Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-12
A LOCK OF HAIR.
4. CHARMING INTER ON FACTS AND
IMAGINATION.
rown Among the Tombs Of Ancient
Reasonable Imaginings
Not Improbable.

''nS,icre and IAN scrOsS THE door. An hour
nv ~. door opcnef and Young girl C1ne
90 Her har, which is Of that golden
lI,.,nu1 color trN Is perhaps the rercst OF
IN co',r> in human hgir. neither red nor
i.ro,c, h,,i VARYING with the hight from The
ia O.. bnruisbed copper - tie brown Oh
Oh haVcs IN autumn. h''hed lntp ah
srrcoio a. she stoned iuio iac sunlight.
..~feDd where YOU are rNcltlme1' ana
.hc ,ioppod AID booked ~ ne, inquiry ~
b,r fycs, aud smile growing from her
Is and sprc.duc over her round iace.
A little while heforc, op'ning long
closed drawer, fad come upon package
,"rfsiniug the hair of one who died long
- II wo> lyineoii nv table. | advanced
a. nc Young girl 81 TO-DAY, laid some oil
III. hair among her loose lock. ~ the sun
shirf. and retired few ,tcpsnlook NJ her.
i corid not distinguish the hair | had
oiefcd tbere from her own shining trcSseS.
mo color was Identical. But as ! came
,cersy could distinguish. For hers was,
rs haze called T., shining, while thu
which | lad laid there was anu ana Sdu,
irrc,ronsiye g. The glad light.
Aud we'll II might have baen thus, lot
only once before nd the sunshine touched
II for three thousand year. and II wa> mol
straDco that u had forgotten TO reloicc IN
The Iiglt which used 20 make II glad IN the
~. hon IN, sun shonc jJ>l rs 1t shines
NOS, long before Virgil knew the pleasure
of ne plane.tree's shade, long before
Homer s.rg 81 tie fiery darts OF the sun
god avcuging hi, priest on the C'rceS' oe-
fore Troy. W hat generations ot men had
1tioiced IN the light Of the sun anu gone
away INTO darkness. what hosts OF poets ma
sung TIC story o. spring ana summer gi'u-
ness and departed into silence. since those
lock. II hair bad shaken in the morning
wind, ana grown brilliant ana Deau'liul'
absorbing the red sunlight OF The desert III
the afternoons Of ErNp'.
Forth, Is how | came tohnve these locks
NJ hair. In 1870. when Maricttc Bey was
exploring the tcmhS oi the old Egyptians
I was n Abvdos when his men were exec
Xatipr the tomhS which IN countless nun
Ter. surround the beautiful ruined tempe
Thc cemetery came close 10 the Tempe
wolf. an around It, ant stretched OF alpng
and mn The slopmg hillside. ~ III, Time
the work was Progressing III toi"o,
rylicb were deep underground, reached
Ly ncrnrudinulr shafts. Tue work
mo, Vcre practiccd rcsurrcctionls'S aud
bad btfle reverence for the ancient
de9d I'm tho lovely afternoon | sat on the
mound Of earth thCv had thrown up ana
watched for what might come mp our OF the
shaft. The ground vas Strewed with rag
mcni, of ancient collins and piles OF mum
nv cloths. F,r the officer IN cparse' I'M
les there was some peruilrity aDout
mummy, broke i; up a soon a. II was
brouabt ont. examined II for any oOlec''
which might be on the body or among the
vrappiug>, aud LETT 1t lyine on the Srouhu
tiu ihcre Vas au opportunity TO bury II
again.
Al length. with two other bodies, one
,.,iur M In a S,mcWhlt more elaborate
c.uontge tlsn cnvcl7pad the Diners. IL
,.9. ~Ii.btCr i'm form, and the color ci tue
cc Indicted that il was the body Of a
woman. Hoover trndCrly she had been
rur.rcd, with what yrr ~ gentle care she
had been laid ihcrr IL r.>i, she In ] now O'-
come no longer human clay, object OF r.
.r,ri md affection, bnt curiosity OF
lie aers. 10 ne torn 10 pieces 10y roush
hands and thrown out on the desert sand.
" bon they bad iui>hed their eXlmlnhipn'
r9piGly made. took POSSESSION OF The poor
little body and proceeded 10 uncover the
face and head. ot which they had been con
cent to examine only the lower part. tear
1pgaway the cloths and crushing the mouth
into dust.
Nou know what mummy l.. The BODY,
having been treated with aromatic ana pre-
.,ryo'iyr preparations. Is enNeloprd in
linen. This IL wrapped around Il IN mar
Tow strips. each limb separately rolled VIVID
Cpdlc.> folds. over and over and over ana
then The entire body similarly rolled. No"
and then a linen shawl or cloth i folded
around il. and again over THIS the wrap
Inn. proceed III thculrr0w strips. IWcn-
N. thirty. forty thickncs.eS Of linen have
tia, % be removed or pierced before the
body /, visible. Ca The face the linen Is
sometimes laid and packed gently TO the
ruiis.e 80 that 10 forms mask. often giving
a p.rfr,t cast If the dea1yoaure-, which
item,rlVe, never retain the fullness OF
life
The envelopes had been dragged aud
Torn away from The lower part oil her race,
end thn lips that perhaps we're once iiluluar
with .mir, had been crushed ont 0i all
shape. carefully removed ihe lincn IRON
the upurr pant Of the face ana he1d. ne
forehead was covered with brown plFcA-
inert. once toe del cItc skin Of youth ana
beauty. There was no beauty there now.
II Was .h3rply. and tie contour OF head
and temples was very gracious. Bui Inc
u,irou, wealth % that -'orlOu. hlir ini0
which tle afternoon sunshine poured, Wa
>fsltHne. Il WI, rolled M cUrlcd trc,Se,
au over the bead. and the mass Of curl>
va. raohfd close under the linen wrap
lin-.. Here as,Weily was youth and
beauty. and hlre loving hands bad arranged
in death what hlj been the pride oi loving
hand, 90 Irvine iUst so I'm liic. | severed a
ma., "a Tie cart, and kep them To look al
and thrk about. one LONG tres, took IN
hand one day aud brushed IL out gently.
A. TIC ar lifted The light hllr il frightened
lp with The list breath oi The air, bat Sc
Tied down into a sadd,r light. II lies on
NV table as I writ, under the A9r1nI
burner. and do, yellow gas-liEht deepenS
~, auburn richness. But ] have never
seen 10 so lu,trous as !or moment II
Seemed 90 Oc tii. mording, when 1t lay
amoug tUC united m1.,cs OF that young
gh'. barr in the sunlight at my library
door.
Those Jgc ibe facts. They'd no;amount
tomuch. only ahaudiuloi auburn tre.se~,
which aduIatl human head some thirty
Contmi,, a-. lyiug here 10 the gislisM OF
New York iu these late years.
/ Do not suppose there l. 4 reader OF his
WHO. with that hair Is ing Icior- him or her,
could refrain from iudulging im9giuatIons.
a ,pan and w,hshaped head loaded with
curl~ Il hair certainly peaks 10 the imIgina-
tNcminl. The mere iaci INIT the halr Is
mas. Of cur,- sets one 10 thinking OF youth
and the delight, OF young life. But there
Is a vast amount oi material for InStruc-
lion I'm The museums Of the modern
world which md the Imagination In recon-
suuCiins the social he which surrounded
that little head when il W., Instinct with
human emotion and affections. The pre-
er,ation Of gncicn, Egyptian objects is 50
marvellous that our museums are enriched
with Illustration. Of The daily emplOyments
and pleasure, Of the people. The New
York historical society possesses the Abbot
collection. which abOunds in such ilu'trq-
ti0u~. The Mu,cumO! Art has acquired
vast coil, elton hieh will zoe exhibited when
the extension Of Il. building gives room.
In THESE collections there will be hut little
ld' for lhc Imagination 10 supply in regard |
L. The physical surroundings o! life in an
cicui Egypt. Thus, II We assign 10 thi.
ore Egyptian lady the possession aud use !
81 object, DoS Ia various museums OF the
word, We can with entire confidence
imagine that she was clothed In a richly |
col0rcd cotton dress or 10 white linen OF |
nntnes. not cxce,led Ia modern lO0ms,
embroidered m brilliant colOrs. That |
She wore jewel. Of exquisite workman
ship, gold aud caamel as beautiful a. any |
OF japan or China or Europe. That Irom !
uEder the hem II her white dress her small !
feet could be- seen IN delicltely-fAshioned |
boot, Of soft white leather. That she made |