Mohave County miner., 1888-03-31
CINDERELLA IN EGYPT.

We may fHd sermons IN stones, but
vho would look for fairy tales IN sand
be-. pf
Ezycr1 hc!ess, 10 the last tomb Of the
last king Of the tweniy-sixth dynasty,
lies iuried The original story of Ciader-
ella and her slipper.
There is, indeed, 0nly one variation Of
any consequence between the two ycr-
siors, and the ancient one is certainly the
more rupautie. CindereiIa's princCIy nd
nlircr fiiit,s In her lost shoe c!cw 10 his
vanished c;Ichantrcss, but King Pam
NC, chHs falls over head aud ears In love
with bc knows not whom from only see
IT, hcr sandal.
The ancient Cinderella wns n beautiful
Errrk; sappho calls her Doriciia, and that
was most likely her rro!tr name. but the
Greek people, with whom fairness of skin
Vas one of the highest qualities ~ female
beauty, named her, frors siie ioveliness of
her complexion, Rhodopls, Rosy Cheeks,
snd as Rosy Cheeks she In known in his
tory.
She II mentioned by several writer's, but
the slipper story rests on the authority Of
Klian. lie relates 1T ~ having occurred
30 Psnmmcsichus.
There were three kings Of the name,
AID ha probably meant the third psametik
III Of tho Sculptures, the last OF the
dynasty OF the 3aite kings, who was con-
quered and deposed by Cambyses the
Persian.
Khodopis was originally a slave and q
fellow b0ndswoman Of Ksop, she writer
Of fnti~s, in the house Of Lsdinon of
Sanos; and, like the heroine Of the modern
tale, q mental and n drudge, 80 the par
aliei holds good from the beginning. Like
Cinderella, too, she had fairy godmother,
but . more powerful and lavish one, and
her maine WAS AphroAite.
' This pntrOness procured her liberty and
heapcd upon her richess; and RhodOpis,
20 make her name Immortal by an offer
ing such 40 had never bssn made before,
dedicated with tenth part Of her prop
erty n quantity OF iron spAfs in the Temple
Of Apollo ut Delphi, and this sxtrsordi-
nary gift was stih to Be seen there in
Herodotns' time.
Some nlso say that she built one of the
Pyramids Of Egypt; but, ~ Herodotus re-
marks, those who say 10 evidently know
nothing about IL; and however this may
be. II Rhodopis was not 80 simple a. our
own Cinderella, she was, at all events,
more lucky; and IL her soachmau, and
horses, and chariots were really rats, and
mice, and pumpkins, they never resumed
their proper shape; and no dissnchanting
clock sent her hurryin8 back to her soul
lery, one shoe of 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 said to
49, 81 A. WS-
and she lived at Naucrstis, a port on the
Canopic branch Of the Nile, founded in
the preceding reign by colonists from
and though born Greek, living
In Greek city, II pleased her now and
then to play the Egyptian, and TO adopt
the manners and fashions Of her new
And so 1t came about that one
before the sun was yet high, she
went down, just as did Pharaohs daugh-
Ter, with her Inaidens to bathe In the
Nile.
At short distance from the bank she
left her litter, and sought o secluded
creek, where, screened in by the feather
lng papyrus, she would be undIsturbed
md unseen from the busy river, and there
ner girls unmade her toilet Now the
banks Of the father Of rivers are hard in
places--a mixture OF sand and clay baked |
BY the scorcl6ng sun, and rongh 10 |
ielicate feet. SO FhodoYis did not quit her |
,andals until the moment when che |
stepped down into the still, cool water,
icrself as white and rosy as the lotuses !
around her.
There, half wading and half swimming.
he played and frolicked, happy in the
,urc JOY ot living, Ike the gay butterflies
Int fluttered about the rushes She
gathered handfuls Of Iotuses, and threw
hem away again; and then, in lazy fit,
he fiOatca Oh her back, and gave herself
Up 10 thoughts on things in general, and
N herself in particular. But to return
0 her sandals, which she had kicked or
n the rivers brink. They lay as she
nd left them, pair Of dainty shoes fit
or such dainty feet. They were eui-
rOidcrcd in gold and brilliant colors with
quaint pattern, and with the ever
resent lotus, and most curious Of all,
he upper surface OF the sole, on which
cr foot rested, bore the figure Of q cap
Iyo with bound arms, on one sandal an
egyptian, on the other Greek--a fan
iful way Of suggesting the dominion of
heir owner over the hearts of two ma
loDs.
Now 1t CHANGED that just above, sailing
pund In his vast circle, a mere speck in
he dancing blue sky, was an eagle, and
8 the sandals glittered by the waters
tge they caught his eye. Now, whether
e thought they were good to eat or
neither he WAS bird Of cultivated taste,
know not, hut straightway he swooped
nd seized one.
Rhodopis, reused from her reverie by
ne rush Of wings, caught sight Of the
reat bird as It flew of, and, frightened,
4 to screaming and then ducked. by
ne time she had recovered herself and
ken in what had happened the eagle and
Or sandal were In the next parish.
OF course, directly II was an over, her
rls, who had been busy telling one
,other secrets, began in their alarm to
de everything away In place OF safety,
J II they expected a.whole phalanx oi