The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-11-27
A Romance Of the Time Of Christ

There he goes!" said Naomi. her
face wrinkled with maternal pride,
her eyes glittering like black beads.
my David! Handsome a Abss-
iom, and the best son q mother ever
had. The way the girls watch him,
Dinah, the hussies! But he pays
no mare attention to them than II
they were row of stones.
= Il hope he makes his choice soon
Pm not getting younger, and
pray morning and evening that
may see my granddaughter. A
queens daughter would not be too
good for him. but II he brings me 4
decent. obedient girl Of an honest
family who can cook and sweep and
doesn't sulk when she's spoken to
I won't complain"
There was q pause. Tobias, still
astride Of Rama's hip, began to
squirm- like a puppy. whining to
be set down. The girl humored
him. putting him upon his feet, and
then squatted down by him. talking
to him and rallying him with laugh
ter Hike q mother Of ten years ex-
perience.
"Rama's q good GIRL" said Dirah.
without apparent reference to any
thing that had been said. "She's
As sensible as a grandmother. She
bakes bread better than l do-I'n
bring you loaf. Yesterday we
had a dish Of dates and rafsins :
stepped in vinegar, and my man
said 1t was the best he'd ever
tasted. She doesn't waste 20 much
as q pinch of -four or drop OF oil
either"
Naomi made a clicking sound
with her tongue wordless ex-
preston Of amiable assent.
She'll make some man q fine
wife," said Dinah in dreary voice.
81 shall miss her: my mother bore
only she and I. But she's ripe al
ready for son Of her own"
There was silence. Each un-
derstood the other. but nothing fur
ther was said. The girl, Rama,
had risen and stood with lax-hang.
ing hands, her eyes still on TOBIAS.
To bear such children was her
appointed destiny. She waited.
passive, dutiful, receptive. At the
rear of the house court cluster
of three and four year olds were
playing ct marriages.
= In the darkened den Of a room
that was masked by the ragged
curtain David, the son of Naomi,
the widow of 9 nser-do-well in
whose veins had run the coveted
blood Of David. the poet-king, sat
on the edge of a raised floor thA
ran the length OF the wall and was
laid with q couple of frayed mat.
tresses.
His strong and supple body was
bent forward, his hands were
clasped between his knees, his eyes
and the fine lines of his mouth were
those Of visionary. for he was
gazing with all his soul upon q
picture Of the mind that was dearer
to him than the hot breath of life.
He saw. as from the summit of
a high mountain, the country of his
people-Judea, Galilee, Samarla--
now the subjugated province of an
empire, governed by its conquer.
ors. The wonderful. enduring
roads Of Rome, undertaking as the
flight of an arrow, traversed 1t from
north to south. The collectors OF
the Roman taxes sat. in its gates,
the coinage of its tribute, stamped
with the image OF Tiberius Caesar,
passed Familiarity from hand to
hand.
The people had bread and wine
and oil. but liberty had departed
from them like a raven to hilltop:
the promises uttered to their faith
ers by a line of fierce and splendid
prophets had been made void, and
the glory Of their God had passed
like golden light from q long cloud.
The mind picture changed. To
the watcher upon the summit Of
the high mountain the swarms of
men choking the formal channels
Of life in the cities and villages be-
low seethed suddenly like angel
troubled waters. There was the
fash Of swords, the windy wailing
Of sacred ram's-horn trumpets. the
mighty effort Of a manacled nation