Times-promoter., 1908-02-07

she demanded answer from the very
stones at her feet. But nj answer
came to her ears but the soft, NUT
| fed tap of her foot upon the floor
'It all comes from listening to the
idle tales OF the wanderer and adyen
turer," she exclaimed at last impa
| tiently; and then almost in the same
breath she added;
"But what If the story is true!
How wish knew.
This King Solomon of Israel must
be wonderful person" she contin,
ued mnsingly to herself, as she
threw herself upon the low diyan and
gave free rein to the thoughts which
crowded into her troubled heart "And
his God must be even more wonderful
than the gods of Sheba.
"But no. she added hastily, "this
cannot be. Let me not be disloyal to
my gods and my land. What fairer
land could they give than the spice
laden fields, the golden sands of her
rivers and the precious stones? Sure.
ly The God of Israel cannot have done
more"
But your gods never divided the
waters Of mighty river, nor threw
down the walls of city," came back
the answer as snatches of the story
of the nation of Israel came to her
mind as they had been related to
her but few days before by the
traveller.
This traveller had come on one of
| the trading ships which had touched
at nearby port, and the wonderful
stories of the land from which he
had come had reached her ears and
she had sent for him. And he had
come, glad of the chance to tell to the
beautiful queen of the land of Sheba
his story. Eagerly she had listened
while he had told of the people of
Israel, of the God of Israel and his
wonderful leadings and dealings, Of
the land which he had given to his
people, and of the wonderful king
whom God had established upon the
throne. And when he had gone and
the first thrill of the story had been
spent, she found doubt creeping into
her heart.
II was naught but the fair dream of
a romancer. No land could be bet
ter than her land. No gods were
better than the gods of her fathers
and her fathers fathers. She would
not prove disloyal to them. But al
ways while she sought thus to bring
herself back to rest content with what
she already possessed, there persist
ed this question:
What if the story is true?'
And how shall I ever know wneth.
er it Is true or not?" she asked her
self at last.
Why not, go and see?' An incredu-
lous little laugh burst from her lips
at the very thought Of such thing,
and to prove that 1t was impossible
she began to run over in her mind
the many seemingly insurmountable
things in the way of such a long,
hard and perilous journey. She
might just as well give up her people
and her kingdom as to undertake such
a journey, for while she was gone,
what might not happen?
'But what IL the story is true?"
came back the question again and
again. And it gave her no peace. To
every reason great and small which
she could think of why she should not
go on the journey, the question kept
coming back with redoubled force:
What if it is true?"
II it is true, she exclaimed at last,
with m air of decision, II want to
know. And how shall know save as
go and see for myself? Did send
a deputation to this King Solomon,
should have only their say-so. If
Israel has such a king and such
God, | must see and know for my
self, If would be satisfied"
"And so would you go?" she asked
herself at last. "Yea, / would" she
exclaimed with an air of decision.
Rising hastily as though that matter
was now settled, she summoned her
waiting maid
60, Felicia, and dispatch messen-
gers to the port. / would see the
traveller who came thither on the
ship and who told such wonderful
stories Of the land from which he
came. Make haste, for If I remember