Page:Zodiac stories by Blanche Mary Channing.pdf/83

66 was a rich man, and on his fine estate in the fertile Nile valley, he had wide gardens, besides artificial lakes, and stables for horses and cattle.

As Tophra walked between the beds of brilliant blossoms, Samis, the chief herdsman, approached her.

"Greeting, little lady!" he said with an obeisance. "Will not my little lady like to see the new bull-calf in the cow-house? 'T is the prettiest I ever saw, sleek as silk tissue and black as night."

Tophra clapped her hands.

"Bring it to me!" she cried impetuously.

But Samis shook his head.

"That may not well be, for it is too young yet to leave its mother. If my little mistress would see it, I will carry her on my shoulder to the cow-house. The stable-yard is too miry for those golden shoes."

Tophra liked Samis, with his