the spirit of mortal be proud?"

I presume Zipporah, one of the priest's daughters, had heard about the
elegant and courtly Egyptian who was in the neighborhood, and she no
doubt adorned herself with all her jewels, wore the finest finery in
her wardrobe and wreathed her lips in smiles; for she knew that love
lives and thrives on smiles and roses, coquetry and gallantry, on
laughter and sweet glances, and faints and dies on frowns, neglect and
angry words; and so she tripped down to the well, bent on conquest.
Then she flung back the drapery to show her dimpled arms, and drawing
water filled the trough; then the "shepherds came and drove them away;
but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flocks." Was he
not gallant, and a striking contrast to the ugly shepherds?

And of course Moses told her that it almost broke his heart to see her
performing such menial labor, and all such sweet fictitious stuff, and
she glanced at him admiringly from under her long, curling lashes, and
the "rebel rose hue dyed her cheek," and he told her about the great
court where he had been reared, and she whispered that her papa was
the rich priest of Midian; then they clasped hands lingeringly and
said a soft good-night.

It seems the old gentleman kept a pretty close watch on his girls--and
he doubtless had a steady job--for he asked them how it happened that
they had returned so soon. And Zipporah put her arms around his neck,
and placing her cheek against his told him all about the gallant and
courteous stranger. Having an eye to business--as behooves a father
with seven daughters on his hands--he didn't let this eligible young
person slip, but sent and invited him to his house and deluged him
with hospitality and kindness--and Moses and Zipporah were married
"and Moses was content to dwell with the man."

[Illustration: (They clasped hands lingeringly and said a soft good
night.)]

But after a while, first soft and low and then in trumpet tones,
ambition whispered in his ear that he could deliver the Hebrews from
their enemies. "And Moses took his wife and sons and set them upon an
ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt."

And I suppose, though time was young and wore roses then, the days
passed slowly to Zipporah and she grew tired of Moses and the Lord,
tired of the rod that turned into a serpent, of the strife and the
bondage and the river of blood; tired of the frogs and the lice and
the swarms of flies; disgusted