“Dear me, no! It's quite true, Primmie, really. The ancient Egyptians had many gods, some like human beings, some in the forms of animals. The goddess Hathor, for example, was the goddess of the dead and is always represented in the shape of a cow.” “Eh! A cow! Do you mean to sit there and tell me them folks--er--er--went to church meetin' and--and flopped down and said their prayers to a COW?” Galusha smiled. “Why, yes,” he said, “I presume you might call it that. And another god of theirs had the head of a hawk--the bird, you know. The cat, too, was a very sacred animal. And, as I say, the beetle, like the one represented here, was--” “Hold on, Mr. Bangs! HO-OLD on! Don't say no more to me NOW. Let me kind of--of settle my stomach, as you might say, 'fore you fetch any more onto the table. Worshipin' cows and--and henhawks and--and cats and bugs and--and hoptoads and clams, for what _I_ know! My savin' soul! What made 'em do it? What did they do it FOR? Was they all crazy?” “Oh, no, it was the custom of their race and time.” “WELL!” with a heartfelt sigh, “I'm glad times have changed, that's all I've got to say. Goin' to cow meetin' would be too much for ME! Mr. Bangs, where did you get that bug thing?” “I found it at a place called Saqqarah, in Egypt. It was in a tomb there.” “A tomb! What was you doin' in a tomb, for the land sakes?” “I was opening it, looking for mummies and carvings, statues, relics, anything of the kind I might find. This scarab was in a ring on the finger of the mummy of a woman. She was the wife of an officer in the royal court. The mummy case was excellently preserved and when the mummy itself was unwrapped--” “Wait a minute! Hold on just another minute, won't you, Mr. Bangs? You're always talkin' about mummies. A mummy is a--a kind of an image, ain't it? I've seen pictures of 'em in them printed report things you get from that Washin'ton place. An image with funny scrabblin' and pictures, kind of, all over it. That's a mummy, ain't it, Mr. Bangs?” “Why, not exactly, Primmie. A mummy is--” He proceeded to tell her much concerning mummies. From that he went on to describe the finding of the particular mummy from whose finger the scarab had been taken. Miss Cash listened, her mouth and eyes opening wider and wider. She appeared to be slowly stiffening in her chair. Galusha, growing interested in his own story, was waxing almost eloquent, when he was interrupted by a gasp from his listener. She was staring at him, her face expressing the utmost horror. “Why, dear me, Primmie, what is it?” he begged. Primmie gasped again. “And you set there,” she said, slowly, “and tell me that you hauled that poor critter that had been buried six thousand years out of--of--My Lord of Isrul! Don't talk no more to me now, Mr. Bangs. I sha'n't sleep none THIS night!” She marched to the door and there, turning, looked at him in awe-stricken amazement.