Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-03-08

and found it above him. still SOM
what to 1ne east, yet IN FORM un-
changed, in hue undimmed. Some
thing within him associated the col
umn of cloud with Israel and Ispesse
GoA -z-ue.
He went to his horse and found him
terrified and unmanageable. After
vain efforts to soothe the creature he
walked away little space, clasping
his hands.
20 thou mysterious God, by these
tokens thy hand is upon the earth and
upon the heavens! Even as thou hast
shielded me thus far, withdraw not thy
sheltering hand from about me, thy
worshiper, in this thy latest hour of
mystery"
He skirted the village, now filing
with frightened peasants, and took the
path of Israel. aess.ass,,segzs ssa7. ~ .-~,y
It led in southeasterly direction to-
ward a faroff hill, barely outlined
through the haze of the distance.
Meanwhile the darkness settled and
over the sea the somber bastion of
cloud heaved its sooty bulk up the
sky: The air stagnated, and the whole
desert was soundless.
If Meneptah's scouts had reported
truly, Israel had behind it hill, east
Of it the sea. West Of it the army
would approach. South only could it
fee into torrid, arid, uninhabited
desert.
A round and tumbled mass, blue
black, but attended by a copper colored
rack, detached itself from shelfike
stratum of cloud and, elongating, SEEM
ed to descend to the surface of the sea.
Daylight went out instantly, and pro-
longed moan came from the distant
east. Binding flashes Of lightning H.
Illuminated the whirling mass and al
most absolute darkness fell after each
bolt. Out Of the inky midnight toward
the east came an ever increasing sound
Of maddened sea, gathering in vol
ume and fury and menace. Kenkenes
flung himself on his face and waited.
He did not have long to wait.
With noise of mighty rending, re-
enforced by continuous roll of saw
age thunder, the storm struck. A
spinning cone Of wind caught great
expanse of sand and, lifting the loose
covering, carried huge twisting COL
umn inland-death and entombment
for any living thing it met. With it
went a great blast Of spray, stones,
seaweed, masses Of sedge uprooted
bodily, much wreckage, palm trees,
small huts which went to pieces as
they were carried along, wild and do
nestle animals, anything and every
thing that lay in the path Of the storm.
The rotary. movement passed with
the first whirl, but hurricane, blow
Ing with overcoming velocity, pressed
like wall against anything that strove
to face it. Its hoarse raving filled Ken
kenes' ears with titanic sound. The
breath was snatched from his nostrils.
His eyelids, tightly closed, were stung
with sharply driven sand. Though he
struggled to his feet and attempted to
proceed, he staggered and wandered
and was prone to turn away from the
solid breast Of the mighty blast. He
could not hope to make Roadway blind
ed, yet he dared not lift his face to the
sand. He could make a shelter over
his eye that he might watch his feet,
but he could not discover path and d.
rection in this manner.
The day was far advanced, and al
ready the army had outstripped him.
Might not Har-hat at this hour be de-
scending with his veterans, seasoned
against the simooms of Arabia, upon
Israel, demoralized in the storm?
Desperate, the young man dropped
his hands and flung up his head.
He was standing in a soft light very
family diffused about him, but mar
rowing ahead of him, frightening, as it
contracted, into almost daytime bril-
lance to the south. The Illuminated
strip was not wide, the plateau to the
west was dark, the farther east like
wise storm obscured. Taking courage,
he raised his eyes for an instant The
drifting sand would not permit a Ion
ger contemplation, but in that feeting
glimpse he discovered the source of the
supernatural radiance. The pillar was
tinged like a cloud in the sunset with
a mellow and benign fire.
Kenkenes did not marvel and was
not perplexed. The miracles no longer
amazed him, but he had not become in
different or unthankful Each forward
step he took was declaration of faith;
the thrill of relief in his veins, psalm
Of thanksgiving. The stones were as
many and as sharp, the way as I'M
tender, and the mighty tempest strove
against him as powerfully, but he fol-
lowed the ray, trusting implicitly.
Night fell unnoticed, for it merged
with the supernatural darkness of the
day. ii.
At the summit Of the slope which led
down to- the waters edge he paused.
Below him was gentle declivity end
ing to the south in darkness. There
was not a glimmer of radiance on the
sea. Far to the east could be heard the