ving mothers,
were swept by maddening flames and glittering swords into the oblivion
called death, from whose silent gloom no smile or tear, no laughter or
wail, ever yet has come, then Rahab and all that she had was saved.
She had asked it, and schemed for it, and of course she did not fail.

Next we come to Deborah, a prophetess, who judged Israel at that time,
and from the little that is said of her husband, we infer she was the
head of the house and ruled him besides attending to her professional
duties.

Well, Deborah sent for Barak and commanded him to meet "Sisera, the
captain of Jabin's army," in battle array. But he was afraid, and to
inspire him by her courageous example she went with him to the field
of battle, and every man of Jabin's host "fell upon the edge of the
sword; and there was not a man left." But Sisera "fled away on his
feet" to Jael, the wife of his friend. Sisera, like another defeated
general, had lost his horse.

And she went out to meet him, and gained his entire confidence by
smiles and deception, and took him into her tent and gave him milk to
drink, covered him with a mantle, and said in her sweetest tones,
"Fear not." Then when he slept the sleep of perfect exhaustion, defeat
and despair, she "took a nail of the tent, and a hammer in her hand,"
and softly, with bated breath and step that often paused and ear that
bent to listen, she approached him, and then--quicker than the
lightning's flash or tiger's spring "she smote the nail into his
temples, and fastened it into the ground: and he was fast asleep and
weary. So he died."

Nice way for a woman to treat her husband's friend, wasn't it?

[Illustration: (She smote the nail into his temples.)]

Abimelech killed seventy of his brothers to become King, and after
wars and battles too numerous to mention he came to "Thebez, and
encamped against Thebez, and took it." But there was a strong and
mighty tower in the city and a thousand men and women, stained with
blood, expecting no mercy, but defiant to the last, fled there for a
few hours of safety.

"And Abimelech came unto the tower and fought against it, and went
hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire."

And all the men stood aghast, helpless and despairing, waiting a
terrible death. Then a woman with a vision of blood and moans, dying
men and ravished women before her, with a courage born of desperation
and a wit sharpened with intense fear, boldly stepped to the wi