And Naomi said, “My daughter, where have you gleaned to-day?” And Ruth said, “In the field of Boaz, and he was very kind to me.” “Why,” cried Naomi, “he is a near kinsman. Your husband’s father was his cousin.” So every day, through barley harvest and through wheat harvest, Ruth gleaned from morning till night in the fields of Boaz. By and by, good Naomi said to herself, “Boaz has no wife, and Ruth has no husband. How pleasant it would be if they should marry!” And so she planned and planned [Illustration: BOAZ NOTICES RUTH AND ASKS ABOUT HER] how she might bring it to pass. And one day she called Ruth and thus and so she said to her, and Ruth, who thought that everything that Naomi said was right, promised to do as she was told. And that night the wind was blowing and the moon was shining, and Boaz was working late, winnowing barley in the threshing-floor, he and his men, and after supper he lay down on the floor at the end of the heap of barley and went to sleep. And in the middle of the night he waked and turned over to sleep again, and there was Ruth. And Boaz said, “Who is this?” And she said, “I am Ruth. My husband’s father was your cousin.” And he said, “You have done well, my daughter, to come to me. I will do whatever you wish. Only there is a kinsman nearer than I. We must first see him. Lie down now and sleep.” So she lay down and slept, and the next morning, before the day was light, she rose up and went home. And that day Boaz sat by the city gate, and the kinsman passed. “Ho!” called Boaz, “turn aside and sit down here.” And Boaz called ten men to sit beside them. “Now,” said Boaz, “Naomi has some land to sell which belonged to our brother Elimelech. Will you buy it?” “Yes,” the kinsman said, “I will.” “But wait!” said Boaz. “Whoever buys the land must take Naomi with it, and Ruth her daughter.” “That is too much for me,” said the kinsman, and he took off his shoe to show that he would not buy. “Then the land is mine,” said Boaz. And the next day he married Ruth amidst the rejoicings of all the people of Bethlehem. And by and by there was a little boy named Obed, and he became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David. XXVI “SAMUEL! SAMUEL!” One time, in the hill country, among the mountains of Ephraim, there lived a farmer named Elkanah. He and Hannah his wife were comfortably rich. They had fields of wheat and vineyards of grapes, and flocks and herds, and plenty of hay in the barn; but in one way they were poor,--they had no children. Sometimes Hannah cried because the house was so empty and still, and there were no voices of children in it. Sometimes she was so sad and lonely that she could not eat, and though her husband tried to comfort her, and said, “Hannah, am I not better to you than ten sons?” still she was full of grief. For children are the best gift which God gives to man, and all the cornfields and vineyards and sheep and oxen in the world are not to be compared with them.