The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-06-08

her face deepened. She was arouse,
at last from her reYerie by tn
bleating of a lamb tethered clos
by the door, which now came an,
pressed its soft, moist nose in he
hand. Looking down, she patted tn
creatures head, gently, saying, softly
No, had not forgotten you, littlt
lamb, but thought of you makes N,
anxious for Abidan's return"
And again the woman lifted he
eyes and searched the distant horizon
but nothing was to be seen but thu
groups of low-lying huts of the He,
breWs and an occasional tree ur bush
which, moving in the breeze, she triec
to persuade herself was an advancing
figure, and might be Abidan, but as
her eyes watched intently and she
found it neither advanced nor receded
she knew she was mistaken. For near,
ly a week now she had been expecting
her sons return, Word had been
sent him far down in Egypt as soon
as Moses had commanded the people tc
prepare for the Passover, and when the
necessary time had elapsed for his
arrival she had watched with grow.
ing anxiety, and every moment she
could steal from her work she would
slip to the doorway and look in the
direction from which he would come.
When the tenth day arrived and the
lamb had been chosen, her anxiety had
increased. for In four days more the
lamb was to be slain and all of the
household who were not behind the
sheltering blood would perish. as the
Lord had said. And that little lamb
under her eye all day long was a con-
slant reminder of the vital Importance
of her sons return.
What if he comes not in timer" she
asked herself over and over again,
and as the third day since the lamb
had been chosen drew towards a close.
and still he was absent, she felt her
heart would break with its burden of
anxiety.
The little lamb gave a plaintive bleat
as though he had entered into SYM
pathetic feeling with his mistress in
her troubles. Again the woman
looked own, and then, dropping on
the ground at lis side, she threw her
arm about the ge1.tre@ creature and
having no one else to ,,.ry to for
her husband was away at his ia ks and
the children were out, she poured the
thoughts Of her heart into his ear, anC
the little lamb listened as though he
understood all that was said to him.
and responded occasionally with an ex-
pressive bleat.
"Oh, Lamby, why don't he Gomez"
she said. "All the other absent ones
have returned. Even Sheber, neighbor
Ephah's son, has come, and he was
far to the south of where Abidan was
at service, | had hoped he would bring
tidings of my boy, but he did
not, and now it is but one more day
and then"
She paused abruptly.
"Yes," she broke out at last, swal-
hard to keep down the sob, I'VE
shall be sheltered behind thy blood"
And almost r~everently she laid her
hand upon the head of the lamb. But
what Of Abidan? What of Abidan?
The Lord has said He would pass
the land, and If Abidan, my
born son, be not with us In the
house, he will perish, even as the Lord
has said. Uuless," and a new note of
hope sounded in her voice, UNLESS
some other Hebrew home where the
blood is sprinkled gives him shelter"
The thought brought a glimmer of
comfort to her heart, and set her to
thinking. If her boy was far away
and dependent upon some other He
brew family to give him shelter, per-
some other mothers boy was in
lei neighborhood who would need an
invitation and a sheltering roof to pro.
.ect him. Why had she been so wrap
ped up in her own as to forget those
ibout her? Had not Moses spoken ex-
that the lamb and the home
was to be shared with the family too
small to need n lamb or too poor to
one? And here for days she
lad been so filled with the thought of
he return of her own boy that she
lad not looked about her to see who
here might be who would need her
lelp. She blamed herself for her self
shness and thoughtlessness, and ris-
ne to her feet she hustled about her
work. with a new purpose while every
low and then she nodded towards the
title lamb approvingly and said:
Eyes, your precious life shall shelter
IS many as | can find who will have
10 other place to go. Surely God will
,e pleased to have it thus, and per-
laps some other mother will look
my boy, If he return not"
After her husbands return In the
twilight and the simple meal
lad been partaken of, she told him of
Ter plans and they met his approval. !
leaving the older children to look
fter the younger ones and put them
o bed she FASTENED off down the road,
or as she had studied over in her
mind what she could do there had re-
urred to her mind that down the road
piece there lived a family that had
lad hard work in getting even the
necessities of life. The husband
nd father had been sick and when he
lad failed to turn up at his task the
upplies which Pharaoh had been met
1g out to them were withdrawn, and
ven the little lamb whxh they had