The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-09-03
Select gturn.
THE MUMMY CASE.
By Sir Gilbert E. Campbell. Bart. i.

strasse, Heidelberg, who, though he was not
German by birth, had lived so long
among those of that nationality that he
was ever welcome guest at their houses,
and this was Mynheer Cornelius Van Heu-
vel, Dutchmau, who had for many years
earned a handsome income as a vender OF
curiosities and objects of art. He occupied
large front room in the house of the
widow of the late Syndic of the markets,
which was crammed from floor to ceiling
with a strange, heterogeneous collection.
Damascened suits of armOr, Moorish sclmi-
ters. and bows and arrows from Tartary,
magnificent porcelain from Nankin, bron-
yes from Yeddo, rich stuffs from Smyrna,
and carpets from the looms of Persia and
Cashmere were all to be found in the old
Dutchman's treasure house.
There was in one corner Of the room an
old three-cornered ebony cabinet, with
brightly polished brass locks and hinges,
in which it was reported the Dutchman
locked away an almost priceless collection
of enamels, Mosaics, and curiously engrav-
ed gems, but even his most intimate friends
had never been gratifed by peep into the
darksome recess. In the deep embrasure
formed by the window was tall chair with
soft leather cushions and luxuriously stuff
ed arm, and when the weather permitted
Cornelius Van Heuvel would take up his
position at the open easement, his long
pipe in his mouth, and in this situation he
was enabled to command both ends Of the
street and catch glimpse of his customers
long before they knocked at the low-browed
door which gave access to the house in
which he had taken up his quarters.
The arrival of Herr Van Heuvels neph-
ew at Heidelberg caused no little interest.
A room was taken for him Immediately
opposite his uncle's in the house of Johann
Steingasse, and it was reported that the
young man was coming from Egypt with
collection of curios, among which was the
undoubted mummy of King Rameses, the
last of the line. The collectors sister had
married an Italian, who followed in the
footsteps of the great explorer Belzoni, and
had seen strange things in catacombs and
mummy pits of lower Egypt.
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon of a
fine spring day Giuseppe Voltoni stepped
out of the train and anxiously y watched the
extrication of several large packing cases
from the luggage van. Upon one of these,
about seven feet long by three feet in
height, he bestowed great care, and as soon
as it was placed on the cart which his uncle
had sent down to meet the train, he seated
himself beside it and was driven to the
Blumen strasse, where he looked after the
safe bestowal of the packages before he
went to greet his venerable relative.
The appearance of the son of the Egyp-
tian explorer was not prepossessing. Gui-
seppe Voltoni was a short, broad shoulder
ed man, very powerful, but without any of
the grace of strength about him. His
hands were large and covered with coarse,
dark hair. The eastern sun had tanned
his face to reddish brown and the Egyp-
tian curse, opthalmia, had deprived him Of
the sight of his left eye. He wore full
beard, and a heavy moustache hung over
a mouth we'll furnished with white, though
very large teeth. The redeeming quality
about him was his voice, which was very
soft and melodious, whether he spoke in
the gutturals of the German tongue or the
more musical accents of the land of his
birth,
When however, Giuseppe began to talk,
the uncle forgot his ugliness and marvelled
greatly at the varied stores of knowledge
which he possessed Though so long a
dwelIer in Egypt, Giuseppe was well ac-
quainted with all the articles most in de-
mand in the European markets, and the
old man soon perceived, in spite of his ex-
perience, that he might at times pick up
many useful hint from his nephew.
Cornelius Van Heuvel showed his neph-
ew all his curiosities and lastly, opening
the famous ebony cabinet, permitted Gui-
seppe to take peep at its wondrous con-
tents. After Giuseppe Voltoni had done
so he turned towards his uncle with look
Of intense surprise upon his face. "And
you keep these here, said he, "here in this
nnguarded rnom?"
"Certainly, nephew mine, returned the
old man, with chuckle, "there are no
thieves among my friends, and even they
have only vague suspicious of the contents
of the cabinet.
"Well, but you might be robbed, ar
gued his nephew.
Hardly, for l am nearly always sitting
among my property" returned the Dutch
man, "and when | go out my door is fast
ened with paddock which defy the most
expert to pick"
"Well, they might come in and murder
you, suggested his nephew grimly.
''The house is always full of people, and
my window looks upon the street No,
Nephew Giuseppe, l shall not be murder
ed.''
"Well, am sure l do not want you to
be-, returned his nephew, "but now that
you have shown me all your treasures, l
went you to come over in couple of days
and glance through the mysteries of Egypt,
which will be unpacked by that time