Part 9 (2/2)

”Ezra, is it thou?” she asked in surprise. ”Is it morning yet? What brings thee here?”

”I have news, Naomi, bad news, I fear,” the boy answered. ”I must waken my father and mother. Whatever is done must be done quickly. There is no time to lose.”

”I hear thee, son,” said Samuel's voice unexpectedly. ”What is thy tale?”

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

”I sleep not,” said Jonas's mother, broad awake in an instant, and drawing the drowsy little ball into her arms in swift alarm. ”Tell thy story quickly.”

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

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

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

”The shepherd and I,” continued Ezra hastily, ”were pa.s.sing the inn when I saw a figure by the roadside beckoning me to come to him. It was Joseph 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 shepherd should not hear. He told me that an angel of the Lord had appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.'

”He spoke no more,” Ezra went on, ”but I said unto him, 'My little brother, think you there is danger for him?' He nodded in reply, and then I asked, 'Start you at once?' He nodded again and stepped back into the 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 still sleeping Jonas.

”Deborah, the vine-dresser's wife, leaves at sunrise in the caravan for Joppa.” As she spoke, she worked busily gathering Jonas's little garments into a bundle. ”For friends.h.i.+p's sake she will take Jonas with her. We have, in her, at least one true friend in Bethlehem. Her mother lies at Joppa sore stricken with a fever, and it may be that our boy will take the sickness and perchance will die. But rather would I see him 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 brother a 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 plump cheek, 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, thou and I. Farewell!”

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

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

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

”Yea, child,” said he warmly. ”No gift that thou couldst give would be too great.”

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

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

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

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