he horn of oil with which he
would anoint the new King if he should find him, also a young calf to
offer as a sacrifice, that he might have a suitable excuse to give to
the people for his visit.

Of course the coming of Samuel created a great excitement in the little
town of Bethlehem, for the people feared that he came to reprove them
for some wrong-doing, until Samuel assured them that this was not so,
that he came peaceably, and in proof of it invited them to the
sacrifice which he was preparing to offer on a hill just outside the
gate of the city. According to the rule of Oriental hospitality, it was
customary that some prominent man from the village should invite Samuel
to return to his home after offering the sacrifice, to break bread with
him and to pass the night under his roof if Samuel desired to do so,
and as Samuel had invited Jesse to the sacrifice, it came about quite
naturally that, as Samuel desired, it was Jesse's home to which the
aged Prophet went.

After they had arrived there, Samuel and Jesse sat and talked together
alone, for although Jesse had eight sons and two daughters, and they
were no longer children, the Eastern custom forbade a man's family to
enter his presence unless he expressly asked them to do so. And so
Samuel and Jesse were alone together, until Samuel asked Jesse if he
had no sons. Jesse replied that he had, and Samuel then requested to
see them. It was natural for a father to be pleased at such a request
and Jesse at once sent for Eliab, his eldest son, who promptly came
into the presence of his father and the aged Prophet, and Samuel looked
earnestly at the tall, handsome fellow, but a voice within him told
Samuel that Eliab was not the king-to-be, and after a brief talk with
the young man, he was dismissed, and Jesse called another and then
another of his sons, until Samuel had seen seven of them, but the
prophet only shook his head as he saw each one of them, for the voice
of inspiration or instinct said within him:

"Neither hath the Lord chosen this." Then Samuel turned once more to
Jesse and asked:

"Are here all thy children?" And Jesse answered reluctantly:

"There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold he keepeth the sheep."

Then Samuel bade Jesse send for David, which he did, and David, who was
as usual roaming with his flock in the Judean pasture-land, was greatly
surprised to see a messenger coming to him in breathless haste, and
still more was he surprised to