The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1909-01-15

in which the accusing voice of con.
science is heard chastising the soul for
it's perfidy. So it was with the parents
Of little Esther. Many times after they
had watched the faithful Jews depart
had there come troubled thoughts into
their hearts, and when the father lay
dying his last words had been of re.
greet that he had not gone back to Jer-
usalem.
1T might all have been different"
cried he bereaved mother over and
over again. And the little one, stand
Ing at her knee and only half realizing
all that the death of her father meant
to her, wondered about it all and tried
to comfort her in her simple, childish
way.
The days which followed we're days
OF hardship and privation. 1t was such
a struggle as many a mother before
n since has known when the father
has been taken and the burden of the
livelihood falls upon the mother.
Esther's mother knew of her husbands
nephew MOrdecai, who was connected
with the royal establishment, but she
was too proud and Independent to let
him know of her need, and she strug-
gled on.
But the pressure of the burdens
from without and the troubled con
science within sapped the none too
great supply of strength of the
mother. and one day she fell sick, and
when she realized that she would
again get we'll and that she must
leave the beautiful little daughter, an
guish that almost drove her mad filled
her heart.
"Oh, had we only gone back to the
land of our fathers, the land where
God has promised his people blessing,
it might all have been so different. 1t
is but the hand of cursing upon us for
our sin"
Little Hadassah listened in awed
wonder to her mothers words of re-
proach upon herself and, without know
ing just what they meant, but with a
tender, loving heart which longed to
speak cOmfortingly, she said:
But, mamma, can't God be in this
land, too? He was with the great
Daniel, and he will be with us when
we need him SO much"
The mother stopped her convulsive
sobbing and, turning her head so that
her eyes were full upon the face OF
her daughter, she lay for some min
utes as if trying to get hold of the
thought which the child had expressed
with but a half consciousness of all
that her words meant.
Perhaps he WILL" whispered the
mother, YEARLY, and then she closed
her eyes and a little later the friends
who had come in led the little girl
away, telling her gently that her
mother vas dead.
Has she gone back to the land
where she said God was?" she asked,
wonderingly. And when they tried to
explain to her that her man.lna had
gone to be with the God of Abraham.
and Isaac, and Jacob, a little smile
broke over her face and she said, sim |
pyl:
May l go to see her some timer"
Poor little motherless girl. What
was to become of her? She had but
one living relative of whom anyone
knew, and that was Mordecai, the man
who served in the gate of the kings |
But what could he do with
her, he who had maintained such devo-
ton to the king that he had estab-
lished no home of his own, but had
continued in the palace, where he
could know day and night who passed
through the gate to the palace.
When tidings of the death of his
wife reached Mordecai, he went
1t once to the home, wondering what
be done with the little girl. 1t
roubled and veXed him. He felt in no
position to look after her. If he did
lot, however, what would become of
Ter? Perhaps a fate worse than death
would overtake her. 1t was a struggle
LII the way across the great city to
home where death had come, but
When he had reached the threshold he
lad mastered the SelfishneSS Of his
heart and had brought himself to
he point where he had sOlemnly
lowed that he would look after the lit
lie girl and strive to bring her up to
i'll a life of usefulness and honor.
That was the beginning of a new
life for Hadassah. What a won
Ter world the near life to the palace
to her, and how, with the devel-
'prlent of the grace and beauty of the
,o,.ng girl, there came the refining, I'M
influences Of the larger life to
which her uncle's station admitted her.
So the years came and went, and
little motherless and fatherless
,irl had developed into a woman of
are beauty and winsome grace, SO
hat. as Mordecai looked upon her, he
ound himself marveling and wonder
ng how much longer he could keep
Ter as the joy and brigbtnss SIS of his
'wn home.
"She Is a veritable queen" he had
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