believe she meant
it--as far as Boaz was concerned at least; but when she adds "thy God
shall be my God"--well, we have known many people who were quite pious
when they were about to do something they wished to cover up, and
their prayers were a little more fervent at that time, just to throw
people off the track, so to speak. And Ruth had decided to capture
Boaz's heart with her midnight eyes, wear his gems upon her breast,
and plunge both hands deep down in his golden shekels. But of course
she didn't intend to confide this dead secret to a garrulous old lady,
and have it reach the ears of the mighty man of wealth perhaps, for
the cunning, witty, pretty widow knew that a man never likes to be
caught.

So one day she (with Naomi) arrived at Bethlehem with a half a dozen
things in her favor, any one of which would have made her noted, at
least.

She had youth (she was not more than twenty-eight perhaps) the divine
gift of beauty, the luck of being a stranger, the advantage of being a
widow, the prestige of a convert, and the novel notoriety of being the
first woman in the world who ever was in love with her mother-in-law.

Is it any wonder "that all the city was moved about them?"

Well, no doubt Ruth found out all she wanted to know about Boaz,
learned his habits and characteristics, made all the inquiries she
wished in a way that "was childlike and bland," and at last having
her arsenal well armored with the big guns of wit and beauty and
garrisoned by facts and observations and the experience of an ex-wife,
she was ready for Love's war, where the bullets are soft glances, the
sword thrusts kisses and the dungeon of the captive is the bridal
chamber, and she went to her mamma-in-law and said sweetly, "let me go
now to the field and glean ears of corn after him (you see she
admitted she was after him) in whose sight I shall find grace."

"And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers;
and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz."
Wonderful, wasn't it, that it was her "hap" to light on a part of the
field belonging to Boaz?

And lo, in the morning ere the sun was half way up the blue sky, Boaz
came into the barley field and his eyes fell upon the beauteous Ruth
gleaning with the reapers, and delighted at the sight, he called the
general manager and said:

"Whose damsel is this?" And he answered and said: "It is the Moabitish
maiden that came back with Naomi out of t