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It was abundantly evident the led in the web of this designing creature For the hour, at least, all serious consideration of her who should rightfully claim his attention had been co victier than his own, his conscience deadened by the poison of beauty; so, whileFrench vanity, I could perceive no ht arouse him to more manly action To cross such a man only invites to the surface the worst ele protest, it ht be doubtful if he comprehended the nature ofwould result in the exchange of hard words, and inan enemy where now I possessed a friend Not that the Chevalier was a particularly valuable ally, yet he wielded a good sword upon occasion, and would prove ht despise him, yet he remained the husband of Madame, and I durst pick no quarrel with hi our situation aes darker than ever As to the moral side of the affair, it would be sheer waste of words to broach it, as De Noyan could form no clearer conception of such an issue than a babe unborn He swung as the wind blew, and in all his pa himself a liberty Saint Andrew! it was a knotty problem for such a head asthe role of a neutral, as I sat staring at the fellohile he twisted hisat himself in the pocket mirror, utterly oblivious of my presence

"So this beauty of a Queen told you the tale of her people," I re to humor his mood "It would interest me to hear the story Those I have thus far seen differ widely froes hoht As she tells the story, they are not of Indian blood, but belong to a far older race She says they are the re their exact lineage she spoke but little--who once, hundreds of years ago no doubt, held undisputed doh the prairies far to the northward, down to the salted sea bounding the land upon the east She said their ancestors mined in the rocks, and cultivated the rich land of the valleys They were ruled over by five kings; and when one of these died all their wives were burned above the grave, and a hundred slaves sacrificed to the Sun, which they worshipped, and called Elagabalus These were all buried around the body of the king, whose toe mound of earth erected over them by the labor of thousands of slaves taken in battle Yet their chief king, in the day of their great power, she called Palenque, placing his capital to north and east of this place, a land journey of thirty days Here was built a great city of wood and stone, surrounded by an is journeyed in state once each year to doreat teather thus frohtered before the altar by the priests She toldstones, with other treasures Cities were set apart under guard to have special care over them Some of these have descended even unto the present, but are kept hidden away by the priests, though she promised later to let e tale of destiny--of a long, barbarous war, filled with the nawhich the Chichi down upon them from the northward--drove their fathers backward frodoreat river where Palenque reigned Their ancestors erected vast forts of earth, thusas their slaves remained loyal But at last these also rose in revolt, and, when all supplies had been cut off, the hopeless re with the the sacred flaift of the Sun, to die out upon their altars Like flies they died in the preservation of this syion; for 'tis their faith, that if it be kept burning undireat leader frolories She described to s the race had h walls, the vast ures of extinct animals, uplifted as altars, and sometimes utilized for the burial of their dead and their treasure Sacre! I can recall a portion of the story, yet it was a weird, fascinating tale as she told it slowly, and with all seriousness, although the black boy staot only dim pictures here and there"