"Sister, how many days have passed since thou didst return from
Samaria?" asked Isaac, as Leah, her morning's work completed, seated
herself beside his couch.
"Five, brother," replied the little maid. "So but five more remain and
then I shall again journey to Samaria."
The lad sighed deeply.
"Every day that dawns is long and dreary to me," he said; "but these
last five days have seemed indeed the longest and dreariest of all my
life. Leah, sometimes during the long, pain-racked hours of the night,
my heart hath risen in bitterness against my father that he so long
delayeth thy journey to Samaria."
"Nay, dear brother, speak not thus," said the little maid, gently. "Our
father knoweth best."
"But, Leah," cried the lad, his eyes lighting eagerly, a faint flush
staining the pallor of his cheek, "if our father had permitted thee to
journey at once to Samaria, perhaps, when the fruits were ripe it would
have been I who didst carry them to Samaria."
"Be patient a little longer, dear brother," said Leah. "And promise me
that thou wilt not again cherish bitter thoughts against our father,"
she added, earnestly.
"I promise thee, sister," answered the lad. "Poor father, 'tis a heavy
burden upon him that his eldest-born and only son should be a cripple;
that while he toileth I lie here helpless, unable to give him a helping
hand, to lighten his labor. But, oh, Leah, sister, how happy I shall
be when the prophet, Elisha, hath made me whole. How proudly shall I
labor by my father's side; and thou shalt journey no more to Samaria;
thou shalt stay at our mother's side while I carry the fruits to the
city and purchase necessities for our household. Sister! Sister! what
did the woman of Shunem when Elisha raised her child from the dead?"
"She fell in gratitude at the feet of Elisha," answered the little maid.
"I shall also fall in gratitude at the feet of Elisha when he hath made
me whole," said Isaac.
"Thou must not forget to offer up prayers of gratitude to the great
Jehovah from whom cometh the power of Elisha," said Leah, gently.
Ezra was at work in the fields when he saw his wife, Sarah, approaching.
"What seeketh thou, Sarah?" he asked, as she drew near.
"I would speak with thee, Ezra," replied Sarah.
"Of what wouldst thou speak, Sarah, that thou seeketh me in the fields
at my labor?" asked Ezra. "Canst thou not wait until the day's toil be
ended?"
"Nay, or I would not seek thee at thy labor," answered Sarah. "I would
not speak with thee of this before our children lest they think that
thy wife hold but lightly her husband's judgment. Ezra, the hearts
of our children are sad that thou delayeth the maiden's journey to
Samaria."
"Our children be young and knoweth not patience," said Ezra.
"Nay, Ezra, our son and eldest-born hath never known youth," sadly
answered Sarah. "Youth is sturdy of body, light of limb, joyous of
heart. Isaac knoweth naught of these things. Impatient, sayeth thou,
Ezra? Ay, and thou also would be impatient, even with the years of
wisdom upon thy shoulders, if thou wert crippled from birth, and when
the light of hope shone, for the first time, across thy dark pathway,
thou wert bidden to wait."
"'Tis but a few days until the fruits shall have ripened," muttered
Ezra.
"Ay, thou art right," said Sarah, "'tis but a few days, but a little
while ago I did hear our son say that the five days of waiting had been
the longest and dreariest of a life in which every day is long and
dreary."
"Thou art but a woman, Sarah, and the softness of thy heart doth steal
away thy wisdom," said Ezra.
"'Tis not so much the woman's heart as the mother's that doth plead
with thee, Ezra," replied Sarah, the tears filling her eyes.
"Go back to thy children and thy work, woman," commanded Ezra. "And
when the day's toil be ended we will speak of this again."
Sarah turned obediently away, but her heart was light, for her husband
had not said her nay.
* * * * *
"Come hither, maiden," said Ezra.
The evening meal was over and the night shadows were falling. Leah
arose from beside her father's couch and approached Ezra.
"Little maid," said Ezra, "maketh thyself ready, for to-morrow, at the
dawning of the day, our neighbor will bring his ass and thou shalt set
forth for Samaria."
The maiden's lips parted eagerly with surprise and joy. The lad, lifted
himself upon his elbow, and gazed upon his father with radiant eyes.
"But, father, the fruits are not yet ripe," faltered Leah.
"That is true," replied Ezra. "But we shall not wait until the fruits
have ripened. Art thou not eager, maiden, to seek the prophet, Elisha,
in Samaria that thou mayest beg of him to heal thy brother?"
"Yes, yes, dear father," cried the little maid, with shining eyes and
flushing cheeks.
"Then make ready to start upon thy journey at the dawn of day," said
Ezra.
"I shall be ready, dear father," replied Leah.
She turned and went back to her brother's couch. She knelt down beside
him and slipped her hand in his. He lifted the little hand to his lips
and kissed it reverently and tenderly.
When in the gray dawn of the early morning Leah entered Isaac's chamber
she found him sleeping. She pressed a kiss upon his brow and stole
softly out again.
"Thou didst find thy brother sleeping," said Sarah. "He passed a night
of pain and restlessness and now sleepeth from exhaustion. But it will
fret him not to have bidden thee farewell."
"'Tis well that he is resting after his night of pain," said Leah.
"Tell him, dear mother, that I kissed him as he slept."
"Come, maiden," called Ezra from without.
"Fare-thee-well, dear mother," murmured the little maid.
Sarah kissed tenderly the sweet, upturned face.
"Fare-thee-well, my child," she said, tremulously. "God be with thee."
Then the little maid passed through the doorway and out into the
grayness of the breaking day. Ezra lifted her upon the ass's back and
she turned her face towards Samaria.
When Isaac awoke he called his mother to him and said:
"Mother, has my sister started for Samaria?"
"Yes, my son," replied Sarah.
His lips quivered.
"Why didst thou not awaken me, mother, that I might bid my sister
farewell?" he said.
"Thou wert resting, my son, after thy night of pain," answered Sarah.
"Thy sister would not have thee awakened, but bid me say to thee that
she kissed thee as thou slept. See," pointing to a golden gleam of
sunlight which forced itself through the window and lay athwart the
bed, "'tis the first ray of the rising sun; ere it sets thy sister will
be again with thee."
And the lad lay gazing, with a smile upon his lips, at the shaft of
golden light.
Ezra labored all day in the fields. The sun was sinking low in the
heavens when he saw approaching the neighbor whose ass he had borrowed.
"Good-evening, neighbor," said Ezra. "Thou art come too soon for thy
ass; the maiden hath not yet returned."
"I come not for the ass, neighbor," replied the man, whose name was
Simeon. "I bring thee ill tidings."
"What meaneth thou, neighbor?" asked Ezra.
"Ill hath befallen thy little maid," was the reply.
"Ill hath befallen my little maid," repeated Ezra, bewilderedly.
"Speak, man, what ill?"
"She has been taken captive by the Syrians," answered Simeon.
"How knoweth thou this?" asked Ezra.
"I will tell thee," said his neighbor. "But a little while ago a
stranger did come to my house mounted upon my own ass. 'Be this beast
thine?' he did ask me. Much astonished I replied that the ass were
mine. 'And the maiden who rode it, was she thy daughter?' asked the
stranger. I replied that she was not my daughter, but the little maid
of my neighbor, Ezra. Then the stranger said to me, 'Go to thy neighbor
Ezra and tell him that his little maid hath been taken captive by the
Syrians; that she will be carried to Damascus and sold into slavery.'
"It doth appear," continued Simeon, as Ezra stood pale and speechless,
"that this man was traveling on foot from Samaria when he saw
approaching from the direction of Damascus, a company of Syrians. They
were evidently bent upon plunder, and the man, fearing that they would
take him captive, did hide himself. While in hiding he saw the Syrians
fall in with a little maid mounted upon an ass. The maiden they did
take captive, leaving the ass which is old and slow. When the Syrians
had departed with the little maid, the stranger came forth and mounted
the ass, turning its face in the direction from whence it came. And
the ass returned home. It is with sorrow in my heart, neighbor, that I
bring thee ill tidings of thy little maid."
"Ay, ill tidings indeed!" murmured Ezra, his head sunk in sorrow upon
his breast. "The hand of the Lord hath fallen heavily upon me and
mine. How shall I tell the lad, for whose sake she did journey towards
Samaria, of the ill that hath befallen his sister? Alas! alas! our
little maid captured by the Syrians! sold into slavery!" and Ezra rent
his garments and wept bitterly.