Athothis : a satire on modern medicine / by Thomas C. Minor.

and every hair on end, his tail elevated and swollen to twice its natural size, while his eyes, expanded like those of a raging demon or furious goblin, emitted brilliant phosphorescent flashes of light, intelligent gleams of in- dignant protest. Quickly recovering from the fright induced by this strange manifestation of wrath on the part of a hereto- fore amiable pet, Doctor Paulus Androcydes cried out in a conciliatory, apologetic voice, " Forgive my rude re- mark, Anubis, thou very prince of cats ; for if the divine essence of Athothis, greatest of all Egyptian magi, re- sides in thee, most grievous has been my offense, and I humbly crave pardon ! " The mere utterance of these words seemed to exert a magical effect on the cat, for its tail resumed a normal size, its fur became smooth and glossy, while the savage eyes again assumed their wonted expression of tender regard. As the doctor saw this sudden change in the aspect of the animal, he sank back in a softly-cushioned reclining chair, perfectly overcome with astonishment. In the meantime, Anubis walked up and down the table, purring in a most affectionate manner. A flood of curious ideas and fancies filled the mind of Doctor Paulus Androcydes, foremost among which was the thought that perhaps, after all, the doctrine of me- tempsychosis was not entirely false. Who knew but that this very cat might contain the essence of life that once inhabited the body of Athothis ? Who was Athothis? The papyrus lying there was certainly genuine; for only that morning he had taken the scroll from the burial casket resting in the corner. He was sure that the ancient sarcophagus had never been tampered with, inasmuch as it had been obtained at