Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-02-02
A PRINCESS FOOT.

"A i ClIOD IOOls
The custom of collecting old furniture
and ornaments has become Widespread
within the Last few years, and no elegant
home is considered complete without it's
antique room. AS u natural consequence
these bric-a-brac shops have sprung up
everywhere, like SO many mushrooms aft
err a rain.
They are to be seen all about Vienna,
and, although you are very apt to find
them badly lighted, stuffy little shops,
yet they are irresistible to the connoisseur
My favorite shop is "a repository for relics
of all centuries and all nations.
The proprietor of the store is a queer
old fellow, and is suspected of being some
thing of a sharper. One has to be on ones
guard in dealing with him. There Is al
ways an air Of mystery about him. If he
had lived a hundred years ago he would
certainly have been burned as Oh evil ma
gician.
Upon the day of which l write he re-
ceived me with all the warmth Of an old
friend, and followed me about among his
treasures, now pushing aside some decrepit
chair, now spreading his hands over some
bit Of porcelain to keep it from contact
with my coat, now holding up some rich
piece of silk to show its best side, again
catching me by the elbow to prevent my
knocking over q couple of fragile and rare
Venetian glasses. He finally asked: p
"Will the gentleman purchase nothing
today? See this Malayan dagger! Its
blade shines like the suns rays. You
ought to have it in your collection. Did
you see this sword with the hilt incrusted
with b%rilliants? 1t belonged to Godfrey
of Bouillon; a valuable thing, I assure
you, sir"
"No, / have weapons enough" / an
swered. "All l am looking for today is
some triflo that l can use as a paper.
weight. The bronze figures and such
things that one usually sees are too com
monplace. ! don't want anything of that
Sort"
The old gnome searched some time
among his curioS and placed before me a
collection of bronzes, pieces of malachite,
little Chinese and Indian idols and n small
green jasper figure. Any of them would
suit the purpose c~xcellently.
I looked them all over and finally my
choice lay between "a horrible dragon with
yawning jaws and an ugly little Mexican
fetch representing the god Fitzliputzli.
just then my wandering eyes discovered
a charming little foot, which at the first
glance l thought might have belonged to
some antique Venus.
II will take that foot. 1t is just what
/ want"
The old maj handed ii to me, and l
was astonished at its lightness. 1t certain
ly was not bronze. 1t was a foot Of flesh
embalmed, the foot Of a mummy!
"And SO you want to buy the foot of
Princess Hermonthi, y cried the old dealer,
and a world Of scorn lay in his voice, "fo1
a paperweight! An original idea, truly
The old Pharaoh would have been great
~ surprised if any n had told him that
the foot Of his favorite daughter, Hermon-
thi, should ever be used as a paperweight,
especially after he erected a huge granite
pile over her and sealed it with hero
glyphics."
well, how much does this fragment of
a mummy COST" / asked.
"Just as much as possible, for it is
priceless. If you offered me 500 gulden,
it would not be half what it is worth.
Think Of it, sir, a foot that once belonged
to a daughter of the great king! What
could be more remarkable?'
AS I was going out of the door he called
to me:
"Well, you may have it, and its wrap
ping, too, | will give you"
So saying, he tied the foot up In a piece
of old silk.
"Costly old damask,' l heard him NUT
ter. "Indian damask that has never seen
the dye pot" He stroked the little parcel
caressingly aud handed 1t to me, receiving
his money In return. Carefully counting
1t and examining every piece, he stood
there murmuring softly:
'Her foot for a paperweight II y $ that
would not please Pharaoh = q y he loved
his daughter well!'
You speak exactly as If yen were a
friend of the old Egyptian ruler l said,
laughing. 'Do you know the secrets of
the pyramids" And with that l left the
shop.
/ al enchanted with my purchase, and
fastened home with it. Then l set out
for my restaurant, well pleased with my
now acquisition. There | met some
friends, with whom l dined, and it was
AuNc WAoH l fGuttFIlcU nome.
/ had asked one of my artist friends to
go with me the next day to an exhibition
OF Makart's paintings and he had been
KIND enough to send me Il complimentary
ticket. My head ached-which was not
to he wondered ut, as l had INDUCED freely
in champagle-and SO, fearful Of forget.
ting my appointment, l looked I'M tho
ticket and placed it directly undcr the
princess foot, where it could not fail to
meet my eyes the minute l awoke. Then
Invent to bed.
Gradually l became overcome with
sleep. At the same time it seemed that
the eyes Of my spirit opened all the wider,
for ! could SEQ my room plainly and my.
self sleeping. My lamp burned dlmly.
The Goals in the fireplace glowod softly.
A peaceful stiffness was over everything.
Suddenly / heard an odd cracking, like
dry leaves. 1t seemed to come from my
writing table. As | looked toward it I
saw tho little Egyptian foot walking
around among my papers.
At the samo time l noticed that the
window curtains were moving. They
slowly parted, and from between them
stepped a wonderfully beautiful figure.
It was o young girl, with warm, dark
colorlng, and her extraordinary beauty
was Of the purest oriental type. Her aim.
ond shaped eyes were slightly raised at the
blAck,
II scemcd to mo that | could hear tho
scori.fnl voice Of tho old antiquarian say:
Aaraoi would not like 1t. He loved
~ H.. -..I AA. .-.1H