The Brook Kerith

The Brook Kerith, by George
Moore

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Title: The Brook Kerith A Syrian story
Author: George Moore
Release Date: July 5, 2004 [EBook #12821]
Language: English
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THE BROOK KERITH
A SYRIAN STORY

BY GEORGE MOORE
1916

A DEDICATION
My dear Mary Hunter. It appears that you wished to give me a book for
Christmas, but were in doubt what book to give me as I seemed to have
little taste for reading, so in your embarrassment you gave me a Bible.
It lies on my table now with the date 1898 on the fly-leaf--my constant
companion and chief literary interest for the last eighteen years. Itself a
literature, it has led me into many various literatures and into the
society of scholars.
I owe so much to your Bible that I cannot let pass the publication of
"The Brook Kerith" without thanking you for it again. Yours always,
George Moore.

THE BROOK KERITH
CHAP. I.
It was at the end of a summer evening, long after his usual bedtime,
that Joseph, sitting on his grandmother's knee, heard her tell that Kish
having lost his asses sent Saul, his son, to seek them in the land of the
Benjamites and the land of Shalisha, whither they might have strayed.
But they were not in these lands, Son, she continued, nor in Zulp,
whither Saul went afterwards, and being then tired out with looking for
them he said to the servant: we shall do well to forget the asses, lest my
father should ask what has become of us. But the servant, being of a
mind that Kish would not care to see them without the asses, said to
young Saul: let us go up into yon city, for a great seer lives there and he
will be able to put us in the right way to come upon the asses. But we
have little in our wallet to recompense him, Saul answered, only half a
loaf and a little wine at the end of the bottle. We have more than that,

the servant replied, and opening his hand he showed a quarter of a
shekel of silver to Saul, who said: he will take that in payment.
Whereupon they walked into Arimathea, casting their eyes about for
somebody to direct them to the seer's house. And seeing some maidens
at the well, come to draw water, they asked them if the seer had been in
the city that day, and were answered that he had been seen and would
offer sacrifice that morning, as had been announced. He must be on his
way now to the high rock, one of the maidens cried after them, and they
pressed through the people till none was in front of them but an old
man walking alone, likewise in the direction of the rock; and
overtaking him they asked if he could point out the seer's house to them,
to which he answered sharply: I am the seer, and fell at once to gazing
on Saul as if he saw in him the one that had been revealed to him. For
you see, Son, seers have foresight, and the seer had been warned
overnight that the Lord would send a young man to him, so the moment
he saw Saul he knew him to be the one the Lord had promised, and he
said: thou art he whom the Lord has promised to send me for
anointment, but more than that I cannot tell thee, being on my way to
offer sacrifice, but afterwards we will eat together, and all that has been
revealed to me I will tell. You understand me, Son, the old woman
crooned, the Lord had been with Samuel beforetimes and had promised
to send the King of Israel to him for anointment, and the moment he
laid eyes on Saul he knew him to be the king; and that was why he
asked him to eat with him after sacrifice. Yes, Granny, I understand:
but did the Lord set the asses astray that Saul might follow them and
come to Samuel to be made a King? I daresay there was something like
that at the bottom of it, the old woman answered, and continued her
story till her knees ached under the boy's weight.
The