BOYS OF THE BIBLE. 101

Joseph was ready to obey his father’s wish, and away
he wanders down through the pleasant vale of Hebron, and,
boy-like, he goes in his fine new coat, that had already so
enraged his envious brethren. We say ‘“ boy-like.” What
could have been more natural? What’s the good of a fine
coat if you cannot wear it? The finer and grander the
coat the greater the mockery if it is always to be hidden
in the closet. Boys of seventeen, and men who are quite
old enough to have put vanity far from them, know how
true this is.

It was very foolish of Joseph to go in that coat. It only
added fuel to the fires of jealousy and envy. The very sight
of it stirred up such a feeling that, had it not been for Reuben,
it would have cost Joseph his life; for these men were wicked
and cruel, as the narrative shows. They saw Joseph quite
away off. They knew him by his fine coat. He seemed to
be all coat to them. Quick as thought they said with a sneer:

‘Behold this dreamer cometh! Let us put an end to his
dreams; let us kill him, and tell Jacob, our father, that a wild
beast has devoured him, and then we shall see what will
become of all his fine dreams.”

Instantly Reuben comes to the rescue. He forms a merciful
plan of saving the poor lad from a cruel death. He urges his
brethren to be pitiful. Mr. Winks has presented Reuben’s
plea on behalf of Joseph in the following pleasant lines-—

REUBEN.
Shed no blood!
Remember blood can speak and call aloud
For justice. From the dust it calls,
And entereth the ear of God in heaven.
Have ye forgotten how the blood of Abel
Called aloud e’en from the ground for vengeance?

O let me warn you ’gainst so foul a crime,
Lest the dread curse of Cain should rest upon you.