Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-02

stinctively.! Rebecca, the slave, saw moth
ing, or made as if she saw nothing. Lazarus
scanned the silk, and concealed it in the
folds of his talith.
AS soon as he could make an unobserved
moment, he read the writing with wild
eagerness. It ran like this in Aramaic
characters:
Cancel thy contract Leave Capernaum.
At dewfall of the Sabbath after the Sabbath
to come be on the shore OF the lake, at the
place thou knowest. Zahara."
Lazarus obeyed this order without mo-
ment's doubt or hesitation. Upon the follow
ing day he represented to Annas that, as
their relations had become strained and un-
pleasant, it might be more agreeable upon
both sides if the work upon the villa were
deferred The High Priest received this sug-
gestion with courteous regrets, but with evil
dent approval. He expressed the wish to pro-
tect the builder handsomely from any pecu-
MARY loss to which the sundered contract
might make him liable.
PAY to my men the wages due them" re-
piled Lazarus. "For myself, prefer to meet
the loss. 1t is naught. I have other engage
ments. I return to Bethany at once"
Thus the High Priest and his builder
parted. Every show of courtesy attended the
departure of Lazarus and his men, who were
attended far upon their journey by the Off
GERS and servants of the High Priest. It was
given out in Capernaum that the work was
simply deferred until the family should be
absent from the villa, the Inconvenience OF
building during their occupation proving
greater than was anticipated.
Lazarus sent no message to Zahara. He
thought it safer not to do so. Then, as now,
a woman often did such things more deity,
and with less danger. He returned to Beth
hsfr or
hours till the meeting which Zahara had
appointed.
The precious moment came at last. LaZ-
arus had made his journey unattended, ex-
cept by single servant, his confidential
| man Abraham, fellow as silent as the
| great Sphinx. How Zahara had managed
her part of the meeting only Zahara knew.
| She was quite alone. 1t was a wild night,
stormy and dark; so stormy that Lazarus
had suffered a thousand terrors lest his
scanty comfort should be denied him. But
there on the beach, in the desolate spot
| where the Nazarene had left her at his feet,
a drowning girl, Lazarus found her, trem-
| bling, painting and terrified, q brave and
loving woman waiting tor her lord.
They met with tears and smiles, caresses
and cautions, hopes and despairs, with all
the tumult of the loving and denied.
Their words were few. Zahara stood pal
| pitating in his arms. She was frightened at
| her own brave deed.
Every moment now was as dangerous as it
was dear.
SIT storms sor' whispered Zahara. "I did
| not think it would be quite so wet But
surely no one will suspect me. Who will
| think I could be without the villa on a
night like this? Rebecca guardeth my
chamber and watcheth at the entrance to
let me in. do but fly hither and fly back
| again, like dove that returneth to its own
| nest. I love thee, Lazarus! love thee, and
warn thee, trust not the High Priest my
father, for he groweth distrustful of thee.
And Lazarus, my lord, be not angry with
thy Zahara, but did fly hither to desire of
| thee somewhat further"
"Anything!" cried Lazarus rapturously,
| clasping the wet and trembling form of the
| girl to his heart, "anything thou desirest,
that do 1 for loves sake, and thine ownp'
"Then abandon the Nazarene," whispered
Zahara.
The arms of the young man dropped. He
| retreated step from her and Zahara stood
tottering alone in the hard weather. Itbeat
upon her, and she looked so tender and deli
cate and crulIy-treated as she stood there,
daring the storm, and more than the storm,
for his sake-that the soul of Lazarus was
wrung within him.
Abandon the Nazarene!" repeated
Zahara plaintively, "for loves sake and
thine own, and Zahara's.''
Anything else, Zaharap' walled Laza-
rus, task of me anything but this, my own?
Try not the soul of him who loveth thee as
woman was never loved, by demanding of
him the on , thing he cannot do tor thee,
Zahara!''
81 must return" said Zahara duly.
"My errand has been as naught. I am ex-
posed to the storm and night, and to perils
of the road and to the anger of my father
for thy sake-and thou retusest me, Laza-
rus, thou refusest me a trifing boon that
any slave girl in Judea might demand of
her lover, and not be thought presuming.
Farewell, my lord, for do tarry too long
with thee, at too great cost"
She lifted her wet, sweet arms. and he
took her to his breast. She lifted her beau
tiful lips, and he pressed them. If Zahara
had shown anger or imperiousness. or cold
displeasure at that moment, Lazarus could
have withstood her manfully enough. But
her womanly, sad tenderness was a terrible
weapon.
"Zaharar' he cried. "Zahara! how can I
refuse thee, and how can obey thee? Kiss
me, and teach mel Kill me, or bless me !!
How can wrong my own soul? And how
can grieve thine?
''That is for thee to discover" said Ia
hara. With passionate kiss and.a darting
motion quick as a birds in mid-heaven,
Zahara released herself from his arms and
fed back through the storm as she had
come.
(To be continued nezt Sunday.)