The Mark of the Beast

s spirit filled the place. It was not the awe of silence and subjection to the world's greatest ruler-though, presently, something of that would come upon those gathered whe

er and amaze at the splendour of the Templ

into a wondrous style of architecture peculiarly unique, yet withal holding a perfect harmony-such is (not a description, f

herub with two faces, (the young lion and the man) "so that the face of a young lion was on the one side toward the palm, and the face of a man on the other side toward the palm." The vine and the pomegrani

ordinated to that wondrous balance of the whole appearance that went to make up the amazing harmony that was as a veritable atmosphere in the pl

s no window anywhere, but "Radiance," the newest light of the day, tempered by rose-pink and palest electric blue prisms, filled the pl

ts of costume and uniform were softened, blended, and harmonized by the power of colou

.) And there was no seat here, save a throne-chair of gold, ivory, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones, that occupied the centre of a magnificent dais just in front of the entrance into the very small "Holy of Holies." A wonderful curtain of purple velvet-not the fine t

eisance. One man only remained upright-George Bullen. Taking advantage of his position behind a marble pillar, he held hi

the foot of these steps, Cohen the High-priest elect, stood clothed in a single garment of pure white linen, that reached from his sh

at. As he rose, soft, weird music came from an angle where a screen of palm-

weird music, came the voices of a sco

, the Lord thy

pleon, and he noted the mocking, contemptuous smil

ered coat" from the offered hands of one of the subordinate priests. The garment was of white linen wonderfully, beautifully embroidered. It reached from the shoulde

was a long, loose garment of Royal blue satin, with a wide neck-opening, the opening bound with a wide gold band. The Robe was slipped over the head, and it dropped to the feet of the Hig

de gold braid, and buckled with two of the Anti-christ covenant badges. Apleon had provided himself with these, and no one probably, save George Bullen, noticed of what the bucklings consisted. But nothing escaped Bullen, for while the attention of everyone

and instead of being of the same stuff, was a cunningly worked band of gold studded with many gems. The girdle handed to Apleon, fastened with a cl

ly, twisted gold of the clasp, the "Mark of the

It should, according to the Mosaic command, have been made of the same material

gold, and slung by a gold chai

are, the centre divided by gold ribs, across and across, into twelve sections, each section holding a separate precious stone of fabulous wealth. Just for a moment or two the wondrous mechanical music stole out again upon the silence. Lovers of music recognized part of Schubert's "Unf

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d to the fullness of the deep, front roll of the turban. Engraved in Hebrew characters upon the plate, were the words: "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." Here again, ke

actually employed. As a matter of fact it occupied but a few minute

e: "Behold the Priest of th

the spell of the Arch-Deceiver, or they would have caught the

, the night before, the passages in Exodus and Leviticus, relating to the robing of the High-priest, and had been struck with this

Jew priest, there recurred, with startling power to Bullen, the words of prophecy by Daniel

ng himself up as God," was the thought of Bullen. There was no tim

the 'Torah'-Ro

Priest-the parchment scroll loosely-cased in a silken slip-off. As he bore the s

t across his left shoulder, unrolled the scroll,

his hand. Instantly the priest covered his head with his "talate" (prayi

is head with his prayer shawl

, the Lord thy

curious, monotonous intone, part of Solom

verified (on the morrow of this day). Thy word wh

sign that he had finished his brief reading, he cle

meet here this afternoon in our own Temple, reared by Jewish gold and patriotism. Our Father's Temple, Solomon's could have been but a poor synagogue compared to this in which we are now found. To-morrow, all the world will be gathered to this place, (all that pa

coming to pass of this universal recognition of our race, but chief among the factors that have

d with a smile in which pride in his position and quizzical mirth at

s, and amid murmurs of assent at Cohen's allusion to the Emper

ire to maintain, to strengthen our position, hence it has seemed good to the great International Jewish committee to seek to have a covenant with Lucien Apleon, Emperor-Dictator of the World.

alf of our people, our Emperor will also affix his signature. Then all of us, as a sign of our covenant and our allegiance, will wear a badge which has been p

world, or jewelled, gold or silver, for those who would fain purchase something more in accordance with their ran

stood, they parted, and showed an exquisite little table of gold an

d. He opened the casket, drew forth a small silk-tasselled parchment roll, an

in a hollow of the casket. Cohen took the pen,

n people, I Solomon Isaac Cohen (Aaron,) First High-Priest of the new era, in the City o

sign to the two priests. They lifted the tabl

seals were affixed, Cohen and Apleon, touched them, then the table was once mor

unnoticed. All the kings and most of the princes and others, from Babylon, received massive and costly signe

"The Mark o

inor personages. Many of the Jews, in their enthusiasm, wore one of the "Signs" in the centre of the for

was hailed as the world's deliverer, the whole Temp

hat thronged that wide marble approach to the gates of the Temple, and caught again and again by ever more distant peoples, until in a moment or