The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-08-22

three steps rs If to assure herself that she
was no longer lame.
"Ah how pleased my father will he, he
who grievcd so deeply over this mutilation,
he who from the moment Of my birth placed
an entire people upon the labor of excavat-
ing for me burial place 50 deep that could
he preserved intact until that supreme mo-
mcnt when all souls shall he weighed in the
balance. Come with me, come home with
me 10 my father; you will he warmly wei
comcd Ivy him. for you have restored my
foot
This proposition appearing perfectly natu-
raj, rose, wrapped myself in a robe de
chambre covered with large figures, which
battered myself was quite Pharaohesque;
and, slipping my feet into a pair of Turkish
babouches, | signifed to the Princess Her
mouthes that was quite ready TO accom-
pany her.
llermouthes before leaving took from her
neck the little porcelain idol and placed II
ON the disordered papers lying on the
table.
1T is but right" she said, with a smile,
+" should replace your paper-weight."
She gave mo her hand, soft and cold as an
adder, and we started on our journey.
Only a moment and we saw nothing save
the sky and the ocean. Very shortly ODE
lisks began to appear; then long flights Of
steps, with the Sphinx on either side, and
distinctly relieved against the horizon. We
had arrived.
The Princess led me to a mountain of rosy
granite, where we discovered a very narrow
opening.
Hermouthes lighted a torch and led the
way before me, through corridors ont in the
solid rock, covered with panels of hero
glyphics and alegorical professions, the
labor of thousands of hands for thousands
of years. These corridors, which appeared
intcrminable, opened into large square halls,
in the centre of which were wells, which we
descended by special staircase these wells
leading into other halls; these in their turn
leading into other corridors likewise orna-
mented with n motley collection of celed
serpents. sacred birds and flowers, and other
mystic symbols-a prodigious work which
no living eye would ever see, intermnable
legends in granite which the dead alone
would have the time TO read through
eternity,
Finally we emerged into n hall so vast, SO
mcasurrlrss, that its limits were impercopt-
lie. As far as eye could reach stretched line
after line of gigantic columns, between which
CLEANED points of yellow light revealing in
caculable depths.
The Princess still held my hand closely
and gracefully and easily recognizing all the
mummies of her acquaintance. My eyes soon
becoming accustomed to the dim light, |
began to distinguish different objects.
saw seated on thrones kings of the sub
terranean RACES; old men of enormous size,
wrinkled dry as parchment, black with btu
men and naphtha, caverrh with precious
stones, their eyes fixed like those of the
Sphinx, their long boards white with the
SHOWS of age. Behind were their subjects,
standing in the stiff, constrained positions
characteristic of Egyptian art, keeping for
ever the attitude prescribed by the hieratic
beat their wings, the cats squalled, and huge
crocodiles doomed up in the darkness, appear
ing still more monstrons and gigantic from
bsing swathed In bandages.
All the Pharaohs We're there, Cheops, Che
phren, Psamineticus, and Sesostris; all the
dusky sovereigns Of the pyramids. On a
dais little raised sat King Clr2nos, and
Xixapthros, who were reigning at the time
Of the deluge, and Tubal Cain, who was an
tediluvian.
The beard of King Xixanthros had grown
to such an immense length that it was wound
seven times around the granite table, on
which he leaned, asleep and dreaming.
Farther on in the dusty atmosphere dis
tinguished vaguely through the mist of ages
eishty-two preadamite kings, together with
their oighty-two races, now extinct.
After permitting me for n few moments the
peaceful enjoyment of this dizzy, bewildering
spectacle, the Princess presented me to Pha-
raoh, her father, who bowed to me with ma
iestic condescensi9n.
have found my fopt ! have found my
loot = cried the Princess, clapping her little
hands in an ecstasy of delight; adding, and
this is the gentleman to whom am in
| debted."
| The races of Kcrme and of Nahazi, all the
black, bronze, and copper-colored nations,
united in Il full chorus repeating her words,
"This Princess lierwauthes has found her
foot ~
Even XiXanthros himself was reused, and
lifting his heavy eyes he passed his fingers
| through his mustache and turned ON me a
glance which seemed to carry the weight q
ages,
W" by oms, lie is fine brave fellow /" he
said, pointing to me with his sceptrs orna,
mented with the lotos flower.
"And how am to reward you ?" With
the audacity with which we are endowed in
dreamland, where nothing seems impossible
or even strange, asked for the hand of Her.
mouthes; hand for a foot appearing to me
| as an antithetic recompense in singularly
good taste.
Pharaoh opened his glass eyes with aston,
ishment at my request.
"Of What nationality are you, and how old
are yau 2"
81 am n frenchman, and | am twenty.
seven years old"
"Twenty- seven years old and lie expects
to marry the Princess Iermouthes, who has
lived for thirty centuries ~ exclaimed all
the kings and all the races, Hermouthes
alone appearing TO see nothing audacous IN
my proposition.
" If You were but two thousand years old, y
continued the venerable king, 81 would will
ingly give you my daughter; hut the dis
parity is quite too great; and then again, W.
must marry our daughters TO husbands who
can endure, and you know nothing now O
emballpng. " is scarcely fifteen centuries
since the last murnmes joined us, and they
are literally but a pinch of dust; see m,
flesh is as hard as basat my bones are lik,
bars of steel, and so shall remain; and my
daughter, Hermouthes, is like a brOnz,
statue, while the wind will so scatter the las
grain of your dust that Isis herself, although
she found the most minute particle of Osiris
would be puzzle to reconstruct you. Sc,
how strong am still, and how vigorous and
strong my arm is" And he grasped my hant
ar Angfdis, that is to say, with such cor
diality that he cut my fingers with ny
rings.
So fercely did he seize and hold it that
awoke to find my friend Alfred leaning ove
me shaking me violently.
"Come, wake up! You sleepy, lazy fel
low ! had begun to think should never
rapse ypn without letting of q cannon q
your ears; here it is long past " O'Clock ane
You seem TO have quite forgotten your prom
se to take me to see those Spanish pictures.
Indeed, my dear fellow, | have neve
thought of it," | answered, as | rose an,
began my toilet; "hut it IL not too late;
shall he ready very snnn and here are tn
tickets on my writing desk"
Aud turned to hand them to him. bu
fancy my amazement when, instead of til
little foot had purchased yesterday, say
the little porcelain idol with which the Prin
cess had replaced it.-from lie French Of Iheo
phde Gduiier.
The Prince ana the Gamblers Dnugh
| ter.
II would appear that the vehement Oppo