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Wurst ran narrow exams wsonisonv peril 1352 Continued from page nine marched through all its lanes and crowded hover and black prisons without nding any trace of the family of Nazarenes who had fled from Bethlehem long ago But now it seemed as if he must make one more effort and something whispered in his heart that at last he might succeed It was the season of the Pm over The city was throngcd with strangers The children of Israel attered in far lands all over the world had returned to the Temple for the great feast and there had been confusion of tongues in the narrow streets for many days But on this day there was singular agitation visible in the multitude The sky was veiled with portcntous gloom and cur rents of excitement scented to flash through the crowd like the thrill which shakes the forest on thcvcve of storm secret tide was sweeping them all one way The clatter of sandals and the soft thick sound of thousands of bare feet shuffling over the stones flowediunccasingly along the street that leads to the DamaScus gate Artaban joined company with group of people from his own country Parthian Jews who had c0mc up to keep thePassover and inquired of them the cause of the tumult and where they were go mg We are going they answered at last in the hands of His cngfied in terror reeling like drunkedbeard him say in the Partbian emies and shall come in time tolmcn But Artaban and the girl tongue to the place called Golgotha out side the city walls where there is to be an execution Have you not heard what has happened Two famous robbers are to be crucified and with them another called Jesus of Nazareth man who has done many wonderful works among the people so that they love him greatly But the priests and eld ers have said that he must die because he gave himself out to be the Son of God And Pilate has sent him to the cross because he said that be was the King of the Jews How strangely these familiar words fell upon the tired heart of Artaban They had led him for lifetime over land and sea And now they came to him darkly and mysteriously like message of dcs pair The King had arisen but He had been denied and cast out lie was about to perish Perhaps He was already dying Could it be the same who had been born in Bethlehem thirtythree years ago at whose birth the star had appeared in heaven and of whose coming the prophets had spoken Artabans heart beat unsteadily with that troubled doubtful appre hension which is the excitement of old age But he said within him self The way of God are stranger than the thoughts of men and it may be that shall find the King greetings May the spirit of happiness and good will that fills this season 1ch in your home and bless your loved ones for the many years to rooted Merry Christinosfnd Happy New Year to all aw Monsoon ca 111 ioffer my pearl for his ransom be fore lie dies whom he had ransomed crouchedl helpless beneath the wall of the So the old man followed the mulipraetorium de and 93m at What had he to fear What had toward the Damascus gate of the city Just beyond the entrance of the guardhouse troop of Macei donian soldiers came down the street dragging young girl with torn dress and dishevelled hair As the Magian paused to look at her with compassion she broke suddenly from the hands of her tormentors andrthrew herself at his feet clasplng him around the knees She had seen his white cap and the winged circle on his breast Have pity on me she cried and save me for the sake of the God of purity also am daugh ter of the true religion which is taught by the Magi My father was merchant of Parthia but he is dead and am seized for his debts to be sold as slave Save me from worse than death Artaban trembled It was the old conict in his soul which had come to him in the palm grove of Babylon and in the cottage at Bethlehemthe conflict between the expectation of faith and theimpulse of love Nice the gift which he had con secrated to the worship of reli gion had been drawn from his hand to the serviceof humanity This was the third trial the ul timate probation the final and tr revocable choice Was it his great opportunity or his last temptation He could not tell One thing only was clear in the darkness of his mindit was inevitable And does not the in evitable come from God One thing only was sure to his divided heart40 rescue this help less girl would be true deed of love And is not love the light of the soul He took the pearl from his bos om Never had it seemed so lum inous so radiant so full of tender living lustre Hevlaid it in the hand of the slave This is thy ransom daughter It is the last of my treasures which kept for the King While he spoke the darkness of the sky thickened and shuddering tremors ran through the earth heaving convulsiver like the breast of onewho struggles with mighty grief The wallsof the houses rocked to and fro Stones were loosened and crashed into the street Dust clouds filled the air The soldiers ilTrulyv moy Sontd magic touch ochl jm ember of your he to live for He had given away the last remnant of his tribute for the King He had parted with the last hope of finding Him The iquest was over and it had failed lBut even in that thought accepted and cmbganced there was peace It was not designation It was not submission It was something more profound and searching He knew that all was well because he had done the best that he could from day to day He had been true to the light that had sheen given to him He had look ed for more And ifhe had not found it if failure was all that came out of his life doubtless that was the best that was possible He had not seen the revelation of life everlasting incorruptible and immortal But he knew that even if he could live his earthly life over again it could not be other wise than it had been One more lingering pulsation of the earthquake quivered through the ground heavy tile shaken from the roof fell and struck the old man on the temple He lay breathIESs and pale with his gray head resting on the young girls shoulder and the blood trickling from the wound As she bent over him fearing that he wen dead there came voice through the twilight very small and still like music sounding from distance in which the notes are clear but the words are lost The girlturm ed to see if someone had spoken from the window above them but she saw no one Then the old mans lips began to move as if in answer and she erhou he this Chsasgosz clamorth dammit mm spirit mo Not so my Lord For when saw thee and hungcred and fed thee Or thirsty md gave thee drink When saw thee stranger and took thee in Or naked and clothed thee When saw thee thee Threeandthirty years have looked for thee but have never iseen thy face nonministered to thee my Hzing He ceased and the sweet voice lcame again And again the maid ibeard it very faintly and far away lBut now it seemed as though she lunderstood the words Verily say unto thee Inas much as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my breth ren thou has done it unto me Acalm radiance of wonder and lsick or in prison and came unto joy lighted the pale face of Arta ban like the rst ray of dawn on snowy mountain peak One long last breath of relief exhaled gently from his lips His journey was ended His treasures were accepted The Oth er Wise Man had found the King And now that his story is told what does it mean How can tell What does life mean If the meaning could be put into sentence there would be no need of telling the story HENRY VAN DYKE SERPENTINE RACE The 89th annual 100 yards race forvthc Peter Pan Swimming Cup will be held on the morning of Christmas Day in the Serpentine lake in Londons Hyde Park Should the lake befrozen the ice will be broken to enable the swim mers to take part The lcompetitors are all members of the Serpentine Swimming Club hardy