St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-06-08

But lad she no friends to go to
among her own people that she should
make such choice?" asked Boaz.
Had she not, / do not think that
Naomi would have so urged her to re-
turn"
did she not give other reason for
wanting to Gomez"
Yes, l believe 1 did hear some one
say that Naomi had told them that
Ruth had renounced the gods of her
people, saying that she had come to
know that they were no gods at all,
and that she could not return to serve
them"
And does she believe in the God of
the Hebrews?" questioned Boaz, who
was devout Israelite and served God
with loyal who1e-heartedness
Yes" the otler went on to ex.
plain; this woman, Ruth, it is said.
chung to Naomi, pleading that as she
had chosen the Hebrew people as her
people and the Hebrew God as her
God, she be permitted to return with
| her"
and since coming thither, how hath
she done?" Boaz continued, persisting
in his questioning, for he had per-
ceiVed at the very beginning, when
they had begun to tell him of Naomi's
return, that there was a prejudice
against the Moabitish woman who had
come with her, and he was too fair
minded to condemn her hastily and
on too insufficient evidence.
Her whole thought has seemed to
be for the comfort of Naomi, and it
must be admitted that she has worked
increasingly to provide for their SIM
pie wants." was the admission.
yes" spoke up another, land when
the neighbors and friends of Naomi
would have provided for them, Ruth
| declared that she had come not to be
burden but help, and many is the
deed of kindness which she hath found
| time to do while yet busy with the
tasks which would buy them shelter
and food"
The drift Of the conversation having
| been started in that direction, there
were others ready to tell of incidents
in which Ruth had displayed her
sweet, self-sacrifcing devotion to her
mother-in-law, and also of her faith
| in the God of the Hebrews, so that
when Boaz had left the group and
gone on to his own home he had Anuch
| to think about.
Naturally he felt special interest in
Naomi, because she was the widow
of his near relative, Elimelech, but
why should he trouble himself about
| this Moabitish woman? So he thought
as his mind kept recurring to Ruth.
During the busy days which followed,
| for the barley and wheat harvests
were near at hand, and he had much
to look after, he could not rid himself
of the thought, and he went over and
over again in his mind all that he had
heard concerning Ruth.
First of all, he settled in his own
mind that her motives for coming to
Bethlehem were purely unselfish for
the strange land and strange people
could not offer her the same certainty
of home and friends which her own
land would have done Then that she
was sincere in her desire to have the
| Hebrew God as her God was manifest
from the devotion which she had
shown since her arrival in BethIe-
hem.
So, as the days went By, the desire
grew up in his heart to see her. He
had reached an age when he felt he
was beyond sentiment, and for this
reason he could not quite define or I'm
derstand the STRINGS within his own
breast. He knew he grew into the
! habit of listening for some tidings or
Ruth, and more than once he ques-
toned his neighbors and friends con-
corning her. In this way he became
| familiar with every detail, almost, of
her life in Bethlehem, and learned
much of the story of her life before
coning to Bethlehem, for people did
not seem to tire OF the gossip which
centered about Naomi and her Moab
itish daugheer-in-law
"She must be good woman" Boaz
4
would say to himself. II am glad she
has come to Bethlehem" and he would
go on picturing to himself his home
with such woman in it. Then he
would laugh and shake off the spell"
as he would call 1t. But Ruth on his
| lips came to be sweet word, and
Ruth came into his thought as though
she had somehow always been there
So it went until, during the midst of
the barley harvest, he came into his
field one day and, while talking with
the foreman of the reapers, his atten-
ton was attracted to a figure quietly
following in the wake of the men as
they cut and gathered and stacked the
grain.
Whose damsel is this?" he asked,
and while the words were being ut
tered, and before the servant could
reply, there came the whispering an
swer in his heart, Ruth
And as he looked upon her, even be.
fore he had spoken to her and she had
made reply, he knew that his heart
had been conquered.
Cons scrated by ROYALTY,