Times-promoter., 1909-01-15


thought which the child had expressed
with but a half consciousness OF all
that her words meant.
Perhaps he will" whispered the
mother, wearily, 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, sip-
pyl:
May 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
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. It
troubled and vexed him. He felt In no
position to look after her. If he did
not, however, what would become of
her? Perhaps fate worse than death
would overtake her. 1t 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 lit
tie girl and strive to bring her up to
fill life of usefulness and honor.
That was the beginning of a new
life for Hadassah. What a 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, so
that, as Mordecai looked upon her, he
found himself marveling and wonder
ing how much longer he could keep
her as the joy and brightness OF his
own home.
"She Is a veritable queen" he had
thought to himself, 'but how could
give her up, even to the king?"
And when he had asked that ques-
tion to himself he had never thought
that it would require asking. But
events moved swiftly and, following
the sensational removal of Queen
Vashti from her place on the throne,
came the royal decree seeking for the
king a new queen.
"She is worthy to be queen, but how
can give her up?" Mordecai cried in
anguish, as he realized that he was
face to face with the hardest question
he had ever been called upon to an
swer. But at last victory came:
Perhaps 1t is to this end that she
has been preserved in this land"
And when he had gently unfolded to
Esther the larger life which was ap-
parently opening to her she had sub
missively said:
ut will be hard to leave thee, dear
foster father. But will strive to be
as faithful to thee as thou has been to
me-
The Source of ALL
When we see the million rain drops
Of the shower we say, with reason,
there must be one great sea from
which all these drops come. And when
we see as it were, countless drops and
countless rays of goodness scattered
about in the world, little good In
this man, and little good in that,
shall we not say, there must be one
great sea, one central sun of goodness,
from whence all human goodness
comes? And where can that center of
goodness be, but in the very charac-
ter of God himself?-Rev. Charles
! Kingsley.