Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-19

Is in the ring OF lno'n n'A~ wv N''i'
oe q. NM In the ring of ThothI, I repeated;
swhere. then. Is the ring OF Thoth p
"'That also you shall never know he
.,.rvarsd .you won her love. Who has
srnr an the end? leave you 10 your sor-
lid earth life. Ny chains are broken. I
n,ust goI' He turned upon his heel
and fled from the chamber. In tho morn
ing came the news that the priest OF Thoth
was dead.
:" Ny days after that were spent IN study.
strnno enough TO undo the elixir. From
early dawn 70 midnight bent over the
tcst.tubo and the furnace. Above all. l
cnliecied ihe papyri and the chemical
Gesks of the priest of Thoth. Alas they
tsnght me little. Here and there some
hint or stray expression would raise hope in
nv bosom, but no good ever came OF it.
Still. month after month, L struggled on.
When my heart grew faint would make
my way to the tomb by ths p1im-trees.
There standing by the dead casket from
which the level had been rifed would
see her sweet presence and would whisper
TO her that would reloin her If mortal
wit could solve the riddle;
:" parmes lad said that his discovery was
connected with the ring of Ihoth: had
some remembrance of the trlnket. IL was a
LARGO and weighty circlet made. not OF gold,
hut of q rarer and heavier metal brought
from the mines of Mt. Haroai. Platinum,
Won call il. The ring had. | remembered,
q LoIIov crystal set in it, in which some
few drops OF LIQUID might be stored. Now,
Tho secret of Parmes could not have to do
with the metal alone. for there were many
rinos OF that metal in the temple. Was 1t
not more likely that he had stored his
precious poison within the cavity OF the
crystal? had scarce come to this conclu-
sion before, in hunting through iis papers,
came upon one which told me that II was
indeed so. and that there was still s)me OF
the liquid unused.
:" Bnt how TO find the ring? II was not
upon him when he was stripped for the
embalmer. OF that ] made sure. Neither
was il among his private effects. In vain
searched every room that be had entered,
every box and vase aud chattel that he had
owned. / sifted the yer. sand OF the desert
in the places whore he had been wont to
walk but, DO what would, could come
upon no traces of the ring OF Ihoth. Yet
il NAV be that my labors would have over
come all obstacles had II not been for new
and unlooked-for misfortune.
A great war had been waged against
the Hvksos, and the captains OF the great
King had been cut off IN the desert, with
all their bowmon and horsemen. Tho
shepherd tribes were upon Us like the To-
custs IN a dry year From the wilderness
of Shur to the great bitter lake there was
blood by dav aud fire by night. Abaris
was the bulwark Of Egypt, but we could
not keep the savGges back. Inc city tel.
The Governor and the soldiers were put to
the sword. and |. with many more, was Ied
away into captivity.
For wears and years tended cattle in
tho GREAT plains by the Euphrates: My
master died and mis- son grew old, but l
was still as far from death "a ever. At last
! escaDed upon swift animal and made my
va1 back TO Egypt. Tho Hyksos had set
tied in the land which they had con-
ouered, and their own King ruled over the
country. Abarls had been torn down. the
CITY had been burned. and Of tho great
temple there was nothing loft save an un-
slightly mound. Everywhere TIE tombS
had been rihed and the monuments de-
stroved. OF my Atma's grave no sign was
left. II was buried in the sands OF the
desert. and the palm-trees which marked
the spot Ind long disappeared. The papers
of ParInes aud the remains OF tho Temple
Of Thoth we're eli ner destroyed OF scattered
far and wide over the deserts of Syria.
All search after them was VAIN.
From that time | gave up all hope or
ever finding the ring or discovering tho
subtle drug. / set myself to live rs patient
ly as might be until the effect of the elixir
should wear away. How can you under
stand how terrible thing time Is, you who
have experience only of the narrow course
which lies between the cradle and the
grave? | know it to my cost. who have
foated down the whole stream OF history:
/ was old when Hum fell. | was very old
when Herodotus came TO Memphis. was
bowed down with years when the new Cos
pei came upon earth. Yet you see me much
as other men are, with the cursed elixir
still sweetening my blood and guarding me
against that which | would court. Now, OF
last, | have come to the end Of 1t!
~ have travelled in all lands and have
dwelt with all nations. Every tongue IS
the same TO me. LEARNED them oil TO help
pass the weary time. need not tell ssu
how slowly they drifted by, the long dawn
of modern civilization, the dreary middle
years, the dark times of barbarism. They
are all behind me now. / have never
looked with the eve Of love upon another
woman. AtIna knows that | have been
constant TO her.
at was my custom to read all that the
scholars bad to say upon ancient Egypt.
/ have been in many positions. sometimes
aiiluent, sometimes poor, but nave always
found enough to enable mo 10 buy the
Journals which deal with such matters.
cisco. when ] read an account OF some. dis:
coveries made in the nelghborhood OF
Abaris. Nv heart leaped into my mouth
rs | read it. 1t said that the .ezca-
yator had busted himself in exploring
some tolnbs recently unearthcd. Ia one
there had been found an unopened num-
my with an inscription upon the outer
case setting forth that II contained the
body of the daughter of the Governor OF
the city III the DAYS of Iuthmosis. 1t
added that on removing the outer case
there had been exposed large platinum
ring set with crystal, which had been
lad upon the breast OF the emDalmed
woman. This, then, was where Parmes
had hid the ring OF Thoth. lie might well
say that il was safe, for no Egyptian would
ever stain his soul by moving even the
outer case OF buried friend.
THAT very night / set of from. San
Francisco, and in few weeks | found my
self once more at Abari5, if few sand
heaps and crumhling walls may retain the
name Of the great city. hurried TO the
Frenchmcn who wero digging there and
asked them Tor the ring. They replied that
both the ring and tho mummy had been
sent 10 the BOulak Museum at Cairo. To
Boulak | went, but only 10 be told that
Mariette Bey had claimed them and had
shipped them 10 the Louvre. followed
Chamber, / came, after close upon four
thousand years. upon the remains of my
Alma, and upon the ring for which had
sought so long.
but how was I to lay hands upon them
How was / 10 have them for my very own z
1t CHANGED that the Office Of attendant WAS
vacant l went 10 the Director. ! con-
WINGED him that knew much about Egypt.
IN ny eagerness | said too much. He
remarked that professors chair would
suit me better than seat in the Concicr-
gerie. knew more. he said. than he did. II
was only By laundering end letting him
think that he had overestimated my know
ledge that prevailed upon hm to let ius
move the few effects which have retained
into this chamber. 1t is my first and my
last night here.
such is my story, Mr.. Vansittart Smith.
] need not say more to man of your per-
ccption. BY strange chance you have
this night looked upon the face of the wo-
man whom | loved in those far-oG DAYS.
There were many rings with crystals in tho
case. and had to test for the platinum to
be sure OF the one which / wanted. A
glance at the crystal has shown me that
the liquid is indeed within it. and that
shall at last be able to shake of that ao-
cursed health which has been worse