St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-07-01

y .s ny : 81: !: !: =; =:
to Lot, as he sat
bowed in grief on his return from his
daughters, to whom he had gone with
his warning of the coming destruction
Of Sodom, and who had Knocked him
and scorned his message.
The gray dawn Of the morning had
yielded to the brighter, clearer light
whose coming proclaimed the arrival
at the eastern gates of the heavens or
the king of day. Never had fairer day
begun over sodom. The gentle breezes
played softly through the tree tops and
ever and anon dipped low and famed
the cheeks of the inhabitants as they
passed hither and thither on pleasure
or business bent. The birds sang, and no
discordant note broke the harmony OF
the morning.
The sharp, authoritative voice of his
guests aroused Lot, and, turning to his
wife and two daughters, who had stood
in silence during his recital of the re-
suits of his visit to his married daugh-
tiers, he said, in broken, husky voice:
Come! Let us be going"
With despairing look about the
handsome room, at the rich curtainings
and the soft couches, Mrs. Lot bowed
her head on her daughters shoulder and
moaned:
ooh! must we go? Oh, why is God so
cruel?"
Frightened at his wife's speech and
fearing that it would displease the
Lords messengers, Lot responded,
sharply:
1--WE must! Come!'
But must we leave all our beautiful
things behind? Oh! May we not pack
up, and take some of our treasures with
us?"
'tOh, yes, papa; if we must go, let us
not go empty-handed!" broke in one of
the daughters, in beseeching tones,
wringing her hands and throw
ing herself at her fathers feet.
'"There is that new mantle of mine, and
that jewelry, and that pretty pottery
you bought in the market place the 9TH
er day from that Egyptian trader. Oh!
may we not take some of Our beautiful
things?'
In agony of spirit the distracted
father looked up helplessly at the two
messengers who were impatiently watt
ing, but in their stern, set faces he
found no encouragement to emphasize
the appeal of his wife and daughters.
and the words which he was about to
speak died upon his lips, and only a
deep, hopeless sigh escaped him. In
that moment he knew that it must be a
choice between life and death, between
deliverance at Gods hands and the
treasures Of Sodom. Oh, the agony
of that moment. How could he leave
his all? How dare he tarry? Overcome
by the fierce conflict he sank upon the
couch, and beating the air with his
clenched fists, he moaned over and over
again:
"Woe is me! Woe is mel"
And in the moment of such indecision
when the soul is halting between the
choice of the things of this life and the
things of God, how merciful God is in
His dealings.
But the morning was wearing away!
And the messengers of the Lord has
tened Lot, crying in sharp, authorize
tive voice:
Arise, take thy wife and thy two
daughters, which are here; lest thou
be consumed in the iniquity Of the
city,"
And while Lot fingered, the men laid
hold upon his hand, and upon the
hand of his wife, and upon the hands
of his two daughters, exclaiming:
Come, thou must! Else the wrath
OF God will overtake you, and thou wilt
miserably perish in the destruction Of
the city!"
Hastily through the door they passed,
one of the men half leading, half push
ing Lot, and his wife, and behind them
following the other messenger with
the two girls.
AS they crossed the courtyard of the
house to the street, the servants ceased
their exciting converse over the
strange happenings, but no one asked
whittier they were going or why they
went, for the violence of the night, and
the words Of the Lords messengers
were known to them, but they believed
them not, and had they dared they
would have laid violent hands upon the
two men, and prevented the fight Of
their master and mistress and his two
daughters. But the memory of what
the strangers had done unto the raging
mob the night before as it surged back
and forth before Lots door filled them
with strange fear and awe, and they
only followed the retreating forms
with dark looks and muttered oaths.
One of the group reached forth his
hand in an uncertain, aimless man
ner, as one might do in the darkness
when feeling for something which the
eye could not see, and at last, after
circling the air, he touched the gar
ment Of one standing near and, laying
his hand upon him. he asked, eagerly:
what is 1t? / hear hurried foot
stepsi Who has fled?"
TT is our Master Lot and his fam
fly, fastening from the city with the
two strangers" responded the one adj
dressed, fierce1y.
At the mention Of the two strangers,
the first speaker uttered vile impre-
cation, and Kissed through his teeth:
And they leave me this!" notion