Evening star., 1927-10-01
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
THE MUMMY:S FOOT
BY THEOPHILE GAUTIER.

tTheopbila Gsutier was famous story
write novelist 1nd iourhhaiist h OF th1 nlme Iis
in 1872 His most famous and perhaps best
novel is ''Mademoiselle lie Maupin.' Hi'
shorter tales genuine little masterpieces
Much of his work shows an intimate ac
auantance with ancient Egyptian lore.'
I entered the shop of a curiosity
vender, an antique dealer. merchant
of all sorts of odds and ends. | was
in search of distinctive paperweight
for / was tired of the conventional
bronze things: | was hesitating be
tween porcelain dragon and an
abominable little Mexican fetish when
! caught sight of a charming foot
which / at first took for a fragment Ol
some antique Venus.
That foot will be my choice"
said to the merchant. who regarded
me strangely and held out the foot
for me to examine.
I was surprised at it's lightness
1t was not Il foot of metal, but. in
sooth, a foot of flesh, an embalmed
foot. a mummys foot. / could dis
tnguish the very grain of the skin
the toes were slender and delicate
terminated by perfectly formed nails
pure and ira nsparent as agateS.
"Ha, ha: you want the foot of the
Princess Hermonthis"' exclaimed the
merchant. with a strange chuckle.
"Ha, ha, ha! For paperweight! An
original idea, An artistic idea. Old
Pharaoh would certainly have been
surprised had some one told him that
the foot of his adored daughter would
be used for a paperweight after he
had had mountain of granite hOl
lowed out for her triple coffin. painted
and gilded. to preserve her through
the centuries"
"How much for this mummy frag-
nent?" l asked. Il have only five
louis
Five louis for the foot of the
Princess Hermonthis! That is very
little-but. well. I'll take it. 1t is
an authentic foot. But for paper
weight. Old Pharaoh will not he well
pleased, He loved his daughter, the
dear man."
/ went home. delighted with my ac-
ouisitiOn. I placed it upon pile
of papers-the effect was charming.
bizarre and romantic. I went out
and dined with friends, thinking how
proud l was to have a mummy's foot
upon my desk. When / came back,
with my brain slightly confused by a
few glasses Of wine. a vague Whit of
Oriental perfume assailed my nOstrils.
The heat of the room had warmed the
foot. and the perfume, at once sweet
and penetrating was one that 1000
years had not been able to dissipate.
I soon drank freely from the black
cup of sleep. Oblivion and nothing
ness, and then dreams began to touch
mel was in my chamber. as it really
was. although I seemed still to sleep
and see everything. I peered through
the room eXpectantly-but nothing
happened. Then my eyes fell upon
the desk where 7 had placed the foot
of the Princess Hermonthis.
The foot commenced to act I'm q
nervous manner. contracted itself and
leaped over the papers like a startled
frog. | became rather dissatisfied
with my acquisition now. for I wanted
my paperweights to remain stationary.
Suddenly. | saw the folds of my
bed curtain stir and heard a thump.
ing sound. like that caused by some
one hopping across the floor on on"
foot The he'd curtains opened. and
beheld the the strangest figure imag-
Unable before me.
1t was a young girl of a very deep
coffee-brown complexion and possess.
ing the purest Egyptian type of per.
feet beauty. Her eyes were almond.
sha ped and oblique. with eyebrows so
black that they seemed blue: her nose
was exguisitely chiseled. Her arms
were encircled by peculiar kind OF
metal ba pdS and hra aceietS Of pIaas