Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-09-12

, people OF Egypt have Deen largely tnSeu
in all ages, at the present time paying
between 70 and so per cent of their
products to the government. No wonder
in that time they had a large corncrib,
and it was full. To that crib they came
from the regions around about-those
who were famished-some paying for
the corn i'll money; when the money
was exhausted paying for the corn III
sheep and cattle and horses and camels,
and when they were exhausted then
selling their own bodies and their fam
lies into slavery.
Tho Mission.
The morning for starting out on the
crusade for bread has arrived. Jacob
gets his family up very early. But be-
fore the elder sons start they say some
thing that makes him tremble with
emotion from head to foot and burst
into tears. The fact was that these elder
sons had once before been in Egypt to
get corn, and they had been treated
somewhat roughly, the lord of the corn
crib supplying them with corn, but say
ing at tho close Of the interview, Nov,
Won need not come back hero for any
more corn unless you bring something
better than money-oven your younger
brother Benjamin. ALL Benjamin
that very name was suggestive of all
tenderness. The mother had died at the
birth of that soma spirit coming and
another spirit going-and the very
thought of parting with Benjamin must
have been q heartbrcak. The keeper of
this corncrib, nevertheless, says to
these elder sons, "There is no need Of
your coming up here any more for corn
unless you can bring Benjamin, your
fathers darling" Now, Jacob and his
family very much needed bread, but
what struggle it would be to give up
this son! The orientals are very demon
strative in their grief, and 1 hear the
outwailing of the father as these elder
sons keep reiterating in his ears the an
nouncement of the Egyptian lord, eye
shall not see my face unless your brother
be with you. - "Why did you tell him
you had brother?" says the old man,
complaining and Gliding them. why,
father" they said, che asked us all
about our family, and we had no idea
that he would make any such demand
upon US as he has made. " mo use OF
asking me, said the father. "Icannot,
I will not, give up Benjamin. "
The fact was that the old man had
lost children, and when there has been
bereavement in a household and child
taken it makes the other children in
the household more precious. So the day
for departure was adjourned and adj
iourned and adjourned. Still the hor-
rors Of the famine increased, and louder
moaned tho cattle, and wider open
cracked the earth, and moro pallid be-
came the cheeks, until Jacob, i'll despair,
cried out to his SOILS, "Take Benjamin
and BIO off. - The older sons tried to cheer
ND their father. They said: "We have
strong arms and a stout heart, and no
harm will come to Benjamin. Well
see that he gets back again. " "Fare-
WE'LL" said the young men to the father,
in tone of assumed good cheer.
"F-a-r-e-w-e-l-l!' said the old man; for
that word has moro quavers in it when
pronounced By the aged than by the
young
Its Result.
Well, the bread party, the bread en-
bassy, drives up in front Of the corn-
crib of Egypt. Those corncribs are filled
with wheat and barley and corn in the
husk, for modern travellers in those
lands, both in Canaan and in Egypt,
tell us there is corn there correspond
ing with our Indian maize. Huzzal The
Journey is ended. The lord of the corn
crib, who is also the prime minister,
comes down to these newly arrived trav-
elers, and says: "Dine with me today.
How is your father? Is this Benjamin,
the younger brother whose present de-
manded?" The travellers are introduced
into the palace. They are worn and be-
busted of the way, and servants come IN
with basin of water i'll one hand and
a towel in the other, and kneel down
before these newly arrived travellers,
washing off the dust of the way. The
butchers and poulterers and caterers Of
the prime minister prepare the repast.
The guests are seated in small groups,
two or three at table, the food on a
tray; all the luxuries from imperial gar
dens and orchards and aquariums and
aviaries are brought there, and are fill
ing chalice and platter.
Now is the time for this prime minis
ter if he has grudge against Benja-
min to show it. Will he kill him. now
that he has him in his hands? Oh, no.!
This lord of the corncrib is seated at
his own table, and he looks over to the
tables of his guests, and he sends o por-
ton to each Of them, but sends larger
portion to Benjamin. or, as the Bible
quantity puts it, "Benjamin's mess was
five times as much as any of theirs. "
Be quick and send word back with
swiftest camel to Canaan to old Jacob,
that Benjamin is we'll. All is well.
He is faring sumptuously. The Egyp-
tan lord did not mean murder and
death, but he meant deliverance and
life, when he announced to US on that