St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-11-30

son? As have ser-ed In thy fathers
presence, SO will be in thy presence"
And while Ahithophel, Absalom's
chief counsellor, looked with disfavor
upon the coming of Hushai, neverthe-
less Absalom was disposed to receive
with deep sense of qualification the
coming Of one who had been so near
to David, and he accepted it as another
sign of the unfailing success of his
plot He found new sense of securi-
ty in the presence of Hushai.
That night Ahithophel came to him
and urged him to choose out small
army and pursue after David and his
little band of followers, and he gave
ready consent.
But first let us hear what Hushal
hath to say" demanded the hing. HIS
hath but just come from the presence
Of David and he well knows what it
will mean to pursue after the fleeing
king"
The counsel that Ahithophel hath
given is not good at this time, oh,
king!" boldly declared Hushai, when
he had been ushered into the royal
presence. Thou knowest thy father
and his men, that they be mighty men,
and they be chafed in their minds, as
a bear robbed of her whelps in TIE
field; and thy father is a man of war.
and will not lodge with the people.
Behold, even now he is hid in some
pit or in some other place; and it will
| IN whnn nf fhnY11 ha
overthrow at the first, that whose
ever heareth it will say, There is a
slaughter among the people that fol-
low Absalom. And he also that is
valiant, whose heart is as the heart Of
lion, shall utterly melt; for all Israel
knoWeth that thy father is mighty
man and they which be with him are
valiant men. Therefore counsel that
all Israel be generally gathered unto
| thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as
the sand that is by the sea for multi
| tude; and that thou go to battle in
thine own person; so shall we come
upon him in some place where he
shall be found, and we will light upon
him as the dew falleth on the ground;
and of him and of all the men with
him there shall not be left so much as
one. Moreover, if he be gotten unto
city, then shall all Israel bring ropes
to that city, and we will draw it into
the river, until there be not one small
stone found there"
AS Absalom listened to the brilliant
picture of success which Hushai paint
ed his enthusiasm grew. The big
army, the brilliant plan of campaign,
the overwhelming numbers and the
crushing victory all appealed to his In
nate sense of pride and kingly i'm
portance. He would lead such an
army; he would utterly destroy the
mighty David and his valiant men and
the fame of him would spread to the
uttermost bounds of the earth, so that
all nations round about would trem.
BILE.
Ahithophel, who noted the express
sion of favor upon the face of ABB
salon, arose to speak in remonstrance.
when the young king waved him aside
imperiously and said:
THE counsel of Hushai is better
than thy counsel. Let messengers go
. forth at once that there be no delay
in the gathering of the hosts of Is.
: rael."
A few days later as Absalom, at the
: head of vast army, was proudly set
ting forth from Jerusalem, word came
to him that Ahithophel h6d 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 he had counse1ed other than as
: did Hushai."
:: So he tried to dismiss the subject
from his mind, but all through that
day and the next, as he led his forces
into battle, there kept floating before
his eyes the vision of Ahithophel,
black and hideous, with rope around
his neck. He could not shake it off.
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 a fatal fascination he
watches the swaying branches Of the
trees in the distance. He thinks Of
the dead Ahithophel. 1t seems almost
as though the trees were reckoning
him to Ahithophel's side. On he goes,
and as he passes under the boughs OF
a great oak the hair in which he had
found so much pride and joy caught
hold Of the oak and there he swung
between earth and sky unable to free
.mself. And there Absalom died, and
they cast him into great pit and laid
very great heap Of stones upon him
The HUNGRY Parrot,