Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-24
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THE STORY OF JOSEPH.
As Told by s.Nlark Twain.'' in his
Letters from the Holy Land.

i Joseph had eleven brethren and fa-
| ther, making twelve in, all. He is dead
now. Joseph was the y youngest but one,
and the best beloved. ESQ wen beloved
was he that his fathersgave him coat
of many colofs. They went as good
deal on coats of many colors in those
days. Joseph was only thoughtless
lad of seventeen, and that coat corral
led his sympathies. He used to swell
around and put on many frills among
his brethren; -ihasmueh as they reasoned
among themselves and said: As Jacob,
our father, liveth, there is too much style
about this upstart. For, behold, even
before these, days they were down upon
him. -s 4 = f.
Not satisfied with having coat of
many colors, Joseph proceeded to fur
ther atrocities, and began to dream
dreams. As he had fashion of inter
5pretingy themin asway that was very
comforting to himself-in a way that
seemed to foreshadow that he would one
day be exalted high above his father
Jacob and his other brethren. These
things made the wrath of the eleven to
increase by many fold. and in greater
degree than ever were they down upon
him.
In the fullness of time Jacob sent his
sons away up in the north country to
pasture their focks, and by and by the
lmaifs got irregular, and be wondered if
anything was the matter, becausesof. his
not hearing from them. So he sent Jo-
seph to look into the matter, and, just
like boy, he started off through the
vilest, rockiest, dustiest country in ASIA
tricked out in his trotting harness-got-
ten up regardless of expense-arrayed
in the pride of his heart, his beautiful
claw hammer coat of many colors.
When the other boys saw him coming
they said: .Lo, here is the dreamer-let
us kill him." But Reuben pleaded with
tender eloquence for his innocent broth
er, and said: 40, pity him!' Wherefore
they pitted him. And the.self same pit
that they pitted him in is here in this
place. even to this day. And here it will
remain until the next detachment of i'm
age-breakers and tomb desecraters ar
rives from the Quaker. City excursion,
and they will infallibly dig. it up and
carry it away with them. For behold
in them is no reverence for the solemn
monument of the past, and wheresoever
they go they destroy and spare not.
Then. the brethren sold Joseph to some
Ishmaelites, at the ruling rates, ten per
cent. off for cash, and dabbled his coat
in the blood of kid and sent it to their
father, who rent his garments and be.
lieved that his, boy, the jewel of his
heart and the joy of his old age, was
gone from him to return no more forever.
The Ishmaelites took Joseph into
Egypt, and sold him to Potiphar, an of
fcer of the Kings household, and lost
noneysorf him, which served them right.
Joseph became foreman of Potiphar's af-
fairs, aad prospered greatly. He had
the run of the whole establishment, and
was trusted to the utmost. He got into
trouble with Potiphar's wife at last, and
both gave in their versions of the affair,
but the 1ady's was plausible and Jos
eph's was most outrageously shaky. So
they threw him into prison, and he
staid there two years. He got to eat
ing too much, and consequently he got
to dreaming. The same was the case
with the other prisoners They all
wanted their dreams interpreted. This
was Joseph's strong suit. The inter.
pretations proved correct. This came
to Pharaoh's ears, after a while,
and, most luckily, just at the time
when be had had couple of curious
dreams himself, and had run so short of
dreaming material that he dreamt them
over again, which astonished him.
Joseph enlightened him. He said, "Sire,
your dreams signify that there are going
to be seven years of extraordinary plen-
ty inyEgypt, and they viii be followed
by a Iowling famine that will distress
the whole world for full seven years.
Then he closed one eye and looked ex-
ceedingly shrewd out of the other, after
the manner of a man. who knoweth that
which he is about, and said, ..Behold
thou and thy servant can gather together
divers ard sundry shekels out of this
thing let US bear-th market and buy
against the season of famine And
Pharaoh said, al perceive that thou art
none of them that know not to come in
when it: doth rain ). behold, it shall be
even as thou sayest.''
Whereforehe made Joseph ruler over
all the glandsof Egypt, and gave unto
him chariots and horses, and servants to
wait upon him; and clothed him in
sumptuous garments. whereunto the coat
of many colors was so much as circum-
stance. Then did Joseph show what man
ner of man he was. He dearest the mar
ket and bought all the corn that was to be
raised in Egypt for seven years to come,
and stored it away. And when the first
year Of the famine was approaching
he bought again at six months, buyers
option, and surprised the boys very
greatly, for when he called his stocks
they could not deliver. In that day
many man sold short and Joseph
had them on the hip, and their names
were. posted, and they forfeited their
seats in the Board. And during all
those years of famine, ships came from
far countries that were in distress, and
10, the corn that Joseph bought at forty
cents he sold it unto them at seven dol
lars and half. Before time and a !
half or two times had passed over their
heads. Joseph and Pharaoh owned about
two-thirds of Egypt; and it is estimated
that if Pharaoh could have dreamed one
more dream and got Joseph to interpret
it, they would have shortly owned the
balance of it.
By and by Jacob sent two of his SONS
down to Egypt to buy corn. Joseph
knew them, but never let on. He called
them spies and blackguarded them until
be had about got even with them for
selling him out, and then he sold them
corn, hid their money in their sacks, and