Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1906-03-29

~ - - rAafHl aA'h+ n
hastily refraced
hts steps over the pathway which
stretched MP and up into the heart Of
the mountains
How could b 80 for-ptfuIr- h.
.hided himself. struggling on as fas.
a. the steep ascent would permit. and
lifting bis eyes and booking anXiously
before him for some sight % the
ipck which he had left behind
The day before. Ted by some strange
Impulse. he hat gone far 70 the other
side Of the desert and NJ into the
mountains. whose towering peaks In
81 their rugged heads toward heav-
en ami seemed boz zouin- him On The
wears had come ant gone since he hal
settled down in Mtiian and the ham
drum life ~ tending the fincks % Isth-
ro bai quite fulled his perceptions AMI
! his consciousness 81 Cod Not that
h. had forgotten Cod. AMI Gods prom
ises: not that h h1d ceased 10 be
troubled by tire bondage % his peo-
pie or had given MP hope % their 10
iivc-ascr Surr could not b.. for
faith in Cod and longing ta help his
pee nle were woven into the very warp
AMI woof af his being But As year
after year had dragged on. until now
nearly % years had passed since he
had I'D from Egypt. his sensjbilities
hal heen lHlled auf in a sort Of list
less. discouraged wav he had waited
But on the fav before as he had
reared tho rl0uutajn and he had
Thought ~ God. the tall peaks seem
81 pointing in silent imprsssiveness
toward Him. and with auickened spirit
and reviving memory be hat gone On
ant on. until az last he had seemed
70 be m the very heart Of the noun
tain
There abundant pasturaEe had been
found. and be- spent the night in the
place. AMI that morning early as he
moved about from place 70 place list
le@siT following the struggling sheep.
rs here ant there they sought ont the
5urculeut grass plots that sprang
green AMI fresh from the lap - some
tiny spring or mountain stream. 4
strange thing bat happened
\ tonZ1re 90 fame shot MP from tn
center Of one of the-tiry araeia bushes
az one side in 4 rocky. sterile place.
and he Thought az first that some spark
from his morning fire had blown
thither AMI set fire 70 The iafammable
wool rs WIS so often the case But
as 10 watched The fame 10 noted that
r did not seen 70 rousume tire bush.
and he turned aside to investigate.
when a voice which seemed 10 come
from tire very center Of the fame
spoke his name. and told him 70 TAX
on his sandals. for ne was standing
On holy ground
Their had followed that wonderful
Interview. in which he had been told
OF Gods purposes for the Hebrew peo-
PIE and Of his own call to ~ back %
them with Gods message Was IT to
be wondered ar that all else was for
gotten under the excitement Of the
moment But as We have seen. after
be had gone some distance. he sui
denly remembered his focks and his
responsibility as their keeper. and
turned aHxiously about in search o.
them
At last he reached the place. AMI
found the sheep were still there and
safe- He breathsd a sigh OF relief and
his mind. free from the anxiety. re-
verted to the remarkable incidents Of
the morning Il seemed almost like 4
dream to him. and he found himself
asking the question was Z, real
after aII.--
There was the bHslr over beyond
that iutting rock around which he had
moved when he hal first noticed the
strange fire. but now il seemed the
ordinary bush IL vas. and ne looked
IN vain for the fame that had startled
him so And he listened. but there
came no sound save that OF the soft
triekiing water o. a nearby sprias.
AMI the occasional beating Of 4 sheen
a. il hurried after the rest moving Of
to some more inviting SPOT u green
Had he heard that Voice whirb he
had thought vas God talking with
him. or had he imagined IT. The star
which he hell hGt loosely in his hand
slipped AMI fell to the hard rocks n
his feet with a eiatter, AMI aroused
hin from his puzzled rpverie-
Yes. he said. 1t must have beer
real for there Is the STAT wbieh trr,a.,
into 4 serpent"
Instantly there came flashing hack
az him the question. But WHY didn't
II turn into serpent again. as in dit
Before when east to the grounds-
He reached forward to lift il from
the ground. and his eye fell on the
hand which had but a short time be-
fore been white with leprosy as he had
thrust il within his bosom.
Prove that this has not all been
vagary. a Wild dream Of a brafn
stimulated by the night in the raritiad
mountain air" came the tarntin,
thought Cast your Shepherds rroo<
upon the ground again and see n .,
will become a serpent Thrust vour
hand IN the folds Of your mantle again
and prove whether IT will come forth
white with Ieprosy."
Moses fairly trembled with the All
tarion Of the moment From the
heights OF spiritual ecstacy to which
he had been wrought by the expert
enees OF the morning he was suddenly
plunged by these doubts and fears
TO the depths Of heilish darkness. His
heart became a terrible battle-ground
back and forth over which there uarsd
q terrific struggle between the faith