Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-12-19

CHRISTMAS sraRy.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem o
Judaea. in the days Of Herod the king, tehold
there came wise men from the east TO Jerusa
lem.
Saying. Where Ia he that ID borr King Of IN.
Jewsf for we have seen his star I'm the east an,
are come Co worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things
he was troubled. and al Jerusalem with him
And when he had gathered all the ehie
priests asd scribes Of the peS2le together, b,
demanded Of them where Christ should b,
born.
And they said unite him. I'm Beshiehem OF Ju
/ dnn. -
Then Herod. when he had prIvily called tn,
wise men. enquired OF them diligently wha
| time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said
Go and search diligently for the young child
and when ye have found him. bring me word
again, that NAV come and worship him assa
Being warned of God in a dream thar shey
should not return to Herod, they departed into
| their own country another way.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mock.
| ed OF the wise men. was exceeding wroth.-
Matthew, IL. lie.
The Princess Lilith, daughter of
King Herod, unused as she reclinea
upon a bed Of purple, and the ne
gress, Noun, waved o fan of feath-
ers over her forehead, and the cat,
Astaroth, slept at her feet.s
Princess Lilith was fifteen years
of age. Her eyes we're as deep as
the water of q cistern, and her mouth
was like cyclamen flower.
She unused of her mother, Queen
Miriam, who died when Lilith was
still little more than a baby. She
did not know that her father had
killed her in fit of jealousy; bnt
she knew that he had kept her bod y
in the depths Of a secret cham Der,
embalmed in honey and spices, and
that he still wept for her.
She unused upon her father, King
Herod, taciturn, and s!vays i'll.
Sometimes he shut himself up in
his chamber, and there one could
hear him scream aloud. 1t was be-
cause he thought he saw those when
he had caused to die-his step
brother, Kostobar; his wife Miri-
am; his sons, Aristobulus and Al
exander, Lilith's brothers; his step
mother, Alexandra; her son, An
tipather; the doctor-of-law, Baba-
ben Bouta, and many others. AL
though Lilith knew nothing Of all
this, her father always inspired her
with great terror.
She unused upon the Messiah
looked for by the Jews and OF whom
she heard so much from her nurse,
Egla, now dead. And, although
the Messiah would be king in Her
od's place, she said to herself that
she would very much like to see
him.
Lastly she unused upon little Ho-
zael, the son of her foster sister, Ze.
honda, who lived in Bethlehem.
Hozael was q year old. He laugh
ed merrily and was beginning to
talk. Lilith loved him tenderlv:
and almost every day she ordered
her mules to be harnessed into her
cedar chariot, and went with the
negress, Noun, to visit the little
Hozael.
Lilith mused upon these things,
and then it seemed to her that she
was very much alone in the world
and that without little Hozael she
wonld be very sad.
Presently Lilith went into the
garden to walk under the great syc.
amores. There she met old Zabu.
Ion, who had been formerly captain
of the kings guard. Herod had
replaced his Jewish guard by Ro.
man soldiers, but having confidence
in old Zabulon, he had given him
the care of that part of the palace
inhabited W Lilith.
Old Zsbulon, who had been fee
BILE for many years, sat summing
himself upon q stone bench. His
back was so bent with age that his
long beard reached to his knees.
Lilith said to him: Thou art
said, old Zabulon.'
Yes, Princess Lilith, because
have learned from o centurion that
the king has given orders to kill,
tomorrow morning at dawn, all
the children in Bethlehem under
two years of ago.
'Why?'
The wise men have announced
that the Messiah 10 born. Bnt it ia
not known how TO recognize him,