Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-04-24

The following description of a trick per
/ formed by SiamcSe juggIers, is interesting in
/ the extreme. We Gull 1t from the special
correspondent Of the New York World
\ perfectly formed and most lovely nautch
/ girl Sprans out upon the stage. and WIS
hailed with universal exciamatious of de-
light, everybody calling out her name, Luan-
! Pralnna. aS if it were a word OF good omen.
| Her only dress was a short petticoat of va
| riegatcd leather work. \ wreath of rose
buds crowned her soft. short, black hair, and
/ She Wore pearl necklace. rs well a. broad
! gold armlet~ and anklets. With brilliant
smile She danced exquistely for some min
ntes To the accompaniment of a single pipe
then knet and laid her head upon old Nero
dom knee. The boy famed her with a fan
made OF sweet fern leaves Minham fetched
D., loto~-Shapcd golden goblet, and rerada
poured into 1T from quaint looking flask a
tlaid Of a grecniSh hue The old yogi-like
Norodom took the goblet and blew his breath
upon the contents until they broke into a
pale blue flame
This Tcpada cxtinsui~hei with his breath.
when Norodom held the goblet to Luan-
Pnhana'S lips. and she drained the contents
with "a sigh. \, if transfgured she sudden
ly >pnng to her feet, her face strangely IA
diant, and began to spin giddily around in
one spot. First the boy, then Minhman.
then Iepada tried to arrest her. but they mo-
sooner touched her than She repealed them
with a shock that thrilled them rs if she
had impaired an electric spark to them.
Spinning constantly, with a hcwildering
rapid motion, the girl now sprng of the
stage and down the hall, along bv the foot
of the columns, T~in-ki, Alnhman ana Tc-
Iada in active pursuit In and ont among
the crowd they spun, the three chasing. Te-
Iada seized hold of the chaplet that crown
ed her; il broke. and as she whrled along.
q spray OF r0Sebuds was scattered from her
brow in every direction. Anything more
graceful never was seen. And nova greater
wonder Vt the extremity of the hall the
three surrounded and would have seized her,
when. still revolving, she rose slowly into
the air and lloated gently over orr heads to-
wards the stage, scattering roses rs she went.
At the brink Of the stage she paused in mid
air. then, with n slight wing-like motion of
her arms. mounted up, up towards the
loitie>t arch Of the vault over head sud
denly old Norolom seized bow and arrow
and shot towards her. There was a wild
shrek, rushing sound, and the dancer fell
with crash to the tlag- of the floor, and
laid there an apparent bloody mass The
music burst forth into a wild wall. and the
chorus of old hags came tumultuou~ly forth
and bore her off in their arms.
Now. from behind the red curtain came
dozen strong men, bearing on their shoulders
great leaden box, which they laid upon
the front part OF the stage As they retired
the old woman came ont, bringing a low
couch, decorated with flowers and gold en-
hroidered drapery. upon which lay Luan-
Palana, dccked forth in bridal garments.
and Swectly 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 leadcn box. and
with hot irons, attempted to unseal it. That
IS Stung-Iien's coffin, whispered Nom 10
me 1.-THE old saint has been dead more than
half millennium"
Quickly, eagerly it seemed to me. the two
men broke open the iastenings of the coffin
until the side next the audience falling ont
at last teak box WIS discovered. This
was pried open with small crow-bar, and
what seemed a great bundle Of Nankeen
taken out. Terada and Norodom commenced
to unwind this wrapper. which was very
tight. Yard after ward was unwound and
folded away by Mmmman. and at last, after
at least one hundred yards of wrapping had
been taken off, the dry, shriyeied mummy Of
q small. old man was yiSible-eyes closed,
flesh dry and hard-dead and dry as a smok
ed herring. Norodom tapped the corpse
with crowhar and it gave a dali, wooden
sound. Topada tossed it up and caught it
it was stiff as a log. Then he placed the
mummy upon Norodom's knees and brought
4 flask of oil, flask OF wine, and cenSer
burning with some pungent incense. Moro |
dom took from his hair little box Of un-
guent, and prying open the mouth of the
mummy with a cold chiSel, showed that the
tongue could rattle like ship against the
dry auces. lie filled the mouth with IN
guent and closed it. and anointed the eve
lids, nostrils and ears. Then he and Iepada
mixed the wine and oil and carefully rubbed
every part of the body with it. Then lay
ing it down in a reclining position, they put
the burning censer upon the chest and with
drew pace. while the drums and gongs and |
cymbals crashed and clattered, and the shrill |
cracking treble of the chorus OF old women |
rose hideously.
4 breathless pause ensued-one, two, |
three minutes, and the mummy sneeLeu |
thrice, sneezed 50 violently as to extinguish |
the flame of the censer. A moment later |
the thing sat up and stared blinking and
vacant around the yault-an old old ,wrinkled |
man, with mumbling chops, a shrivelled
chest and belly and little tufts of white hair
upon his chin and forehead. Tepada ap-
preached him reverently upon his knees,
bringing salver with wine and a wafer cake.
The old man did not notice him, but ate,
drank, :hen tottered to his feet, the feeblest,
decrepit old dotard that ever walked. In
another moment he saw the nautch girl
upon her couch; he shuffied
up to her, and stopped over 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. Incomprehensible magic He was