Mohave County miner., 1888-06-02
CINDERELLA In EGYPT.

we may Ind sermons In stones, but
who would look for fairy tales In sand
hespS
Nevertheless, in the last tomb OF the
last king Of the twenty sixth dynasty,
lies buried the original story Of Cinder-
Ella and her slipper.
There Ia, indeed, only one variation OF
any consequence between the two YER
sioils, and the ancient one IL certainly the
more romantic. Cinderelia's priDcely adj
mircr finds In her lost shoe clew to his
vanished enchantress, but King Psam-
metichus falls over head and cars IN love
with he knows not whom from only see
iGg her sandal. ~ s-ra
The ahcicnt Cinderella was n beautifui
Grc,.k: sappho calls her Doricla, and that
was most likely her proper name, but the
Greek people, with whom fairness OF skin
was one Of the highest qualities Of female
beauty, named her, frors the Ioyeliness of
her complexion, RhOiopis, Rosy Cheeks,
and as itosy Cheeks she Is known in his
tory.
She Is mentioned byseveral writers, but
the slipper story rests on the authority Of
Elian. He relates IL as having occurred
TO Psammeiichus. .s.-
There were three kings OF the name,
and he probably meant the third Psametik
III Of the Scuiptures), the last of the
dynasty OF the saite kings, who was con-
quered md deposed by Cambyses the
Persian. f.
HhodopIs was originally a slave and
fellow boridswoman OF Esop, the writer
OF fables, In the house OF Iadnon OF
Sanlos; and, like the heroine of the modern
tale, a meniai and a drudge, 50 the par
dlel holds good from the beginning. Like
Cinderella, too, she had n fairy godmother,
but n more powerful and lavish one, and
ner name was Aphroditc. ,-..-.r7 ~
This patroness procnred her liberty and
heared npon her ricbess; and Rhodopis,
to i,lake her name Immortal by an offer
ing such as had never been made before,
dedicated with tenth part Of her prop
erty q quantity of iron spits in the Temple
nary gift was stifl to be, seen there In
HerodotIls' time. ..,t
Some also say that she built one OF the
Pyramids OF Egypt; but, as Herodotus re-
marks, those who say NO evidently know
nothing about it; and however this may
be, II Rhodopis was not so simple as our
own Cinderella, she was, at all events,
more lucky; and IL her eoachman, and
horses, and chariots were really rats, and
mice, and pumpkins, they never resumed
their proper shape; and no disenchanting
clock sent her kurrying back to her scaI-
lery, one shoe off and one shoe ON. Mid
night never struck for her, and she lost
her shoe IN quite another way.
At the. time ] speak OF she was satd 20
be the most beautiful woman in Egypt,
and she lived at Naucratis, port on the
s. 10 ~
the preceding reign by colonists from
Milctus; and though born Greek, living
in Greek city, IL pleased her now and
then to play the Egyptian, and to adopt
the manners aud fashions OF her new
country. And 80 II came about that one
morning, before the sun was yet high, she
went down, just as did Pharaoh's daugh-
ter, with her maidens to bathe Ia the |
Nile, 10 ,.s.r-r ..,....a- ..s. .s .....f |
At short distance from the bank she |
left her litter, and sought secluded |
creek, where, screened In by the feather !
ing papyrus, she would he undisturbed |
and unseen from the busy river, and there
her girls unmade her toilet Now the |
banks Of the father Of rivers are hard I'm /
places---a mixture Of sand and clay baked /
by the scorchfng sun, and rough TO |
delicate feet. So RhodoFis did not quit her
sandals until the moment when she
stepped down into the still, cool water,
herself as white and rosy ~ the lotuscs
around her. f.-
There, half wading and half swimming,
she played and frolicked, happy I'm the
pure joyW living, like the gay butterflies
that futtered about the rushes. She
gathered handfuIs of iotuses, and threw
hem away again; and then, in lazy fit,
'he noated on her back, and gaye herself
up 70 thoughts on things In general, and
IN herself IN particular. But TO return
% her sandals, which she had kicked on
IN the rivers brink. They lay as she
lad left them, pair Of dainty shoes fit
or such dainty feet. They weie en-
,roidered in gold and brilliant colors with
quaint pattern, and with the ever
present. lotus, and most curious OF all,
he upper surface Of the sole, on which
,er foot rested, bore the figure of cap
Two with bound arms, on one sandal an
egyptian, on the other a Greek-a fan
ifnl way Of suggesting the dominion Of
heir owner over the hearts Of two ma
ions. ..-.... sra- ... -....a..-sr ...ga
Now it chaEced that just above, sailing
ounh In Ills vast circle, n mere spcck i'm
hS uhhSFbH phc sNsf Was uu edpie, bTu
s the sandals glittered by the waters
dye they caught his eye. Now, whether
C thought they were good TO eat or
whether he was bird OF cultivated taste,
know not, but straightway he swOopel
nd seized one. ...... ..o.. /,
Rhodopis, reused from her rereric by
he rush OF wings, caught sight OF the
reat bird as 1t flew off, and, frightened,
ct to screaming and then ducked by
he time she had recovered herself and
lken In what had happened the eagle and
or sandal were In the next parish.
OF eourse, directly It was an over, her
irls, who had been busy telling ono
mother secrets, began in their alarm 10
ide everything away IN place Of safety,
, Il they expected whole phalanx VI ,