THE SIGN OF
THE BLOOD
A STORY OF THE HEBREW PEOPLE'S
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
By the "H hway and Brway" Preacher
S~riptiural Au lhority.--Exodus 11:1
il wolntal stand
ing in the low
doorw;,y of the but
/: " ttroestl i t coot across
though w'Itcthint
forl lt' ('nl l.llg of
iFI 54110mP 111t1, a 0
hwIllh hl'r s-ar'h
ing .iv'e was 111
" wr'warded, a siitl
ti' lines of i 11x
ious care ulon
her tace dt'epen,,l. Sh, was armu, ed
at last froimn h11r Iteeri' by the
lil 'ltn of a t:lnilh t iherol'd close
by thlie door, which now ( ' and11(1
pressed its soft, Itlist .ose in her
htlld. l.nokin dowlt, she pitted Ilth
I'i'ir,Itii'e's htl ,ul t#'n'ly, s:;yiit , softly:
"No, I hald not to)rottenll you, little
la u )b, hut. t1hi iigilt of 1 .,1l 11:: ,e's mI(
alnxiouls for Abillan'. r111111."
And again the wo. an;!i lifted her
eyes and sea(' hled thipe rist:;ilt hlorizoln,
but nlothing was to bir :.t·e hlut thlle
groups of low-lying huts 'of the l ti' -
Irew:; alnd in oclt ,stlonal itre r llbush,
which, Illovinl ill tle bree,e. she tried
to persuadle Itselt w . ' 1a wa dvin i;il
tigure, and niihti he Abidan, but aus
her eyes waItched intently adl sThe
fouud it neither ad\'vanced nor recetied,
1sh1 knew slit was mlist.;lllaen. For near
'y a week now she had been expect inl
her son's retiurn. W\V;rd had been
sent him far down in Egypt as soot!
ais Moses had comnm:anded the peolple to
prlepare for tlihe Passover, and whelln the
necessary time had elapsed for his
arrival she h:iad waltched with grow
ing anxiety, and every nmoment the
could steal frI'in her wirk she woolI
sill) to the doorway and look in the
direction from which he would comne.
When the tenth day arrived and the
lamb had been chosent, her anxiety had
increased, fo" in four days more the
ianth was to he slain and all of the
household who were not behind tlhe
sheltering hl)od would perish, as the
Lord had said. And th:at little li'mb
tinder her eye all day long was a con
stant reminder of the vital importailce
of her son's return.
"What if he conies not in time?" she
asked herself over and over again,
and as the third day since the ilhtl
had been chosen drew towarlds a close,
and still he was absent. she felt ite
heart would break with its burden of
anxiety.
The little Lnmb gave a plaintive bleat
as though he hal entered into synm
pathetic feeling with his mistress in
her troubles. Again the woman
Iooked down, and then, dropping on
the ground at his side, she threw her
aim ab:out the gentle creature, and, I
h:aving no oine else to talk to, for
her husband was away at his tasks and
tlhe children were out, she lioured the
thoughts of her heart into his ear, and
the little lamb listened as though he
understood all that was said to him,
and responded occasionally with an ex
pressive bleat.
"Oh, Lamly, why don't he come?"
she said. "All the other absent ones
have returned. Even Sheber, neighbor
Ephaih's son, has come, and he was
far to the south of where Abidan was
at service. I had hopled he would bring
some tidings of my boy, but he did
not, and now it is but one more day
and thon-"
She paused abruptly.
"Yes," she broke out at last, swal
lowing hard to keep down the sob, "we
shall be sheltered behind thy blood."
And almost reverently she laid her
hand upon the head of the lamb. "But
what of Ahidan? What of Abidan?
The Lord has said He! would pass
through the land, and if Abidan, my
first born son, be not with us in the
house, he will perish, even as the Lord
has said. Unless," and a new note of
hope sounded in her voice,-"unless
some other Hebrew home where the
blood is sprinkled gives him shelter."
The thought brought a glimmner of
comfort to her heart, and set her to
thinking. If her boy was far away
and dependent upon some other Hie
brew family to give him shelter, per
haps some other mother's boy was in
her neighborhood who would need an
invitation andl a shelterhng roof to pro'
tect him. Why had she been so wrap
ped up in her own as to forget those
about her? Had not Moses spoken ex
pressly that the lamb and the home
was to be shared with the family too
small to need one lamb or too poor to
procure one? And here for days she
had been so filled with the thought of
the return of her owtn boy that she
had not looked about her to see who
there might be who wour need her
help. She blamed herself for her self
ishness and thoughtlessness, and ris
ing to her feet she bustledl about her
work with a new purpose while every
now and then she nodded towards the
little lamb approvingly and sale:
"Yes, your precious life shall shelter
as many as I can $nd who will have
no other place td go. Surely God will
be pleased to have it thus, ad per
haps some other mother wilt look
slta~ my.boy, it he return not"
After her husband's return, lI . the
eveniag twilight and. the simple meal
had been.pertaken of, she told him of
her plans anti they met his approval.
Iving thA "older Children to look
5' . ,
nfter t'hr c;'inger ones and put them
to, l(ed sihe ha:sltenedl ff down the road.,
for as s.ih hail studied over in her'
mind what shi' could do there hal re-i
cit.rred to her ninrld that down the roadc
a pite-.c there lived a family that had:i;
had hard work in getting even thei
barest necessities of life. The husbanrd
and father thad been sick and when he
had failed to turn iup at his task the
supplies which Pharaohll had beIn let
ing out to them weret' withdrawnr, and
even the litt;' lalmbi whh I they had
been able toi save from the ftock which
hadl eeri taken from themn when ris
fortune o\xertookh theml. had at last
einll gie'ii lup s(mle weeks ago in or
der that they might oltain the pro
visions they needled.
The neighbors albout thenm had been
kind to thlll, bul t every one flllun l it
hard work getting; along, and there
was little that icould be spared theilt ll
But the Pascal lamb w(Iould ie large
enllo gh for thiemll, and the gol wUorn
at. as site hurried along. lui;e for'go
her owni .solrrolw anlld nxiety ini the
joy of planning for tlhe shelter of
those, who would nolt ibe provlided for
ex.let sl ; 'e gave of her Iiowni store.
"T'here are the lur chtilhrn and fa
ther and nii-, arnd ther a e ;efour of
the l, sa lthat there w ll Ibe the tern
which .h,-es has declaredI wats the
proper lnuitber to p;artake oif the Pias
cal meal, she mused to herself, as shoe
hiurritid onwxardl. "lit what of Abi
dan" she slddenly exclaimei, Sop
pii n short it ad htlf turn ing ar'ound.
"\Were will he int'e in"
Shi' hadil not thtught of it letore.
Int her e:ri'rintss ',o help she had nlot
consitderl that there would hlie 11
with her -ien' Abidai. What would be
donel wih himr when he shouhl return'?
('tnui.l slire hit hint out? She trenm
bled at the thought, and her goodt putr
tos's lhoutan to waver. lut what
wourl happen to her needy nieighb;or,
if she failed to give them shelter? It
was a sharp, hard struggle whi-h sthe
fought out there under the stars on
that last night before the laiRlb was
to be slain. Time and again she start
ed :o retrace her steps, a nd as often
turned about and went forward, anid
each time found her farther upion her
way toward her neighbor's.
"I must go forward," she cried at
last as site drove back the tears and
stitled the rising promltings of selfish
ness. "Here is a need that tullat be
met, and God will provide the way.
And perhaps--perhaps Abidan won't
come back," and at the thought a
pang of sorrow seizedhr her heart, to
give place an ins'ant later to the bet
ter thought, that God would provide
for him elsewhere, if hie did not.
As she neared the threshold of the
house, the s nand of voices came
through the open dot;orwxay, and she
paused to listen. Father and mother
were In conversation while their two
little ones slept. and it was for them
they wire planning.
"Oh. why is it that our lamb shotuld
have been taken?" walled the mother.
"Has God forgotten us? Shall we he
shut out of the shelter and deliverance
of Israel because of our lack?"
"No." responded the father, encour
agingly, "Moses has said that the fam
ily too little for a lamb, or unprovided
with a lamb, shall be sheltered with a
ftamily more tortimnate." -
"linut whither shall we turn for such
shelter? None have bitdden us."
The father paused, unable to make
reply, and the mother continued:
"Perhaps we will be ahle to find
sompae place for our bhey and giril, andt
it matters not so much al)out our
selves," and she stifled a sob as it rose
to hier lips.
The rustle of garments In the door
way caused her to turn, and there
stood her neighbor, who said, cheer
ily:
"Thou and thy children shall eat the
Passover with us. Then shall come
to-morrow at eventide when the laimb
is to be slain."
And having thus spoken the woman
w'as gone.
The twilight is deepening, and the
householders throughout Goshen have
solemnly and silently slain the little
lambs th hat had been kept by them
four days a mute reminder of the de
liverance which God had promised to
give them. The blood has been caught
in the basons and the bunches of hys
sop have been dipped therein and the
lintels and side psts of the houses
marked with the blood. All have gone
within but one. The mother lingers
about the doorway and looks yearn
ingly down the roadway.
"Oh, will he not come, my Abidan,
my son?" she cried.
And for answer the father came and
gently, but firmly pushed her in the
doorway and shut to the door.
With a sob she sank to the floor.
But what was that? Hurried foot
steps sound without. With a glad cry
the mother springs to her feet and In
a thrice has thrown wide the door, and
drawn across the threshold her boy.
Eleven in the household? Yes, but
something within tells her that God's
lamb is sufficient for all, and she lifts
her heart to him in thanksgiving, in
which all join.t
Quits Saloon When Converted.
"Eddie" Thomas was a bartender in
an Anrierson (Ind. )saloon until, about
a month ago, when he was converted.
He attributes the first step toward his
conversion to a placard tacked on a
telephone pole to advertise the revival.
Directly in front of a saloon where Mr.
Thomas was employed was a card read
ing: "Get right with God." He said
his attention became rhneted to the card
and its command. Then he walked from
behind the bar, went to church, and has
not since been in any saloon.
Voted Against the Saloon,
Out of 27 local option elections i1
Missouri the past year, 21 went dry.
THE E.lIICAN
SAHOME
f·.B tA.RADFORD
. EDITOR
"Mr. i| n ' iti" fitlA 'r will tisver
llll'j' t of I IIIII g fo or the r l'aeL'rs .lf this
)pe r nI l il n ';t, count of his w ide expe
ri "nle as Editor, Auth ,)r mid Na;tnufac
Ilre'r h, i-", without doubt, the h t chest
ttth'r:t', it a ll tlnese utbjtects Adhire-s
.III ,It ti rie( - to) ilW 1am A. iultatrd, No.
I4 Fifth A: '" ., 1h'.:ra; o, Ill . and only
This is a little big house contain
ing nine rooms. The size is 25 feet
; inches in width and 31 feet ti inches
in length, exclulive of portIhes, and
it may cost $1.200 or $1.l)O. under
favorable 'circtlnltstantos, according to
he section of tile country in which
it is built.
It is unusual to get nine rooms in
arty cottage., but it has been done in
this caste by making use of what often
is left merely as a big attic. Ilere
we get three b d rooms, ant a hall
big enoutgh for a sewing-room, out of
nothing. betlcause the attic in nlost
mouses is just that much waste rooml
-a place to keep old lnmber--stuff
that should be given away or burned
tip insttead of piling It in the attic
to catch dlust and di..: tse gernis.
These attic roomns are' large enough
to hold a set of furniture and leave
roomn for enougth air, so that a pierson
may sleeIp comfortably in any one
of them.
The iouble window in the gable
admits both light and ventilation and
the outside appearance is good. Some
way I always like a double window
in a gable. Gables are not to be
despised if they are properly dressed.
Some gables are homely enough, but
that is because the builder has neg
lected his opportunities. Since read
ing, as a boy, Hawthorne's "House
of Seven Gables" th se projections
have always possessed a charm for
toe. Even the ugly ones attract my
attention when driving along the
road. But there are no ugly gahles
in this house. There are not seven
of them, but there are enough and
every one looks well and every one
has its use.
In this plan the whole hack end of
the house on the first floor is made
I Ar
L~
.t: ;j E.A ý.·a A A
~4k,.
r·
into a kitchen and pantry. The
kitchen is a woman's workshop where
she spends most of her working hours
and it should be large, light and airy.
The men expect good meals, sharp on
-A aRin
hoor
I,mid Roorl
CW/AMt /2 q', I'4
I'j , /O o
GROUND FLOUR PLAN.
time and the women have a right to
object` to . 'petsley litle - l~qJe in tf~e
cornet, ,b$? couttesy called 'a kitchet..
A womnt Rwally looks OI'I at the:
kitchen, and if that is not right she
does not ,want the house, and: I do
not blame her. Of course she wants
all the other rooms right. :oo. bu
not at the expe(nse of the k.trhen.
There are six rooms downstairs ant
a very nice little bathroom besides
There is no hall downstairs and i
could not be expected in a house o;
this size and cost. when the numbel
and size of rooms are taken into con
sideration. The downstairs floor plar
of this design Is very comnpart. It
fact every inch of room is utilized;
no sae is asd au it wol be
difficult to imov o it in any
of a reetion roonl.
onaryi plan' 0
this kind. The vestibule is bi.
This plan gives a cellar lone
enough to have one cold end for fruit
There are a thousand little things to
consider in building a house, and a
fruit cellar is one of them. By set
ting off the part of this cellar that
comes under the parlor it may be
made cold enough to keep apples ali
winter. Apples will not keep in a
warm cellar. The best temperature
is 33 degrees, but of course that can
not be maintained in any cellar, but
this plan offers as good an arrange
ment for fruit as it Is possible to gel
without artificial refrigeration.
The arrangement of chimneys pro.
rides an easy means of heating the
house with stoves, if stoves are pre.
ferred. The front chimney also offers
a splendid opportunity for a corner
grate in the parlor. I like cornet
grates. They take up less room, and
a three-cornered mantel looks well
and somehow I think the corner of a
room is the right place for a fire.
If I should build this little cottage
for myself I should have the pretti
est corner grate In the front parlor
that I could find. And I should in.
sist on having something small
enough to fit the room, and delicate
enough to please' my ,wife's esthetic
taste.
This little cottage house is worth
careful consideration by those who
expect to build a house with room
enough for a good-sized family with.
out tying up a great deal of money.
If you use good material and keep
the house nicely painted you will
never be ashamed of it or regret your
decision.
# "Ea'tMiake Gowns."
In 1750 there was a, great earth
tquake in E-agland and hIorace Wal.
pole reoprds that "several women have
made 'earthquake downs,' that is.
Wtaim gowns to" sit d~t 'of doors all
night." WalD*oe aiso tells' that
"Turner, a great china man, at the cor*
n r o aneeatr ,r, .L, ;jar
ac ke lbly the- o& i )ýi OIgýrially
'asked tia ýguidelaa- fotbe jar hte t ow
asks 20, because it is the only jar in
gurope that had been cracked' ýy ur
earthquake." ,
#4 '
JOHlN HiENRY
A ON BUTTING IN
BY HUGH McHUGH
(Gecrge V. Hobart)
IN 'iliE II.\NI -'AIN'TEII EANl E 1I
Of course if a fellow has a lady
;riend that's a dead swe1l looker he s
always anxious to grab her by thth'
elbow and lea. her in among the rest
of the promtnaders.
I'n out to wager two or more seven
doilar hills that when it c'omles to face
and form my lady friend has the r,,st
of the bunch looking li;e the ail
flowers at a ('hoctaw cotilliotn.
She's the iag front the starter.
Sne's the only mirror on the inan
tle-piece- believe m'!
I took her down the lane to one of
those swell grub stations the ot her
night and since then \'v.ry tinme I thin~
about it I feel iike getting up and or
dering myself out of the room.
Being solmewhat of a monill(ey hater
myself, of c(ourse I'm wise to einouigh
pikers to fill a ploughed field.
Just as sure as I stride into a fancy
feed-store with nothing on my mind
but a desire to act like a gentleman
and buy hot cookies for the Best and
Only I'm doomnen to meet a hullnh of
sawdust sports who want to leave their
own tables and associate with me.
Of course they only ao it just be
cause they have elastic in their necks.
They expect an introduction to the
Beautiful Girl and after getting it
they've figured it out to hand her a
line of conversation that will charm
her to a standstill and make the Man
she's With look like a dried apple.
And every mother's son of them
talks like he'd been struck in the
grammar by a ferryboat.
Anyway, I took my lady friend to a
sumptuous soup-house the other even
ing for dinner. I've just ordered four
dollar's wortn tiff the card and we're
sitting there .n the hand-painted bean
cry chatting pleasantly and waiting
for the 'longshoreman to journey back
with the oysters.
It) to our tauoe comes Abie Sluice
berger.
Able has a great pull all along the
line because the picture of an uncle of
his aung in the Hall of Fame for
nearly an hour before the janitor got
on to it and threw, it out.
Able puts a hand on each corner of
the table and leans over with all the
grace peculiar to a soft shell crab.
"Hello, John Henry!" says Able.
I bow and give him a Klondike grin,
)ut he ducks and comes up happy.
"Eatin'?" inquires Able.
"No, Able," I answered, just to put
him wise to the fact that a swift walk
away would do us all good. "No;
we're not eating We just dropped in
to play a few hands of bridge whist
with the waiter and he s gone to get
a deck of cards. We never come into
a restaurant to eat. Usually we drop
in during thle rush hours and help the
t1/I
"LORD HOPE."
proprietor peel the oysters. On this
occasion, however, we're out for a
dickens of a spree so we ve decided to
play bridge with the waiter."
"Quit your joshin', John Henry!'
says Able; "you're getting to be a
worse kidder than Bill McConnell!"
After a while Able notices that it's
up to him to fondle a fierce frost, so
be backs out.
"Who's your friend?" inquires
Clara Jane, after Able had moseyed
away.
Now, you know, a fellow can't con
fess to the Original Package of Sweet.
ness that he's entered in the same
-race with a lot of $3 goats.
On the level, now, can he?
It was my cue to make a Big Play.
I had to get gabby and make Clara
Jae believe I associated only with
To ,rrid Tamales.
And did I?
Oh! ask me 'easy just to tease me!
"Who! hat?' I says, after I fisheyd
for a few French-fried potatoes;
"why that's Lord Hope."
MI hlady triend dropped her knife
and fork and gave nime the stitti,
gaze.
I n'ever whimp:lered.
(h, seCold nim' s(),l nme!
"I.ord hope! ' saye she. "''Why,
John lHenry, yoi never told 1me ),u
knw Lorl Itop'!"
"lDidn't I sI ay.;, "nn.! my' how
thou.ghtlhss' \\V.ll that his L.,,rd.
ship all right, all right! '
C'lara .lane thought a whhil ain I
('arve(' my initials on a sliv,.r .tf e',:.ry.
liut you cal(led him Ab . .-,y
she. after ,'a pali s,.
'Sur'.- thingu'. I say s. "what ell '?
W\ant me to 'all him Mis'.' or la sy or
,Mleyr or lkey? le's n t Irot ,h"
"l 'an't ima:ine an En:li-h nohle.
man ii in.;g hald Able," sia my lady
friend. for she's a first rat.e B h, ter. r
by nature, but a I)oubte.r when the
dice roll heavy.
I was beginaing to feetl ust about
as happy as a hard-boiled g. but I
was in up to) my .neck and I couldint
hollter for help.
"Englishnu n have queer namels. es.
pecially noltlemenn. Say! wn t you
have' a charlotte russe or an apple trit
ter?-it'll do you good!'. I says, hop.
ing to swing the conversation c(los.
enough to the shore so that I could
jumpl off and take to thie lmiher.
My linish was ringitig toil' door tell.
Just then .M1ike .M(;uire strilled
into the neighborhood and want.e to
hang up his hat oin my heook.
Once in a while Mtlike breaks into a
theater and trris to act till some one
catches hint with the goods. Then he
apologizes. tbart.s out of his harnuss
and is up and away to the swamps.
"Gooud evening'" says Mike, push.
ing out the familiar ist.
I'm right back at him with a short.
arm nod of recognition, andl in &
minute I'm busy with my beans.
"Feedin'. I s e!" says Mike. wish.
ing to show my lady friend, that his
powers of observation are strictly
home-made.
I gave him a look that I figured
would comb his hair. but hair, but h's out to
make a deep impression on ('lara Jane
so my haughty expression didn't finish
one, two, three.
Before I can get back from the
breakaway I find him reciting the sad
story of his life and watching my lady
friend to see it she enjoys light litera
ture.
"Oh, yes." says McGuire. "I do so
love the stae. I've been playing the
Provinces for eighteen weeks as Ilot
spur, the Ioy Hero. in hlen Hlur, and
I was the hit of the show!"
Two to one he was out doing the
potato plantations with a No. 3 t'nc.
Tom's ('am. ('o.
About all that guy could mix with
is a parcel of I'ncle Tommers.
Finally, after writing about four
chapters and getting his life lines
crossed with George Washington,
Manny Friend, John McCullough and
Tod Sloan, he begins to notice that
the wind is blowing chill across the
wild moor so he signals the conductor
and hops off the wagon.
"Who was that?" inquiries my lady
friend, as McGuire ambles back to his
own table.
"That," I says; "Oh! that was the
Earl of Yarmouth."
Clara Jane handed me a swift
glance, then she patted her hat-pins
and grabbed her gloves.
"Come along, John Henry!" says
she, "King Edward will be here in a
minute and after what I've read about
him I don't think I care to meet nhim.
Let's go home."
She wins In a whisper.
It'll take three weeks to square mfy
self.
Hereafter, me to Dennetts! Me to
the stack o' wheats symposium where
the rest of the entries stick to their
stalls. Where the outside conversa
tion Is confineo to "Draw one!" and
"Boll two, meejum!"
No more swell Sandwich Salons for
me, where the grafters want to butt io
all the while.
Oh! escold me! scold me!
(Copyright, 1901. by ;. W Dil:lngham (o.)
Effect of Beer Drinking.
It Is our observation that lie-er drink
ing in this country produC'.s the very
lowest kind of inebriety. .elsely altie I
to criminal insanity. The' most dan
gerous ruffians in our large cities are
beer drinkers. Recourse to beer a< a
substitute for other forms 01 alcohol
merely increase, the dangers and fatal
ity.-Scientific American.
Hominy Wafers.
Add one-half pint cooked hominb
to a batter made of two cuptils flour,
one teaspoonful baking-powder, one
and one-fourth cupfuls milk, one
tablepsoonful melted butter, one-half
teaspoonful salt, three eggs beaten
separately; run through a coarse
sieve and bake In hot, greased wall
iron