The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-06-13

when Norodom held the goblet to Luan-
Prabany's lips, and she drained the
contents with sigh. As TRANSPORTED
she suddenly sprang to her feet, her
face strangely radiant, and began to
spin giddily around i'll one spot; First
the boy. then Minhman, then Tepada,
tried to arrest her, but they no sooner
! touched her than she repealed them
with shock that thrilled them as II
she had impaired an electric spark to
them. Spinning constantly, with be
| wilderingly rapid motion, the girl now
sprang off the stage and down the hall,
along by the foot of the columns, Tsin-
! XII, Minhman, and Tepada III active
pursuit IN and out among the crowd
they spun, the three chasing. Tepada
seized hold of the chaplet that crowned
| her it broke, and as she whirled along
spray of rosebuds was scattered from
her brow in every direction. Anything
more graceful never was seen. And
now a greater wonder At the extreml-
| ty of the hall the three surrounded and
would have seized her, when, still re-
volying, she rose slowly into the air and
| foated gently over our heads towards
the stage, scattering roses as she went
! At the brink of the stage she paused III
mid air /; then, with slight wing-like
motion of her arms, mounted up, up,
up toward the Hottest arch OF the vault
overhead Suddenly old Norodom
seized bow and arrow and shot toward
her There was wild shrek, a rush
ing sound, and the dancer fell with a
crash to the flags of the floor, and laid
there an apparently bloody mass. The
music burst forth into wild wall, and
| the chorus of old hags came tumultu-
ously forth and bore her off IN their
| arms.
Now, from behind the red curtain
came a dozen strong men, bearing upon
| their shoulders great leaden box,
which they laid upon the front part Of
the stage. As they retired the old
women came out, bringing a low couch,
decorated with flowers and GOLDEN
broidered drapery, upon which lay Luan-
Prabany. decked forth in bridal gar
ments, and sweetly sleeping. The couch
with its sleeper was put quietly down
upon the front of the stage and left
there, while Norodom and Tepada went
to the leaden box, and with hot irons
tried to unseal it. THAT is Stung-
| Tieng's coffin, whispered Woun to me +;
The old saint has been dead more than
| half a millennium.
Quickly, eagerly it seemed to me, the
two men broke open the fastenings of
the coffin, until the side next the audi
ence falling out at last, a teak box was
| discovered. This was pried open with
small crowbar, and what seemed Il
great bundle of nankeen taken out.
Teuada and Norodom commenced to
unwind this wrapping, which was very
| tight. Yard after yard was unWOund
and folded away by Miniman, and at
last, after at least 100 yards of Wrapping
had been taken off, the dry, shriyeled
mummy of a small, old man was visible
eyes closed flesh dry and hard--dead
aud dry as a smoked herring. Moro
dom tapped the corpse with crowbar
and it gave a dull, wooden sound. Te-
pada tossed it up and caught tit was
stiff as log. Then he placed the
mummy upon Norodom's knees, and
/ fetched flask of oil, flask Of wine, and
censor burning with some pungent
/ incense. Norodom took from his hair
| a little box of unguent, and prying open
! the mouth of the mummy with a cold
chisel, showed that the dry tongue could
rattle like a chip against the dry fauces,
| He filled the mouth with unguent and
Amounted the eyelids, nOstrils, and
onra. Thcp he and Toroada mixed the
wine and oil, and CAREFUL rubbed every
part Of the body with it. Then, laying
it down in reclining position, they put
! the burning censor upon the chest and
Withdrew pace, while the drums and
gongs and cymbals crashed aud clat-
tered, and the shrill, cracking treble
of the chorus Of old women rose hid
eously.
4 breathless pause ensued-one, two.
! three minutes-and the mummy sneez-
ed thrice, so violently as to eXtinguish
the flame of the censor 4 moment
later the thing sat up, and stared blink
| ing and vacant out around the vault
an old, old, wrinkled man, with mum
bling chops, shriveled breast and
belly, and little tufts of white hair upon
his chin and forehead. Tepada APP
preached him reyerently upon his
knees bringing q salver, with wine and
Il wafer-cake The old man did not no
tice him, but ate, drank. and then tot
tered to his feet, the feebIest decropid
old dotard that ever walked In anoth-
err moment he saw the nautch girl Stun
bering upon her couch hescuiiled fee
bly, to her, and, mumbling, stopped as
II to help his dim eyes to see her better
With a glad cry the maiden walked.
clasped him IN her arms and to her
breast, and kissed him. Incomprehen-
sible magicl He was no longer u mon
agenarian dotard but afIll -veined, fiery
youth, who gave her kiss for kiss. How
the transformation was wrought [ have
no idea, but theroit was before our very
eyes The music grew soft and pas
>ionate, the chorus of the old women
came out, and with strange Phallic
songs and dances bore the two away-a
bridal pair. | never expect again to
behold a sight SO wonderful as that
whole transformation, which, / NAV
mention, my learned Jesuit friend, To
whom | described it, regards as a piece
of pure symbolism. His explanation
Is too long and too learned to quote,
but he connects the ceremony with the
world-old myth of Venus and Adonis.
and c'aims that it is all form OF sun
wOr. i.tr.
Iic aao" went on FOR some time
longer with many curious feats. At
the end of an hour the Phallic chorus
sank into a dirge. the youth faded Wis
IDLY he WIS again the ShriVelled doiafJ: |
he sighed, then breathed no more. |
Luan-Prabany retired sorrowfulIy |
Norodom and Tepada wrapped the |
corpse again IN It's intermiuabIe sItrouJ.