they reached the town, they were very tired and very thirsty* Dog felt as if he could not take another step. He noticed a small building by the side of the road. “ Come, Mamma,” he said, “ that building looks so cool. There are many people in it, and they will not notice us.” They slipped in the back door and leaned against the wooden benches. Up front, there was a foreigner. He must be the “ Jesus man.” Dog knew that the village priest hated him. But why? The Jesus man was speaking wonderful words: “ Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat thew 11:28). Rest! Dog and his mother listened very carefully. Somehow they knew that what the foreigner was saying was true. They would take Jesus back to their home with them in their hearts. Life was very different for Dog after that wonderful morning. A rich lady hired his mother as a servant, so he had enough to eat. His mother’s eyes were clear and happy now. And the ugly idols no longer glared at him across the hut. Instead a Bible lay in the place of honor. But the boys in the village teased Dog about his new religion. One morning they told him that the gods would punish him with sickness. “ I believe in the true God,” said Dog. “ Those idols can’t hurt me.” One of the other boys jumped up, “Well, then, if you are so sure of that, why don’t you go knock off the head of one of the gods?” The other boys began to shout, “Yes, yes, we dare you, Dog. We dare you!” QUIZTIME Arrange the answers to the following so that the acrostic "February" is found run ning through the words: Number Books in Pentateuch A letter in the first Book of the Bible A letter in the 4th Book of the Bible A letter used twice in one. of the Books of Poetry A letter found in one of the Minor Proph ets A letter found in the Second Gospel The first letter in the last Book of the Bible The last letter in the name of a young man whose name is thè title of two Books in the New Testament Answers: J^L|JOUI|J_ UO|4B|3A3y w w wnHeN sqjBAoyd SJaguunjsj Sjsaugc) 9 A IJ
How Three Lost Their Heads b y Dr. D ick H illis
T he little Chinese boy huddled in a comer of the mud hut and looked at the family idols in the other comer. What ugly cruel faces they had: And what good had they ever been to his family? The little boy’s name was Dog. That may seem like a very unusual name to you, but it was quite common in China. The people believed that the evil spirits were especially fond of doing harm to boys, so in order to deceive the spirits, they named their little boys such names as 'Rat, Dog, or—Girl. The spirits do not consider girls of any more value than animals. Dog lived in a very small, dirty hut with his mother and father where they all slept on a hard bamboo bed. Often it was bitterly cold. Dog’s par ents went to work in the fields very early in the morning, but before they left, they would always pray to the
gods. Even if there was not enough money for food, they would spend their few pennies on incense to bum before the idols. Dog would watch his mother’s face as she prayed. There were fear and sadness in her eyes. Did the gods never listen to her prayers? Then one day Dog’s father went off to war. Dog cried, but his mother told him, “ Don’t cry. Your Papa will come back.” Dog waited and- waited, but his father never came back. Now his life was more miserable than ever. Dog and his mother were always hungry. The crops failed and Dog had to beg in order to get a few pennies for food. He hated the cruel gods who cared nothing for them. One morning he and his mother went to the large town several miles away to beg. It made Dog sad to look at his mother for she was very thin and she never smiled. When
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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