It was the harvest time when Naomi and Ruth came into Bethlehem; and, when Ruth saw the gleaners at work, she said, "Let me not be idle; let me go forth into the fields to glean." Now, Ruth knew no one among the gleaners; but, when she came into the field, and the gleaners looked upon her sweet face, they loved her at once and gladly took her into the field with them. This field in which Ruth gleaned belonged to a rich man, named Boaz; and, when Boaz saw Ruth at work, he said kindly, "Stay here with my maidens and glean in my field. Follow them and glean after the reapers. And when thou art thirsty, then go and drink of the water which my servants have brought." [Illustration: BOAZ AND RUTH.] Ruth wondered at the kindness of Boaz and said, "Why dost thou show such kindness to me, a stranger?" And Boaz smiled kindly upon Ruth and said, "Because I have heard of thy love for Naomi; and that thou hast left thy home to come with her and live among her people. May God bless and reward thee!" By and by it came the time when all the gleaners stopped their work and ate their noonday meal. Kindly the maidens took Ruth with them, and they ate together. But when Ruth had had her share given her, she laid aside a part and carried it home to Naomi. "Where hast thou gleaned to-day?" Naomi asked. And when Ruth told her she had gleaned in the field of Boaz, and how kindly he had welcomed her, then Naomi was filled with gladness; for Boaz was of the family of Elimelech; and she knew that now he would be kind to them and not allow suffering and hunger to come to them. All the long beautiful autumn Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz; and each day Boaz loved Ruth more and more, so gentle and kind was she. Then, when the harvest was over, Boaz came to Naomi and told her that in Canaan there was land that belonged to Elimelech; and that he would buy this land and take Ruth and Naomi to his home. Then Ruth and Boaz married; and by and by a little child was born to them. How much Naomi loved this little baby! How tenderly she nursed it; and how carefully she taught it as it grew into boyhood! And so these people lived together until Naomi grew old and died. Then Ruth and Boaz, who had loved her and cared for her all these years, mourned for her, and buried her tenderly beside her own people in the land that had been her father's--the land she had loved so well. [Illustration] [Illustration: SAMUEL PRESENTED TO ELI. (_Opir._)] THE STORY OF SAMUEL. At Mount Ephraim there dwelt a man, named Elkanah, with his good wife, Hannah. These good people had one son, Samuel, whom they loved with great tenderness. He was their only child; but, though they loved him so, they carried him when he was yet a tiny boy to the temple and left him with the holy priests. "Here is my child," the good mother said. "I give him now to our God, the God of Israel. So long as he lives shall he be the Lord's."