St. Tammany farmer., 1905-07-08

~SsSSA~SSA
~. of woman seat
ed in her tent at
some little distance away, and, shift
Ing her position uneasily, as though
the harmony and Joy in the other tent
mad struck a discord in her own. she
sighed, and muttered to herself:
And now what Of Ishmaal?"
What's that, mother?" quickly
spoke up boy who was tinker1ag over
some boyish contriyance in the tent
door, but who, at the sound of his
mothers sigh and half inaudible
words, dropped his work and looked
up at her, inquiringly. did you speak
my name?"
The woman started as one does
when suddenly made conscious that
the inward emotions have been be.
trayed. Instantly his sympathetic ma
ture was aroused, and springing light
~ to his feet, he went towards his
mother, and, throwing himself at her
feet and looking up into her face, he
asked again, more insistently:
What is it, mother?"
The relationship between the two
was peculiarly close and tender, due
largely to the circumstances surround
Ing the lives of both. The stern ser
vice of her mistress Sarah had its
recompense in the joy of the coming
of the son into her life; and she pa
tiently endured, and lavished her af-
fection upon the boy whom Sarah had
coveted and then spurned. The touch
of the boys impulsive hand, his
appealing look, his tone of sympathy,
quite overcame her, and she burst
into tears.
Don't, mother, don't:" exclaimed the
boy, in great distress, while at the
same time he caressed her, tenderly.
What is troubling you? Has
A little goo at the tent door startled
them, and they both looked up just as
a sturdy boy Of between two and three
years of age came toddling in. AS he
caught sight Of Ishmael he uttered a
gleeful shout, and came running to-
wards him with outstretched hands.
A smile lit up the troubled face of the
older boy, and for the instant, forget
ting the distress of his mother, he
stopped to take the baby and have a
frolic with him, as was his wont, for
ever since the coming of little Isaac,
Ishmael had been his loyal admirer
and faithful guardian and playfellow,
but as he stopped down, his eye fell upon
the face of his mother, who with dark,
almost evil look, was taking in the
whole scene. Quickly checking him
self, he turned toward his mother and
studied the tel:tale emotions which
were playing across her face, while
the disappointed baby tugged at his
tunic and whined, impatiently. Ish.
mael had never before seen such looks
upon his mothers face, but that they
were in some way connected with the
little fellow who had so unexpectedly
broken in upon them he instinctiyely
felt.
At that instant a shadow fell across
the doorway, and the. form OF woman
appeared. Her quick eye took in the
tabIeau before her. The strained.
drawn, hard look on the face of the
EGYPTIAN mother, the puzzled. troubled
expression in Ishmaeps face, and the
impatient wall of her little son as he
tugged sturdily at the older boys gar
meuts and sought to obtain the accus-
toned attention which was for some
reason he could not understand being
withheld.
"Ah, here you are,you little runaway!
Come, see what mother has for you"
holding up new garment of rich color
ing and finest texture, which the proud
mother was preparing for the great fes-
tai occasion which was to mark the
weaving of the boy and his formal rec
ognition as the sole heir of Abraham's
possessions and position.
At the sound of Sarah's voice, Hagar
looked up with startled and guilty X
preston, and. trying to smile, she bowed
low, and then spreading a rug at Sarah's
feet she said, with an effort at compos-
ure:
ssWill not my mistress be seated?"
"Not this morning Hagar, there is so
much to do in preparation for Isaac's
feast. which my hands alone must do,
that / cannot" and with pretense of
not having noticed the jealousy and un-
happiness Of the other woman, she
picked up her baby and fastened from
the tent.
Y Haear. who had risen when her mis-
tress had entered, now paced the floor
of her tent in great agitation, and the
how followed her movements in silence,
the meanwhile pondering over the cir
cumstances Of the morning. Suddenly
the mother stopped in front OF him and
exclaimed, fiercely, almost incoher-
emily:
.The new garment. the great feast?
DO YOU not know what that means for
YOU? Oh, Ishmael-"
And again sobs and tears broke forth,
cutting short the mothers words.
..But what Of it, mothers" stammered
the boy. In . dazed sort OF way.
The failure Of the boy to appreciate
the situation seemed to exasperate the
mother, and she exclaimed, passion
ately:
ssWhat OF It! Cannot you understand
that you have no part or lot with Isaac?
A. SON Of Abraham thou art not. 70