"
All the time he was in the Temple, watching the procession of priests
and Levites and listening to the music, the Boy was thinking what
the Sabbath meant, and whether it really rested people and made
them happier.
The third day of the festival was the offering of the first-fruits
of the new year's harvest. That was a joyous day. A sheaf of ripe
barley was reaped and carried into the Temple and presented before
the high altar with incense and music. The priests blessed the
people, and the people shouted and sang for gladness.
The Boy's heart bounded in his breast as he joined in the song and
thought of the bright summer begun, and the birds building their
nests, and the flowers clothing the hills with beautiful colors,
and the wide fields of golden grain waving in the wind. He was happy
all day as he walked through the busy streets with his parents,
buying some things that were needed for the home in Nazareth; and
he was happy at night when he lay down under an olive-tree beside
the tent, for the air was warm and gentle, and he fell asleep under
the tree, dreaming of what he would see and do to-morrow.
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