Tárogató, 1938-1939 (1. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1939-01-01 / 7-8. szám
TÁROGATÓ 13 THE LOST BLESSING. By Hal Condi. Rebekah lived in the little village of Bethlehem. Her father was Samuel the inn-keeper, and any morning you could hear her singing as she ground her golden meal with the mill and helped her mother to prepare dinner for her brothers when they returned from the hills where they pastured their sheep or from the vineyards. Then too, often as evening drew on, travellers were likely to arrive and request a night’s lodging. The boys at work in the fields and on the hills often envied Rebekah, for was she not at the inn all the time to see the fine Roman soldiers as they marched through Bethlehem on their way to Jerusalem? But just now Rebekah was wishing for something to happen, such a tiresome day it had been! Not one bit of excitement she thought. Even as she wished, a Roman runner crossed the threshold and cast himself upon a bench beside the water jar. Rebekah shrugged her shoulders in disappointment, little dreaming that this man bore news that would affect her whole life. Knowing he was near the end of his journey — Jerusalem, the man was in no haste to leave the inn — so he tarried and a little later sat down to the evening meal with the boys. They plied him with questions. Had he come far? Had he ever been to Rome? Where was he going next? Good-naturedly the man answered their questions, telling tales which to these untravelled natives of the hills around Bethlehem were little short of marvelous. After a time Samuel asked for news from Rome. “There is nothing exciting,” said the man, “Caesar has taken a notion that he wants to know how many people he rules; and he has issued an order that the head of each family shall repair to the house of his ancestors, there to register his name and the names of all his family.” Samuel thought of this for a few minutes in silence, then his eyes lighted with joy, he turned to his wife. “Truly wife, that means money for us! Think of the thousands, yes, hundreds of thousands — who will come to Jerusalem to register themselves! Gold will flow into our chest in a stream. Of a truth Jehovah is good to a poor inn-keeper.” Rebekah was rather ashamed that her father should so talk before a stranger. One would think that he was in poverty to hear him talk. She listened while he discussed with her mother the available space they could use and was glad he did not plan to deprive her of the little room she called hers, off in a quiet corner of the huge building. As was her custom before going to sleep, Rebekah played and recited verses from the scriptures. One after another she murmered them, until at last one of them caused her to stop suddenly—she repeated it again—the verse from the book of Proverbs: “He that hath pity on the poor—lendeth to the Lord, And that which he hath given, He will pay him again.” “That is just what I will do,” thought Rebekah, “there will be many poor people compelled to make the journey to Jerusalem; and I will give them the use of my little room. I have no money but I can give my little room for shelter to some of the weary travellers.” And so thinking she fell fast asleep. Close on the heels of the messenger, the travellers began to arrive. Each day brought greater hords of them as those from distant places drew near the city of their fathers. The inns of the city overflowed. Booths sprang up around the walls, to shelter those who could not get quarters in the city. Every available bit of space was taken. For a long time Rebekah found pleasure in seeking the poor and sick travellers, to offer them the use of her tiny room, then, as she saw how many there were who offered money, she began to repent of her resolve. Her thoughts soon bore harvests in deeds. For there came a time when Rebekah refused to invite the poor into the room, renting it instead to the wife of a wealthy trader who could find no shelter elsewhere. She tried to comfort herself by promising that the next day she would not only invite some poor person to share the room, but she would share the money with them too. All night the thought hovered in her mind as she slept with the maids in their humble lpft, that perhaps some needy or sick person lay uncovered beside the road because of her greed. It was not a pleasant thought but the jingle of gold in her sleeve cheered Rebekah and helped to gradually wean her thoughts from the poor so that more and more frequently she rented her room instead of adhering to her original plan. I OUR ENGLISH SECTION. !
