Central High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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ilashup with the black cses and the hair like night, much more like the great goddess than such as thou. So. so. good Aeln-hepct, said Scbu, anxious t.» avoid a scene and yet quite as anxious to defend his fair young daughter, fret not thyself over our child's tace, so like to her beautiful mother’s- ‘Beautiful, say cat thou! broke out his angry wife, springing up from her leopard-covered couch in such a rage as to send both the shall bronze table and her own good husband sprawling on the groud. “ ilt thou never have done prating of that washed-out Libyan woman with her hair of tow and eyes of faded blue? Thou art a fool, with thy talk of her beauty and of this lazy one's chances for the grove girl's throne! 'T.ut nevertheless, said Scbu quietly as he picked himself from the ground with the help of Nita, but nevertheless, good Ncbt-hcpet, thou arc likely to be wrong, for the priest did tell me this day when he took from me the silver goddess whose nose I had repaired, that the priests were decided to desire our Nita as the grove girl. 1 he time of the festival was arrived, and gay barges, with crowds of musicians, singers, and a curious freight of fruits, flowers, and mummied cati floated down the river through the broad canals to the landing before the temple. For days crowds of pilgrims thronged the broad roadway, bowed in worship before the great bronze image of the goddess, and danced and sang and feasted in the beautiful groves. And in the midst of the great grove, upon her gaily decorated throne sat the grove girl, N ita, the daughter of Scbu. She was dressed in a long robe of crimson interwoven with patterns in gold, around her waist was a broad purple sash decorated with silver figures of Pasht, a wreath of lotus leaves encircled her fair head, while her pretty feet were incased in sandals of bronzed leather, decorated with silver cat heads, and trimmed with fur. One day, almost the last in the season of the festival, as Xita sat in the center of the throng the toc-piecc of her sandal became loosened and the shoe slipped to the ground. At once three of the attendants sprang to pick it up and a friendly rivalry for its possession ensued. Then one of the three, Kamon, wishing to show his skill at juggling and tossing, flung the sandal high in the air, intending to catch the pretty thing as it fell. But alas for Kamon s intentions! For as the bronze sandal went whirling through tlu air, a great black eagle, circling aloft on the watch for prey, caught the gleam of the slipper, and.' supposing it to be some choice morsel, swooped down upon it. caught it in his strong talons, and sailed majestically ft through the clear Egyptian skv. What a wail went up from the grove girl's startled attendants as they saw the slipper disappearing, and what a scolding poor Xita received from her angry stepmother when she came home that night with one dainty sandal of bronzed leather, silver and fur. and one soiled sandal of twisted papvrus and palm ! ’♦ ♦ In the royal palace at Memphis sat the voting Pharaoh Nebi, king of the two Egvpts. known in history by his throne name of Xofer-ka-ra. “the splendid brother of the great god of the sun.” And as he sat thus, heedless of the words of his counselors and the reports of his household officers, suddenly there 14

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Cinderella’s Ancestor N THE center oi the lofty city oi Bn last is in Egypt, ruse the heavy wall of the great temple t I’asni, tnc cat faced goddess in whose honor the ci y was buili. All ..r uiul th. central 0 temple the (luted columns of the torrid rs ran in circle beyond re-1 groves and gard ns. fhe A. , shrine was tiilt foi the worship oi Pa ht, the go dc s oi light r 1 and lire, of song and music, oi pleasure and social delights. She had the body oi a woman and the head of a eat. and in almost every Eg ptian house could he found a little image oi this beloved goddess. At a certain season of the year, people from all parts of Egypt would come floating down the river in gaily decorated barges, with men playing • 'ii the flutes of lotus wood, and women clanging the brazen Cymbals and chanting songs. They would sail up the canal, land at the foot of the street of the Temple, and proceed in joyful procession down the sloping roadway to the statued vestibule of the great shrine to do homage to the grove girl. 'This grove girl was usually the most beautiful of all the maidens of Bttbas-tis. selected to sit upon a decorated throne in the midst of the sacred groves of Pasht. and, as the representative of light and beauty, receive the homage of the gay revelers. In one of the manv houses, not far in m the entrance to the sacred grove and near the great roadway, lived Set.it. who manufactured the images of the goddess, llis house was larger and better than most of the houses in Bubastis. for Sebu was a thrifty and prosperous maker of images. His only daughter Nit. or as the neigh’ ors called her. Nbaker, “the perfect Xita. had been almost since her babyhood, his companion and helper. But since Sebu bad married Nebt-hcpct. the widow of the armorer, poor little Nita’s life had been a burden, a sad thing indeed for a gay-hearted maiden of fiiteen. Perhaps the swarthy stepmother disliked ita because of the tair face and light hair which the girl had inherited in in her T.ibvan mother. One day. near to the season « f the great festival of Pasht as the fa mi y of the image-maker were eating their evening meal just outside the open window of his shop. Sebu said to his daughter, “And whom, Nita. do you suppose the good priests will select for the grove girl at the feast? “I know not. my father. she said, “would that the good fortune could be mine.’ “Thine indeed! exclaimed her stepmother scorn full v. “Thine indeed! As if tlie good priests would select such a pink-faced dolt as thou t • sit enthroned in honor of the glorious black-haired goddess. It i more 1 Pc to be the daughter of the Lord Kliua. the Treasurer, or perchance the beautiful 13

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dropped into his lap something small and hard. W ith an exclamation of surprise, the young king started from his reverie and looking; lip into the clear skv he saw sailing swiftly towards the desert a great A trican eagle. The voting l'haraoh thrust his hand inti) the folds of his robe and drew out a little sandal of bronzed leather, stamped in silver and trimmed with fur. “Now this is wondrous fair,” cried the young monarch, looking at the strange gift of the eagle in delighted surprise. “To whom think ve, my honored ones, doth this sandal belong and what doth it bode to the realm?” Then the officers about the throne tried to appear wise, but only looked puzzled. At length, the teacher of mysteries said, 1 fear that it is an omen from the evil gods. ( King. For the eagle is sacred to none of the gods of h'.gvpt, and a messenger not sacred could bring naught but evil to the brother of the sun.” “Not so,” said the King, “this can be no evil omen. It has been worn and In a most dainty foot. No maiden of Memphis has a foot fitted for such a shoe and she who can wear s.» small and fair a creation, must be fair herself. You have long wished me to take a cjuecn. Hear. then, my words. nly she who wears this dainty sandal shall share my throne. Find the owner of this little shoe, and you will find the wife « f your Pharaoh. At this, there was general consternation among the officers «»f the state. W as King Xcbi mad? Suppose this fair unknown should be of no official family—suppose she were one of the “mob.” But none dared to protest openly. Young Xcbi was resolved, and not one among them was so rash as to oppose the will of a Pharaoh. And now throughout the kingdom, north and south and east and west, went swift messengers seeking the maiden with the mate to the sandal of bronzed leather, stamped in silver and trimmed with fur. The messengers came to the City of Bubastis, sought out the Lord Mapu. the C.overnor and the priests of the Temple. The stors of the grove girl, the eagle and the lost sandal matched precisely the story of the king, the eagle and the sandal dropped from the clouds. Thereupon, messengers of the Pharaoh hastened to the house of Sebtt. the image-maker. If it bad not been that she was a fast-bound and loyal wife. Nebt-hcpct herself would have tried very hard to squeeze her fat foot into the little sandal. But it was of no use. Xitas trim little foot fitted the dainty sandal exactly: the mate to it was produced and worn, and in loss than a month, with feasting and flowers and song. Xita. the daughter of Sebu. the image-maker. was married to Xcbi Xofcr-ka-ra. and became therewith Xitakcr. Queen of Egypt. 15 CARL VOX C.OF.BEX ’13