Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-04-07
NO. 30.


her shoe in quite another way.
At the time / speak OF she was said to
be the most beautiful woman in Egypt,
and she lived at Naueratis, a port on the
Canopic branch Of the Nike, founded in
the preceding reign by eolonists from
Miletus; and though born Greek, living
In Greek city, it pleased her now and
then to play the Egyptian, and to adopt
the manners and fashions of her new
country. And so it came about that one
morning, before the sun was yet high, she
went down, Just as did Pharaoh's daugh-
ter, with her maiilcns to battle in the
Nile.
At short distance from the bank she
left her litter, and sought a secluded
creek, where, screened in by the feather
ing papyrus, she would be undisturbed
and unseen from the busy river, and there
her girls unmade her toilet. Now the
banks of the father of rivers are hard In
plaees-a mixture of sand and clay baked
by the scorchlng sun, and rough to
delicate feet. So khodoris did not quit her
sandals until the moment when she
stepped down into the still, cool water
herself as white and rosy as the lotuses
around her.
There, half wading and half swimming,
she played and frolicked, happy in the
pure joy OF living, like the gay butterflies
that fiuttered about the rushes. She
gathered handouts of lotuses, and threw
them away again; and then, in q lazy fit,
she tioated on her back, and gave herself
up to thoughts on things in general, and
on herself in particular But to return
to her sandals, which she had kicked off
on the rivers brink. They lay as she
had left them, pair Of dainty shoes fit
for such dainty feet. They were en-
broidered in gold and brilliant colors with
quaint pattern, and with the ever
present lotus, and most curious Of all,
the upper surface of the sole, on which
her foot rested, bore the figure of cap
tive with bound arms, ON one sandal an
Egyptian, on the other q Greek-a fan
ciful way of suggesting the dominion of
their owner over the hearts Of two ma
tons.
Now it CHANGED that just above, sailing
round in his vast circle, mere speck in
the dancing blue sky, was an eagle, and
as the sandals glittered by the waters
edge they caught his eye. Now, whether
he thought they were good to eat or
whether he was bird Of cultivated taste,
know not, but straightway he swooped
and seized one.
Rhodopis, reused from her reverie by
the rush of wings, caught sight of the
great bird as it flew off, and, frightened,
set to screaming and then ducked. BY
the time she had recovered herself and
taken in what had happened the eagle and
her sandal were in the next parish.
OF course, directly it was AN over, her
girls, who had been busy telling one
another secrets, began in their alarm TO
hide everything away in place OF safety,
as if they expected u whole phalanx OF
eagles were coming to carry off their mis-
tress' clothes. And no doubt they had
some reason for their concern, for ancient
ladies had variety Of amiable little ways
of producing sympathy in their slaves
when things went wrong; and Rhodopis,
sweet Is she was to look at, was like the
rest. But after all it was not q very
serious matter, for Rosy Cheeks had cup
boards full OF sandals at home, and be
sides, her litter was only round the corner,
SO, after her first establishment and fright
were over, she thought little more about
1t. Now, this event was, in reality, the
turning point of her life, for what did this
mysterious bird do but fly straight away
i
long river to Memphis, and there, as il
his mission ended, he dropped the sandal
before the judgment seat Of King Psam-
metichus.
The king was sitting in the open air,
close to the city gate, dispensing justice
70 his subjects. The sun was hot, and the
imaginations Of plaintiff and defendant
equally inventive and inexhaustible, SO
~ at laarod hi fhnn0hfQ
wandered far away and he fell to build
ing castles in the air Now, no Oriental
could ever bukd castle in the air, or
otherwise, without giving it a mistress;
so he pleased himself by imagining for his
ideal palace an ideal beauty. He pict-
ured her with the eyes of the gazelle, the
voice OF the nightingale, the litheness Of
the panther the tread OF goddess; and
as his thoughts dwelt still on the dainty
toes that hardly pressed the ground they
rested on, the sandal fell from heaven
plump at his royal feet. Astonished out
of all dignity, he jumped up, stared up
into the sky and down Mt the slipper, and
then stopped and picked it up, for no
one had dared to touch II. Was 1t
a goddess't No; It was lovely lit
tie shoe, but certainly an earthly one,
marked on 1.-THE very little toes he had
Just been dreaming Of Then of a sudden
IL became plain to him. 1t was an answer
from the gods to the wishes he had Just
been indulging in--he had planned a
castle, here was mistress for it. ''Let
search he made,' cried he, 'for her who
owns this sandal, and by these signs shall
you know her: Whomsoever the shoe fits,
and who has the fellow shoe, and who can
explain the symbol on the sole, she is tho
rightful owner; bring her to me, that i
may make her my queen" To hear was
to obey, and the messenger started ON his
search. Many days he Travelled down the
Nile, making proclamation of the will Of
psanmetiehus as he went, bearing the
sandal on cushion. And wherever he
came through the whole land Of Egypt
there was routing out OF cupboards and
hunting up Of left off shoes, in case by
chance there might he found among them
a match for the wonderful sandal; but
none came to light, and the maidens were
left forlorn.
At last he came TO NaHcratis, and when
the proclamation reached the ears Of
Rhodopis she remembered the rape Of her
sandal, and knew herself the one sought
for by the king The ambassador was
admitted to her presence, and then at Inst
the shoe fitted. s'ABd here" cried RhOd-
oils. lis the fellow shoe; and this Is why
wear these symbols on the soies--as
Greece is captive to my beauty, 30 shall
Egypt be, and Egypt's master. And
then she went with him TO Memphis, and
whea the king. whose heart was sick with
waiting, saw her, lac succumbed at once
to the charm OF her i0ycliness; he did ms
he had promised and made her his queen.
And the rosy checked Greek slave sat be-
side Psammetichus on the throne Of Pha-
sioh.-Harper's Bazaar.
Borings an --~-~-.
The borings in the delta Of tho Nile,
undertaken by the Royal society and in