Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-01-09

derly on the head of Benladdi, for whom Ne
felt the deepest concern, he said, at is the
Lord, my son, let him do what seemeth to HIM
good"
The mourner started at these words, and,
looking expressivey at Omri, hidhis face in his
robe and wept
Since it is thy wish, my son, to remain here,
| will leave thee and seek some assistance. 1t
is best to bury our dead out Of our sight"
When Omri, after several hours absence, re-
turned with assistance, he found him still hang
ing over the body, though he resigned it imme-
diately to his care, and left the cavern for a
hut to which he was directed by the kind
priest. ...
When the melancholy task was accomplish.
ed,f Omri came to Benladdi, bringing a small
packet which he had found concealed among
some wearing appeared. 81 know nothing Of
its contents, my son but pray God it may
contain some balm to thy wounded spirit"
Benladdi opened the papers and read as
follows
"Zcuma-dear, unfortunate Zeluma--my
loved and lost one--how can communicate
the dreadful truth without breaking thy inno-
cent heart! 1t must be told feel that you
must know that you are the last of an accurs-
ed race. Yes, loved and lovely as thou art,
fISiuIid, lily httIeI WIS u ucSCCIutllI vi uCua-
II; and ere twenty summers have passed over
thy head, thou wilt be leper as white as
snow"
Benladdi started, and exclaimed "Wise and
noble, and generous even to death vert thou,
oh my Ieluma, innocent victim of guilty sirel"
You may wonder, my child, that did not
make this appalling communication myself !
felt it was wise to keep it from you as long as
possible, that you might enjoy the little span
allowed you. How many times, my Zeluma,
have longed to destroy you! How often,
when an innocent child you slept in my arms,
has my hand been pressed on your tender
bosom, to stop the beating of thy loving heartl
But thank God, did not do the deed though
you can never know the agony, the horror Of
those moments. You must hear something of
your mothers early life, that you may under
stand why she became the wife of leper.
When your father came to my country, | was
an orphan; young, rich and beautiful, though
proud as the builders of Babel. He, too, was
young and lovely to obehold he was called brave
and noble thought should be the wife of
great warrior, and, though he was stranger
from far country, | married him. Before six
moons passed, he was a loathsome leper!
Imagine, if possible, the anguish of my heart,
when | tried every physician and every heal
ing art in vain. | hung over him with the
tendcrest care. L0athsome as he was | loved
and ptied him, for thought him virtuOus.
] impored him without ceasing, to present
himself to the priest but he refused. At last
weary with my importantly, and enragcd with
the disease, he looked tiercely upon me, and
; said with bitter smile: "Poor Fool can the
priest wash away the curse of the Prophet?
Know for your misery and eternal anguish,
that ! am descended from Gehazi!"
81 heard him. and fell lifeless 10 the floor
For weeks / was n maniac. When | re-
covered, my whole soul seemed changed. l
looked upon my wretched husband with
loathing and disgust But it was not the
leprosy of the body that caused the change
Mono. l could have nurscd him with the
truest affection, could have loved him, though
all the world had left him in horror, had not
his soul been more leprous than his body
He had before my marriage, told me of the
curse entailed upon him-had he thrown
himself upon my mercy, and implored my
pity, and in the madness of my devotion
had united my fate to his, ! would have
shared it without murmur, bitter and dread
full as it was. But to feel that | had been
basely and cruelty deceived-to feel that the
same touetouS spirit that destroyed his an
cestors, was the leading principle of all his
actons-to feel that ] was degraded and
ruined by my union with one who deserved
his fate, was maddening! / was prostrated,
mortified, thrown into the mre, but not
humbled. Instead of reproaching myself for
my folly in thus hastily uniting myself to a
stranger, | constantly reproachcd my hGs-
band; and when | should soon give another
being to a life Of wrctchedness, | fed de-
termined to wander in the desert until death
released me from my suffcrings. was taken
by party of Arabs, and sold as a slave
You, my beloved were born in bondage. War
broke out in the territory, and by is chances
we were thrown into the household Of Ben
laddi. 1t was under his hOsptablc roof that
was taught TO look into my own heart, and
see myself as was-but learnt that it was
lcprous with pride, which God alone could
wash away.
"Arraigh not, my child, the wisdom Of
Jehovah, ror murmur at his decrccs n thou
sand years in his sight are but as yesterday.
The family of Gehazi deserved their fate
You, my love- arc the only innocent victim,
and think not to escape. When at eighteen
you look upon your charms with proud
satisfaction, know that attwenty those charms
will vanish, and you will become leper
But fear not Die, the last Of the accursed
race, and you win die happy! Farewell, un-
iii we meet in heaven.
Your heart-brokcn' MOTHER. "
Benladd went to Jerusalem with Omri, and
devoted himself to the service of God in the
Temple; and though his huhbled spirit was
purified from all earthly affections, he could
never read the curse Of the Prophet--ncvcr
repeat the appalling words, "The leprosy
therefore Of Naaman shall cleave to thee and
thy seed forever without shudder Of
| agony.
y ID Kings, V. 81.
STATISTICS or THE SUSPENSION OF LABsR--
The Providence Journal publishes tabular
statement Of the number of suspensions Of cot
ton and woollen mills in the manufacturing re-
gions of which Providence is the centre From
these figures the conclusion is reached that
more than three quarters Of the cotton mnchi
merry is Idle. The suspension Of the woollcn
machinery is not so general but is very large
and constantly increasing. The reduced pro-
duct on Of cotton goods is estimated at n, 900
pieces and 2,Gii,OO0 yards per week, Of the
value Of $50, 400; and that the reduced pro-
ductiou Of woollcn goods is equal to 1927, ,9l5
per week, making total reduction in these
1 tun lnDartnrntS Of orr ministry Of S07S Al X