And the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept, and as he went there he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee. O Absalom, my son, my son!" {170} THE STORY OF A GOOD KING When King David died, Solomon his son became king. He was the wisest and best king the people ever had. He is often called "the wise king." One night soon after he became king he had a dream. In his dream he seemed to see the Lord, who said, "Ask what I shall give thee." Instead of asking for great riches or honor or power, Solomon asked for wisdom. He said, "I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart." And the Lord replied, "Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked for the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding, behold, I have done according to thy word; I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, and I have given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like thee all thy days." {171}{172} [Illustration] CHILDREN AT CANA From a photograph taken by Mrs. Fontaine Meriwether and used by her kind permission. [End illustration] {173} Then Solomon awoke and knew it was a dream, but in after years the dream came true, and Solomon became the wisest and richest king in the world. Every year his ships sailed away and brought many rare and costly things from the East. They brought gold, and silver, and precious stones, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks. At one time Solomon had a visit from the Queen of Sheba, who had heard of his great wisdom and wished very much to see him. She came with a great many servants riding upon camels, and she brought him as presents, gold, and precious stones, and spices. Many kings came also to see him and they brought as presents, gold, and silver, and costly cloths, and spices, and horses, and mules with their harnesses. Solomon's greatest wish was to build a beautiful house in which to worship God. So he sent to King Hiram, who lived in the north country where the great cedars of Lebanon grew, and Hiram sent his woodcutters into the forest and they cut down the great cedars {174} and squared the logs into beams. Then the lumber was taken to the coast and floated on rafts in the sea along the shore and then brought over the land to Jerusalem. There were also men working in the stone quarries hewing out the great stones for the foundation, and skillful workmen making the golden ornaments and the beautiful carving. So carefully were the stones and timbers cut and marked that they were all put together without the sound of hammer or axe. This beautiful building was the first temple which the Israelites built and it has always been called "Solomon's Temple." {175}{176} [Illustration] CAMEL MERCHANTS