his?" he asked.

There were many people ready to tell him her name, and also to tell
him how she had left her land and her people to come with Naomi, her
mother-in-law. The story had been repeated all through the town.

Boaz listened with interest. Naomi was his kins-woman, and it was only
right that he should help her. He would begin by helping the
sweet-faced daughter-in-law who had chanced to come gleaning upon his
land. So he went and spoke very kindly to the beautiful Ruth, and told
her to come every day to his harvest field and share the reapers'
food, and he would see that no one troubled her. He even told the
reapers to let some handfuls of corn fall in her way, on purpose, so
that there might be plenty for her to glean.

[Illustration: The two loving hearts rejoiced in their happiness.]

So each day Ruth went back and worked in the harvest fields, and each
day as Boaz watched her he grew to love the gentle, loving-hearted
woman more and more. And when at last the harvest days were over, he
went to Naomi and asked that Ruth might become his wife.

There was no more poverty or hard work now for Ruth or Naomi, no
anxious days of wondering how long their flour and oil would last.
Boaz was very rich, and nothing was too good for his fair young wife,
whom he had first seen humbly gleaning in his harvest field.

Happiness, too, began to steal back into the life of Naomi. Winter and
spring passed, and when harvest time came round once more, all the
sorrow and bitterness faded from her heart, for God sent a little
child to comfort her. A baby son was born to Ruth, and the whole world
seemed full of sunshine and happiness as she laid him in his
grandmother's arms, and the two loving hearts rejoiced in their
happiness, just as they had clung together in their sorrow.

Of course, they dreamed many happy dreams over the little downy head,
and planned a splendid future for the baby, as all mothers and
grandmothers will do. But even their dreams never touched the golden
reality, for they did not know that he was to be the grandfather of
King David, that in this same little town of Bethlehem there was to be
born of his line a greater King yet, the King of Heaven.

SAMUEL, THE LITTLE SERVER

It was some years after Ruth's son had been born in Bethlehem that
another mother was made glad by the precious gift of a little son.
This mother's name was Hannah, and her baby was a special joy to her
because she had so