The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-08-04

LUHH. 4 NlAAAAS1f hAN eH1
ious expression Of
his face giving place to one of relief.
THAT is welcome news, indeed" was
the quick, eager response of the man
standing at his side, ''for the t1ocks and
herds are parched with thirst"
"And is the water which we brought
with lis all gomez"
The man pointed 10 the empty water
skins strapped on the backs OF the
asses browsing a short distance away,
and said:
Eyes, and II the Philistines had had
their way you would not even have had
that to succor you on the journey" And
the face of Isaac's chief steward plainly
showed the anger and resentment which
he felt at the treatment his master had
received.
The day before Isaac had departed
IRON the land Of the Philistines, being
\ driven out by King Abimelech. He and
This peonle had watched with jealous
Seye the growing greatness and prosper
saty Of the son Of Abraham. The abund-
liant harvests-for lisa &C had sowed and
|&reaped a hundredfold On the lands which
The rented of Abimele ch-and the i'm
H mense focks and herds and numerous
4 company of servants aroused their envy
and enmity, and persecution in various
B forms, even to the filing of the wells
his father had dug, had followed, and
finally Abimelech had come and said
that he could not longer dwell In the
land. The chief steward was indignant,
and urged that vigorous protest be made
to such treatment, and some of the serv-
ants were for open hostilities, but Isaac's
4 pacific nature would not consent to such
action, and, yielding peacefully TO the
injustice, he had quietly gathered all
&his substance and departed, %journeying
Far down the valley. Late on the after
moon of the following day, when the need
for water was p~ressin g they had come
to a region where years before Abraham
had dwelt. The familiar landscape was
a welcome sight to Isaac's eyes. He
knew that not far distant were wells
which his father had dug, and with a
4 company Of his servants he hurried for
ward.
"Yonder IS Che place." cried Isaac,
1 pointing to the white limestone curbing
Il glistening in the sun light in the dis
lance.
The welcome sighto the well-curbing
& and the promise Of water revived their
1 dropping spirits. This would be the
\ place to camp and rest. Here the focks
and herds could feed without molesta-
tion. And grateful me mories of Father
Abraham's diligence In sinking wells
Hand seeking water wherever his fiocks
had fed filled the heart of Isaac.
What a goodly heritage he hath left
us in these wells, he exc claimed.
YES" responded the chief steward,
warmly, thy father, though dead, yet
$speaketh. The wells which he dug are
a greater monument to his memory than
nations conquered could have BEEN
Isaac nodded assent to the sincere
tribute, and while he FASTENED forwsrd,
flood of memories crowded in upon
Shim. He recalled the circumstances of
Mthe building of the we'll towards which
they were Fastening. He remembered
the answer which his father had given
when told he was foolish for digging the
well on land which was not his own.
"But II | do not get tho good Of it." he
had said, Others will reap the blessing"
land now new sweetness and meaning
came to the words spoke b SO many years
before.
Almost ~reverently he knelt upon the
*wells brink and looked in.
But instead of the shining surface Of
the water in the cool depths, he saw
almost up to the wells mouth the rock
and dirt which had been thrown there
by some wicked hand. Instead Of the
lcooiing draught, there W as the evidence
of the burning haterd of some foe.
With an exclamation Of bitter disap-
&pointment, Isaac sprang to his feet.
"The work Of the miserable Philis-
Hines" mutier the chief steward, his
black and angry looks telling more
plainly than words how he would like to
punish them.
Better to die fighting for our rights
fhan to die Of thirst" fer cely exclaimed
smother, and 1t was evident from the
Eods Of assent which greeted this senti-
meut that the others cherished fha DO 49,