Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-17

treat the God he served to be favorable to Pha-
roah and persuade the people to return SO soon
as they should have sacrificed in the desert.
So the assembly now proceeded to discuss
whether ENJOYS should not be sent to Tanis to
treat once more with the "High Gate"
This proposal, which he had not indeed, dared
to Law before his father had been made by Uri
in all good faith to the assembled elders, and he
hoped that its acceptance might save the He
brews much suffering. But hardly had he
ended his very clear and persuasive speech
when old Nun, Joshua's father, who had with
difficulty held his peace, started mp in wrath.
The old mans face, usually so cheerful was
crimson with anger. and its deep hue was in
strange contrast with the thick. white hair
which hung about it. Only a short while since
he had heard Moses reject similar proposals
with stern decision and the strongest argu-
ments: and now must he hear them repeated2
And by many signs of approval on the part of
those assembled he saw that the great under
taking for which he, more than any one, had
staked and sacrihced ms aI, was IN NE nperiled, u
it was with flashing eye and threatening lists
%WSat words are these? Shall we reknit the
ends of the cord which the Lord our God hath
cut? Are we to tie it, do you say, with a knot
so loose that il will hold just SO long as the
present mood of an iIresolute weakltng, who
has broken his word to Moses and to us score
of timesf Would you have us return into the
cage from which the Almighty hath released
US by miracle? Are we to stand before the
Lord our God as false debtors? Shall we take
the royal treasure which He hath promised us?
Oh. man! You who have come from the
Egyptian! l would could"
And the fierce old man shook his fists; bnt
before he had spoken the threat which was on
his lips he ceased and his arm fell, for Gabriel,
the elder of the tribe of Zebulon. called out:
Remember your own son, VINO at TINS Gay Is
still content to dwell among the enemies of
Israelr'
The blow had told; but it was only for mo-
ment that the fiery patr1arch'S high spirit was
-, nf cwur1as1 11,
rose in disapproVal of Gabriel's malice, and the
lesser number who took part with min, n un's
was heard: "It is by reason of the fact that,
besides the loss of the 10000 acres of land which
have left behind, may perchance, have also
to sacrifice my noble son in obedience to the
word of the Lord that have right to speak
my mind" His broad breast heaved sorrow
fully as he spoke, and now his eyes, Deneath
their thick, white brows, fell with milder
CLEAN on the son of Hur, who had turned pale
under this violent address, and he went on:
This man is indeed good son and obedient
to his father, and he, too, has maze sacrlnce,
for he has come away from his work, in which
he won great praise, and from his home in
Memphis, and the blessing of the Lord rest
upon himI But inasmuch as he has obeyed that
bidding, he ought not to try TO undo that which,
by the Lords help, we have begun. And to you,
Gabriel, say that my son is of surety not
content to dwell with the enemy; nay. that he
will obey nv voice and ioin himself to us, even
as Uri, the hrst-born son of Hur. Whatever
keeps him back, it is some good reason OF
which Joshua need not be ashamed. not l, his
father. know him. trust him for that; and
he who looks for aught else from him will of
surety, by my sons dealings, sooner or later, be
shown = be liar
He ceased, pushing his white HAIR back from
his heated brow; and as no more contradicted
him. he turned again to the metal worker, say
ing with hearty kindness: ut was not your
meaning Uri, which reused my ire. Your will
is good: but you have measured the greatness
and glory of the God of our fathers by the
standard of the false gods of the Egyptians,
who perish and revive again, and, as Aaron has
said, are but small part of Him who is in all
and through all and above all. Till Moses
showed me the way ]. too believed was serv-
ing the Lord by Staying an OK, lamb or a
goose on an altar, as the Egyptians do and
now if your eyes are opened. as mine were by
Moses, to behold Him who rules the world and
who hath chosen us to be His people, you, like
me and all of us-yea, and ere long my own son
will feel the fire kindled for sacrifice in your
own hearts, fire that never dies out, and con-
and truth and faith and worship of Him. For
the Lord hath promised us great things by the
WORD of His servant Moses: Redemption from
bondage, that we may be free lords and
masters henceforth on our own soil and
in fair land which is ours and our
children's forever! We are on our way
to this gift, and whosoever would delay us on
our way or desires Us to return and crawl back
into the net whose meshes OF brass we have
burst aSunder counselS the people to become
as sheep who leap back into the fire from
which they have escaped. am not twroth with
you now, for L read in your face that you
know how greatly you have erred, but hereby
We shall know that l heard from the lips Of
Moses but few hours since that whosoeYer
shall counsel a return or any covenant with the
Egyptians he himself will accuse as condemn
ing the Lord Jehovah our God, and as the de-
stroyer and foe of his people"
At this Uri weI up to the old man, held out
his hand and deeply persuaded in his heart of
the justice of his reproof, exclaimed: mo
dealings, no covenant with the Egyptiansi
And 1 am gretaful to you, Nun, for having
opened my eyes. The hour is at hand when
YOU or another who stands nearer to Him than
], shall teach me to know more perfectly the
God who is my God likewise"
HereupOn he went away with the old man,
who leaned his arm upon his shoulder
Miriam had listened with breathless eager
ness to Urls last appeal, and when he gave
utterance to the wish to know more perfectly
the God of his fathers, her eyes shone with
inspired ecstacy She felt that her spirit was
full of the greatness of the Most High and
that she had the gift of speech wherewiIh to
make known to others the knowledge she her |
self possessed. But the custom of her people |
required her TO be silent. Her heart burned |
within her, and when she had again mingled |
with the crowd, and assured herself that |
Joshua was not yet come, as it was now dusk |
she went up to the roof, there to sit with the |
others.
None seemed to have missed her, not even |
Door, forlorn Mllcah, and she felt herself alone
indeed in this house. If Joshua might but |
come, if only she might find strong breast on |
which to lean, if this sense of being stranger |
among her kindred might have an end-this |
useless life under the roof which she must call |
her home, although she had never felt at home |
there!
Moses and Aaron, her brothers, had departed, |
and had taken with them Hurs grandson; and |
She who lived and breathed only for her people |
and their well-being, had not been found |
worthy to be told more particularly whittier |
they were faring, or to what end. All! why had |
the Almighty, to whom she had devoted her !
self, body and soul given her the spirit and |
mind of man in the form of a woman?
She waited awhile as if to see whether, of all |
this circle of kind hearts, her kith and kin, |
there was not one to love her, listening to the |
chatter of old and young who surrounded her; |
and she had never had the art |
of attracting the little ones. Dame Elisheba |
was directing the slaves who were putting the |
finishing touches to the baggage. Micah sat, |
with a cat in her lap. gazing into vacancy and |
the bigger lads were out of doors No one no
tieed her or spoke to her.
Bitter sorrow fell upon her. After eating her
supper with the Others making great effort |
over the happy excitement of tine children |
who looked forward with great glee to their de-
parting she felt she must get out into the fresh
air.
Yelling her face closely. she crossed the camp
alone. But the scenes she saw there were i'll
fitted to lift the burden that weighed upon her
Ii was Still aStlr, and although here and there /
pious songs rang out, full of triumph and hope
there was more quarreling to be heard, and
uproar. Whenever threats or revil-
ing against her great brothers met her ear she
FASTENED forward, but she could not run away
from her anxiety as to what might happen at
sunrise, when the people were to set forth, If
the malcontents gained the upper hand. She
knew that the multitude must necessarily
move onward; still she had never been able to
subdue her fears of Pharaoh's mighty army.
1t was personitied to her in JoShua's heroic
form. If the Lord of Hosts Himself were not
In the ranks of these wretched bondsmen and
shepherds who were squabbling and fighting
all about her, how should they be able to stand +
against the tried and well-armed troops of
Egypt with their chariots and horses?
She had heard that men had been placed on
guard at every part of the camp and ordered
to tlow blast on horn or drum on a metal
plate IN the event of the enemy's approach till