ndow
ledge, and in the glare of bursting flames and the sound of dying
groans "cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to
break his skull."

"Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said
unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman
slew me. And his young man thrust him through, and he died," as a man
naturally would who had been hit on the head with a millstone and
pierced through with a sword; and every one in the tower was saved.

I'm not telling you this to harrow up your feelings, but just to show
you that the holy women of old were not such nonentities as some of
us have supposed.

[Illustration: (Cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head.)]

And time, undelayed by the roses of June or the snows of winter, by
sunshine or starshine, by laughter or sighs, by birth or death,
hurried on and the Jews fought and triumphed, bled and died "and did
evil, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines."
And after a while Samson was born, and what do you suppose he did
just as soon as he became a man? Why he went down to Timnath and fell
deeply, desperately, madly, in love with a Philistine girl, and he
went straight home and told his father and mother about it and they
did not approve of it--they never do, it seems--but he was determined
to have her, for there was not another female for him in the whole
wide world--they all think that for the time being--and of course he
married her. Then he made a seven-day feast, and unfortunately he
amused the company with a riddle. Of course his wife was dying to know
the answer, and her people threatened her if she did not find it out,
and altogether it was a lively discussion, and she made his life a
burden and a delusion and she wept before him and said:

"Thou dost but hate me and lovest me not; thou hast put forth a riddle
unto the children of my people and hast not told it to me." And Samson
declared he hadn't told it to his father or mother or any living soul
and swore he would not tell _her_--but he did. For "she wept before
him the seven days while the feast lasted," and on the seventh day,
exhausted by her upbraidings, deluged by her tears and wearied by her
everlasting persistence, he whispered it in her ear, and she told the
children of her people.

It is safe to conclude that Samson was angry, and the wedding feast
broke up in confusion and dismay, and he went and killed thirt