| Show T 4 ei 4 a t i a 11 A A LL day long they had been gu ing by the inn camels and don keys stir stirring rink up dust weary mm men and women resting by the stream outside the inn yard the little coun try maid had never seen so much travel just outside the city of near by the village of bethlehem there were plenty of people who stopped tor for refreshment and jeremiah kept a good inn he was a good man too but he was hard sparing neither man nor beast and his niece rebecca was hard put to do the tasks that were set before her 4 why are there so many travelers today she asked the little slave girl who helped her prepare the evening meal the tribesmen replied fatima are going to jerusalem to be numbered so that they may pay their taxes and this will continue tor for days these are not times of rejoicing and feasting tor for us rebecca looked up as a bearded man leading an ass on which a young woman rode entered the courtyard Is the inn keeper here he asked gently M my y wife a and nd I 1 seek shelter there are no rooms left fatima told him going on with her work but rebecca looked up at the woman whose face was weary and touched with pain 1 I will see what provision can be made the little maid exclaimed he her r eyes never left the young wom an ans I 1 s sweet face the woman smiled at rebecca and her husband smiled too rebeccas face lightened eagerly and even fatima found herself softening rebecca had some difficulty finding her uncle busy as he was with many things then it was hard to make him listen there must be some place uncle that new stable with the clean straw would be warm and comfortable she cannot go farther I 1 know so be it he answered then as they neared the group he too was impressed by the young wom ans beauty and the lovely warmth of her smile there is naught but the stable he told them but re becca will seek to make yuu you corn con for fordable or lable table there even after she hid had done everything she he could and had crept into int a her own dark corner lor for the night rebecca found she could not forget the couple in the stable mary the man had called his wife there was such a radiance about her 1 I wonder what mikes makes her so different rebecca thought and she opened her eyes in amazed nt she saw light in the courtyard so much that it seemed the dawn must have come but the light came from a star that shone hone S just about the stable out into the ya yard rd the girl crept and suddenly she hoard heard a childs cry a cooing happy sound rebecca looked about no one was stirring far off on the hillside S ide she saw w what hat looked like a group of men shadowy indistinct seemingly moving toward bethlehem 17 it must be her imagination possibly it was ephraime Ephr aims vineyard she saw soon she stood in th the estable stable doorway there lighted by a lantern was joseph bending over the young woman and holding in his arms a tiny baby her firstborn first born at rebeccas exclamation he turned and into her ou outstretched arms he handed the little figure and showed her the snowy lengths of swaddling cloth tenderly the maid clothed the in fant ant and laid it beside the mother thank you mary whispered for the childs sake and in his name I 1 thank you for what you have done we thank her dont we jesus the baby opened his eyes and smiled he smiled at me rebecca exclaimed 1 I shall never forget borget a neww new born babe smiled into my lace face to say thank you mary drew the child into the shelter of her arms her eyes closed joseph walked to the doorway and watched rebecca as she returned to her er room he too saw the clump of trees or vines or was it a group of men on the hillside 7 then he returned to the manger and settled down beside mary and the sleeping jesus 10 ra |
