The Spartan Twins | Page 6

straight at these words, but Daphne hung her head. "I
do wish I were a boy too," she said, "they can do so many things a girl
is not allowed to do. They get the best of everything."
"That must be as the Gods will," said the Stranger kindly. "And Spartan

women have always been considered just as brave as men, even if they
aren't quite as big. Anyway, some of us have to be women because we
can't get along without women in the world."
Two bright spots glowed in Lydia's cheeks, and she twirled her distaff
faster than ever. "I should think not, indeed," she said. "Men aren't
much more fit to take care of themselves than children!"
Melas and the Stranger laughed, and the Stranger turned to Daphne.
"Don't you remember, my little maid, how glad Epimetheus was to
welcome Pandora, even if she did bring trouble into the world with
her?" he asked.
"No," said Daphne, "I don't know about Pandora. Please tell us about
her!"
Lydia rose and glanced up at the stars. "It's getting near bed-time," she
said to the Twins; and to the Stranger she added, "You must excuse the
boldness of my children. They are brought up so far out of the world
they scarcely understand the reverence due men like yourself. You
must not permit them to impose upon your kindness."
"I will gladly tell them about Pandora if you are willing," said the
Stranger. "The fine old tales of Hellas should be the birthright of every
child. They will live so long as there are children in the world to hear
them and old fellows like myself to tell them."
"If you will be so gracious then," said Lydia, "but first let us prepare
ourselves to listen."
She signed to Chloe, who immediately brought a basin and towel to the
Stranger and Melas. When they had washed their hands, she carried
away the basin and swept the crumbs into the fire, while Lydia filled
cups with wine and water and set them before her husband and his
guest. Then wood was piled upon the fire, and Lydia seated herself
beside it once more with her distaff and wool-basket, while Chloe crept
into the shadow behind her mistress's chair, and the Twins drew nearer

to her footstool. When everything was quiet once more, the Stranger
lifted his wine-cup.
"Since we are in the country," he said, "we will make our libation to
Demeter, the Goddess of the fields. May yours be fruitful, with her
blessing." He poured a little wine on the earthen floor as he spoke.
There was a moment of reverent silence. Then while the flames of the
hearth danced upward toward the sky and the stars winked down from
above, the Stranger began his story.

II
THE STRANGER'S STORY
"Long, long ago, when the earth was young and the Gods mingled more
freely with men than they do to-day, there lived in Hellas a beautiful
youth named Epimetheus. I am not quite sure that he was the very first
man that ever lived, but at any rate he was one of the first, and he was
very lonely. The world was then more beautiful than I can say. The sun
shone every day in the year, flowers bloomed everywhere, and the earth
brought forth abundantly all that he needed for food, but still
Epimetheus was not happy. The Gods saw how lonely he was and they
felt sorry for him.
"'Let us give him a companion,' said Zeus, the father of all the Gods.
'Even sun-crowned Olympus would be a desolate place to me if I had to
live all alone.' So the Gods all fell to hunting for just the right
companion to send to poor lonely Epimetheus, and soon they found a
lovely maiden whose name was Pandora. 'She's just the right one,' said
Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. 'See how beautiful she is.' 'Yes,' said
Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, 'but she will need more than beauty or
Epimetheus will tire of her. One cannot love an empty head forever,
even if it is a beautiful one. I will give her learning and wisdom.'
"'I will give her a sweet voice for singing,' said Apollo. In this way
each one of the Gods gave to Pandora some wonderful gift, and when

the time came for her departure from Olympus, where the Gods dwell,
these gifts were packed away in a marriage-chest of curious
workmanship, and were taken with her to the home of Epimetheus.
"You can imagine how glad Epimetheus was to receive a bride so nobly
endowed, and for a time everything went very happily upon the earth.
At last, one sad day, a dreadful thing happened.
"Pandora had been told by the Gods that she