The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1909-01-23

g
psspond % the higher and better ~
pulses from within there are more
than apt to be periods Of disouistude
| n which the accusing voice Of Coz
science II heard chastising the s0u1 FOR
| IT. perndy. So It WAS with the parents
Of little Father, Many times after they
| had watched the faithful Jews depart
hAn 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.
LIT might all have been different"
cried the 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 were days
Of hardship and privation. II was such
struggle as many q mother before
and 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 toe. 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 Slapped the none too
great supply Of strength Of the
mother. and one day she fell sick, and
when she realized that she would
never again get well and that she must
leave the beautiful little daughter, an
guish that almost drove. her mad filed
her heart
"Oh, had we only gone back to, the
land of our fathers, the land where
God has promised his people blessing.
1t might all have been so different. It
Is but the hand of cursing upon us for
our SIM" .Gt
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
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 II 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 little later the friends
who had come in led the little girl
away, telling her gently that her
mother was 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 mamma had
gone to be with the God Of Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, little smile
broke over her face and she said, SIM
pyl:
May I 60 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
palace 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
uncle's wife reached Mordecai, he went
at once to the home. wondering what
could be done with the little girl. 1t
troubled and vexed him. He felt in no
position to look after her. II he did
not, however, what would become of
her? Perhaps a fate worse than death
would overtake her. It was struggle
all the way across the great city to
the home where death had come, but
when he had reached the threshold he
had mastered the selfishness of his
own heart and had brought himself to
the point where he had solemnly
vowed that he would look after the 1T
tie girl and strive to bring her up to
I'LL a life Of usefulness and honor.
That was the beginning OF q new
life for Hadassah. What new won.
der world the near life to the palace
proved to her, and how, with the devel-
opment Of the grace and beauty of the
young girl, there came the refining, un.
folding influences Of the larger life to
which her uncle's station admitted her.
SO the years came and went, and
the little motherless and fatherless
girl had developed into woman of
rare beauty and winsome grace, SC
that, as Mordecai looked upon her, he
found himself marveling and wonder.
ing how much longer he could keep
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