New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-02
JACK HARRIS'S MUMMY.

cvef % the most complicated of the many prob
foDo ,Sat yex humanity. Woman and her place IN
l2msrarld was still something OF puzzle to JACK
TIE wS ;s friends, and in consequence she was their
1nu ,r;te theme. Most other subjects, human or
1sas had long since ceased to interest them they
soofnc Ssr s perfectly content with themselves.
s .,"er. Phlistine, had once reproached Jack
Harris with having no religion. :. no reigioh !,
49sS~S;e's and he felt specially bound to be
Aa;sgr,smmatic in honor of his stately host No re-
sPn why have seventeen at the least; a say
ne'oah;ch was the admiration Of the cultured world
ny wsll-nigh fortnight. On this particular day.
% @ts~ Jack was lunching with Theocl1tas the
rvmtbar of Women and Graves" permitted himself
cntdnlge in some slight regret that he had never
%. IN ali his varied and richly cOlored experiences
q lie. encountered any woman VINO was quite 10
worthy worthy, u his wandering spirit. q am Anthony"
ss;S Jack proudly, "but where is my Cleopatra r.
he looked se syoke at sSs as # he
12pii susnected his hearts brother of hiding the
Queen STs.s OF Egypt away somewhere IN the club
ceIMSS Where indeed ~ and then dropped off into
ss}ksnce He was in secret thinking that II Cleo
rsra did make her appearance In Mne'e Mr
s and not Jack Harris, whom she would single
S !Ss 10 be the victim of her witcheres But this
Sriuiou he wisely kept to himself NO ono Ventured
Sphi,cIr IN contest any statement advanced by the
EInatr,ols Harris AS Jack found that Theocntus
s.",SG not Immediately assist him to new Cleo
nstra. and as luncheon was OYER ana tnere was
y"thine more to eat or drink. he got up and went
%ar leaving the half OF his soul wreathing him
self In the purple clouds Of his cigarettes.
feW minutes into the National Gallery, to see If he
con,d find upon the canvases of Florence or Venice
any dead face that might IN R sn1 or have
been worthy the homage of uncompromislny JACK
Harris He found none such, however. having
eft the gallery instead of making the arectest way
home 10 his abode in Chelsea. he allowed himself to
drift IDLY along the streets until he suddenly fonnd
himself IN the midst of the maze OF parTow and dirty
streets that intersect Soho. AS ne looked about
him TO find the shortest way out OF the laoyrinth,
he Jaw that he was in the neighborhood of a
particularly shabby little shop over =; which the
Gothic letters a faded ground OF dingy yellow.
Jack was fond of curiosites-hls own rooms were
like an inferior bric-a-brac dealer $50 ne iooKea IN
at the dirty windows few dusty old plates and
skulls and battered naval swords were displayed
or rather heaped together in desolate careessness
None Of them were OF any va1s 90 SoVH when
his glance fell on card in corner party niaaen
by modern willOw-patternedp plate, which induced
him to pause. The card bore the words, . Mummy
70, Sale Within mummy for sale,that seemed
attractive. Jack entered the shop. dirty woman,
who was nursing dirtier child asked MN Tnat ne
wanted He observed that he had come to look Mt
fhe mummy Then the woman got up opened
door at the back and soreeched up stass for JACOB
70 come sta;rcase and jacob made his appearance
81 want to see your mummy" said Jack.
Jacob nodded. ~Come this wav." he said. and
he walked into back room. Inc t mummy ahy, was
piece of the neglected fireplace, when looked as II
no fire had ever lent cheerful glow to its gaunt
bars and squald sides JACK saw ~
very had state of preservation. The mummy case
was cracked and broken its gliding was wofuily
the strange assembage of gods and monsters was
blurred out of recognition by the touch OF time;
its lid which was on was split almost 40 naives
seemed to be mouldering away, At the end the
white. centuries earlier. had burst. and part Of
small and bonv foot stuck horribly ont, in grlsly
mockery of mortality IL n mot
Still it was a mummy. and might. when touched
by cunning fingers. look very well IN his little
collection of treasures
SHOW much 7" be inquired.
GTen pounds" said Jacob.
Ten pounds Is too much.' answered Jack de-
cisvely. at is in very bad condition, and is not
worth half"
lie was passing over the threshold, when Jacob
called him back. -
will Won give nine y he said.
GNor respOned Jack, and he again turned to go.
sWeu, you shall have it for eight" grunted
Jacob.
Jack stood for moment irresolute. 1T certainly
would look very well, he Thought. VIII buy
told Jacob 10 send it along at once. and he should
receive his money. and then, quitting the noisome
shop. made his way rapidly to Chelsea.
Jacob was prompt. Jack had scarcely got to his
abode when Jacob arrived. trundling the mummy
uncovered upon a hand barrow, followed by
crowd of small boys, who seemed greatly interested
in the fantastic object. Jack handed to jacob
his money. and was lett alone with his treasure
He put her into his bedrOom'while be was dressing
what place she should finally occupy among the
curiosities that adorned his sittng-room. The
traffic had made him somewhat late, so he had TO
for his dinner-party. Before the soup was over he
had forgotten all about his mummy.
The dinner was delightful. as all dinners at Amber
Ixr1 alnf anrA md Sir
Harry Kingscourt, and Ferdinand Lepell. the
painter, and Professor Hermann. and one or two
Others. and Jack was very happy and in conse-
quence prodigously eloquent and epigrammatic.
and amused his host amazingly. Bat it is not for us
to chronicle all that was said at the banluet in,
deed Jack himself had but hay recollection OF it
ali the next morning 1t lasted till late. When it
was at length breaking up, Amber Pacha produced
small box of wrought-silver covered over with
cigarettes made of such tobacco, Amber Pacha said,
o. Was seldom smoked outside the seraglio Of :the
Grand sG They ssrpy o1x xe1 Sssy w
contrasted pleasantly with the faint yeliowish
inge of their paper. A strange vague perfume
seemed to mount from the box. at once irritating
and attractive. Amber Pacha gave cigarette to
each Of his guests only asking them with half.
SMILE not to smoke it Just then but to wait at least
seemed surprised at this request; nobody ever was
surprised at anything Amber Pacha ever did or said
All promised and all parted.
Jack returned home in contented frame of mind.
As he began undress his eyes fell upon the mummy
standing IN the of his bedroom. where he bad
left it, With the good-humor of % man who has
dined well and is about to sleep well, he surveyed
his purchase with more satisfaction than he had at
first experienced. As he meditated his mind turned
toward tobacco To his annoyance he found that
the box of cigarettes which stood on his chimney
piece was empty, and no remembered, now that it
was too late that he had smoked the last OF them
that afternoon and had forgotten to repenish the
Golfer He took his case out OF his pocket not very
hopefully for he did not believe that il contained
anything Rut 1t did. There lay a solitary Gig
arctic. made of peculiar yelowish paper and Civ
ing out a faint acrid Odor. For moment Jack was
puzzled. Then he remembered the parting gift of
Amber Pacha, aud laughed. "This is lucky" he
said to himself contentedly. as he struck match