The Golden Fleece: A Romance

p beside the pyramid till the following evening, and then make the trip across the desert in the co

"possession" under which Miriam had suffered came to an end. They determined to bury him at the f

was that she was held in Freeman's arms, with a feeling that she had barely escaped from some great peril. She could recall nothing of the journey down the gorge, of the adventure at the bottom of it, or of the return. It was only by degrees that some partial light was thrown upon this matter. Freeman knew that he was at the entrance of the cave when the earthquake began, and he remembered receiving a blow on the head. Consequently it must have been at t

ena, but we know perhaps even less about their esoteric meaning than the Aztecans did. I should judge that Miriam would be what is called a good 'subject.' Kamaiakan discovered that fact; and as for what followed, we can only i

out, she called herself S

re accounts of an Aztecan princess of that name, an ancestress of my

her marvels," said Meschines. "Suppose we leave the t

o say, General Tred

Freeman," returned the general, gravely. "Old peop

with a chuckle, "your eyes might not have

reeman, after a pause. "I meant to tell you on my return. I know I don

r from a member of your syndicate, who is also an acquaintance of mine, which explained your position. Under the circumstances, I consider your course to have been honorable. You and I were both in search of the same thing,

benefits," said Freeman, "and that would put me in a

nk they'll have to admit you to partnership, Harvey: and Miriam too,-who, by the way, seems to be the only one who actually penetrated into this cave you speak of. Maybe the removal of the chest pulled the plug out of

t General Trednoke has to say about what I hav

al, "do you wish to be m

oke. She threw her arms round his neck, and pressed her face against his should

"Ah me, little girl! I am old, but perhaps this is the right way for me

e, then," murmured the profe

all gentle methods of attack, and it was finally found necessary to force the lock with a charge of p

showed the jewels to be of ancient Aztecan origin. There was value enough in the box to buy and stock a dozen ranches as big a

iam, if I had known what you had up your sleeve, I should have thought twice be

n for its interment. In doing this, the profess

come in contact with. I have heard of poisonous emanations proceeding from the ground in these regions, but I never saw an instance of their effects before. That skull that you say you found, Harvey,

o the magic of the Golde

s remarkable sanative properties; or maybe the fiery soul of Semitzin was powerful enough to repel all harmful influences. The poor old fellow himself, being clad in cotton, and wit

he party mounted their horses and rode out of

yonder?" s

icans, I think,"

is a woman,"

ry weary," re

pair for a moment, and then said, "They

his lonely spot, all the dramatis persona

red it, have gone with her into a fiery furnace or a den of lions. Grace, who was ambitious as well as romantic, and who longed for the power and independence that wealth would give, was all alight with the idea of capturing the hoard of Montezuma: her social position would be altered at a stroke, and the world would be at her feet. Whether she would then have rewarded Don Miguel for his devotion, is possibly open to doubt: the sudden acquisition of boundless wealth has been known to turn larger heads than hers. Fortunately, however, this temptation

ne all that in him lay to save her from fatigue and suffering, and had stuck to her faithfully when he might perhaps have increased his own chances of escape by abandoning her. Did not such a man deserve to be rewarded?-especially as he was a handsome fellow, of good family, and possessed of quite a respectable income. Moreover, Harv

Grace drew him aside and besought him never to reveal to her intende

e more for your frankness in confessing what you seem to consider a discreditable episode: though I for my part am free to tell you that you will be lucky if your future life affords you the opport

suggestion of the plebeianism of trade; and she would not consent to the revelatio

ling up Fifth Avenue and down Broadway, with his beautiful wife on his arm. He marvelled at the vast white pile of the Fifth Avenue Hotel; he frowned at the Worth Monument; he stared inexhaustibly into the shop-windows; he exclaim

's delivery-wagons became frightened, and bolted round the corner. One of the hind wheels of the vehicle came in contact with Grace's shoulder, and knocked her down. The blow and the fall stunned her. Don M

e at their burden, and exclaimed, "Why, it's Miss Parsloe!" And immediately a number of the employees gathered round, all regarding her with interest and sympathy, all anxious to help, and-which wa

e said, with dignity. "She

e, sir, that Miss Parsloe was formerly one of our girls here; and a very clever and useful girl she was. I need not say how sorry we are for this accident: I have sent

finally, her husband did not look by any means so angry and scandalized as she had feared he would. Indeed, he appeared almost gratified. The truth probably was, he was flattered to see his wife the centre of so much interest and attention, and at the discovery that she had been in some way an hon

the better for having nothing more to conceal from him; her vanity was rebuked, and her false pride chastened; and when, in after-years, her pretty daughters and black-hai

ooked what she was,-one of those women who, more than anything else in this world, are fitted to bring back to earth the gentle splendors of the Garden of Eden. In her dark eyes, as she fixed them upon Freeman, there was a mystic light, telling of fathomless depths of tenderness and intelligence: it seemed to her husband that love had expanded and uplifted her; or perhaps that other spirit in her, which had