Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-08-26
TIE PRIESTS HAND.


" - hoe N tuicl-p
The house stood at some distance from the
city. and it, chief prize was its library. Be-
$, the usual number Of hi ,tor.cal AMI bio
graphical works of UGH collection and the
ordinary amount f the b. grade OF fiction,
it contained many oil AM exceedingly rars
works Black-letter volumes AMI manu-
scripts closely written il quaint, outlaadish
characters-eymb9ls of forgotten tongues
or covered with hiero:lyphics wholly unin-
4elligible to any but the eruiite an
tiquarian. Were there. But the most
curious thing. ami the one apparently
least suited for library, was the hand and
part OF the forearm of a mummy, which
had occupied a small table in one corner Of
tie room ever since Col Midway returned
from Egypt. He lad the good fortune to
come upon it one day by accident while ex-
plor;ng the grea. pyramid of CheopS. and
thinking doubtless that Of this great world
legacy Of hy-sone king or n line Of kings
and dynasties he ought TO possess soma
share, ne hal taken the hand, brought it
home with him AMI male il a place in his
favorite room-his library.
To his niece, Miss Maud Midway. how
ever. it had not the same interest In fact,
she regarded 1t with a mingled feeling OF
doubt and actual fear, and as she sat. on n
cool afternoon in the autumn before tho
low-burnin- CRATE, diviiiny her tim, be-
tween an open book living on her lap and
the fancies to which it gave rise, the dry,
tawny thing would occasionally intruie it.
self upon her sight while the faint arena
which it always emitted gave it an attrac-
ton a. mystical and unpleasant rs it was
subtle
She had been reading a long time. The
volume selected CHANGED 10 be a translation
of an oh German work full of those wild
theories and somber speculatioas TO which
the German mind Is 50 prone, and with
which their metaphysical and religious
works Of a century ago were filled. Her
thoughts were so engrossed and her mind so
completely filed with the new and vaguely
startling suggestions she had bssn read
ing that she was not conscious that
the day nearly gone Long.
slanting bars of yellow sunlight fell through
the western window. flooding the open page
and giving the old, crooked letters and
lab0riously PEELED words q new and mystic
meaning. a single ray, cut of from its fell
lows by 4 Swaying tree just ou.sids the win
dow. crept slowly from the floor up the dark
wall toward the brown. dry hand. The
autumn wind swellei and rustled among the
rapidly thinning leaves; the bouShs swayed
to and fro and at each inhalation the riffs
of yellow gold shifted Suddenly it rested
upon the thin fingers of the hand.
Il could not be tina. they moved
She Sh.verei slightly. than loosel again
in kind Of fascination. Miss Miivay was
neither nervous nor tmid still she could
not shake of the strange sensation which,
like an icy chill, had gradually stolen over
ka- Sia al. in inc Nd
She rose. drew warm cushioned chair
pearsr t. the crate. and resumed her book;
but the FAINT, subtle odor haunted her. and
ever sai anon her eyes wandered from the
pages before h,r and sought the hand Out
side the brsezs died away and the slowly
rising sunbeam re tel full upon the dread
ful relic Again she started Did the
weiri fingers novel Rising oncs morn she
walked - the stand. and taking the my-
serioas thing within her hand went back 70
her seat. hoping by this bold measure 10
overcome the fascination she felt creeping
into brain and heart Bah, After all il
was tut b: OF old mummy. dry and hard,
the fingers st5f and shrivelsd
The hand Of dead mani
Wei. yes: but death had Coma forty
centuries ago, l: WAS absurd 20 associate
anything human with tina. parchment
bundle. And Yet, and yet-he was a man
who knowsi Perchance those twisted fa-
gers once urged the plunginS steeds Of some
great war chariot against the foes 81 Egypt
OF sd the sword that snote the hostile
ranks and brought new nations 70 bow in
alteration before the shr.nes OF ESypt's gods!
Was he Young and fairi Dad he lay his
palms 4 victory at the fest IL sons dark
eyed gir.i Did that nov withered hand.
fresh from the battls-fieli. take the poetic
red to indite sweet versos 10 the woman
whom he loyeGi Did she love him. per-