The Delta independent., 1901-04-05

JcWtISu SiippcT.
and were in the water a great while.
AS they sported In the cool current
they saw an eagle swoop down upon
the shore and bear away bright thing
in its talons. The great shadow pas sed
over them and presently became a
mere speck in the sky, far above
where the dark river widened in its
sweep toward the midland sea.
When PIT came to dress che could
not find one Of her jeweled slippers.
and she told the maids that the eagle
must have borne It away. Now among
the ancients the eagle was considered
. messenger Of their gods. and when
one saw an eagle II was believed to
be a good omen. So the maidens an
swered:
Good will come OF It. noble lady.
Regret It not; your slipper will bring
you a princely suitor. for 1t IL an
omen Of sovereignty"
And Pti. the princess, hobb,ed home
as best she might. with one foot slip
PEERLESS. When her maids smiled, she
only said:
There is luck for me. shall marry
king"
Far away down the river lay the
royal city Of Memphis. It's palaces and
temples shadowing the Nile. A new
king reigned there. who had Just come
to the throne. The most potent Pha-
raoh the Nile had seen for years.
young, gay and handsome, he was yet
unhappy; Rameses had no queen.
The king sat one eve iD,the cool
portico Of his palace overlooking the
river. The last rays Of the sunlight
quivered on the sands of the Lybian
desert. Perfumed breezes swept up
from the Nile, scented with the odor
| OF callas. palm groves and orange
| flowers. The sweet voices Of beautiful
| slaves hummed gay tune: but the
| face of Rameses locked grave and
sad.
Suddenly dark shadow passed over
| the palace, and TIL, king saw, with
sacred awe and wonderment. huge
| eagle descend toward him with wide
| spread piDions. And as he looked
something bright and g.istering fell
from its talons to the tesseiated pave
ment. Ramcaes stopped and picked up
Pits jeweied slipper.
All the next day and the next royal
| couriars spread proclamation, Offering
| the throne to whoever could produce
the mate OF the magnificent sandal
which the eagle had brought the king.
PIT. in her distant palace, heard the
grand tidings. and. beautiful and
dainty as white lily, came to Mem
phis in answer to the kings appeal.
sbe walked up the mighty pillared
| porticos Of the Pharaobs with grace
full air, and stood before Rameses, fair
er than the great Queen Amense when
she wooed Thotmes. One pearly foot
| was bare: the other glittered with the
| jcweled sandal. whose mate the king
held In his hand.
Rancses kept his word. When the
next new moon flashed its splendcrs
on the Nile 1t shone too on the mar-
riage fetes Of the great Pharaoh aad
his lovely bride. The bright-winred
temples shone with illuminatiois.
Merry feasting made the palace q
scene Of delight. The dark. frownlng
pyramids looked DOM upon land
that was laughing with Joy, for Pti
had found her slipper and with II the
diadem Of Egypt.
II you were to visit the British Mu-
scum. at London. you would see the
Princess PITS shoes-the jeweled
slippers that the eagle carried from
Thebes to Memphis. Pti never wore
them after she became queen, but
when she died they were put on her
feet and buried with her. A few years
ago her mummy was exhuned, and
there were the wonderful sandali
which the old story-writer told vi
about In his big book. va