The Tupelo journal., 1906-04-13

ly in effort to overcome the chill OF
the night air. 81 like not the place or
the task which brings us thither. Why
need they have asked for a guard?'
And he kicked impatiently at a pebble
which his foot struck as he walked, and
it went rafting over the rocks as
though it would join him in protest.
Il wish l were home,' he added, and
his thoughts went back to the white,
l~istless form of his little girl, whom
he had been forced to leave that after
noon. Would he ever see her alive
again." he asked himself, and the
heart of the great rough soldier felt
as though it would break under the
weight of its sorrow.
Little Marie was the only living
thing he had in the world. The moth
er had died years before, ere he had
left Italy with his legion for Palestine,
and he had taken the little girl along
because she had begged sc hard to
come, and because he did not feel thai
he could leave her behind. The travel
and change from place to place haG
been hard on the little one, for he was
not always able to give her the care
which she needed, but since coming
to Jerusalem, about a year before, the
lines had fallen in pleasanter places.
Circumstances had made it possible
to perform a service for a Jewish fam
lily living there, and as a result he
had found a good home for his little
girl. And just when he was happy and
contented in the thought hat she vas
being we'll provided for and was grow
ing stronger, she had taken i'll. That
was over a week ago.
She had been out in the streets with
the other children when the throngs
from the city pressed out to meet one
named Jesus, whom they hailed as
king, and she had followed with the
rest. She had gone farther than her
strength could stand, and as a result
had been thrown into a fever which
had wasted her slight form. She had
talked almost necessarily about the
man Jesus whom she had seer riding
III lCSdt oldlc Ol tuO dSo WI, dllI
had declared over and over again:
"Oh, His face was so good, | want
to be with HIM"
Then had come the earthquake and
the darkness the day before, and the
fright had thrown her into convul-
sions, from which she had with great
difficulty rallied. And since then she
had been sinking gradually, and when
he babe her good-by he feared he never
would see her alive again.
He knew little about this man Jesus
whom the Jews had condemned to
death, and whom the Roman soldiers
had crucified, saw that he made claims
to being the long-looked-for king Of
the Jews. This claim he knew the
leaders of the Jews had denounced, and
the family with which he lived did no.
| believe in Him. But in spite of this
he could not help but feel nervous, and
as he turned and peered through the
blackness of the night towards the
sepulcher he unused, half aloud to
himself:
why need they such a guard?"
What" exclaimed a voice at his ell
bow, know you not that the high
priests fear hat this mans disciples
will come and steal his body away?'
why should they want to steal the
body?" asked Marcus. Did they not
bring the body here themselves? And
is not this the tomb of the rich Jo-
seph Of Arimathaea, one of His dis.
ciples?"
Quite true, but know you not that it
is reported that this man Jesus de-
clared that though they killed Him He
would rise from the grave on the third
day."
mo, who told thee that?"
1.-The centurion of our band was told
by one of the guards who stood in the
| presence of Plate when the chief
priests appeared before him and asked
for a guard for the tomb. He de-
clared that he overheard them say
that this man, whom they called the
deceiver, had said that after three days
| he would rise again."
could not one who had such pow
er save himself from the cross ?" asked
Marcus, with growing interest.
Just the question which was asked
him while he was hanging on the
cross replied another of the soldiers,
"for I was among those near the
cross, and I heard Him declare that il
He should ask for them His Father
would send IL legions of angels to de-
liver Him."
Who was His Father" again
questioned Marcus.
He claimed to be the son of God,
but the leaders of the Jews declare
that He was the son of Joseph, the
carpenter of Nazareth, but the centu-
rion in charge of the soldiers at the
cross declared openly after the cruci-
fixion that he believed that He was
the Son of God"
Then God must have sem the dark
ness and the earthquake" exclaimed
Marcus, and again his heart flew back
in anguished thought to his little
daughter.
IF this man Jesus was SO powerful,
why had He let his daughter sicken,"
he asked himself, rs he paced back
and forth through the long hours OF
the night. He ~conversed little with
the other soldiers, who, after firing OF
the discussion he had begun, had drift
ed into b%oisterous, idle talk and
laughter. AS he passed and ~repassed