Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1907-11-14


less Aesaiom was disposed Ia receive
alta dep sense OF qualification the
coming of one ~ho had been so near
10 David. and he accepted Il as another
sign of the unfsiling success Of his
plot He foznd q new sense OF securi-
" In the presence Of Hushai
That night Ahithophel came TO hin,
and urged him to choose out a small
army and pursue after David and his
htae band OF followers. and be gave a
ready consent.
But first Let US hear what Hushai
hath TO say" denrnded the king. He
hath but just come from the presence
OF David and he wet knows what IL
viii mean to pursue after the fleeing
king"
The counsel that Ahithophei hath
given IL not good AZ this tinse. oh.
king" boldly declared Hushas. when
he had been nshered inta the ruyaI
presence. Thou kno~ess thy father
and bis men. that they b. mighty men.
and they be ehafei In their minds. az
a bear robbed OF her vhelps In tlN
held; and thy father is a man OF war.
and will not lodge with the r.eople.
Behold. even nov he ls hsi in some
pit or In some other place: and il will
come TO pass. When some Of them b.
overthrovn at the FIRST. tha; whose
ever heare,h Il ~ili say. There is a
slaughter among the people that fol-
low Absaiom. And he also tha, 4.
valiant. whose heart is n the heart os
Hon. shall utterly melt: for an Israel
knoweth that thy father Is a mighty
man and they which be with him are
valiant men Therefore I counsel that
all Israel be generally gathered unto
thee. from Dan even to Beerxheba. a.
the sand that Is BY the sea for multi
tude: and tha; thou go 10 battle in
thine own person: so shall We come
upon him In some place where he
shall be found. and We will light rrpou
him as the dew falleth ou the groand;
and Of him and OF all the men with
him there shall not b. left 50 mrr>h as
one. Moreover. II he BE- gotten unto a
city. then shall all Israel bring ropes
10 that city. and we Will draw II into
the river. until there b. not one small
stone found there
As Absslom listened to the brilliant
picture OF success which Hsshai paint
ed his enthusiasm grew The big
army. the brilliant plan OF campaign.
the overwhelming numbers and ths
crushing victory al appealed to his In
nate sense ot pride and kingly i'm
portAnce. He would lead such an
army. he would utterly destroy the
mighty David and bis valiant men and
the fame Of him would spread TO the
/ uttermost bounds OF the earth. so that
I all nations round about would trem-
I ble.
Ahithophel.. ~ho noted the express
sion Of favor upon the face OF Alb
salon. arose to speak IN remnnstrance.
Ehen the young king waved him aside
/ imperiously and said:
The counsel of HushL Is better
than thy counsel Let messengers go
/ forth az once that there be no delay
in the gathering Of the hosts Of Is
raeI~
4
head OF a vast army. was proudly set
/ ting forth from Jerusalem, word came
to him that Ahithophel hsd hanged
himself
The fool. muttered the king under
his breath. could he see the hosts OF
Israel this day and the certainty OF
glorious victory he would be ashamed
that be had counSeled other than a.
did Hushai."
So he tried to dismiss the subject
from his mind. but all through tha,
day and the next, as he led his forces
into battle. there kept floating before
his eyes the vision OF Ahithophel.
his neck. He could not shake 1t OF
In desperation he pressed the battle.
but instead OF the foe he ever saw the
dead. blackened corpse floating before
his eyes.
The tanks of his army have been
turned. the ranks waver and break.
and soon the panic OF full retreat has
seized all the hosts OF Israel. Those
about him melt away and. almost
alone, he turns his mules head and
fees. With fatal fascination he
watches the swaying branches Of the
trees in the distance. He thinks OF
the dead Ahithophel. II seems almost
as though the trees were beckoning
him to Ahithophers side On he goes.
and as he passes under the boushs Of
q great oak the hair In which he had
found so much pride and JOY caught
bold of the oak and there he swung
b~tween earth and sky unable to free
t,mseK. And there Absalom died. and
they cast him into q great pit and laid
. a very great heap OF stones upon him