Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-29

that ! was quite ready to accompany
her.
Hermouthes, before leaving. took
from her neck the little porcelain idol
and placed it on the disordered papers
lying en- the table.
1t is but right" She said with a
smile, that should replace your pa
per-wcight."
She gave me her hand, soft and cold
rs an adder, and We started on our
journey.
Only moment and we saw nothing
save the sky and the ocean. Very
shortly obelisks 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 mountain
Of rosy granite, where we discovered II
very narrow opening.
Hcrmouthes lighted torch and led
the way before me, through corridors
cut in the solid rock, covered with
panels of hieroglyphics and allegorical
professions, the labor of thousands of
hands for thousands Of years These
corridors, which appeared intermina-
BILE, opened into large square halls, in
the center ofwhich were wells, which we
descended bya special staircase; these
halls leading into other halls; these in
their turn leading into other corridors
likewise ornamcnted with motley col
lection Of coilcd serpents, sacred birds
and flowers and other mystic symbols
Il prodigious work which no living eve
would ever see, interminable legends in
granite which the dead alone would
have the time to read through etcrni-
ty.
Finally we emerged into hall so
vast, SO measureless, that its limits
were imperceptble As far rs eye
could reach stretched line after line of
gigantic columns, between which
cleaned points Of yellow light revealing
incalculable depths.
The Princess still held my hand
closely and gracefully, and easily rec
ognizing all the mummicS of her nc
quaintanee. My eyes soon becoming
accustomed to the dim light, began to
distinguish different objects.
saw seated ON thrones kings of the
subtcrranean races; old men of cnor-
NOUS size, wrinkled dry us parchment,
black with bitumen and naphtha, coy-
cred with precious stones, there eyes
fixed like those of the Sphinx, their
long boards white with their subjects,
standing in the stiff, constrained posi-
tons characteristic of Egyptian art,
keeping forever the attitude prescribed
by the hiei9tic pharnacopria, ana be-
hind these the ibis beat their wings,
the cats squallcd, and huge crocodiles
doomed up in the darkness, appearing
still more monstrous and gigantic from
being swathcd il bandagcs.
All the Pharaohs were there, Cheops
Chephren, Psammeticus and Sesostris;
all the dusly soyereigns of the pyra
mds. On dais little raised sat
King Chronos, and Nixanthros, who
were relgning 1T the time of the delugc,
and Tuhal CAIN, who was antediluvian.
The beard of King NiXanlhroS had
grown to such an immense length that
il was wound seven times around the
granite table on which Inc leaned,
asleep and dreaming.
Farther on in the dusty atmosphere
| distinguished vaguely through the
mist Of ages eighty-two preadamte
kings, together with their cighty-two
races, now extinct.
After permitting me for few mo
mcnts the peaceful enjoyment of this
dizzy, bewidering spectacle, the Prn-
cess presented me to Pharaoh, her
f,tl
condrseenslon
81 have found my foot | have found
my foot cried the Princess, clapping
her little hands in an ccstacy of delight
adding, and this is the gentleman to
whom | am indebted
The races Of kermc and Of NahaAi,
all the black, bronze and copper.eolorcd
nations, united in full chorous, re-
prating her words
"The Princess Hermouthcs has found
her foot"
Even Nixnnthros himself was rouscd
and lifting his heavy eyes he passed
his fingers through his moustache and
turned ON me glance which seemed
to carry the weight of ages.
"By Oms, he is il fine brave fellow"
lie said, pointing to mo with his sccpt-
cr ornamcntcd with the lotos flower.
And how am | to reward you?'
With the audaeity with which we are
endowed in drcamlana, where moth
ing scrms impossible or even strange.
asked for the hand Of lIcrmouthcS u
hand for II foot appearing to me as an
antithctic recompensc i'll slnguarly
good taste
Pharaoh opened his CLASSY eyes with
establishment nj my request.
"Of what nationality are you, and
how old are youl
Il am Frenehman, and | ann p
years old.
"fMcnty-seyen years old, and IN e.
poets to marry the Princess Her
mouthes, who has lived for thirty cen
turi,w!a exclaimed NIL the kings and all
the races. llcrmouthcS alone appear
ing to see nothing audacious in my
proposition
NJ II YOU were hut 1000 Years Old \
continued the venerable king, | would
willingly give you my daughter: but the
disparity is quite to great; and then
again, We must marry our daughters to