The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-05-24
CHAPTER VI.
"ln the house Of Nsdina.~

In the mousse OF NuulnA anu
counted neither cost nor time.
Days Of heavy and unsatisfy-
ing sleep were followed by nights OF
drinking and carousing. OF dicing with
the men of the gay throng who fire.
quentcd the house OF Nadina and Of
wonderful hours spent In the company
Of Tisha. who for his sake abandoned
all others and listened not when they
begged her to drink a goblet Of wine
with them.
And II was indeed q strange com
pany who frequentcd the house Of Ma
dina. The favaite OF the visitors was
Put, the son of the wealthy Absalom,
Q handsome and athletic young man
with long. curly locks OF hair that was
almost black. Not only for his money,
but for his good looks. was Put popu-
lar with the two score or more Of fash
ionable ladies who found the house and
garden OF Nadina a comfortable rest
ing place. lIadramut. an Arab horse
dealer, who gambled heavily with Put
at the dice table: Parsodlas, a Mede,
who tarried In Jerusalem on a secret
mission. and Nadia, the Egyptian,
were other friends who spent much
time In the home Of Nadina.
One day Barzil, the tax collector for
King Solomon, brought with him Hag-
gal. n stern and solemn visaged Ju-
dean. who gazed disapprovingly at the
statue OF Ishtar. goddess OF love. In the
shrine In the garden. liaggai took
Jether by the arm and sought to rea-
son with him.
Thou, too. art n son OF Judea," said
Haggai kindly. "Dost know that all OF
these people are idolators, worshippers
of the gods OF Babylon. and that Ma
dina herself and her daughter Tisha
are all Babyloniansf"
But Jether. overcome by the fumes
OF wine. laughed.
"What matterf" he cried. What II
they do worship these things OF stone
and wood. Does that make Tisha less
fairer? ! care not. myself am Ju-
dean
IIaggai shook his head sorrowfully
and went his way.
And there. too. came Sadyk. the jew
eler, the crafty old man. with his wares
alNulS III 'urt btiott
from his shoulders. Before and after
each visit he spoke quietly and secretly
with Nadlna, and after purchase by
one OF the men OF bauble or a golden
bracelet for one OF the young women
Sadyk would give Nadina several coins
for herself.
As for Jether. though his store Of
gold In the teakwood box was fast d.
minishing and he now hesitated to
count the remaining shekels when
placing coins In his purse, he reigned
supreme I'm the household. For more
days and nights than he could easily
reckon he had lived there and cared
naught for the future In spite Of the
warning Of Tola that some day his
store OF gold would be exhausted and
he should make plans TO replenish his
supply by sending word to his father
In Hebron.
Thus 1t happened that one day as
late Ia the afternoon Jether lay sleep
ing heavily upon dtvan In the garden,
with Nadina's handma!den Borsippa
lazily tanning him with a great ostrich
feather fan, Ahab, the servant Of the
wealthy Put, entered through the arch
way. Observing that Jether still slept,
he whispered to Borsippa that he had
Q message for the Judean from his
master.
"Nay; / may not waken him." ex-
planned Borsippa. 81 do but keep the
iies and bees away while he sleeps,
for my mistress, Tisha, became weary
of him In his drunken sleep and babe
me take her place He sleepeth deep,
40 men do who revel through the night"
Ahab pointed TO the purse which
hung from Jether's girdle.
"And have spent allr' ne inquired.
Borsippa frowned and shook her head.
"Had he not gold In plenty. thinkest
thou. fool. that he could still lord 1t In
Nadina's house r. she demanded.
"Then he must trust thee WELL" re-
torted the crafty Ahab. drawing nearer
to the sleeping Jether. my own mas
ter never sleeps when gold In beneath
my nose"
Borsippa threatened him with the
fan.
ERE he fell into slumber he babe my
mistress sit by him." she said. Now,
II any gold is missing will be blam-
ed"
Ahab stopped over the boy and listen
cd to his heavy breathing.
III he be heavy with sleep what mat
tiers TT And II he Is rich were II not
well that we should be less poorr
His fingers groped within the purse,
and several golden coins sparkled In
tha liuht