BOYS OF THE BIBLE. 155

Israel, and Eli, bowed with years and distressed with a world
of cares, seems to have turned to the child Samuel for
comfort.

It is a dreadful thing when fathers and mothers have to
turn away from their own children to children not their own
for comfort and solace, especially in their old age. It may be,
to some extent, their own fault. They have, perhaps, ‘spared
the rod,” and all that the rod means, and thus helped to spoil
their children. ‘This does not excuse unfilial conduct in the
children, nor make the case less sad.

So things went on, when, one quiet night, Samuel heard
a voice calling to him, and saying:

“Samuel! Samuel!”

Naturally enough, Samuel thought Eli had called him,
and so made haste to see what Eli wanted. But Eli said
he had not called, and so Samuel went to bed again. A
second and a third time the voice was heard quite clearly
and distinctly to say:

“Samuel! Samuel!”

And still Eli had not called. At last it dawned on Eli
that God was calling the child, and had some special message
to deliver. And so he charged him if the voice came again
to say:

“Speak, thy servant heareth.”

At last God spoke and told Samuel of the sad doom
that awaited the house of Eli. After a while the voice
ceased, and Samuel wondered about all the things God had
said, and then, like a fearless child, fell asleep.

When the morning came Eli asked Samuel all about
the strange sounds and voice of the night before, and what
God had said; but Samuel hesitated. It was hard work for
a boy to tell an old man so sad a story. But Eli wanted