Tales of Aztlan

te chill, the effect of an altitude of five thousand feet above sea level. The country had lost its appearance of loneliness, for we pas

y owned rich silver mines farther up on Lynx Creek, and had come out from town to perform the annual assessment work on their claims, as prescribed by the laws of the United States, in order to hold possession and perfect legal title to the ground. As I was not versed in matters pertaining to the mines, I asked why they did not work t

the labor required by law, which is not less than one hundred dollars per claim and incidentally he cooked for the outfit and attended to the horses. Of course, they might have hired mine laborers to do this

laced this dangerous thing near the fire and sat on it, I became fidgety, but was reassured when subsequently I saw him draw the stopper and fill a bottle labelled "Old

any further than the blossoms on the tips of your noses, but the young man has a sharp proboscis, he scents the girls. Here comes Dan bound for the Silver Bell Mine with his blooming show." We heard the clatter of hoofs and wheels and saw a large coach pass by, crowded with passengers, mostly ladies. The clerk said that the genial owner of the Silver Bell Mine, who was also the proprietor of

," they said; "there is nothing but copper there, even the water is poisoned with it." Those were the black hills where there is now th

ifying sight truly, but imagine my astonishment! Here to the right was the identical mysterious hill which I had seen in that memorable night

d hardest to bear, a loneliness made sufferable only by the illusive phantasies of the golden fever. Their expectations realized, the majority of these pioneers returned to the Golden State and civilization with the burden of their treasure, saying they had not come to Arizona for their health. Now in these present days there comes a throng of people in quest of health solely, and many are they who find its blessing in the sunny and bracing air of this climate, in hot springs and the balmy breath of the fir and juniper of our mountains. I found employment in a mercantile establishment of this little mining town and grew up with the country, as the saying is. I formed new acquaintances and made new friends. Among others, I met William Owen O'Neill. I cannot now remember the exact time or year. Attracted by the light-hearted, cheerful, and dare-devil spirit of this ambitious and cultured young man, I joined a military organization, of which he was then a lieutenant

Neill independently rich, but it is a fact that as soon as it passed from his hands, the stone lost in value and no one has since profited from it. I believe that our hero would have risen to the highest position of dignity on earth, the Presidency of the United States, if he had not unwittingly aroused the jealousy of the terrible heathen god. When he chose a wife from the lovely maidens of Prescott, then the vengeful Sphinx laid its sinister plans for his undoing, for it is in the nature of cats, small or great, to be exceedingly jealous. The furious idol remembered the people of a long forgotten race, its loyal subjects, who had reared and worshiped it, inconceivably long a

izona-and at the call of Captain O'Neill, the noble mayor of Prescott, there arose the first contingent of fighting volunteers in our war with Spain? The inexorable Sphinx had resolved to grant to our beloved and honored friend its last and most exalted gift, a hero's death on t

l, fell the gallant Captain William Owen O'Neill o

in O'Neill exposed himself and was instantly killed. How could he avoid it? How could it have been otherwise? What can keep an Irishman down in the ditch when bullets are flying in air, "murmuring dirges" and "shells are shrieking requiem

ident of the United States of America. Not knowing it, perhaps, he still is at the time of this writing in the sphere of influence and in the power of the Sphinx and is doing its bidding. Else why should he, as is well known, favor the jointure of New Mexico and Arizona into one State? Surely the loya

r, where a party of men gathered two hundred thousand dollars worth in a week's time? Whence came the isolated great chunk of silver at Turkey Creek, valued at many thousands? The wisest professor of geology and expert of mines cannot explain it. This, I say, is the gold and silver from ornaments employed in temples of the id

by the ancient worshipers to their idol, the Sphinx. Before it stood the awful sacrificial stone, whereon quivered the bodies of victims while priests tore open their breasts and offered their throbbing hearts in the sacred fire on the altar, a sacrifice to their cruel god. Many prospectors have undoubtedly traced a blood

of Mother Earth! Beware Thumb Butte, beware the district of the Sphinx! Have a care, for you know not what you may encounter in this mystic neighborhood! Shun strange gods and set up no idols in your hearts, as you value the salvation of your souls. But if your mine lies in

d is held in its paw. Even now is the Sphinx weaving on the web of my destiny. I hope I may be spared the cumbersome burden of the wealth of a Ro

mine. This mine is within a mile of the place where we had camped and met the party of miners. I had worked the mine with profit until I met, through no fault of mine, with

bristling tail he disappeared down the mine. When I went to the spot where he had scratched, after the fashion of cats, probably preparing to build his location monument and place his notice, I was thu

fies that my life's real task is now beginning, the Sphinx is fitting me for glorious work. What and where, I care not; but ambitious hope leads me on, past wealth and power to visions of a temple of divine, pictorial art. Fain would I guide my light, frivolous thoughts long enough into

CANNY

chapter of "Wooed by

ows, dancing i

e sun's last

bat-wings, sa

ess-night p

welfth hour so

tolls a whi

raves profane

in dreamland

sions of depart

in, that fette

their kingdom

n's choir o

scott, a historic date for Arizona, as then our governor, in behalf of

ted on the public plaza of Prescott in honor of "Roosevelt's Roug

Rough Rider who is about to draw his weapon while reining his terrified horse as it rears in a last lunge. This is in

protruding eyes seem to glaze into the awful stare of death, and instinctively the s

iny of a dumb animal, man's most useful and willing slave, always ready to share its master's

f the monument

buted by nature to the memory of one of its noblemen, "Captain William Owen

the gaze of mortals veils their ordained doom: "Comrades, sergeant! I thank you for your kindly warning-fear not for me, the Spanish bullet that could kill me is not molded!"-when instantly he fell struck de

and; old Plymouth Rock does not compare with it, for that derives its prestige only f

ecious burden-the tribute of a people who

until during the Jurassic Period, under the lateral pressure of a cooling e

, the mother, until at the beginning of the psychozoic era, through erosion or the action of atmospheric influ

an; but the giant-flora and fauna of pre-historic time had de

zona stone accumulated much, for when it had reached its assigned site

s destination. Slowly it crawled along, threatening destruction to everything i

when more than thirty-seven hundred years ago King Menes, son of Cham reigned in Egypt, who albeit s

had come I feared that disaster would overwhelm

tion and through sorcery or in other unhallowed ways contrived to interfere with the public electric traction service, p

ver a bridge until satisfied that this will uphold its weight, the cunning ston

he Idol of the mountain, the "Sphinx of Aztlan,"

eccentric vagaries and speculations on the artistic and intrinsic value of the monument. Some persons guessed at the val

e statue bore no individual resemblance; but that also was contradicted by a young lady whom I heard exclaim: "Girls,

ipation of seeing the features of their lamented friend, Prescott's honored mayor, immortalized in bronze. When after moments of anxious suspense the veil which draped the statue parted and fell to earth, the

and molded into exact, lifelike resemblance, but instead we beheld an unknown visage-a type, merely the se

ed seven, on the

d naming sword earth

uspicious be t

athen guile a Chr

ess with awe, sole

pired flame on Azt

ts, behold a m

ur Saviour,

en's glo

p now has vani

revice and h

tte and mou

nd Canyon's

ed desert, the

rater of Sto

de," a home of

haunted by Mon

astle, crumbling

of heaven ghosts of

the Great Spirit

ose's wail, and stilled th

starlight from ey

ire and sun, poor dw

er and lo, shy startl

l dams of moon-

hes bathe in M

l waters the touris

a has the Saviour

Army lass teaches

, poor sinner, repen

tore for thee, br

nd sudden death fo

sie's war-cry is, the

nnie Roonie" and

nd banjo, march

holds storming, ba

lying, the tam

silenced the sha

edicine she has tab

and rye, sour

lled, licensed,

bond to ripen

rank and file who fi

the Son of Man, true

preach and pray and pou

EN

s my rhyming, subm

ide goes before

f slowly, grind the

, a versifying b

I rode; but f

me when Pegasu

d I hear a satyr

resting, on my

ind attention now your

RIZONA. (AN AL

taked my claim; in the shade of

es the cones on boughs and twigs-the tree-giant whispers with resinous breath, bemoaning the fate of a prehistoric ci

hat grandly wrought were carved step after step, through successive epochs of erosion, affording thus an easy ascent to the rugged profile of this land of the Western Hemisphere. All this is

volcanos, out of the depth of globe-encircling waters, from the womb of

hday fell under the sign of the scorpion when in the path of planets Venus contend

in the rays of Apollo's sun-torch when at eventide his flamin

clamored for aid. Neptune was first among the planets to heed t

th with flowing streams and limpid cry

e are famed as Ari

by-red garnet, her pledge of love and Arizona hid it in her bosom. There

nish malachite, of buoyant hope the emblem. This, in time

t came soldiers bold, heroes who

kstone. The lodestone was a stone of grit. When Arizona placed it in her crib thence came th

rs fight keenly in continued terms for order, law and justice with weapons that are mightier t

d as a serpent coils and creeping stretch

he playthings many: the rattlesnake, hairy tarantelas and stinging scorpions, horned toads and centipe

infant Arizona. He worried her, poor dearie-dear till she shed tears and nature adding to the gush of

d in the hot desert sand and where man-like, incautiously he scorched the hem of Arizona's dress-where now lies

nfaltering faith. It and a lock of shining hair he gave her. That hid she in her rocky bed where it became gold of the min

lands beaming her softest rays over the sleeping child. Under the lunar kisses woke Arizona and stored t

to her last quarter, but that was waning fast and her man's shadow also growing less. Her semi-transparent stone, alas! had given she long since to California, but this proudest of all daugh

ne, climate

ings free-g

re

ve f

AL FI

ICAL AN

ere the Elbe flows into the North Sea, was my

were the only barrier standing between untold thousands of lives and watery graves

ing as late as the tenth and eleventh centuries of our era more than three hu

banks of the river were erected by the systemati

Vulcan, who taught my forefathers the art of forging tools from iron o

f his element, stemming the inroads of hungry seas with their stupendous handiwork which still stands intact,

imed from the sea they founded their

of the revengeful Neptune his mermaids spewed sea-foam into the rive

g Gambrinus and was therefore master of the noble craft of brewing kindly taught my forefathers t

een Cuxhaven and Hamburg are still troubled with a tremend

who inhabited that country. The chapel's original walls were built of rock, b

straw, under which a flock of sparrows made their homes; but a modern building, how prosaic-looking it might be, or deficient

parsonage in a rain storm which compelled them to retire for the night under the shelter

roof, part of it was removed and with it t

ere was another mouth to be fed then, a very

ll," but mother took me to her arms, withering her sister with scornful glances of her flashing eyes. "Certainly does he look like a monk, th

r we heard the rumble of wheels as an imperial post-cha

the message. They returned with a large envelope bearing great official seals, both girls struggling for its possession an

k the missive from my sister's hands and turned it over and over, guessing at its contents until mother who wa

nd he would have fallen if mother had not caught him in her arms. She grabbed the ev

s to the sanctity of his studio, where

n the corridor for mother's return, dreading to hear the worst. I heard my dear father groan aloud and bemoan his fate an

lew to her. She took me to her a

"cheer up and you shall have

I faltered, "

lint of her eyes and a twitching of the corners of her m

what misfortune has b

able civic corporation of the Free City of Hamburg to appear before the visiting king in full dress, and officiate as orator of the day at a re

ailed, "do sa

ion, perhaps. He will have to feign sickness as an excuse for his absence; but I hope he realizes now how degraded and unhappy I mus

at," I said, "a ro

ther, "but it has n

ails?" I gasped wonderingly; "but

my mind; "it has cock-tails, has it, mamma

you are the funniest little chap t

playmate, our big, black tomcat, and aroused him from hi

the combination which unlocks the portals of silence. I gave the

pirit of worldly ambition and with true Christian humility, his soul purified by vanquished temptation, resigned himself unreservedly, good man that he was, to the mandate of a cruel fate. He began to write his se

th seen affliction by

r two long hours father pondered over the uncertainties of earthly life, and tha

work on an unfinished volume of historical ske

he altered father's "Prince Albert" into a stately full-dress coat, ripping up its w

oes with the long waistcoat and the full

obe. Deftly cutting the lace away, a few inches above the knees she placed some mother-of-pearl buttons and bows of ri

chord in his mind as the recording of a most fearful catastrophe, the direst calamity known to

nal downfall accomplished when Blucher's tardy cavalry appeared on the field, turning the tide of battle in favor of the British"

joyfully embracing her; "but I say!" he exclaimed in startled surprise, "where

to court," replied mother. "Here you have everythi

ong-limbed stockings," said

her, bristling, "well enough you know that

m!" growled f

king to see my stockings t

at he can't see, as he is

nd," snapped mother, "but never was he blind as you to his queenly wife's unfashio

te extremes, finally gained her point, for f

s. Festoons of evergreen decorated the roadway from the parsonage to the opposite house, and mothe

an open landau, which was drawn by six milk-white Arabian steeds and surrounded by

he royal colors over

he king for the purpose of advisin

eyes on us, bowing to the ladies in ackn

ictured on playing cards, the kings holding scepters in their left hands and bearing a ball with their right, but I saluted and shouted as everyone else did, and when my sisters pelted the royal equipage with their roses I shied my cap at his majesty, at which the people who saw this laughed as loudly

iate occasionally with ordinary people. So "Herr von Beerstein" goes to a beer garden in quest

lovely cousin and they retire to a lonely s

and purse in the keeping of his gentle com

r" "Herr von Beerstein" grows by stages sentimental, incautious and then so reckless that "presto!" before he is aware of any danger to himself he has stopped Cupid's fatal dart with his royal personal circumference. Maddened with pain he exhibits symptoms of a most violent passion and becomes very

he bosom of his shirt and exposes the insignia of royalty, flashing the sovereign's star before her eyes. Humbly, overcome with shame and remorse at the thought o

lightest wish is a command to me, your servant!" and is about to surrender her loveliness to Cupid's forces and

head rises up and peeps over the fence, for the royal star has been seen throug

koenig, ho

nstable places the damsel under arrest, charging her with lese majeste. When, however, his m

power, not even a king can save her from it, for that

in the curious habit of feigning to have an unimpaired eye sight and pretended to admire scenic objects which had been pointed out to him beforehand as though he really saw them, carrying out this illusion to the extent

he fell promptly into disfavor, which is eq

blindness not merely to be a most regrettable misfortune,

He drew a purse from his pocket, intending to give a beggar an aim when his horse

older, I heard

alas, once too often-into eyes that blazed with lurid flames of hate and fury-the terrible eyes of the green-eyed monster. There came a flash as of lightning with a loud report and he saw stars that fell fiercely fast until

en into line, advancing gradually toward the august presence of a crowned king. Nervously father aw

ld castle which was kept in good repair by the city of Hamburg, its present owner.

ylaying and robbing of merchants; but the wrecking o

one side of the room were stone-hearths with blazing fires, over which hung pots and brazen kettles. Game and meats broiled on spits, there being no

ef de cuisine and own butler. The latter, a lordly Englishman, was a grand, haughty p

ses were served, oh it was fine! The chef prepared certain dishes for the king and I saw the butler taste

h of snowy linen for me, and I slept until the banquet

ler, eyed me with qu

id your father get 'is bl

ed it, good si

lydie, you tike me word for h'it; h'in h'England they wo

ui mal y pens

OF YA

S.

YLLIC

ery land sojou

hores of crystal lakes, from turbid miasmat

ulch they roam, prospecting

that was found by the genius of a lonesome valley

of her ancestral hall s

es (the seductive swish of elfin skirts) she heard the voices of Juno's sylvan train. Enchanted she listened to the syren's call, and

of the hills, the mountain-lion at the threshold of his l

snarl in silent groves of timber and shivered at the

a disturbed her rest and in day's early gloam a war

When darkness vanishes with dawn,

etid breath of monster lizards and venom stings of centipedes and scorpions; but woma

e into the panic-stare of abject terror under the straight glance of her eye. The slightest motion of her tender hand to him augured a sudden death, f

terviewed the cowboy, that valiant belted knight of modern weste

invading the domain of Pluto's treacherous gnomes she met the hard

hobnob with death

f the hills, blinding and smothering sandstorms on the desert d

er, past "lowing kine on pastures green," under th

f Parnassus she pours her jubilant songs of hope,

d thee, fair lady, our precio

iny, the throbbing of thy faithful heart-"Yet shall the genius of thy lyre with angel-hands reverberate the shining chords through untold fu