St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-10-14


six years. He re-
called the unfair dealings of Laban,
Of how time and time again he had
changed his wages, and how in spite Of
it all he had prospered.
"God hath given me these" he
thought, gratefully. as he lifted his
eyes toward Heaven. The glittering
field of stars seemed to speak to his
heart message of hope and certainty.
Why need he fear when God had
spoken good concerning him? He re-
membered how six years before he had
determined to return to Canaan, and
again the longing seized him to go
back. But what of Laban? He feared
him. What should he do? In his per-
plexity and anxiety he lifted his heart
to God. and cried:
"Oh, Lord! Whittier shall turn"
And in the stiffness of the night a
voice came to him out of the heavens,
and said:
Return unto the land Of thy ia
Tiers, and to thy kindred; and will
be with thee.''
As the day broke and the ascending
like messengers OF good omen, he
felt the purpose Of new confidence
and hope taking possession of him,
and acting at once upon the words
which the Lord had just spoken, he dis
patched one Of his servants with a mes
sage to Rachel and Leah, calling them
to the field to him. And when they
had come and he had told them all, with
the loyalty and devotion of true wom-
anhood they both exclaimed:
whatsoever God hath said unto
thee, do"
"Yea, why should we tarry?" said
Leah: SIS there yet any portion of In
heritance for us in our fathers
house?"
NAY, worse than that Rachel ex-
claimed, bitterly, 1--WE are counted OF
him as strangers. And hath he not
sold US, and quite devoured also our
dover. All the riches which God hath
taken from our father, that Is ours,
and our children's.'
But when shall we go?" Jacob
asked, getting back to the real mat
ter in hand.
| "At once! To-day" urged Rachel.
Father Laban and the boys left early
this morning to shear the sheep, and
will be gone some days"
And 50 it was arranged, and hasty
preparations were begun at once for
departure.
During the work Of packing up
Rachel discovered an earthenware jar
which she some time before had Dor
rowed from her father, and. returning Il
10 his tent, her eyes fell upon the
images Of her fathers gods standing
in their place Of honor over his couch
Brought up as she had been In the
atmosphere Of the heather worship. II
is not strange that these images hell
over her peculiar power, from which
Jacob and his devotion to the true
God had not been sufficient to weaI
her. She believed in jacobs God, and
yet there was still the strong supersti.
ton and admiration for the symbols
OF her fathers religion. They were
about to depart to what to her was
strange land and unknown people
Did they not need the favor Of al
i the gods? She bowed herself In wor
ship, and then, as she arose, . long
ing seized her to take the image.
With her. She reached up and tool
i them In her hands, and as she did &
the words OF Jacob came to her which
he had spoken that morning as sn'
and Leah had started back to prepare
for the journey.
"Be sure he said, that ye TAXI
nothing that belongeth to Lahan, tn!
father, lest he should have just caus'
against u.s. -
/. "But he meant household goods an.
such like" she. argued with herseIl
"a she concealed the images under ne
robe. And, anyway, these are tn.
| family gods, and they belong to Leaf
end me as much as to anyone else.
.But." said q voice within, 1t VII
offend Jacobs God" AMI she remem
bered how Jacob had told her tina
| there was but one God, and He an IN
visible one, and that It was displeasinl
| to Him for them to have images AM
to worship them.
"But why can't ! have both? sn
exclaimed, impatiently. Why can
| / have the gods OF my father and tn
God Of Jacob, too? In the land e
| which we are going ! viii find no god
like these, and what would / do
Jacobs God should fail Us 2"
Thus clinging to the teraphtm, sh
| slipped stealthily out Of the tent an
concealed them In the saddle Of ne
camel.
That day and the next and the nez
Jacob pressed forward with his wive
and children and al his substanc,
And on tho third day after his depart