The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-08-14
THE PRIESTS HAND.
&c. 4. Roe IN Chicago Tribune.

The house stood Mt some distance from tn,
city. and its chief pride was its library. Be
SIDE the usual number Of historical ani bio
graphical works OF snch collection and the
ordinary amount Of the best grade OF fiction,
IL contained many old and exceedingly rare
works. Black-letter volumes and manu-
scripts closely written in quaint, outlaadish
characters-symbols Of forgotten tongues -
or covered with hieroglyphics wholly unin-
telligible to any but the erudite an
uquarian, were there. But the most
curious thing, and the ono 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
tho room ever since Col. Midway returned
from Egypt he had the good fortune TO
come upon II one day by accident while ex-
ploring the great pyramid OF Cheops, and
thinking doubtless that Of this great world
legacy Of a by-gone king or a line Of kings
and dynasties he ought 70 possess soms
share, he had taken the hand, brought 1t
home with him, and made It place in his
favorits room-his library.
To his niece Miss Maud Milway how
ever, 1t had not the same interest In fact,
she regarded IL with n mingled feeling OF
doubt and actual fear, and as she sat, on a
cool afternoon In the autumn. before the
low burning CRATE, divi ling her time be-
tween an open book lying on her lap and
the fancies 10 which 1t gave rise, the dry,
tawny thing would occasionally intru 10 it.
self upon her sight, while tho faint aroma
which it Away emitted gave 1t an attrac-
ton as mystical and unplea ant as 1t was
subtle
She had been reading a long time The
volume selected CHANGED 10 be a TRANSLATION
of an old German work full Of those wild
theories and somber speculations to whica
the German mind Ia 50 prone, and with
which their metaphysical anl religious
works OF century asn were filed. Her
thoughts were 70 engroS ell aad her mind 20
completely fillsd with the new and vaguely
startling suggestions she hal been read
ing that she was not conscious that
the day was nearly gone. Long,
slanting bars Of yellow sunlight fell through
the western window, flooding the open page
and giving the old, crooked letters and
laboriously PEELED words a new and mystic
meaning. A single ray, cut or from its fell
lows by a swaying tree Just outside the win
dow, crept slowly from the floor up the dark
wall, toward the brown, dry hand. The
autumn wind swelled and rustled among the
rapidly thinning leaves; the boughs swayed
to and fro and at each undulation the rift
OF yellow gold shifted. Suddenly it rested
upon the thin fingers Of the hand.
IL could not be that they moved.
She shiverei slightly, then looked again
In a kind Of fascination. Miss Midway was
neither nervous nor timid; still she could
not shake off the strange sensation which,
like an icy chill, had gradually stolen over
her as she sat in this semi waking mood.
She rose, drew a warm cushioned chair
nearer to the CRATE, and resumed her book;
but the faint, subtle odor haunted her, and
ever and anon her eyes wandered from the
pages before her and sought the hand Out
side the breeze died away and the slowly
rising sunbeam re Stei full upon the dread
full relic. Again she started Did the
weird fingers movei Rising once more she
walked to the stand, and taking the mys-
FERROUS thing within her hand went back to
her seat hoping by this bold measure to
overcome tho fascination she felt creeping
into brain and heart Bahl After all IL
was but bit Of old mummy, dry and hard,
the fingers stiff and shriveled.
The hand Of a dead mani
Well, yes; but death had come forty
centuries agol 1t was absurd TO associate
anything human with that parchment
bundle. And yet, and yet--he was a man
who knowsf Perchance those twisted fin
gers once urged the plunging steeds of some
great war chariot against the foes Of Egypt
or held the sword that smots the hostile
ranks and brought new nations to bow in
alteration before the shrines OF Egypt's godsl
Was he young and fart Did he lay his
palms Of victory at tho feet Of some dark
eyed girl Did that now withered hand,
fresh from the battlefield. take the poe tic
reed to indite sweet verses to the woman
whom he lovedi Did she love him, per-
chancei
Or was this the hand Of some stern war
rior priest or that OF the superb son OF some
mighty Pharoah, a hand that humber men
were proud TO kiss In awe and reverencei
Some woman's loving lips perhaps. o, hor-
rorI Kiss those wrinkled clawsl Maud
shrank back. and the hand, rolling from her
lap across the open book, fell amid the smol-
dering coaisi
In q stupor she heard cracking sound
and dimly saw little Jets OF dense, blue
smoke shoot out from under and around the
horrible object but the room was SO
filed with the bewildering, over
towering odor Of burning bitumen
and int xicaung spices that every
dim thought was colorei aud tingsd by the
mystery. fascination AMI passion of the
Orient The ru Ting OF the breeze sounded
like soft muic which she had heard In some
past life in some more elevated sphere, not
70 be remembered nor wholly forgotten. Its
whispered secrets were audible and almost
Ineligible. Upon the wall the amber
streams of sunshine suddenly grew arker;
the air became sitting for a moment; then
with long, sweeping sense of dim regret
she lapsed into shadow-land.
A sense of rapid, easy transition in her
mind was finally broken by returning con-
sciousness Like one awakening from a
long dream, she could not tell where the un-
real ended and the real began.
n" -
She found herself sitting by q river, the
very sight of which thrilled her with awe,
for she could not but know from its majestic
flow and from the scene that stretched away
that she was looking upon that wondrous
stream whose unknown fountains, whose
rise and fall. and whose mysteries are still
as vag ne, as fascinating, and as awe-inspir-
ing as the secrets of the birth OF time itself.
Between low, fiat banks whose gradual
slope bent away till 1t touched the sky In a
HOMOGENEOUS horizon, fiowei the mighty cur
rent Its course across the desert sands
was as far az tho eye could follow
ID. marked by rows OF palms, rio
ing above the low growth Of rank,
tropical vegetation. In the distance cleaned
the many towers and braEsn gates OF q vast
metropolis; while far leyond, southwark,
rose a thin, needle-like shaft out of the bar
rem sand Over the whole bent hard. con-
cave sky. from which the glare was reflected
SO strongly that 10 impaired its own tint to
the whole earth. 'E' .I""
A long and mysterious procession wound
slowly from one OF the gates OF the distant
city on toward the river. There was
no noise from the city-it was far
away; nor from the felds-they were
empty. Only the gurgls Of the clear,
green water as It was checked in its
How by some projecting log or partly sub
merged fallen tree was audible. The earth
seemed baked. The afternoon sun poured
his burning rays upon the parched, cracking
ground, and as he sunk down behind ths
line OF tha great desert In his fiery wrath,
he beheld many an upturned face full Of
yleading and OF prayer.
On drew the train. A long line OF priests
I'm their peculiar dress, marching two BY two
In suilen gloom and mystery, to the ac-
compartment OF wild music. IL was led by
. young girl richly dressed and OF perfect
Oriental beauty. But tar step was slow.
and her manner. though noble, indicated the
deepest humility though that proud head
had never bowed 10 human power.
At lat the river was reached Its trans
lucent waters seemed to leap into ripples Of
plea, ure here and there at the prospect Of
such a victim; while an occasional wave
from under the overshadowing bushes on
bs fart har ~ L. t, -aA hat r.. -