The Savannah tribune. [volume] (Savannah [Ga.]) 1876-1960, 1888-04-07


the banks of the Father of rivers are
hard in places-a mixture of sand and
clay baked in the scorching sun, and
rough to delicate feet. So Rhodopis
did not quit her sandals until the mo-
ment when she stepped down into the
still, cool water.
There, swimming, she played
and frolicked, happy in the pure JOY of
living like the gay butterflies that fut-
tered about the rushes. She gathered
handfuls of lotuses, and threw them
away again, and then, in lazy fit, she
foated 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 embroidered in gold and
brilliant colors with a quaint pattern
and with the ever-p present lotus and,
most curious of all, the upper surface of
the sole on which her foot rested bore
the figure of a captive with bound arms,
on one sandal an Egyptian, on the other
Greek-a fanciful way of suggesting the
dominion of their owner over the hearts
of two nations.
Now it CHANGED that just above, sail
ing 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 a bird of
cultivated taste, l know not, but
straightway he swoopcd 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 all 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
whole phalanx Of eagles were coming to
carry off their mistress clothes. And
no doubt they had some reason for their
concern, for ancient ladies had variety
of amiable little ways Of producing sym
pathy in their slaves when things went
wrong, and Rhodopis, sweet as she was
to look at, was like the rest But,
after all, it was not very serious mat
ter, for Rosy Checks had cupboards full
of sandals at home, and besides her lit
ter was only round the corner, SO, after
her first establishment and fright was
over, she thought little more about it,
Now this event was in reality the
turning point of life, for what did this
mysterious bird do but fly straight
away with his prey over the Delta, far
up the long river to Memphis, and
there, as if his mission ended, he
dropped the sandal before the Judgment
seat Of King Psammetichus.
The king was sitting in the open air,
close to the city gate, dispensing justice
to his subjects. The sun was hot and
the imaginations of plaintiff and de-
fendant equally inventive and mex
haustible, so Psammetichus was bored;
his thoughts wandered far away, and he
fell to building castles in the air. Now
no Oriental could ever build a castle in
the air or otherwise without giving it
mistress; so he pleased himself By
imagining for his ideal palace an ideal
beauty
lie pictured her with the eyes Of the
cazclle, the voice Of the nightingale,
the litheuess of the panther, the tread Of
a 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. Astonishcd out Of all dig
nifty, he jumped up, stared up into the
sky and down at the slipper and then
stopped and picked it up-for no one
had dared to touch it. Was it a god
dess} No; it was lovely little shoe,