The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-11-04
The ewes of nv soul Enclosed and

l.
saw everything in my chamber exactly
as it was. I should have thought nv
self awake but for omething within me.
Il vague perception which told me /
was sleeping and that something extra
ordinary was about to occur. The odor
of myrrh had increased in intensity,
and was conscious ola slight headache,
which naturally, / attributed to the in
Vulnerable ibatiens Of champagne
which we had poured to the unknown
gods rs we'll as our future success. I
found myself looking at everything in
my chamber with a feeling of expecta-
ton, tor which their was not the Slight
est ground; every piece of furniture be-
ing in its place, the lamp burning on
the console, softly shaded by the glass
globe; the window draperies motionless;
everything sleeping and quiet.
After a few moments, however, every
thing seemed disturbed. There was a
faint noise in the walls; the log of wood
half buried in the ashes shot forth a
blue fame, and the room was filled
with a vague sense of expectation. By
chance my Aves turned toward the ta-
BILE where I had placed my precious
foot which for 1000 years had been
embalmed, it was quivering and trem-
bling, and moving restlessly among the
papers like frightened frog; it was as
if under the influence of electricity,
and heard distinctly the sharp, dry
sound of its little heel, as hard as the
hoof of a gazelle. I was not absolutely
satisfied with my new acquisition, hay
ing decided preference for sedentary
paper weights, and it seemed to me
most unnatural that feet should move
about without legs, and in short be-
gan to experience a sensation Of posi-
tive fear.
Suddenly the folds of one of my cur
tains was disturbed, and I heard
sound like that of a person jumping on
one foot. l must confess that was
very warm and very cold by turns; that
I seemed to feel a cold peculiar wind
blowing on my back, and my hair rose;
lifting my nightcap above my head.
The curtains were parted, and 1 saw
advancing the most remarkable figure
imaginable. 1t was that of a young girl
her coloring deep cafe-au-lait, like
the Vayaduo Amani. She was of singu-
lar beauty of the purest Egyptian type;
her almond-shaped eyes, with corners
slightly raised, were shaded by eve
lashes so black that they were almost
blue; her nose was sharply cut and
Grecian in its delicacy, and she might
have been taken for Corinthian bronze
if the high cheek bones and the some
what African contour of the lips had
not betrayed the hieroglyphic race on
the borders of the Nile.
Her delicate arms were loaded with
bands of metal Her hair was dressed
in countless plaits, and on her breast
hung little idol of green porcelain.
A band of gold glittered on her fore
head, and faint tint of rose blended
with the clear copper .hne Of her
cheek.
AS to her costume, it was most
strange, consisting simply Of bandages
covered with red and. black hierogly-
phics and heavy with bitumen. BY one
of those strange intellectual gymnastics
so frequent in dreams I heard the
hoarse, sharp, voice of the old bric-a-
brac merchant repeating, like mon
| OtonOus refrain, the same words which
he had used with so marked and mys-
ferrous an emphsis: "Pharaoh will be
displeased. He loved his daughter
devotedly, the dear old man."
Strangely enough. the apparation had
but one foot, and his discovery was not
altogether reassuring to me.
She moved toward the table where
the little foot was quivering and trem-
bleing with ever increasing restlessness.
AS she stood leaning on the edge saw
tears drop from her ewes. Although
silent could see her thoughts in her
face. She stood looking at her feet
for it was in fact hers-with charm
ing expression, full of sadness and at
the same time of certain coquettish
grace. But the little foot continued to
run about from one side of the table to
the other, as if impelled by steel
springs. Two or three times she put
out her hand toward it as if to seize it
but it always eluded her.
Then began between the Princess
Hermouthes and her foot, which
seemed endowed with individual life, a
most remarkable dialogue in the Cop
tic languages in use thousands of years
ago; happily ut that precise time was
perfectly familiar with the Coptic.
The Princess Herm0uthes said in q
voice clear and vibrating as a crystal
bell:
"Ah! my dear little foot, why do you
fee from me, when I always lavished
upon you the tenderest care? bathed
you in perfumed water in an alabaster
basin; I polished your little heel with
pumise stone dipped in palm oil; your
nails were trimmed with golden pin
GERS and polished with the tooth of q
Ehippopotamrs; always chose for you
the most beautiful of embroidered and
painted sandals which were the envy
Of all the girls in Egypt; your large toe
was always ornamented with rings rep
resenting the sacred sarab@us, and you