a braggart You who know him least know that his modesty has been famed even in the distant corners of the earth What then His sudden exhibition of conceit had some peculiar cause Hew He-w s an egotist by chance not by habit and when ho spoke that night the gambols gam-bols of his tongue were due to wine tonge wne Now follow me close The spirit of the f law is said to be the guidance of our courts Does this decree in spirit urge the death of one whose modesty and rank have joined to make him a example ample to the people of this land No ten thousand times The spirit of this decree de-cree calls out for the removal of that which caused the princes fall I he is modest when himself deprive him then of all intoxicants his humility will still be star to Cut off as t sar guide ou youth of his wine neither his nose nor head S much for that Now let me say a word to those who talk of precedent and insist in-sist upon the letter of the law Here she looked at Ramek Prince Ha massar has already fulfilled the harsh demands de-mands of this decree What do I mean you ask Just this Did he remember one word of what he said Can he now recall his boastful speech No This proves beyond all question that before he left his board he had lost his head Now a man cannot be punished twice for a single crime Having once lost Ms head because of the wine he drank the state has now no claim upon his person Thus do I hold that i he takes a pledge to abstain from all intoxicants the spirit of the law will rest in peace The letter of the same a I have shown i now forever dead so far a Prince Ha massar is concerned I i Surprised applause which had broken out now and then during the young woman wo-man speech became a mighty roar aa she ceased Cheer after cheer arose and had it not been for the guards the people would have raised Hamassar in their arms and carried Mm straightway from the hall 1 The game i lost muttered Ramek to himself a he slunk from the palace and Ms the crowd out fought hs way through out side I wonder where that woman got her points There is little to tell The ltle more tel emperor em-peror overjoyed to hear Ms daughters words released the prince at once and in a month possessed a soninlaw whose nose remained in its accustomed placed place-d to this day the descendants of Ha massar still mighty men in the east abstain ab-stain from wine Hamassars never smile is an oriental proverb the origin of which you have just read orgn I THE END |
