The Globe-republican., 1898-03-24

Morning breaks upon Beersheba.
There Is an early stir in the house of
Old Abraham. There has been trouble
among the domestics. Hagar, an as
sistant in the household, and her son.
brisk lad Of sixteen years, have be-
come impudent and insolent. and Sa-
rah, the mistress of the household.
puts her foot down very hard and
says that they will have to leave the
premises. They are packing up now.
"A Abraham. knowing that the journey
before his servant and her son will be
very long and across desolate places.
in the kindness of his heart sets about
putting up some bread and bottle
with water in it. It is very plain
lunch that Abraham provides. but l
warrant you there would have been
enough of it had they not lost their
way. God be with you!" said old
Abraham as he gave the lunch to Ha-
gar and a good many charges as to
how she should conduct the journey.
1shmael, the boy, suppose. bounded
away in the morning light. Boys al
ways like change. Poor 1shmael! he
has no idea of the disasters that are
ahead of him. Hagar gives one long,
lingering look on the familiar place
where she had spent so many happy
days, each scene associated with the
pride and joy of her heart. young lsh-
mael.
The scorching noon comes on. Inc
air is sitting and moves across the
desert with insufferable suffocatlon.
Ishmael, the boy, begins to complain
and lies down, but Hagar rouses MIN
up, saying nothing about her own
WEAKNESS or the sweltering heat; 1or
mothers can endure anything. Trudge,
trudge. trudge. Crossing the dead lev
ell of the desert, how YEARLY aid slow
ly the miles slip by! A tamarind tnat
seemed hours ago to stand only Just
little ahead, inviting the travellers to
come under its shadow, now Is as 1ar
of as ever, or seemingly so. Night
drops upon the desert, and the travellers
are pillowless. Ishmael. very weary,
suppose, instantly fell asleep. Ha-
gar, as the shadows of the night be-
gin to lap over each other-Hagar hugs
her weary boy to her bosom and thinks
Of the fact that it is her fault that they
are in the desert A star looks out, and
every falling tear it kisses with a spar
kle. A wing Of wind comes over the
hot earth and lifts the locks from the
fevered brow of the boy. Hagar sleeps
iltfully, and in her dreams travels over
the weary day, and half awakes her
son by crying out in her sleep, "1sf-
mael! Ishmael!"
And so they go on day after day and
night after night, for they have lost
their way. No path in the shifting
sands; no signs in the burning sky.
The sack empty of the flour; the water
gone from the bottle. What shall she
do? As she puts her fairting Ishmael
under a stunted shrub of the arid plain,
she sees the blood-shot eye, and feels
the hot hand, and watches the blood
bursting from the cracked tongue, and
there is a shrek in the desert of Beer
sheba, I'VE shall die! We shall die"
to hear her son cry in vain for
a drink. Heretofore she had cheered
her boy by promising speedy end CT
the journey, and even smiled upon him
when she felt desperately enough. Now
there is nothing to do but place him
under a shrub and let him Gle. She
had thought that she would sit there
and watch until the spirit of her boy
would 60 away forever, and then she
would breathe out her own life on his
silent heart; but as the boy begins to
claw his tongue in agony of thirst and
struggle in distortion, and begs his
mother to STAY him, she cannot endure
the spectacle. She puts him under
shrub and goes off bow-shot. and be-
gins to weep until all the desert seems
and her cry strikes clear
through the heavens; and an angel of
God comes cut on cloud, and looks
Town upon the appalling grief and
,ries: "Hagar. what aileth thee?" She
looks up and she sees the angel point
ng to a we'll of water, where she fills
he bottle for the lad. Thank God,
Thank God!
learn from this Oriental scene, in
he first place, what sad thing il is
when people do not know their place
Ind get too proud for their business,
dagar was an assistant in that house
,old, but she wanted to rule there. She |
and jeered until her son, Ish-
nael, got the same tricks. She dashed |
nut her own happiness, and threw Sa-
'ah into a great fret; and il she had |
tayed much longer in that household |
he would have upset calm Abraham's
equilibrium. My friends, one-half OF
he trouble in the world today comes
rom the fact that people do not know /
heir place, or, finding their place, will
lot stay in it. When we come into the
Vorld there is always q place ready FOR
g. A place for Abraham A nlace for