Christmas Light

[Illustration]

 Christmas Light

 BY ETHEL CALVERT PHILLIPS

 _With Illustrations_

 [Illustration]

 BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge 1922

 COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY ETHEL CALVERT PHILLIPS

 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 The Riverside Press CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. 

 TO

 MY MOTHER

 Light of the world, the world is dark about Thee; Far out on Judah's hills the night is deep. Not yet the day is come when men shall doubt Thee, Not yet the hour when Thou must wake and weep; O little one, O Lord of Glory, sleep!

 Love of all heaven, love's arms are folded round Thee, Love's heart shall be the pillow for Thy cheek. Not yet the hour has come when hate shall wound Thee, Not yet for shelter vainly must Thou seek. Rest, little one, so mighty and so weak. 

 Lie still and rest, Thou Rest of earth and heaven; Rest, little hands--our Hope of bliss ye keep; Rest, little heart--one day shalt Thou be riven; O newborn Life, O Life eternal, sleep! Far out on Judah's hills the night is deep. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Contents

 I. Naomi's Garden 1

 II. One Sabbath 20

 III. The Trip to Jerusalem 37

 IV. In the Dark 60

 V. All the World Comes Visiting 73

 VI. The Shepherds 88

 VII. In a Manger 101

 VIII. The Light of the World 116

[Illustration]

Christmas Light

CHAPTER I

NAOMI'S GARDEN

It was in a little garden in the village of Bethlehem, many and many ayear ago, that four scarlet poppies stood side by side and swayed gentlyback and forth upon their slim green stalks in the soft afternoon wind. 

A little girl came running over the grass and halted before thepoppies. 

"How beautiful you are!" said the little girl, whose name was Naomi, andwho was eight years old. 

She clasped her hands before her in delight, and stood smiling down uponthe flowers that seemed to nod courteously in reply. 

This little Jewish girl had dark curling hair and gentle brown eyes. Hercheeks were as rosy as the poppies, and she wore a gay little robe ofscarlet and yellow striped stuff, while upon her bare brown feet weretied soft leather sandals. 

"How beautiful you are!" said Naomi again to the poppies. "You are mine, for I made you grow, and you are the most beautiful flowers in all ourlovely garden. "

And she looked as proudly round the tiny garden plot as if it were asspacious and as wonderful as the famous gardens of the wicked KingHerod, or even those of the Temple High Priest himself. 

In the center of the grass plot stood an orange-tree, and under it, inthe shade of its glossy leaves, had been placed a light wooden bench. Atall hedge of prickly thorns prevented passers-by on the narrow villagestreet from peeping in. At one end a heavy grapevine clambered over atrellis, while at the other there were several rich clumps of myrtlethat showed dark against the surrounding grass. Below the thorn hedgestood a row of bold flaunting tulips, and there were two flower-beds, one of white, the other of tall red lilies. 

The garden was indeed a pleasant place, and Naomi's happiest hours werespent here, whether playing peacefully alone, or amusing baby Jonas, orwhen the family gathered together under the orange-tree, Father andMother, brother Ezra, baby Jonas, and herself. 

To be sure there were vines and flowers growing on the roof of Naomi'shouse, which was often used as a place to sit in the cool of the day andeven to sleep when the house grew unbearably warm. For Naomi's dwellinglooked like nothing so much as a square box turned upside down with onlya door cut in the front and not a window to break the smooth whitesides. 

Within, there was a single room, round which ran a bench where were keptthe gay quilts, tightly rolled, which made the only beds Naomi knew. Here, too, lay the cushions upon which the family sat when at mealsround the table, which was then pulled out from the wall. There was agreat carved chest in which were kept the Sabbath clothes, the crescentof coins which belonged to Naomi's mother and which she wore upon herhead as an ornament on festive occasions, and the long parchment rollsof Scripture in which Naomi's father took the keenest pride. At thedoor stood a tall water-jar with herbs floating on the top to keep thewater cool. 

In a niche in the doorpost hung a small roll of parchment in a case. Naomi was used to seeing her father and his friends touch it reverentlywhen passing in or out, and then kiss the fingers that had touched theName of the Most High. She could even recite as well as Ezra the versesshe knew were written there, beginning, "Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our Godis one Jehovah, " and ending "and thou shalt write them upon thedoorposts of thy house and upon thy gates. "

In a small building near by stood the oven where Naomi's mother did herbaking and which she used in common with several other families. It wasoften a meeting-place for the children, who hung about the door onbaking-days hoping for hot crumbs--stout Solomon from across the road;Rachel and Rebekah, Naomi's particular friends; little Enoch, who walkedwith a limp and who would never grow any taller, though he might live tobe ever so old. 

"I would that my Aunt Miriam used our oven, " Naomi often thought, "forshe bakes every day, and, oh, such good things as she makes. "

Naomi's aunt kept the village inn or khan that stood just outside thecity gates on one of the little hills upon which Bethlehem was built. Many travelers stopped the night at the khan and even longer, for thevillage lay only one mile to the right of the great road which led fromJerusalem, six miles away, to the old town of Hebron, and then down intothe far-away, mysterious land of Egypt itself. Where the road fromBethlehem joined the Jerusalem highway stood the tomb of Rachel, andmany a time had Naomi, loitering in the courtyard of the inn, heardpious pilgrims, fresh from the spot, tell the stories of Rachel andJacob, and their sons Joseph and Benjamin. 

Naomi's little head was packed full of the stories of the great peopleof her race. Ezra, eleven years old, went to school in the synagogueevery day with the other boys of the village, and diligently studied theLaw and the Prophets. At home, Naomi was taught by her mother, not onlythe care of the house, but the history of the Hebrew people, theirsongs, their prayers, and their hopes. 

"I know ten hymns without a mistake, " Naomi would boast, and by hymnsshe meant what we call psalms. "I can recite the Song of Deborah and theSong of Hannah. I can tell all the story about them, too, and, oh, everso many more. "

Her favorite story was that of the Naomi for whom she had been named. But this summer afternoon she was thinking of nothing save of the prettyblossoms that now swung before her after so many days of patient toiland care. 

She caught sight of her mother in the doorway and eagerly called her tocome and see the sight. 

"Come, Mother, come, " she called. "My poppies are all out, every one. Four of them in a row! See--even the smallest one that I feared wouldnot bloom at all. There is one for each of thee: Father, Mother, Ezra, Jonas. The smallest one is for Jonas, and verily it is the prettiest oneof all. "

Naomi's mother came smiling down the path. She carried a water-pitcheror urn, and astride her left shoulder sat baby Jonas, steadying himselfby clutching his mother's thick dark hair. 

"The flowers are beautiful, Naomi, " said she pleasantly. "They wellrepay thee for all thy patience and care. I go now to the fountain forwater. It lacks but half an hour to sundown. Watch thy little brotherJonas well and keep him happy until I return. "

And slipping Jonas from her shoulder to the grass, and pulling her whitelinen veil into place, she stepped quickly out into the village street, her urn securely balanced upon her head. 

Jonas had already crept over to the bench, and, dragging himself up uponhis unsteady legs, he looked into his sister's face with a smile. 

"The smallest poppy is thine, Jonas, " Naomi told him, "but thou musttouch it not. Come now with me and see the pigeons. "

Behind the house, a step out of the garden, stood a dove-cote made ofmud. Inside were two wide-mouthed earthen jars that served asnesting-boxes. The pigeons were stepping majestically about on theground, the sun touching their soft gray feathers with blue and greenand rose. Jonas made several lunges at them in the hope of capturing anew plaything, but he succeeded only in stubbing his toe and sittingdown hard upon the ground. 

"No, neither must thou touch them, " said Naomi, helping him tenderly tohis feet and brushing off the dirt. "It seems to me that there are agreat many things that thou must not touch. But I know something thatthou canst do. It is my secret, but I do not mind telling thee becausethou canst not talk. Thou mayst help me dig a well!"

Naomi's voice sank mysteriously as she guided the tottering Jonas backinto the garden and over to a bare spot of ground behind the largest ofthe myrtle bushes. 

"Sit ye down, Jonas, " said Naomi, sinking cross-legged to the ground. "I mean to dig the well here, it will be so handy for Mother. Then neverwill she have to walk down to the fountain unless she likes. You takethat stick and I will use this one. "

For a few moments the little girl worked industriously, loosening thedry sun-baked soil, while Jonas scratched vigorously with hissharp-pointed stick. 

"It is hard work, Jonas, " sighed Naomi, pausing to shake back her curls. "But it will be worth it when once the well is made. It will be called'Naomi's well' for me, and years and years from now mygreat-great-grandchildren will be proud of me because I made it. Andwhen I am an old woman, all thin and brown and dried-up like lameEnoch's grandmother, I will say to my grandchildren, all standing roundand listening to every word I say--I will say, 'Grandchildren, I wellremember the day thy dear uncle--that is thou, Jonas--and I dugthis'--Oh! Oh!" And Naomi screamed aloud and jumped to her feet. 

Something cold and wet had been placed against the back of her neck, andlittle shivers were running over her as she turned and saw her brotherEzra behind her, smiling at her fright. In his arms he held a smallwhite lamb, and it was this little animal's nose that had been pressedto Naomi's neck, and that had brought her day-dreaming to such an abruptclose. 

"Wilt thou not tell the grandchildren anything about their dear UncleEzra?" inquired Ezra with a comical look. "Who sharpened those sticksfor thee, I would fain know, and thou didst not even tell me what usethey were for. How dost thou think the grandchildren would like to hearthat?"

"How unkind thou art to listen and then laugh at me, " said Naomi, putting out her under lip. "I would have told thee, Ezra, about the wellonly it was a secret. Do not tell Mother, wilt thou? I would fainsurprise her. Promise thou wilt not tell, Ezra! Promise!" And Naomi laidan imploring hand upon her brother's arm. 

Ezra's only answer was to laugh and shake his head. Though he had nointention of telling, he wanted to tease Naomi a little before makingany promises. He was fond of his little sister, and was far more gentleand kindly than many another brother would have been in those days inold Palestine. 

For in the Jewish family, girls were not valued so highly as boys, andwere made to feel their unimportance in many ways that would be highlydispleasing to little sisters of to-day. Girls were taught to wait upontheir brothers and to treat them with respect. It was impressed uponthem that the duty of a girl was to be useful and modest and quiet, andthat her chief pleasure should lie in making home happy and comfortablefor her father and brothers. 

But in the household of Samuel the weaver, Naomi's lot had not beenquite that of the ordinary Jewish girl. Her father was proud of hisbright, lovable little daughter and had made her his special pet. Hermother, who had been well taught by her own mother, a "wise woman" ofher day, was careful that Naomi seldom missed the daily lesson that keptthe little girl, to her great delight, only a short way behind Ezra onthe hard road of knowledge. 

So Ezra, though he felt his superiority as a boy and the first-born ofhis family, could not long resist Naomi's pleading glance nor thepressure of her little brown hand. 

"What wilt thou give me if I do not tell?" asked Ezra, not wishing toseem to relent too quickly. 

"The first bright shekel I find in the highway, " answered Naomi saucily. 

She was smiling now, and her hand was gently stroking the little lamb'snose. 

"What lamb is this, Ezra?" she asked. "And why hast thou brought ithome? It seems sleepy, poor little creature. Look, its eyes are halfshut. "

"It is one of the Temple flock, " answered Ezra, looking down at thequiet little animal in his arms. "But it has a blemish. It runs on threelegs, and it does not see very well. They will not keep it in theflock--it is not fit for Temple use--and shepherd Eli gave it to me thisafternoon for my own. I helped him find an old ewe that had caught herfoot between two stones, and when I was leaving he gave me the lamb. "

By the "Temple flock" Ezra meant the sheep that were destined to be usedas sacrifices in the great Temple at Jerusalem, and which were encampedall the year round on the hills outside the city. The shepherds of theflock were friendly to the boy, who declared he meant when a man to be aTemple shepherd himself. Ezra spent most of his spare time with them, helping them in their work and listening with delight to their thrillingstories of encounters with wolves and jackals. Many of the shepherdswere friends of his father, for both were connected with the Temple, since Samuel the weaver spent his days, in common with a number ofothers in Bethlehem, in making the gorgeous curtains and veils that wereused in the sacred building. 

"Stand up, Three Legs, " said Ezra, putting his lamb on the ground andshowing Naomi its pitifully shrunken limb. In naming it "Three Legs"Ezra was following the custom of the shepherds who called their chargesby any peculiarity they might possess, such as "Black Ear" or "LongTail. " "I mean to make a little wagon and teach Three Legs to draw it. And if he is not able to do that, I shall sell him for whatever I canget. "

"Oh, no, Ezra, " said Naomi whose tender heart was touched by the forlornlittle animal. "He is sick, he is not able to draw a wagon. Give him tome and let me take care of him. "

Ezra shook his head. 

"I will sell him first, " said he with determination. "I will not givehim away. "

"Sell him to me!" cried Naomi; "sell him to me!"

The lamb had toppled over in a little heap and was looking patiently andwith half-closed eyes into Naomi's face bent above him. It seemed tothe little girl that she would gladly give her dearest possession if shemight have the lamb for her own to nurse and care for. 

"Sell him to me, Ezra. I will give thee anything thou mayst ask. "

"What hast thou to give?" asked Ezra shrewdly. He felt sure the lambcould never draw a wagon, and the prospect of selling a sick animal wassmall. 

"Anything thou mayst ask, " was Naomi's reckless answer. The lamb had putout a limp pink tongue and was licking her fingers. 

"Thy poppies?"

Ezra had heard his aunt say that very day, "I need poppies sorely for mybrew for the palsy, and not a single one has bloomed in the khan gardenthis year. "

Surely four poppies would be worth a rich cake or two, or perhaps evena piece of money. 

"My poppies?" Naomi looked aghast. "My poppies? All four? Why, there isjust one apiece! Father and Mother, thou and Jonas! My poppies?"

The lamb stirred and with a little sigh of content snuggled his noseinto the palm of Naomi's hand. 

"Take them!" Naomi stood up and gathered the lamb in her arms. "Takethem, only let me not see thee. "

She turned her back upon Ezra and shut her eyes. 

Quickly he gathered the flowers and ran out of the garden. 

Naomi opened her eyes. She gave one look at her despoiled flower-bed andbent again over the lamb. 

"I am glad, Three Legs, " said she warmly. "Thou art much better thanmany poppies, thou poor little creature, and I am glad I did it. I amglad!"

CHAPTER II

ONE SABBATH

It was Sabbath morning, and Naomi and her mother and Ezra were on theirway to the synagogue. 

They chose back streets as they went, and they met only women andchildren on their way, for the front roads on the Sabbath day were givenup to the men. 

Naomi was happy as she walked quietly along holding fast to her mother'shand, for she wore her new hyacinth-blue robe that her mother had spunand her father had woven for her. 

Ezra had other thoughts, and presently he whispered in Naomi's ear:

"In two years' time I shall be a Son of the Law, and then I shall sit onthe men's side in the synagogue, and walk on the front streets onSabbath. Thou and Mother will have to come alone. "

Naomi shook her head. 

"Jonas will walk with us then, " she whispered back. "Boaster!"

She did not really blame Ezra for his lordly words and air, for she knewhow every Jewish boy looked forward to what was called his Day ofFreedom, when by a priest in the synagogue he was made a Son of the Law. Then he would be no longer a child, but a young man. His school dayswould be over. He would choose a trade and begin to earn his own living. 

But it was a comfort to Naomi to think that, with Ezra gone, littleJonas would trot along by her side, and she was thinking of baby Jonas, left every Sabbath morning in the care of lame Enoch's old grandmother, now grown too feeble to climb the hill to the synagogue, when AuntMiriam overtook them. 

Aunt Miriam's husband, Simon, was a wealthy man in the village ofBethlehem. He was the owner of the guest-house or khan that stood alittle below the town on the way leading down into Egypt, and which wasbelieved to have been the dwelling of Boaz and Ruth, and the birth-placeof King David himself. 

To-day Aunt Miriam wore a robe of fine linen, covered with a wide cloakof black and white stripes, and her earrings and bracelets tinkled atevery step. On week-days the children knew her to be bustling and chattyand fond of a jest. But the Sabbath saw her a different woman. Statelyand dignified she walked beside them now, her brown eyes gazing far awayand full of holy thought. 

The children felt awed and shy with her as they might with a stranger. Ezra stopped his whispering. Naomi glanced timidly up, her head heldsideways like a little bird. 

"How good Aunt Miriam is!" she mused. 

But her aunt's thoughts wandered for a moment from their piousmeditations. Suddenly she loosened the veil that was pulled across herface and spoke briefly to Naomi's mother. 

"I shall come to see thee to-night after sundown. I go to Jerusalemto-morrow, and there may be room in the cart for a certain good littlemaid. "

Naomi's heart leaped. Did Aunt Miriam mean her? What other little girlmight she take with her? But she had said "a good little maid, " andNaomi remembered with a pang of regret how she and Ezra had quarreledyesterday, and had not ceased their bickering until at sunset the threeblasts of the silver trumpet, blown by the priest on the synagogue roof, had reminded them that Sabbath eve had come. 

She longed to ask outright: "Dost thou mean to take me to Jerusalemwith thee, Aunt Miriam?"

But they had reached the flat-roofed little synagogue, and once insidethe gate the children silently followed their mother and aunt into thewomen's court and seated themselves on the mats that covered the stonefloor. 

Naomi's mind was so occupied by the thought of a possible trip toJerusalem that she forgot to peep, according to her wont, through thelattice that separated the men's court from that of the women, in thehope of seeing her father. She usually watched with interest while thesacred Rolls were taken from their curtained shrine, before which burnedthe holy lamp, and their outer cover of gold-embroidered silk and innercover of linen removed. 

But this morning she scarcely heard the voice of the visiting rabbi whoread the lesson for the day, and her mother was obliged to twitch hervigorously when, during the prayers, the congregation rose to their feetand turned toward the Holy City. 

The Sabbath day seemed endless to the eager little girl. All work andplay were forbidden. No fire might be lighted, no bed made. Naomi hadbeen well taught in the Law. She knew that it would be sinful for hereven to carry a handkerchief tucked in her belt. And so surely not untilSabbath was over would the trip to Jerusalem be discussed. 

She sat alone in the shade of the fig-tree that grew beside their door, and wished that she might see her friends Rachel and Rebekah to tellthem the good news. She watched the great sun flame through the brightSyrian sky until her eyes burned and ached, but still it was notsundown. At last she curled herself up on the floor of the house withheavy-eyed Three Legs at her side and fell asleep. 

When she woke it was the First Watch of the Evening, six o'clock, andthe crimson sun was sinking out of sight behind the Judean hills. Naomisprang up and ran into the garden. There on the bench under theorange-tree sat her father and mother and Aunt Miriam. 

Aunt Miriam was talking. 

"And so, since Simon is still sick with a heavy summer cold, nothingwill do but I must ride to Jerusalem to-morrow with the load of grapes, "she was saying. Simon had large vineyards and owned many olive-trees, beside being host at the inn. "To be sure, Jacob is a good serving-ladand manages well without his master. But there is no one, after himself, who makes a better bargain than I, Simon says, and so I must ride withthe fruit to see that justice is done my lord Simon in the trade. "

Here Aunt Miriam laughed so heartily that Samuel and his wife wereforced to smile in sympathy. But Samuel was not altogether pleased withAunt Miriam's little joke about her husband, who was in truth her lordand master and worthy of her deepest respect. He changed the subject byasking:

"And what does the physician say of Simon?"

"He recommended that he kiss the nose of a mule, " Aunt Miriam answeredgravely. 

To her and to her audience there was nothing amusing about thisprescription. Stranger remedies than that had been ordered by the wisedoctors of the day: a broth of beetle's legs, crab's eyes, the heads ofmice, bruised flies to cure the sting of a hornet!

"But in spite of this, " she continued, "he is still flat on his back, groaning with aches and pains. So, to-morrow, Jacob and I start atsunrise with the bullock cart, and no doubt there will be room among thebaskets of grapes for Naomi, if thou wilt permit her to go. "

Naomi, at her father's elbow, glanced imploringly into his face, but shedid not speak a word. Her mother, from the end of the bench, smiledhopefully at the little girl, but she, too, waited in deferent silenceuntil, to Naomi's great relief, her father gave a nod of consent. 

"It is kind of thee, sister Miriam, " said he, putting his arm aboutNaomi and drawing her to his side, "to think of giving our littledaughter this pleasure. "

"Naomi must be good and obedient and not make herself troublesome in anyway, " said her mother warningly, leaning forward to pull Naomi's littlerobe straight. "Thy aunt will be occupied with her business, Naomi, andthou must be as quiet as a mouse so that she will not regret that thouart with her. "

"Never fear that, " said Aunt Miriam heartily, "Naomi is as dear to me asmy own. I shall not be so busy that she will have to play mouse all day. She shall see something of the city, and eat a good dinner at the houseof Simon's sister Anna, and make friends, perhaps, with Anna's littleMartha who is just her age. "

"I will be quiet, " promised Naomi, her face bright with smiles. "I willbe good. I will not speak a word nor stir all day long. "

"Great are thy promises, Naomi, " answered Aunt Miriam, rising to go andlaying a kindly hand upon the curly head of her niece. "I will give theea hot breakfast at the khan to stay thee on thy journey, so be not late. We start at sunrise!"

"Oh, Father, " cried Naomi, throwing her arms about her father's neck, "how good I mean to be always after this! Dost think I shall see theTemple? And, Mother, which am I to wear--my new blue robe or my yellowand red striped one? I am really to go to Jerusalem! Oh, what will Ezrasay when he hears the good news I have to tell!"

The next morning at daybreak, when the purple shadows lay heavily in theeast and the sky was still gray overhead, Naomi, wearing a gay littlecloak of scarlet over her best blue robe, ran hastily down the stonyroad that led to the Bethlehem khan. 

The drowsy gate-keeper had already unlocked the heavy town gates, forday begins early in hot countries, and at sight of Naomi, whom he knewwell, he uttered a sleepy "Peace be with thee!" as a morning greeting. 

"With thee be peace!" piped Naomi in return. "Oh, Nathan, I go to-dayto Jerusalem with my Aunt Miriam. This very day I go!"

Old Nathan nodded his head solemnly and muttered in his beard. 

"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, "responded the pious old Jew. But Naomi was half-way down the hill anddid not hear one word. 

There before her at the crossroads stood the old khan, with its greatwall of stone and its stout gate behind which all night long sat awatchman on the alert. Below the inn lay the very fields among whichRuth, long, long ago, had gleaned the golden corn, and where later KingDavid as a shepherd lad had tended his flock. 

Naomi slipped through the open gate into the courtyard of the khan andstood for a moment watching the bustle and confusion of the scenebefore her. In the center of the court was the fountain, and round itnow crowded the pilgrims and travelers, drawing water for the morningmeal or in which to wash before eating. The archways which lined thewall formed the rooms of the ancient inn, for the building at the end ofthe court in which Simon the host and Aunt Miriam lived was not open tostrangers. Shelter and food were not provided within. Each man in hislittle archway must spread his own carpet, light his own brazier, cookhis own food, and eat from his own dish. A Syrian khan of that periodwas not at all like the inns of our day. It was expected to supplynothing but water and straw for a bed. It was a refuge from thieves andwild animals, a shelter from heat and dust, a spot where a trader mightsell his wares. 

Naomi looked with interest at the patient camels already kneeling toreceive their load, perhaps of precious ointment or sweet spices. Herewere the merchants spreading their wares: gold work from Cairo; shawlsof Tyrian dye, royal purple or scarlet; rich perfumes in their vases ofalabaster, large and small. In one corner a group of dogs, snapping andsnarling, quarreled over a bone. 

A caravan was starting for Egypt, and as the Bethlehem khan was thefirst night's rest after leaving Zion, many friends of the travelers hadcome with them from Jerusalem and were now sorrowfully saying their lastfarewells. Naomi stood watching an old father tenderly kiss hisdeparting son upon either cheek and then lay his hand upon the boy'shead in blessing. A little lad, carrying his pet monkey, was lifted tothe back of a camel, and Naomi was staring so intently that she did notsee the serving-lad Jacob until he was close upon her. 

"Thy aunt calls for thee, " said he to Naomi. "The cart stands readyloaded and we start as soon as thou hast eaten. "

"I would that we were going down into Egypt, Jacob, " said Naomi, skipping toward the house as she spoke. "To ride to Jerusalem isnothing. We shall be back to-morrow in this very spot. "

"Aye, if the robbers do not catch us, " answered Jacob, wagging his headwisely. It was the first time he had been trusted to ride to Jerusalemwith a load, and the responsibility weighed heavily upon him. 

"Robbers? Aunt Miriam, will there be robbers on the way to-day, thinkyou?"

Aunt Miriam paused in her brisk stepping about the room. 

"Here is a bowl of hot pottage and a warm cake for thee, Naomi. Eat allof it, " she commanded. "And talk not to me of robbers. In truth, thereare as many robbers in the khan at Bethlehem as upon the length ofJerusalem highway. The caravan to Egypt will pay for straw for sixcamels and ten mules, will they, when I myself counted no less thantwenty animals in their train? Jacob, bring hither the leader of thecaravan that I may talk with him. Robbers, indeed! Robbers!"

Aunt Miriam's red cheeks and flashing eyes boded ill for the leader ofthe caravan for Egypt. 

Naomi ate her lentil pottage and munched her cake leisurely in a quietcorner, but she had long finished her meal when Aunt Miriam was at lastsatisfied and ready to start. 

The bullock cart stood loaded with baskets piled high with great bunchesof purple grapes. Over them were spread the dewy green leaves of thevine to protect the fruit from the sun and to keep it fresh and moist. 

Aunt Miriam, with a sigh of relief, settled herself in place in thefront of the cart. Naomi was tucked into a comfortable corner betweentwo great brown baskets of woven rushes. Jacob, standing at the cattle'shead, cracked his long whip, the animals strained forward, the cartwheels creaked and turned, and they were off for Jerusalem. 

CHAPTER III

THE TRIP TO JERUSALEM

The road to Jerusalem stretched white and hot in the blazing sunshine. The deep blue sky was without a cloud, and the insects, hidden in theroadside grass, hummed in the heat. 

A cloud of dust in the distance told that the three Roman soldiers who, only a moment ago, it seemed, had galloped past the slowly moving oxcart, were nearing their destination, the Holy City. Naomi had watchedthe glitter of their helmets and the flashing of their bright lanceswith the same interest she had given to a string of melancholy graycamels led along the road by a country lad in his cool white tunic andbroad red leather belt. 

Everything was interesting this morning to Naomi. She stared at thedusty gray olive-trees, the shabby scrub oaks, the low-branchedsycamores as if she had not been familiar with them all her life. To-daythe birds seemed to dart about more swiftly and to utter sweeter songsas they flew. The few sheep she spied nibbling the sparse grass on therocky hillsides were surely whiter than those at home. The fieldflowers, with faces upturned to the bright sun, glowed with splendidcolor. The whole world was glad to-day. 

"They are all happy because I am happy, " mused Naomi, smiling at her ownthought. 

She glanced at Jacob plodding contentedly along beside his beasts, atAunt Miriam who sat silent, her usually busy hands folded in her lap, enjoying this little rest from her many household cares. 

Tap, tap, tap!

Naomi peered about, and Aunt Miriam sat up straight at this sound uponthe road. 

Tap, tap, tap!

Now the shuffling of cautious feet was to be heard, too. 

Down the Jerusalem highway came six men walking in single file, eachwith a staff in hand and the other hand resting upon the shoulder of theman before him. They were all blind! Even their guide, who tapped theground as he walked, was sightless, "the blind leading the blind. "

Naomi stared curiously. She had often seen as many as a dozen blind menwalking in such a row, and they were always to be found by the waysideor near the village gates at home, in company with the lame and thehelpless, holding out a little bowl for money or food. 

"Jacob!" called Aunt Miriam. 

She took a piece of money from her purse, securely fastened in her belt, and Jacob, without being told, dropped it in the bowl of the blindleader. He was accustomed to the charity of his good master andmistress. Had not Moses the Lawgiver bade those who fear their God havesympathy for the blind?

The blind men at sound of the cart had drawn up by the side of the road, and now they leaned upon their staffs and turned their sightless facestoward their unseen benefactress. They were glad of an excuse to restand also to talk, for time meant little to them, and they liked nothingbetter than to recount, each one, the detailed history of hismisfortune. 

But Aunt Miriam did not mean to spend several hours this morning in idletalk upon the highway. She motioned Jacob to move on, and in response tothe thanks and blessings showered upon her for her gift, she called:

"Peace be unto thee, friends! We hasten on to Jerusalem before the sunmounts high. May all good things await thee in Bethlehem!"

Up the steep hill climbed the bullock cart, and once round the curve inthe road Aunt Miriam pointed. 

"Naomi--the City!" she said. "See the Temple! How it gleams!"

High above the flat roofs and massive walls of Jerusalem shone the greatgold and white Temple of the Hebrews. The little party halted at thesight. Aunt Miriam's lips moved in prayer. Naomi was silent as shegazed. She recalled the lines in one of the hymns her mother had taughther:

"We have thought on thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thytemple. "

To the pious little Jewish girl there could be no more beautiful norinspiring sight than that of the sacred Temple set in the midst of theHoly City. She kept a reverent silence until they reached the Bethlehemgate where entered all the trade and travel from Egypt and the sea. 

But once Naomi was lifted down from the cart, and placed in the shade ofthe huge gateway to wait with Aunt Miriam while Jacob justified theirpresence in the city to the haughty Roman guard, her tongue wagged on asmerrily as before. 

"We have no watch-tower like this one on our gateway at home, AuntMiriam, " she observed, glancing up and down and roundabout. "I supposethat ten soldiers could stand in this one at once if they liked. "

Her aunt nodded absently. Her thoughts were with Jacob, still talkingwith the Roman guard. She hoped there would be no trouble on this day ofall days when Simon was not with them. 

"Wilt thou buy me a drink, Aunt Miriam?" Naomi asked next. "Not ofwater, but of honey of wine. "

The water-carriers were rough-looking bearded men who ran about in shortfrocks, shouting and rattling their brass cups, with dingy goatskinbottles lashed upon their backs. Naomi was afraid of them. She liked farbetter the row of peasant women with grape juice to sell, who satagainst the wall and called out:

"Honey of wine! Who will buy? Honey of wine! Ho, every one that isathirst, come! Buy and drink! Honey of wine!"

A moment later she had forgotten that she was thirsty and was watchingtwo poor women who sat in a corner on the ground grinding at a stonemill. Near by stood a man selling the cakes new made from the meal thewomen had ground. It was hard work turning the handles that pressed themeal between the upper and nether millstones, and the women workedwearily. 

"How slow they are!" said Naomi scornfully. "I could work much fasterthan they, could I not, Aunt Miriam? Could I not grind fast if I tried?"

Naomi's aunt did not answer. With a gentle hand she pushed the littlegirl back against the wall. 

"Stand there, thou chattering sparrow, " said she with a smile, "and holdthy peace. Here comes one Solomon the goldbeater, thy Uncle Simon'sfriend. The load of grapes was brought here at his order, and it is mytask to-day to see that he offers a fair price for them. Peace!"

It seemed a long time to Naomi that Solomon the goldbeater and Jacob theserving-lad, standing at a little distance from the wall, haggled overthe load of grapes. But at last Jacob came to report to his mistress thesum offered, and since she was satisfied the bargain was soon made. 

Then up they went through the narrow dingy streets with theiroverhanging houses that made a pleasant shade, past the quarters of thetinsmiths and the jewelers, the tailors and the sandal-makers. Naomilooked eagerly in at the gay bazaars piled high with fine linens andembroideries, rich scarves and veils, spices and coffee, dried fruitsand nuts. On they went, past the street of the potters where anythingmight be bought, from water-jars as tall as Naomi herself to the tinycup-shaped Virgin's lamps which, filled with sweet oil, were carried bythe Jewish girls. 

"Look well about thee, child, " instructed Aunt Miriam from behind herveil. "We shall not come this way again. "

"I can tell it all now to Ezra, " answered Naomi confidently. "I havenot forgotten a single sight. So far I liked it best of all when thegreat Pharisee gave alms to the poor in the market-place just now, whenwe were waiting there for Jacob. I liked it when his servant blew uponthe trumpet, and the poor came hurrying, and every one turned to look. And next best I liked the cages of sparrows for sale. We have them inthe market-place at home, but not so many nor so fat. And next--"

"And next, " interrupted her aunt with a smile, "thou wouldst like thydinner, perhaps. Here is the home of Simon's sister Anna, and verily Ibelieve her little Martha is watching for us through the wicket in thegate. "

Little Martha, with the help of the porter, threw open the gate beforeAunt Miriam could say another word, and Naomi stepped through apassageway under the house into a courtyard with a tiny fountainplaying in the center and a palm growing on either side of it. 

Little Martha was as fair as Naomi was dark. She had light reddish hairand blue eyes, and well pleased was her mother that it should be so, forthis was called "King David's coloring" and was supposed to have beenthat of the great King himself. She wore a soft little robe of white anda fine gold chain about her neck. She joyfully led the visitors to hermother who was waiting for them at the end of the court. 

"Come in, thou blessed of the Lord, " was the gracious greeting Anna gavethem, and she ushered them up the stairs and into a room that actuallyhad two windows cut in the side. They were the first windows Naomi hadever looked from, and she held tight to the sill for fear of fallinginto the street below. 

"I would that I had windows in my house, " thought Naomi ruefully. "Iwould be so proud if I were Martha. But then she has no brother Ezra norbaby Jonas to play with her. "

In spite of the windows little Martha did not seem at all proud. Shehelped her mother bring bowls of water for the guests to wash in, andwhen the meal was ready she patted the plump cushions into shape on thedivans placed before the gayly painted table. 

"Sit by me, " she whispered to Naomi, breaking off a neat three-corneredpiece of barley cake which was to serve Naomi as knife and fork andspoon. 

For dinner there was a dish of young kid stewed with olives, hot barleycakes, fresh and dried fruit--apricots, figs, pomegranates--and a bowlof amber honey. 

Not an easy thing is it to serve one's self with neatness and dispatchwithout knife or fork, and only one's fingers and a bit of bread torely upon. But Naomi and Martha were able to dip their food from thecommon dish with a bit of barley cake quite as nicely as the grownpeople did, and they sat quiet and respectful while Aunt Miriam told ofSimon's illness and the reason for this trip to Jerusalem. 

When the meal was over, Martha ran for fresh bowls of water, for theJews were careful to wash both before and after eating, and as Naomidabbled her fingers daintily Martha whispered to her:

"Mother says we are all to go about the twelfth hour, in the cool of theday, to show thee the Temple and to see King Herod's garden. Oh! Oh!"

And she squeezed her new friend's arm with such fervor that the prettybowl was barely saved from falling to the floor. 

Later in the day when the first evening breezes were drifting down thedark ravines that swept round the city, the little party of sight-seersslowly climbed the steep lanes that led toward Mount Moriah on which theTemple stood. Built of white marble and glittering with gold, it dazzledthe eyes of little village-bred Naomi and made her heart thrill as shegazed up the flights of steps at the very House of God. 

It was a flat-roofed, oblong building, this Temple of the Hebrews, divided within by a curtain of the finest work into two great rooms, theHoly of Holies and the Holy Place. 

The Holy of Holies was the dwelling-place of the Most High, never to betrodden, never to be seen, except upon the rarest occasions, by mortalman. It was now bare and empty, since the loss years before, in the warwith Babylon, of the Ark with its Mercy Seat and two golden cherubim. 

In the outer chamber, the Holy Place, lying to the east, stood thegolden candlestick bearing seven lamps, the golden table of shew breadwith its twelve loaves arranged in two rows, and the golden Altar ofIncense, having thirteen spices burning night and day to signify thatall the produce of the earth belongs to God. In the huge doorway of thisroom, where only the priests might enter, and facing the sunrise, hung asecond curtain or veil of fine linen richly embroidered in blue andscarlet, purple and flax. These colors were meant to be an image of theworld. The scarlet represented fire, the flax earth, the blue sky, andthe purple sea. Along the wall ran golden vines and clusters of thegrape, the typical plant of Israel. 

All this Naomi could picture perfectly so often had she heard itdescribed, but she saw it with the eye of her mind only, for the womenof Israel had a court set apart for them many flights below the Templebuilding itself and at the east of the men's Court of the Israelites, asit was called. 

Martha stood at the little girl's elbow, gazing about, too, but not withthe same eager interest that Naomi showed, since a visit to the Templewas no great rarity to her. 

"Thou shouldst see the Temple at Passover, Naomi, " she murmured; "thecrowds of people, and the priests at sunrise upon the walls blowing athousand silver trumpets, and the long procession in the streetscarrying the lambs for the offering. "

"Father hath promised to bring us all next Passover, " Naomi answeredhappily. "But now I long mightily to see the great Altar of BurntOffering in the Court of the Priests. It is made of unhewn stone, Ezrasays, and there, too, stands the bronze basin where the priests washhands and feet before entering the Holy Place. Ezra has learned allabout it at school. I long to see it. "

Little Martha shook her head. 

"Nay, " she murmured reprovingly, "that is not a sight for me and thee. Ihave seen the smoke rising--that is all. "

Naomi stared up at the great group of buildings--courts, halls, cloisters, terraces, and walls, topped by the splendid golden front ofthe Holy Place, in silent awe. 

"If once I should lose sight of Aunt Miriam, " she thought, "I mightwander about here for days and days and never find her again. "

And she took such a firm hold upon her aunt's cloak that she, feelingthe tug, thought the little girl was impatient to move on. 

"Yes, child, yes, " said she. "We go down now into the Court of theGentiles. Do thou and little Martha walk on ahead. Pick thy waycarefully, for this flight of steps is steep. "

The Court of the Gentiles was open to the men of all nations, since itwas not strictly a part of the Temple. It was a sort of sacredmarket-place, and Naomi and little Martha, as they walked about, heldtight to one another when they passed the pens of sheep and oxendestined to be burnt offerings, and which were restlessly shoulderingone another and lowing and bleating as if in some way they sensed theirapproaching doom. Here the seller of doves and pigeons kept his cotes, for many a worshiper could not afford to buy a kid or a lamb. Here, too, were the booths and stalls of the moneychangers who did a brisk trade, since no coin might be offered in the Temple save the sacred shekel. 

"Art thou ready at last to leave the Temple, child?" asked Aunt Miriam, coming up behind Naomi as she stood gazing in at a penful of younglambs. "Wilt thou be able to tell all this to Ezra, think you?"

Naomi nodded slowly. She was not listening to what her aunt said. Shewas wondering why at times the sheep looked so strangely blurred, andwhy little black specks seemed to dance before her eyes. 

"Over there is a little lamb that looks like my Three Legs, AuntMiriam, " said she. "I am glad he is not here, shut up in one of thesegreat pens, and to die, perhaps, before another day. "

She moved listlessly along, and when her aunt took her hand she clung toher so heavily that good Aunt Miriam stopped short on the side of thehill. 

"What ails thee, child?" said she, bending over Naomi. "Thou art notlike thyself. Thine eyes look strangely heavy, even like those oflittle Three Legs. Art thou ill?"

"Nay, " said Naomi crossly. Surely to have sudden pains shoot throughone's eyes was not to be ill. "I would see the gardens of King Herod. That is what I want. "

"The child is weary, " said little Martha's mother kindly. "She has had along journey to-day besides this visit to the Temple. The gardens ofKing Herod will wait for thee, Naomi, until another time when thou artrested. They will not run away. "

But Naomi would not smile at this little joke. She pulled pettishly awaywhen good friend Anna placed her hand upon her forehead to see if shewere feverish. 

"I would see the gardens of King Herod, " she repeated plaintively, rubbing her eyes as she spoke. "Ezra saw them, with rivers and flowersand fountains. He saw doves and pigeons flying through the air. He saw agreat beast that spouted water from its mouth, and I would fain see it, too. "

The magnificent gardens of the King of Judea were open all day long toany one who wished to enter and enjoy their beauty, their coolness, andtheir shade. Canals flowed between green banks, flowers bloomed andtrees rustled, fountains played in the sunlight, and tiny fish dartedhither and thither in the artificial pools. But there, too, brightagainst the green, was to be seen the white marble of statues--nymphs, and dryads, figures symbolizing grace and beauty--and for this reason, since to him all statues were idols, no Jew would set foot within KingHerod's garden. 

All that Naomi could hope to do, beside gazing at the three famouscastles of white marble, with their battlements and turrets, built byHerod the Great, and at his own splendid palace with its massive wallsand towers, was to peep at the garden through the open gateways orperhaps from the top of the wall, as Ezra had done. 

But Aunt Miriam, with sturdy common sense, had no intention of takingthe weary and ailing little girl on the long trip across Cheesemonger'sValley from the Mount of the Temple to Mount Zion where the palacesstood. She beckoned to Jacob who had walked near them all the way, andwhen he came forward she said:

"Carry the little maid home, Jacob. She is exceedingly weary and needs anight's rest. "

Naomi, without a protest, turned to Jacob and gladly hid her heavy, aching eyes upon his broad shoulder. 

"I am like Three Legs, " thought Naomi, as the procession movedhomeward. "But then Three Legs has been sick a long, long time, and Ishall be well in the morning. "

CHAPTER IV

IN THE DARK

"Mother, is it sunrise yet?"

"No, Naomi, it but nears the end of the Third Watch. "

"Mother, does the lamp still burn?"

"Yes, child, as always, on the table. Lie still, Naomi, and try tosleep. Thou hast a journey before thee to-day. "

"Aye, " said the little girl, turning restlessly on her quilt. "I know, to the Pool of Bethesda. Perhaps I shall come home with opened eyes, Mother. Perhaps I shall see when I come home to-day. Dost thou believethat the Angel of the Pool will open mine eyes?"

"Yea, child, I do believe, " answered her mother earnestly. "Thou shaltsee again. I hope it with all my heart. "

"And then I shall help thee once more about the house, " said Naomihopefully, "and learn my lesson every day, and care for baby Jonas whenthou art busy. Then I shall run and wait upon my father as of old, andhe will place his hand upon my head and say, 'Naomi, thou art as quickand light upon thy feet as a young hart or doe. ' That he cannot say nowand speak the truth. But this very day it may be I shall have my sightagain. "

And with this hope to comfort her, Naomi lay quietly down upon her bedand let her thoughts go back to her last trip to Jerusalem and its sadhomecoming. 

She remembered the long ride in the jolting bullock cart, which Jacobguided as carefully as he knew how in order to spare Naomi's aching headand throbbing eyeballs. 

For the night's rest had not cured Naomi. She had awakened with swolleneyelids that were so heavy she could not hold them up, and sharp littlestabs of pain had caused her to moan and twist in the arms of kind AuntMiriam who held her tenderly on the long homeward ride. 

Then came days and nights of pain, and a visit from one of the greatdoctors of Palestine who ordered poultices of earth mixed with thesaliva of one who had been long fasting. And when Naomi could no longerbear the heavy weight of this remedy upon her tortured eyes, he kindlychanged the poultice to one of owl's brains, as being not only morecomfortable but a trifle quicker in its action. 

At last the day arrived when Naomi was free from pain, but when also, alas! as she raised her head weakly and looked about, she did not seethe familiar room with its carved chest and gay cushions and littletable pushed against the wall, she did not see the loving anxious facesof her father and mother and Ezra, but only a black curtain dotted withblacker stars that danced and winked and danced again. 

"I cannot see thee! Where art thou, Mother? Is it night? How black itis! Oh, am I blind?"

And Naomi clung fast to her father and mother as if they must save herfrom this dreadful fate. 

"Blind!" thought her mother, remembering with a shudder the numberlessfigures that stretched pitiful hands by the Bethlehem roadside. "Mylittle Naomi, blind?"

"An amulet will cure her, " said worried Samuel stoutly. "Be notdownhearted, my little maid. Thy father will buy for thee an amulet thatwill open those brown eyes of thine wider than ever before. "

So Naomi wore about her neck for weeks a small three-cornered bag, inwhich was sewn a scrap of parchment taken from a religious book, writtenafter certain rules and with a diagram so mysterious that not evenSamuel could understand it. 

And how were the contents of this little three-cornered bag to restoreNaomi's eyesight? Why, by charming away the wicked spirit who had castan evil eye upon her. Or perhaps Naomi had chanced to rub her eyes uponwaking before she had washed her hands. Being unclean, the devil presenthad slipped from her fingers into her eyes, and now must be charmed outagain by the holy words about her neck. 

Not a thought that Naomi, daily handling sick little Three Legs, mighthave caught the malady that first darkened the vision of the poor littleanimal, and then caused the frail life to flicker out altogether. 

Naomi missed her pet sorely, but its death was only one more grief addedto the burden that overshadowed all her days. 

She could no longer play in the garden. Her well, begun so happily, wasneglected, though not forgotten, and little Jonas was the leader now, guiding her faltering steps with such good-will that Naomi forgave himwhen he led her straight into the orange-tree or neglected to warn herthat the myrtle bush was in her path. 

Her friends Rachel and Rebekah had deserted her, for at the firstmention of the evil eye they had looked askance, and now they never cameto play nor to entertain her with their talk. 

Little lame Enoch proved a faithful friend, and Naomi felt comfortablewith him as a playmate, for he, too, suffered from a handicap and yetwas cheerful and gay notwithstanding. He knew a host of stories told himby his old grandmother, and the long hours slipped away quickly whiletheir little tongues chattered, though their hands and feet werepathetically still. 

But of all the comfort Naomi knew, apart from the love of her father andmother, the companionship of Ezra was the greatest. He amused her, hewaited upon her, he revived her drooping spirits with his own high hopesand plans for her. 

"Thou shalt see again, Naomi, " he would declare confidently. "All thecures have not been tried yet. Thou art _not_ like the beggars by theroadside. Say not that again, or I will dip thee some day in the wellbehind the myrtle bush that thou wilt be digging ere long. Most of thewayside beggars are old men with not an eyeball left, whilst thou, Naomi, art young, and thine eyes from without look as clear and strongas mine. Wait until my father has taken thee to the Pool of Bethesda!Have patience, Naomi! Thou shalt see again!"

The Bethesda Pool lay in Jerusalem on the Temple mount, a stone's throwfrom the Sheep Gate of the Court of the Gentiles, where Naomi hadlingered before the sheep-pens on the afternoon that now seemed so faraway. 

Perhaps in these days we should say that the great pool contained amineral spring, but in Naomi's time it was not doubted that an angel hadwrought the cures that were told far and wide of this "well of healing. "About it were always clustered the sick, the lame, the halt, and theblind, in the belief that when the angel troubled the waters the firstto dip himself therein would be healed. 

So Samuel the weaver purposed to take Naomi thither, and, even whilethe little girl lay thinking long, long thoughts and wishing fordaybreak, the moments slipped by, the Fourth Watch or Morning came, andNaomi's mother rose to prepare the meal so the travelers might have anearly start. 

A stout little donkey, borrowed from the khan stable, carried Naomi andher father briskly over the familiar Jerusalem highway. The little girlremembered how happy she had been on her journey with Aunt Miriam andhow all the world had seemed gay that morning. Then she recalled the"tap, tap, tap" of the blind men on the road, and she hid her face inher father's cloak and trembled. 

"O that the Angel of the Pool may open my eyes!" prayed Naomi. "O thatthe Angel of the Pool may open my eyes!"

The Pool of Bethesda was a pretty spot. About it had been built fiveporches, and in their shelter lay the sick and the withered, the lameand the blind, waiting for a chance to push their way in the moment thewaters began to move. 

When Naomi and her father arrived, the pool lay still in the sunlight, so Samuel established himself close to the edge with his arm aboutNaomi, and fell into conversation with a professional letter-writer whosat, bearded and grave, with ink-horn fastened at his side. 

"Thy little maid has felt the hand of the Lord?" queried theletter-writer, looking compassionately at Naomi who stood picking withnervous fingers at her father's sleeve. 

Samuel nodded sadly. In a few words he told the story of Naomi'strouble. 

"She is indeed grievously afflicted, " observed the letter-writer, shaking his gray head and uttering a sigh. "And my friend here, whom Icome to lift into the pool, has lain helpless upon his bed for eight andtwenty years. O that the Messiah would come! 'Then the eyes of the blindshall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shallthe lame man leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. '"

"Think you the Messiah will come shortly?" inquired Samuel. 

This was a burning question of the day. The desire for the coming of theKingdom of God was a flame that was consuming the Jewish nation. 

The letter-writer tapped his forehead thoughtfully with a brownforefinger. 

"Thou knowest the saying of the Pharisees, that if all Israel could keepthe Law perfectly for a single day, Messiah would come. As for me, Ilong with a mighty longing to see Israel restored, to be delivered fromour enemies, and to have our sins forgiven. "

Naomi stirred restlessly. What did all this talk of a Messiah mean toher? Well enough for the grown folk to look forward to the coming of aSaviour. As for her, all she asked of all the world was that the Angelof the Bethesda Pool might come with healing in his wings and lay hiscool fingers upon her closed eyes and open them again. 

"Perhaps I shall see Mother's face to-night, " she thought. "And Ezrawill be at the village gate waiting for me. He promised. And I am towave my girdle at the first turn in the road if my eyes are opened. OAngel of the Pool, remember me, Naomi! Remember me here in the dark!"

Naomi's father, who had never taken his eyes from the pool, leanedforward. 

"It moves, Naomi, " he whispered. "The Angel comes, although we see himnot. Be ready, for I must act quickly. "

The surface of the pool began to heave and swell, and at the precisemoment that the water boiled up, Samuel bent over with Naomi in his armsand dipped her head under the water once, twice, three times!

Dripping, sputtering, and crying, Naomi was placed upon her feet, whileher father endeavored to wipe away the water that ran down into her neckand stained her little robe. 

"Dost thou see, Naomi?" asked Samuel with a tremble in his voice. "Openthine eyes and look! Dost thou see, my little pomegranate?"

If the Angel of the Pool failed them, where should he turn for help?

Naomi obediently opened her brown eyes and stared, sightless as ever, into her father's face. 

The Angel of the Pool had failed them!

CHAPTER V

ALL THE WORLD COMES VISITING

It was the winter season in Palestine. 

In the darkness and despair that followed her trip to the Pool ofBethesda, Naomi had not cared what the weather might be. She hadlistened with indifference to the whistling, roaring wind-storm that hadcome suddenly one night in October telling the weather-wise that summerwas over and the rainy season at hand. 

Huddled over the brazier of charcoal that smouldered under a rug in ashallow hole in the middle of the floor, Naomi had not heeded the wilddash of rain against the house nor its melancholy dripping in thedeserted garden. Even the excitement of Ezra and Jonas over a slightfall of snow, the first either one had ever seen, had failed to rouseher. 

Samuel and his wife were troubled beyond words at this calamity thathad come upon their child. Aunt Miriam and Simon were sympathetic, butcould offer no advice. Ezra was at his wits' ends, for all his schemesand devices to amuse failed, and the hollow words of encouragement diedupon his honest lips. 

Samuel, too, had a fresh worry of which Naomi knew nothing, and which, slight though it was in comparison with the little girl's misfortune, did not tend to make the daily life of the family more pleasant. 

"Aye, Samuel the weaver's child is blind, " said the neighbors, waggingtheir heads in knowing fashion. "What sin hath he committed, think you, that this calamity befalls him? Truly the way of the transgressor ishard. "

"It may be that his wife is the sinner, " was whispered about. "Orperhaps both. "

And little by little the village people turned aside when they sawSamuel coming, and fewer and fewer were the friendly words said toNaomi's mother when she went patiently down to the fountain for hersupply of water. 

Ezra felt himself more fortunate than the grown people, for at the firstunkind word from his former friend, fat Solomon across the road, he hadflown at him in a fury, and had shortly enjoyed the satisfaction ofseeing his blubbering enemy lick the dust. 

"Mole, indeed!" shouted Ezra, doubling up his fists. "Thou wilt call mysister a blind mole, wilt thou? Thou serpent, feeding upon the dust!Thou snake! Rise not up or I will rub thy nose in the dirt again. "

So cautious Solomon, having learned his lesson well, was forced tocontent himself with calling names from behind the wall, which Ezra wasprompt to answer with sticks and stones. 

No one was happy in the little household, and faces were sober andvoices hushed as they went about their tasks, until one day Aunt Miriamcalled Ezra and whispered in his ear. His eyes opened wide and his facebrightened, and for more than a week he neglected his friends, theshepherds, and spent all his spare time at the khan. 

Then, one afternoon, when the rain had ceased and the little oliveleaves glistened in the cold bright light, Naomi's mother approached theforlorn little figure crouched in a corner and raised her to her feet. 

"Here is thy warm cloak, beloved, " said she, coaxingly, laying her handon the soft brown curls that seemed to hang limply now that Naomi nevertossed them back with a proud little shake of the head. "Before the doorstand thy aunt, thy father, and thy brother. They wait for thee. And, little Naomi, there waits a surprise for thee also. Come and listen bythe doorway. "

From behind the door Naomi heard an unfamiliar stamping, a runningabout, and Ezra's excited voice. 

"Be careful, Jonas, " called Ezra sharply. "Wilt thou be stepped on?Stand from under. Naomi, where art thou? Mother! Oh, she comes! AuntMiriam, Father, she comes!"

Naomi's mother led out the white-faced little girl and Samuel took hergently by the hand. 

"A gift for thee, little Naomi, " said he, smiling more happily than inmany a long day, "from thy good Aunt Miriam. Put out thy hand andguess. "

Naomi stretched out a timid hand and touched a soft furry nose. 

"A donkey!" said Naomi. "To take me for a ride!"

"Aye, " burst out Ezra, his face shining with unselfish joy; "to takethee for a ride every day and everywhere. Up and down the hills androundabout. We shall go everywhere together, thou and I. "

"Speak more plainly, Ezra, " said Aunt Miriam, seeing the puzzled lookupon his sister's face. "The donkey is thine, Naomi. Thy Uncle Simon andI have given it to thee. Ezra means that he will take thee riding uponit whenever and wherever thou wilt. No longer shalt thou lurk in thehouse with white cheeks from sunrise to sunrise. We shall have thee asrosy as a poppy again ere long. "

And her tender-hearted aunt first wiped her brimming eyes upon thecorner of her veil, and then caught back Jonas by his leather pinaforefrom under the donkey's heels, where he seemed determined to meet with aspeedy death. 

"Now the trick!" cried Ezra, who had been hopping from foot to footduring his aunt's long speech. "Have I not been teaching him for morethan a week? Say thy lesson well, little donkey! Stand here before him, Naomi!"

Samuel placed Naomi in position. 

"Thy donkey's name, Naomi, " went on Ezra, "is Michmash, because he comesfrom the town of that name. Now place thy hands upon the tips of hisears. Do not pinch or he will kick. I know. "

Samuel guided the little girl's hands until they rested upon the tips ofthe long gray ears. 

"Now say his name slowly, " instructed Ezra, his face aglow. 

"Mich, " said Naomi, and down came a furry ear, "mash, " and down came theother. 

Then the little donkey winked both ears violently, and turned a patienteye upon his young teacher as if asking praise. 

"He did it! He did it!" cried the teacher. "He did not forget hislesson and he will do it every time. Michmash!" And as the long earsfell again, Ezra threw his arms about Naomi and hugged her close. 

"Wilt thou come for a ride with me now?" he whispered. "The sun shinesand the wind blows and it will be pleasant out upon the hills. "

So seated upon the back of Michmash, Naomi rode off, with such a brightlook upon her wan face that her father and mother could not helpthinking that better days were in store for them all. 

Every pleasant day Ezra, leading Michmash, took Naomi, wrapped in herlittle scarlet cloak, out riding, and as they moved along in the crisp, bracing air they talked--long, long talks of what they were passing, ofEzra's day at school, or of the thoughts and fancies that filled Naomi'sactive little mind. 

"Ezra, " said she one day, as Michmash felt his way securely up the sideof one of the stony little Judean hills, "Ezra, dost thou remember whatwas told thee that the letter-writer said that day by the Pool ofBethesda?"

Her lip trembled as she spoke, but Ezra answered her instantly. 

"Yea, " said he, "I do, indeed. He spoke of the Messiah. "

"And what think you of the Messiah?" asked Naomi timidly. "What thinkyou he will do when he cometh, Ezra? Dost think that he will open theeyes of the blind?"

Ezra, in order to speak more earnestly, halted Michmash, who gladly fellto cropping the coarse grass. 

"The Messiah, Naomi, " said Ezra slowly, "will do what the prophet Isaiahpromised of him. Never fear. He will open the eyes of the blind andunstop the ears of the deaf. He will make the lame man leap and thedumb man sing for joy. When he cometh, we shall all see the salvation ofthe Lord and our sins shall be forgiven us. All Israel shall rejoice. Aye, even stout Solomon also, " added Ezra grimly. "The Kingdom of Godwill come, and the Messiah will rule in righteousness, and he shall putour enemies to flight. No longer then will we pay tribute to the EmperorCęsar Augustus at Rome. No longer will we tolerate the wicked King Herodin our city of Jerusalem. And the Roman eagle that hangs above ourTemple gates will be torn down and trampled under foot. "

Ezra spoke warmly. He had been well taught in school and synagogue, andhad listened carefully to his father and his friends as they talked inthe market-place and elsewhere. 

"Oh, I would that the Messiah would come quickly, " said Naomiwistfully. "And if he can make me see, he can make lame Enoch straight. I would that Enoch's old grandmother had not died and that he had notgone so far away to live as Jericho. I miss him. "

"Think now of this new numbering of all the world, " went on Ezra, whoseheart burned within him at the wrongs of his nation. "Every man musttravel to the town whence his family sprang, whether he live near or farand whether or no he be rich enough to stand a journey. And why? Becausethe Emperor at Rome has ordered so. I stood in the market-place when theRoman heralds with their trumpets summoned all Bethlehem thither, andtold of this new enrollment and of the taxing to follow. I saw the blacklooks and heard the muttering, but did any man speak out? Nay--afeard ofthe short sword the Roman soldier carries. Oh, aye, I am afeard of itmyself, " admitted Ezra indulgently; "but when the Messiah cometh thingswill not be so. "

"Mother says that many have already traveled to Bethlehem to beenrolled, " said Naomi, "and that we shall have a houseful when thecaravan from Nazareth comes in. I would fain be a help to her just nowand not a trouble, but I can do nothing at all, nothing, only keep outof the way. " And the tears rolled down poor Naomi's cheeks. 

"Do not cry, " said Ezra pitifully, and with a patience wonderful in aboy of his years. "We all love thee, Naomi, better than if thou hadstthe sharp sight of an eagle. Come, greedy one, " he went on, pulling atMichmash's bridle. "Wilt thou eat all night? Come!"

They stood upon a hill that looked toward the north, and as Ezra waitedfor lazy little Michmash to finish his mouthful, his eye caught a lineof tiny black figures perhaps a mile away from Bethlehem village. 

"The caravan from Nazareth, I verily believe!" he exclaimed. "Hold fast, Naomi, and I will take thee down to the gate. There I will tell thee allthe sights as they come in. "

Rattling over the stones and down the steep paths in reckless fashion, the little brother and sister were soon established in a spot where Ezracould see all that was needful, and whisper what he saw in Naomi's ear. 

"It is the caravan from Nazareth, " he announced, "and they ride onhorses, camels, mules, but some walk. There are great numbers of themand more are still to come. Some have fallen behind, they say, and arefar back upon the road. They are very weary and they smile but little. Who would want to take the long journey in winter only to part withmoney in the end?"

When Ezra and Naomi reached home, they found that, as their mother hadsaid, their house was full to overflowing with company from the Nazarethcaravan. 

Abner and Joel, merchants of Nazareth, were there with Joel's son Amosand his wife Elisabeth. Samuel's cousin, Daniel, who owned a large farmin fruitful Galilee, had come, bringing with him as a matter of coursehis friends, David and Phineas, neighboring farmers. All these peoplehad originally sprung from this city of David, and now back they came toit, some in good, some in ill humor, but to a man obeying the command ofthe Emperor at Rome. 

Every inch of floor space in Samuel's little house was occupied thatnight when the soft quilts were spread out, and the family and theirguests lay down to rest. Naomi and Jonas were cuddled in a corner nexttheir mother. But when Ezra came in late from feeding Michmash, the dimlight of the little oil lamp, that burned each night in all but thepoorest of Jewish homes, showed him a floor so crowded with soundlysleeping guests that he knew not how to reach his own bed spread at hisfather's right hand. 

"Father!" whispered Ezra. 

"My son, " answered Samuel in a cautious voice. 

"Father, it is so crowded here I would fain spend the night with old Eliin the fields with the sheep. They are encamped below the khan in theFields of David. May I go? Old Eli said but yesterday that I hadneglected him of late. "

"Go, my son. Give greetings to old Eli, and God's peace attend thee. "

So Ezra slipped out under the dark starry sky to join the shepherdsabiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 

CHAPTER VI

THE SHEPHERDS

Ezra picked his way carefully down the dark Bethlehem lanes until hereached the town gate, swung shut and locked hours before at sunset. 

"Nathan! Nathan!" he called, until the old gate-keeper peered out fromhis little booth and muttered a friendly greeting to the lad. 

"Nathan, I would go down into the fields with shepherd Eli to-night, "explained Ezra politely. "Wilt thou not let me pass through the straitgate? Just this once! I will never ask thee again. Old Eli is thy friendand mine. Do the favor for him, I beg of thee, and I will bless thee allmy days. "

Nathan could not help laughing at the old-fashioned speech of the boy. 

"Whether I do it for thee or for shepherd Eli, the deed is done, " hecackled, and threw open the small gate standing beside the large one andknown as the "strait" gate. "Ask me not again, I warn thee; ask me notagain. "

Past the Bethlehem khan Ezra hurried, and down through the piece offertile land that lay to the east, where the reapers of Boaz had swungtheir rude sickles and where Ruth had gleaned the golden sheaves. A walkof two miles brought him to the pasture land where the shepherd ladDavid had watched his father's sheep, battling with lion and bear whenthe need arose, and where, too, many of his sweetest songs had beenwritten. 

The boy scurried along at a good pace, for on these dark and lonelyroads to meet with wolf or jackal or, still more terrifying, withrobbers, singly or in bands, was not unknown. 

At the end of the road Ezra peered about in the starlight until hecould distinguish a number of dark forms huddled before one of the cavesin the hillside. Within the shallow cave lay the flock asleep, andbefore it, on his rough bed of brushwood and rushes, sat shepherd Eli, with only a dog or two to keep him company. Beside him lay hisshepherd's crook, his club tipped with iron the better to protect hischarges, and his sling with which he was wont to throw stones justbeyond his sheep to bring them back when they were going astray. 

Ezra chose to leap over the rude stone wall that enclosed this sheepfoldinstead of passing through the narrow gateway. The two great sheep dogs, gaunt and rough, who had spied him on the edge of the pasture land longbefore he had seen them, leaped fawning upon him with sharp yelps ofaffection. 

"Down! Down!" cried Ezra, half laughing, half impatient. "Eli, myfather sends thee greeting. As for me, I would fain spend the night withthee here in the fields. I am crowded out of my father's house byvisitors from Nazareth who come to be listed for the census. I will makemyself useful, Eli. Perhaps thou canst steal a nap while I keep watch ofthe sheep. But why art thou alone to-night? Where are the othershepherds? And the dogs?"

"Aye, aye, " responded shepherd Eli, slowly wagging his head and drawinghis sheepskin cloak about him. "Thou art always welcome, lad. As forsleep, never at cockcrow was I more wakeful than at this momentto-night. For there is something strange in the air, lad. The very dogsfeel it. They lie quiet and still; they neither twist nor turn. Whetherit be that friend or foe approaches, I know not. Something beyond ourken is a-wing to-night. "

"But, Eli, " said Ezra, "if it were wolves or jackals, the dogs would bebarking. And where are the other shepherds? Wilt thou battle alone ifthe wild beasts come?"

"Nay, child, nay, " said Eli patiently. "I look not for wild beaststo-night, nor do the dogs expect their ancient enemy. Thou sayest truly, like a wise little shepherd, that they behave not thus when wolf orjackal is abroad. The other shepherds read not the signs as do I. Thieves lurk near at hand, say they, and with the dogs they go to routthem out. "

"What dost thou expect, Eli?" asked Ezra timidly. He was thrilled andfrightened and thrilled in turn at this talk. 

The old man sat with his face turned to the brilliant Oriental skypowdered thick with stars. 

"'He numbereth the stars, He calleth them all by name, '" said Elisoftly. "Expect? Child, I know not what I expect except that He who hathpromised us salvation from our enemies and remission of our sins shallkeep His holy word. And there are signs that the time draws near. Surelythou hast heard of the priest Zacharias, who was smitten dumb as heserved in the Temple, and of the birth of his son John who, it ispromised, is to go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways. Who made the promise? Who but the Angel of the Lord, Gabriel, who standsin the presence of God. Think you his word shall fail? Nay, I tell theethe times are ripe. "

"But Eli--" Ezra began in his shrill little voice, when the old shepherdcut him short with a sudden gesture. 

"The men return, " muttered Eli. "Once already to-night they have heardwhat they term 'an old man's babbling. ' Let us listen to their storynow. "

"How many thieves caught ye, friends?" he called out. "Did ye surprisethe enemy in his lair?"

The shepherds filed in through the narrow opening and threw themselvesheavily on the ground beside Eli and the lad. The dogs crouched low, with nose between paws, and closed their eyes. 

"Thieves? Nay, " said one of the shepherds brusquely. "We saw naughtamiss, and had but the walk for our pains. "

The shepherds wrapped their heavy woolen mantles about them and talkedtogether in low voices. No one seemed disposed to sleep, though theday's work had been hard and all needed a night's rest. Ezra sat silent, thinking of old Eli's words and scarce hearing the conversation thatwent on about him. 

Suddenly the old shepherd grasped Ezra's arm. One of the younger menwas speaking. 

"The night has grown so still, " said he. "Note ye that the wind diesdown and that a hush falls o'er all?"

His voice ended on a trembling note. He covered his face with his mantleand fell forward among his prostrate companions. Only old Eli, with hisarm about shaking little Ezra, held his white head erect--joyous, confident, trustful. 

For an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shoneround about them: and they were sore afraid. 

And the angel said unto them:

"Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy whichshall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in thecity of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this is the signunto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lyingin a manger. "

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hostpraising God, and saying:

 "Glory to God in the highest, On earth peace, good will toward men. "

Ezra, strengthened by Eli's arm which did not waver, ventured to openhis eyes. 

He saw a brilliant whiteness, clear as crystal, that seemed to light theworld from end to end. High above, the sky was filled with clouds ofrose and amber and amethyst. All the glories of sunrise and of sunsetwere mingled there. 

Did he catch a flutter of white pinions? Did he glimpse a Leader, majestic, terrible, yet radiant with gracious love?

Even as he stared, unable to move, the song grew fainter, the colorsfaded and vanished. 

The echo of the angels' song rang in his ears. To his dying day itwould haunt his memory. 

The muffled figures on the ground stirred and stood erect. 

Overhead burned the stars in the frosty sky. 

The silence was broken by old Eli. 

"Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come topass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. "

Over the rough, uneven ground hastened the shepherds. Their flocks foronce were left uncared for, save by the dogs. They pressed on across thefamiliar pasture land, up and over the cornfields, and then took thesharp rise that would lead them past the Bethlehem inn. 

Clinging to the hillside and facing the cornfields was the stable of theinn, a rough cave in the limestone rock. On a rope stretched across thewide entrance swung a lantern, whose dim light twinkled and flickeredbefore the eyes of the shepherds as they came up the hill. 

Old Eli quickened his pace, Ezra at his heels. 

"And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped inswaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. "

The boy knew that the inn was crowded to overflowing, as was his own andevery house in Bethlehem that night. Was it possible that this familiarmanger was the resting-place to-night of a Heavenly Guest? Werestrangers lodged in the stable? Was this the only shelter that could beoffered the latest arrivals of the Nazareth caravan because there was noroom at the inn?

At the stable entrance Ezra hung back. He saw a man come forward out ofthe shadows and talk with Eli. With a single gesture the old shepherdmotioned his companions to join him. Lost for a moment in the gloom, Ezra saw them again speaking, bending forward, then falling upon theirknees. 

The stars had faded and an early morning wind was blowing chill when atlast the shepherds made their way out of the stable. The lamp, stillswinging, burned pale in the dawn, but its faint light fell across thewhite face of a little boy who lurked in the doorway and whose cold handclutched old Eli as he came exulting forth. 

"Praise God! Praise God for His mercy, justice, and truth! Praise--"

Old Eli started at the cold touch, and looked down with eyes that glowedwith an inward light. 

"Child, what doest thou here? Hinder me not. I go now to spread thegood tidings--to praise and to glorify God. "

Ezra opened his dry lips. 

"Hast found Him?" he asked. "Is it the Messiah? Is it the Christ?"

"Aye, child, 'tis as the angel said, " answered Eli happily; "a babewrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Come to bring peace onearth, our Saviour who is Christ the Lord, our long-looked-for Messiah!Glory to God in the highest! Glory!"

Ezra heard no more. He had turned, and with the speed of an arrow fromits bow was running up the steep road toward home. 

CHAPTER VII

IN A MANGER

The rising sun pushed through a bank of purple cloud and touched withlong rosy beams the roof of Samuel the weaver's house. On the narrowparapet that bordered the roof walked a number of snowy pigeons, stepping delicately with heads raised and thrown back as if to enjoy thesplendor and freshness of the early morning. 

In one corner of the roof lay a dark heap, heedless of sunlight, morningbreeze, or bird, conscious only of the blackest misery, the deepesthopelessness that an eight-year-old heart can know. 

It was Naomi, who lay with hands clenched and face pressed against thecold stone, too heartsick for tears, wishing only in her wretchednessto creep away where she might be alone. 

Presently she stirred and lifted her head. 

Quite a different Naomi was this from the happy, generous child who hadsacrificed her flower garden for the sake of an ailing lamb; not at alllike the little girl who had set forth so joyfully for a day's pleasurein Jerusalem. Her little robe was wrinkled, her curls were tangled andrough, her face was pinched and pitiful. With her soft little fist shebeat upon the roof in time with the rhythm of her words. 

"Did they think I could not hear?" she asked, speaking aloud in herfullness of heart. "Did Elisabeth, the wife of Amos, think that I wasdeaf as well as blind that she should say aloud, 'The child Naomi willnever see again. There is no hope. '"

"No hope! No hope! And perhaps I shall live to be as old as lameEnoch's grandmother lived to be. Who will care for me then? Who willgive me shelter and food? Amos of Nazareth thought of that, too. I heardhim, though he whispered low. 'She will be always a burden. It werebetter that she should die. ' I heard him. He said those words. 'She willbe always a burden. It were better that she should die. '"

"Die? Die? I cannot die. I am well and strong. I shall live and live andlive. My mother and father will die and leave me, and Ezra and Jonaswill weary of me. I shall be a beggar by the roadside. No hope! Nohope!"

Naomi sank down again in a little heap and rocked to and fro. Hermisfortune seemed too dreadful to be borne. It was incredible that sucha fate should overtake her. It might happen to Rachel, or Rebekah, orto stout Solomon across the road, but not to Naomi, the daughter ofSamuel the weaver. 

As she swayed back and forth, torn by her misery, there came to her, like balm upon a wound, the familiar, comforting words that her motherand father had used over and over of late, to soothe the little girl'spain and to encourage hope in the sad hearts of them all. 

 "I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living. Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. "

Naomi rose to her feet. The startled pigeons withdrew a short way andstood watching her curiously with their hard, bright eyes. About her wasthe soft sunlight, over her head the deep blue sky. 

She turned her sightless face toward Jerusalem and spoke as if to afriend present. 

"Yea, Lord, " said the little Jewish girl in simple faith, "I will waitfor Thee, and for Thy Messiah who will open the eyes of the blind. Surely when Messiah cometh I shall see. And until then, I will wait andpray for His coming. I will wait. "

On the outer stairway that led from the ground to the roof stood Ezra, breathless, his hand pressed against his side. He had run all the way, without stopping, up the steep lanes from the Bethlehem stable, and now, pausing to rest an instant before speaking to Naomi, he could not helpoverhearing the last words she said. 

"So thou wilt wait?" he whispered, his breath coming in gasps. "Thouwilt wait for His coming? Nay, my little sister, thy time of waiting isover. The Messiah is here! The Christ is born! O that I might shout itfrom the housetop, that my father and mother and all the world may knowthat the Lord hath kept His promise and the Messiah hath come!"

Ezra's whole heart and soul were full of a great new hope, and the sightof Naomi's tear-stained face and groping, outstretched hands made himlong to tell her the good tidings at once. 

But the boy's love for his unhappy little sister made him wise beyondhis years. 

"If I tell her, and it does not come to pass as she wishes, it willbreak her heart, " he argued. "The Messiah is but a tiny Baby now, weakand helpless. It may be He must grow to manhood before He can heal theblind, the deaf, and the sick. Who knows? Not I. I will not tell heryet. "

So Ezra clattered noisily up the remaining steps of the stairway, calling out:

"Naomi! Naomi! Where art thou? Oh, here thou art! Are thy sandals welltied? For I have come to take thee down to the inn stable to show theesomething there. And what it is, thou couldst never guess if thou didstguess a hundred years. "

Naomi shook her head. 

"Show me? What could I see? Nay, I will go nowhere, Ezra, " she answeredsadly. "If I went, I could not see thy wondrous sight. I would farrather stay at home. "

"But this is something to feel, " said Ezra coaxingly, putting his armabout Naomi and leading her gently toward the stairway. "Tell me, dostthou remember when young Deborah, the vine-dresser's wife, laidsomething soft and warm in thine arms?"

"A baby, Ezra?" asked Naomi, stopping short. "A baby at the inn stable?"

"Aye, " said Ezra firmly, "a Baby! A Baby born in a stable and lying ina manger because there was no room last night at the inn. "

"But I cannot see it, Ezra, " said Naomi mournfully. "Why should I go? Icannot see. "

"Dost thou remember, too, how Deborah's baby clung to thy finger?" saidthe crafty Ezra, guiding her tenderly down the steps as he talked. "Anddid ye not find it pleasant to hold? You rocked it to and fro all daylong, Naomi. You said that you wished that Jonas might be put back inswaddling clothes again. "

"Aye, it was pleasant, " admitted Naomi. "But Deborah brought the baby tome. I will not go to the khan, Ezra. I do not wish to meet any one. Myheart is heavy. There will be people to stare at me and to talk in thelanes and at the stable. I will not go. "

"Naomi, " said Ezra desperately, "dost thou love me?"

"Aye, thou knowest that I love thee, " answered Naomi in surprise. 

"Then, to please me, come to the inn stable, " was Ezra's quick response. "Ask me no questions and delay not, but come. It is early, Naomi. Wewill meet no one, I hope and trust. Give me thy hand and come. "

Naomi instantly slipped a thin little hand into her brother'soutstretched palm. 

"For love of thee, Ezra, " said she sweetly. "For love of thee. "

Down the quiet road, deserted in the winter season at this early hour, Ezra led Naomi, carefully guiding her over the stones and ruts in therough highway. Unobserved, they slipped quietly through the town gate, and when a turn in the road brought the khan into view Ezra threw hisarm about his sister and quickened their steps. 

He spoke but once. 

"One of thy pigeons flies before us, Naomi, " said he, "as if to lead uson. It glistens in the sun like silver. "

Naomi only nodded and clung the tighter to Ezra's arm. 

Past the inn and round to the stable door he led her, and there theyhalted. 

"Naomi, " said Ezra, his voice trembling with hope and fear, "thouknowest the stable well. Enter, and walk forward until thy feet touchthe straw before the manger. There lies the Babe!"

With a gentle push Ezra started Naomi toward the Mother and Child, whosefigures he could dimly see on a heap of straw at the back of the cave. Then in the shadow of the doorway Ezra fell upon his knees. 

"O Lord, " he prayed, "I know that this is Thy Messiah. I believe thatThou hast sent Him. Thou hast promised of old that when Messiah comethHe shall open the eyes of the blind. I would that He might open mysister Naomi's eyes. If Thou wilt answer this prayer, Lord, I willpromise Thee anything. I will be Thy faithful servant, I will be anobedient son, I will learn my lessons well at school and never shirk. Iwill no more throw stones at stout Solomon nor even call him names. Iwill promise anything Thou mayst ask of me, if Thy Messiah will onlyopen my sister Naomi's eyes. Hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. "

Within the stable Naomi crept cautiously forward. Her footsteps lagged, for she had no heart in this undertaking. 

What pleasure could there be for her in visiting a stranger's baby whichshe could not even see? A short time ago, to hold the soft little bodyclose and to feel the tiny clinging hands might have given her amoment's happiness; but to-day her heart was so full of misery thatthere was no room in it for joy to enter. She longed to sink down on thestable floor. Only her love for Ezra kept her moving. 

She felt the straw before the manger beneath her feet, and she droppedto her knees and stretched out a timid hand. 

Yes, the Mother and Child were before her. 

She fingered the hem of the cloak wrapped about the young Mother, butshe could not bring herself to touch the little Child. 

"I care not! I care not!" thought Naomi hopelessly. "What to me is thisBaby? Why should Ezra wish me to visit this Child?"

As if in answer to her unspoken question, with a sudden lovely gesture, the Child leaned forward. His tiny fingers touched Naomi's forehead andHis hands rested for an instant upon her darkened eyes. 

 * * * * *

Naomi opened and closed her eyes rapidly. She rose to her feet andstared about her. Was it a dream, the same kind of a dream with whichshe had so often lightened the weary hours of darkness, the long watchesof the night, when she had called to mind some old familiar scene--hermother at the well, the country road, Ezra hastening home from school?Now the inn stable rose before her. Did she really see the nose of an oxthrusting itself over the stall? Or did she only dream the mound of hay, and on it the young Mother wrapped in a wide blue cloak and in her armsa Child, at the velvet touch of Whose tiny hands the black curtain haddropped from before her eyes?

Naomi rubbed her hands together and looked down at them. Yes, they wereher own hands. There was the familiar little brown spot on the inside ofher third finger. Her dress? Yes, that was an old friend, the yellow andred striped robe. She had worn it the day in the garden that she hadgiven her four scarlet poppies in exchange for little Three Legs. 

Then it was true! She did see. But how had it happened? Why at the touchof this Baby hand had her sight been restored?

"Ezra!" she called, not daring to stir. "Ezra!"

Ezra's face, white under the tan, showed itself round the stable door. 

"Ezra, " cried Naomi, "I can see! I can see! I know not how it is, but Iwas blind and now I see! O Ezra, the Baby touched me and I can see!"

Ezra came swiftly forward. His eyes were full of tears, but his face wasradiant. He knelt before the Mother, who was watching the scene withwondering eyes, and the Child, Who slept now in His Mother's arms. Hepulled Naomi down beside him. 

"Naomi, it is the Christ Child, " he whispered. "The Messiah has come!Our Saviour lies before us! O Naomi, the Messiah hath opened the eyes ofthe blind! The Lord hath heard my prayer!"

And bending low before Him, they worshiped at the Christ Child's feet. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

The household of Samuel the weaver lay sleeping soundly. The dim lightof the small oil lamp revealed the figures of Samuel and his wifewrapped in heavy slumber, with Jonas, rolled into a plump little ball, at his mother's feet. Naomi lay close by with arms outstretched. Herdreams were pleasant, for her lips were parted in a smile. Ezra wasmissing. He was again spending the night in the fields with shepherdEli. The friendship between the old man and the lad had grown more deepand strong since the night of the Angels' Visit, and they never weariedof discussing the wonderful event and all the marvels that had followedin its train. 

These happenings had roused all the village of Bethlehem, and had nowtouched even the city of Jerusalem since the appearance of the Wise Menfrom the East, who, following His star, had come to worship the King ofthe Jews. 

That very evening Ezra and Naomi, caught on a lonely hillside by thesudden fall of night, had with one accord pointed to the dusky roadbelow, along which rocked noiselessly three tall camels bearing the Magirapidly in the direction of Arabia. 

"They brought gold and frankincense and myrrh, " murmured Ezra, "theofferings to a king. "

"Aye, to my King, to my Messiah, " answered Naomi happily. "Oh, Ezra, Iwould that I had all the gold and frankincense and myrrh in all theworld that I might lay it at His feet. How can the neighbors doubt whenthey see what He has done for me? Who but the true Messiah could open myeyes and give me sight again?"

Ezra shook his head. 

"Many do believe, Naomi, " he answered. "And all thy life now thou canstbe a living witness to God's mercy and love. How happy He has made usall! Father and Mother, thou and I!"

"And Jonas, too, " said Naomi quickly. "He laughs and plays with me nowas never before. He knew that something was wrong, though he could notput it into words. We are to begin again to dig our well to-morrow, heand I. I promised him. "

It may be that Naomi's dreams that night were of this pleasant task thatawaited her; it may be that in her sleep, as in her waking hours, herthoughts were filled with visions of the Christ Child even as her heartwas full of love for Him. Her smile deepened, and she did not stir asthe night wore on. 

The stars were growing pale, though morning was still far off, when thedeep silence of the village was broken by the sound of feet runninglightly, cautiously, up the lane. 

Nearer and nearer came the footsteps until they halted before the doorof Samuel's house, and a little figure, panting and breathless, steppedquickly within. 

Naomi sat upright and peered sleepily through the gloom. 

"Ezra, is it thou?" she asked in surprise. "Is it morning yet? Whatbrings thee here?"

"I have news, Naomi, bad news, I fear, " the boy answered. "I must wakenmy father and mother. Whatever is done must be done quickly. There is notime to lose. "

"I hear thee, son, " said Samuel's voice unexpectedly. "What is thytale?"

"And my mother?" questioned Ezra. "It concerns Jonas. "

"I sleep not, " said Jonas's mother, broad awake in an instant, anddrawing the drowsy little ball into her arms in swift alarm. "Tell thystory quickly. "

"As ye know, " began the boy hurriedly, "I went down to the Fields ofDavid at sunset to spend the night with shepherd Eli. And as I passedthrough the gate old Nathan hailed me. He told me that one of theshepherds had borrowed his warm cloak and had not yet returned it, andthat he was now full of aches and pains and sorrows because of the lackof it. He charged me straitly to tell the shepherd to return it at onceor he would have him haled before the magistrate at daybreak, and thathe would not cease his watch for it nor sleep that night until the cloakwas round his shoulders once again. 

"When I reached the Fields, I gave his message, but the shepherd whohad taken his cloak was not there; he had gone in search of a lostlamb. And when, less than an hour ago, he returned, he asked me to keephim company to the gateway, and help him make his peace with angryNathan. They know that Nathan is friendly to me, " added the boy inexplanation. 

"And I know that some night, wandering about as thou dost, thou wilt becaught by beast or robber, " growled Samuel. "Resume thy story. "

"The shepherd and I, " continued Ezra hastily, "were passing the inn whenI saw a figure by the roadside beckoning me to come to him. It wasJoseph of Nazareth, and behind him in the shadow was his wife, Mary, bearing the Christ Child in her arms. He spoke low so that the shepherdshould not hear. He told me that an angel of the Lord had appeared tohim in a dream, saying, 'Arise and take the young child and his motherand flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod willseek the young child to destroy him. '

"He spoke no more, " Ezra went on, "but I said unto him, 'My littlebrother, think you there is danger for him?' He nodded in reply, andthen I asked, 'Start you at once?' He nodded again and stepped back intothe shadow. 

"At the gateway old Nathan, glad to see his cloak again, let me through, and I hastened home to tell the tale to thee. "

Ezra's mother had already arisen and, opening the great carved chest, had taken from it warm wrappings in which she was bundling the stillsleeping Jonas. 

"Deborah, the vine-dresser's wife, leaves at sunrise in the caravan forJoppa. " As she spoke, she worked busily gathering Jonas's littlegarments into a bundle. "For friendship's sake she will take Jonas withher. We have, in her, at least one true friend in Bethlehem. Her motherlies at Joppa sore stricken with a fever, and it may be that our boywill take the sickness and perchance will die. But rather would I seehim in his baby grave than in the clutch of cruel King Herod. "

"I will go with thee, wife, to carry the child, " said Samuel gravely, seeing that her simple preparations were now finished. "Give thy brothera kiss in farewell, children. It may be thou wilt never see him more. "

As Naomi stood on tiptoe and pressed a tender kiss upon Jonas's plumpcheek, he suddenly opened his dark eyes and, at sight of his sister, broke into a broad smile. 

"Farewell, Jonas, farewell, " whispered Naomi, her eyes full of tears. "When thou returnest we will dig the well behind the myrtle bush, thouand I. Farewell!"

Then she laid her hand upon her father's arm. 

"Father, " said she in a low voice, "the little Messiah also travelethfar to-night. I owe to Him my sight and the happiness of us all. I wouldfain give unto Him a gift. I would that I might give unto Him my littleMichmash, that He may be borne swiftly and surely on the long road thatHe must go. "

Samuel looked for an instant into the brown eyes upturned to his own. Heremembered the darkness, the suffering, the vain hope, the despair, then--blessed be Jehovah! the Light that had appeared and that had sowondrously shone into the life of his little maid. 

"Yea, child, " said he warmly. "No gift that thou couldst give would betoo great. "

"Ezra, " cried Naomi, "canst thou overtake them, think you?"

But Ezra had already left the room, and could be heard in the shedbehind the house fitting the bridle over the astonished Michmash's head. 

Naomi caught up her little scarlet cloak from out the carven chest, andas Ezra came past the door, leading the little gray donkey, she flung itacross her brother's arm. 

"The journey down into Egypt is far, and the night winds are cold. Itmay be my scarlet cloak will keep the little Messiah warm. "

She threw her arms about her donkey's neck and laid her cheek againsthis soft furry nose. 

"Fare thee well, little Michmash, " she whispered. "Stumble not norfalter on the way. Thou carriest the Light of all the world, the Hope ofevery heart upon thy back. Farewell, farewell!"

Sunrise--and again Naomi stood alone upon the housetop. Her night ofdarkness behind her, she turned her happy gaze upon the morning sky, blue and rose and violet, whose clouds touched to misty purple thehilltops and the peaks that surrounded Bethlehem village. Below her laythe white stone houses, a few steep fields of dark ruddy loam, thesloping gardens with their vines, their fig and olive trees. 

From where Naomi stood the road that led to the Holy City was hiddenfrom view by the mountain peak Mar Elias, and as she looked toward ither face lighted and she clasped her hands before her. For on themountain-top rested two great clouds like angels' wings, and with aheart full of awe and reverence and love little Naomi felt that shestood in the very presence of Jehovah God. 

What though the promised Messiah was fleeing secretly and in dread fromHis own country? The Lord was mindful of His own, and was even nowkeeping watch over His people. "Behold, He that keepeth Israel willneither slumber nor sleep. "

She had no words. She could only stand and let the tide of love she feltsweep over her again and again, until softly and almost imperceptiblythe Heavenly Pinions faded away into the blue. 

When Ezra came he found Naomi looking toward the road that woundribbon-like past the Bethlehem inn down into the land of the Pharaohs, the country of the Sphinx and the Pyramids. 

He nodded at the question in her eyes and silently pointed out to her alittle group that moved steadily forward upon the dusty road below. 

"Dost see them?" asked Ezra softly. "Joseph, staff in hand, leads littleMichmash who bears the Mother and the Child upon his back. He stepsforth bravely, the little beast. Ah! now they take the turn that hidesthem from our sight. Our little Messiah! Gone from us after so short atime!"

"Aye, but to come again, " said Naomi confidently. "I know it, Ezra. Iwas blind and now I see. As a tiny Babe He brought the light to mealone. But when He comes again, He will be the Light of all the world, Ezra, the Light of all the world. "

 THE END