The Tupelo journal., 1906-03-09

CucGpeSl anu pUOlSSI VI GSy ptioh ioh
terms. So the first gray rays OF the
early morning found him bending over
his work, and at night he only ceased
when the twilight had been swallowed
up by the invading darkness.
The rest of the family was just be-
ginning to stir, when there came a
loud, sharp knock at the door OF the
rude hut, and before the aged Amram
could shuttle across the dirt floor and
open it was impatiently repeated
with increasing emphasis. The trem-
bling hand of Amram drew he bolt,
ana as the bar cleared its socket, the
door burst open under the last ylgor-
Gus blow of the stranger whose burly
form now doomed through the low,
narrow opening. Amram, too terri
fed to speak, stared into the face of
the Egyptian overseer, while h other
inmates of the hut shrank back into
the shadows as a helpless doe might
before the fierce onslaught of the
beast of the jungle.
Say, old man." beloved the gruff
voice of the overseer, you've loafed
long enough. The king wants no Idle
dog OF a Hebrew hanging around. Get
to work to-day"
And as he caught a glimpse of
Moses in the far corner by the win
dow. he added, with a sneer:
Give the kings compliments to
thy illustrious son, and tell him he
can win back the royal favor by
swinging the lash over thy back this
day at the brick yard"
Moses sprang to his feet, the hot
blood rushing to his head, and every
anger that ragged within, and he would
have plunged after the overseer, who
was now striding away, haG not his
sister and mother restrained him.
Up to this time the immunity from
the burdens of slavery which had
been shown the parents of Moses dur-
ing his life in the palace had contin-
ued, but the brutal message of the
overseer that morning made it plain
that such favoritism was at an end,
and that cruel persecution, aimed evil
IDENTIFY at Moses, was to take its place.
Not a word was spoken after the
Egyptian had gone. Each was trying
to understand this new situation.
Each was searching for some way Of
escape. But there seemed no help
for them, and ~tearfully mother and
daughter watched the aged father de-
\, ,f for tho n1noo dnciOnafod NV tho
Egyptian, while Moses, utterly
crushed in spirit, and realizing his
helplessness as never before, tried to
continue his work. The manuscript
was before him, but it was only a
blurred blank, for there f1oated before
his eyes visions of the sufferings of
his people, and of his aged father
driven to his tasks by some heartless
taskmaster. 1t was he who had
brought all this Upon him. Had he
done wrong in leaving the palace?
Had it been a mistake to give up the
wealth and position that made it pos
sible to give material help to his peo-
pie? Had he better turn back and
sue the king for pardon and rein
statement?
With the last question there came
an impulse to rush back to the pal
ace, but it was but for an instant, and
then the sweet, comforting vision of
Shiloh, the One Who was coming
from God, swept over him and he
whispered softly to himself:
"Yea, we can wait! Deliverance
is from Him, not Egypt"
But thought of his father brought
back the pain and anguish, and he
cried out in his despair:
what can l do? What must | do
now?''
A sudden inspiration seized him,
and, rising, he passed out of the door
and in the direction of the clay hole
where multitudes of the Hebrew peo-
pie were laboring in the making Of
brick, which others of his enslaved
people were placing in the walls of the
great. cities Pharaoh was building.
"Surely, l can do more than a
feeble old man. he muttered to him
self as he strobe along. Surely, they
will not refuse to let me fill his
place"
AS he drew near to the place the
sights and sounds would have made
a stronger man tremble and hesitate
and turn back. But cost him what
ever of pain and suffering it might,
he was going to a v his father, and
he made his way through the lines
of almost naked workmen. The
shouts and oaths of the taskmasters
which came now from one direction
and then another were not sufficient
to drown out the groans and cries of
pain of the poor, tired laborers, who
had been kept at their tasks from the
early morning. Every now and then
the angry snap Of some whip lash
sounded on the air, and as its knotteG
end sank into the flesh, the sharp cry
Of the victim rang out, piercing his
heart with unuttarable anguish.
Here vas one poor fellow who lay
moaning in the midst of the coarse
grasses at n side of the path, where
he had dragged his bleeding body
after the cruel beating which had
come when he could no longer stand
up under his burdens. Half fear
fully, Moses looked, thinking it might
be his own father. but seeing it was
not, he FASTENED on, not daring to de-
lay, for each precious moment meant
suffering and perhaps even death for