St. Tammany farmer., 1906-03-24

his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto
him shall the gathering of the people
b. Binding his foal unto the vine, and
his ass's colt unto the choice wine; hs
washed his garments in wine, and his
clothes in the blood Of grapes. His
eyes shall be red with wine, and HIS
teeth white with milk"
He read through to the end and then
went back and read and reread the
mysterious passage: "Until Shiloh
come: and unto him shall the gather.
ing OF the people be-,
After ALL" he thought, "the regal
honors Of Judah are but to lead up to
the coming Of greater one. Who Is
this Shiloh unto whom all the people
arc to be gathered?"
He got no further in his reading.
He was held by this new thought. How
long he sat absorbed In the new mes-
sage he did not know, but at last he
became conscious that all was darkness
about him and the starry heavens were
visible through the open doorway.
Rising. he wandered forth.
Shiloh was coming" he softly whis-
pered to himself. "Who is He?" he
asked, and an intense yearning filled
his heart to know. Shiloh is COM
Ing" he cried in exultation, thrilled by
the thought. from whence?" he again
questioned, and gazed upward intently.
as though he would read his answer in
the stars.
"But that is what the priests Of
Egypt think to do,' he cried with sud-
den contrition at the thought that he
should turn to the stars for answer,
and throwing himself upon his face to
the ground he murmured: NAY, it fs
God that giveth answer, and 1t is He
Who hath spoken through the words Of
Jacob, saying: Shiloh Is coming"
Suddenly the Irresistible impulse
seized him that he must 80 and And
Shiloh. He was q king somewhere,
that was sure, and He was to rule over
the Hebrew people. Feverishly, eager
~, expectantly he seemed to pass from
one end Of the earth to the other. He
visited kingdom after kingdom and
saw their rulers and studied each one
In turn, but always with disappoint-
ment. None OF these could be the Shi-
lob unto whom was to be the gather
ing Of the people. Ages rolled by and
he saw kingdoms rise and fall. He
thought he saw his own nation bowling
before successive kings, but always
with disappointment and q looking for
ward to the coming Of another and
perhaps better ruler Discouraged and
disheartened, at last he cried out In
the great yearning of his heart:
Where Is Shiloh? Whittier shall I
go to ind shilohs Surely he IL not
among men! have searched the earth
but he is not found" and his voics
broke into great sob OF anguish.
ss It was then that he heard a voice,
saying:
Shiloh shall come from above"
! His heart leaped within him at the
transcendent thought. He looked up
and in the distance saw again the light
shining which had held him enrap-
tured when he had beheld the vision
in Joseph's tomb. Toward 1t he sped,
and as he went 1t seemed that his peo-
pie pressed forward In ever increasing
numbers, Ill expectant and eager. Tho
light grew brighter and brighter the
farther he went, until at last 1t seemed
to pervade everything. Filled with
wonder at the marvellous sight, he lift
ed his eyes upward and saw that the
heavens had opened and there, In re-
splendent glory, was One whose bright
ness was above that Of the sun. Blind
ed by the glory and overcome utterly,
he lay there as one dead, and when at
last he came to himself he found he was
still lying upon the ground where he had
thrown himself.
Yea, thou Divine One" he whis-
pered, reverently, unto Thee, indeed,
shall the gathering Of the people Of all
the earth bel"
So absorbed had be been that he had
not heard the shuhiing, heavy tread Of
some big animal. or the sound Of
voices In low conversation, and the
first he realized the presence near him
of strangers was when, in the black
ness Of the night there loomed up at
his side the outlines Of a camel, and he
heard the words:
I'VE would find Moses. Can you d.
rect US to him?"
II he had been startled at the sudden
apparition before him, he was still
more surprised to hear his name
spoken and the nature Of the inquiry.
Who could this be who was seeking
him in the dsad OF night? We're they
friend or foe? Did they seek his good
or his harm? Thus rapidly did these
questions fash through his mind. And
then, mindful that he was In Gods
hands, and unwilling to speak other
than the truth. he said, quietly:
II am he"
Almost before the words were out OF
his mouth the stranger, who had been
leaning forward and looking at him In
tently, gave one glad cry Of recogni-
ton and, springing recklessly from the
high seat upon the camel's back, em-
braced him.
The one word mother quivered on his
lips al he turned and responded ten
derby to the embrace, but he did not
speak the words He must not, IL he
were true to the hope Of his people