Lives of Alcyone

Chart XXXVII a
Etruria 8325 B.C.
Orion takes a female incarnation more than two hundred years later, in Etruria, not far from where Grosseto now stands. Her father
Muni, is a man of substance, a rich merchant, though he also owns many vineyards. He is kind to his daughter in a general way, but
distinctly puts his business as the first interest in life, and eventually sacrifices her to it, marrying her at the age of seventeen to Scorpio,
a man of forty five who he thinks suitable for a business partner. Scorpio regarded the affair as merely a transaction which secured
his entry into the firm, and both parties were well satisfied with their bargaain until the father discovered that his brilliant partner
was swindling him and misappropriating large sums of money. A frious quarrel occurred, and the dashing partner left the house,
of course carrying his wife with him, and set up an establishment of his own in another part of the city. In this new locality his neglected
wife made acquaintance with Achilles, a presentable but penniless young man, and at once fell violently in love with him. After
a time they eloped, and lived on odd jobs in great happiness and picturesque poverty. The injured husband was furious, and
threatened condign vengeance, but Orion's father chuckled over the misfortune of his former partner, and caused it to be publicly
known that he would welcome his daughter and her lover if they would make his house their home. They accepted his offer, and
Scorpio was more angry than ever; he was just taking the matter up in the most vindictive spirit when some further frauds of his
on a still larger scale came to light, and he was banished from the country with forfeiture of his wealth and his rights as a citizen.
This set his wife legally free, and she was formally married to the man of her choice. Her father took her second into the business
in place of the swindler. Aldeb was born to them as a son--a handsome, promising boy who, however, fell from the rocks and was
drowned at the age of thirteen. Orion was frantic with grief, and refused to believe that the boy was dead, declaring that she would
not submit to fate and would have her son back whether gods willed it or not. Life did gradually return to the frpstrate form, and
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