The Little Gopher Who Wouldn't Listen By Betty Bruechert
L INDY was a happy little gopher with a glossy tan-and-white striped J coat and bright black eyes. He was good most of the time, but he had one bad habit: he liked to run away from home and look for newly-planted corn which tasted to him as delicious as candy does to a boy or girl. This was not only a naughty thing for Lindy to do, but it was also dangerous. Joe, the Farmer Boy, became very angry when the gophers nibbled at his young corn. One morning he said to his father, “ I am going to catch that gopher today if I get nothing else done!” “How will you do it?” asked his father. “ Oh, I’ll set a trap for him or drive him out of his hole and kill him with a stick!” he replied grimly. If little Lindy had heard that conver sation, he certainly would have listened to his mother that morning when she said to him, “Now, Lindy, I want you to pay attention. Your father and I have to go to that field over the hill to gather some food for the winter. Under no circumstances do I want you to leave our home . . . do you hear me?” she interrupted herself as she saw a far away look in Lindy’s face. He said, “ Yes, Mother,” but he really wasn’t listening. He was thinking of those juicy kernels of corn and wishing he had some of them. Sure enough, as soon as his parents slipped away very softly through the tall grass, he pushed aside the dried stalks that were his playthings, and made his way to the surface of the ground where there was an opening. Gophers make their homes by digging tunnels in the ground and lining them with leaves and grass and sticks. First, Lindy looked out. The sunshine was bright gold and the fields a shining green. “ It’s much warmer up here,” he said and climbed out of the hole. He took a deep breath. “ Oh, how fresh the air is! And how hungry I am!” he exclaimed. He lay for a few minutes on the warm green carpet. All he could think of was the wonderful How to Join the K.Y.B. Club To become a member of the Know Your Bible Club, read through the Gospel according to John, using either your own Bible, or a Gospel of John which will be sent upon request. When the Gospel has been read and a statement to this effect, signed by parent or Sunday school teacher, has been sent to the Editor of the Junior King’s Business, a K. Y. B. C. pin will be mailed. Sunday school classes or clubs desiring to order ten or more Gos pels or pins may wish to share the cost of these supplies, as the Lord directs; Gospels, postpaid five cents each—in quantity, three cents; pins, without postage, two cents each. However, no one is to do without a Gospel or pin because of lack of money. Address: Junior King’s Business, 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Calif. Page Twenty
from Joe’s hand. The Farmer Boy grinned broadly. “ I never saw anything so scared in my whole life,” he said. “ You know I ought to get rid of you, for if I don’t, you will eat a lot more of my good corn, but I just can’t . . .” and to Lindy’s surprise he put him down on the ground, and gave him a gentle kick. “ Get going before I change my mind,” said Joe, and Lindy needed no second invitation. He made a bee-line for the field over the hill where his father and mother were. They were very surprised to see him and were getting ready to scold him when they saw how wet he was. “What happened?” asked his father, and when Lindy told them how he had disobeyed and what had been the re sult, his mother began to cry. “ Don’t cry, Mamma, I’m all right now,” he said, snuggling up to her, “ I’m sorry I was so bad.” “ You have made us a lot of trouble, Lindy,” said his father, “but I will not punish you because you have been pun ished enough already. We cannot return to our hole because Joe, the Farmer Boy, knows where it is and he will not let you off a second time. I will have to begin digging a new home at once. If you had only listened to your mother, you would have saved yourself and us all of this worry and work. But if you have learned a lesson, maybe it will be worth it.” How sorry little Lindy was! He made up his mind right then and there that he would never, never, never again keep his ears closed when his mother was talking to him. Sometimes boys and girls do not listen to their parents, and even worse, they do not listen to God’s Word, which states that no one can ever go to Heaven who does not accept Jesus as his Saviour. There is a wonderful verse that says, “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Let us listen to Him and obey Him. Remem ber the words of that old hymn, “ Trust and obey, There’s no other way, To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.” New K.Y.B.C. Members HARTVILLE, Missouri: First grade— Carl Allen Todd, Helen Sue Hutton, Donnie Coltrane, Linda Passwater. Second grade— Bonnie Walls, Irene Branstetter, Gerald Pedersen. Fourth grade— Bettie Joe Russell, Helen Branstetter, James Finch, Herbert Pedersen, Bobbie Wood. Fifth grade— Barbara Deckard, Kathrine Finch, Bonnie June League, Johnnie Branstetter. Sixth grade — Gene Hutton, Gerry Hutton. Seventh grade— Jerry Branstetter, Clyde Todd, Loma Jean Wood. Eighth grade— Darlene Branstetter, Bonnie Deckard, Barbara League. (D. H. Hutton, Teacher. Stella Ball Shepley, Leader.) REDDING, California: Walter Throop. (Mrs. Fay Throop, Leader.) T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
flavor of that corn. Suddenly he could bear it no longer. He jumped up and scooted off as fast as his legs would carry him to the cornfield. In a few minutes, he was devouring kernel after kernel with his sharp little teeth. He had forgotten completely what his mother had said. He was enjoying himself to the full when suddenly right beside him he heard a step and there was the big, heavy shoe of Joe, the Farmer Boy! He was so frightened he crouched down beside the com, scarcely breathing. How he wished he had listened to his mother when she said, “Lindy, don’t go away from home! Don’t go away!” Wonder of wonders! Joe had not seen him! So, as soon as he walked on, Lindy slipped out of the row of corn and ran for home. But he was too late! Joe heard a rustle in the com and started after him. Gophers run very fast indeed and Joe could not catch him. But he only laughed. “Good, you little rascal! I’ll just let you lead me to your hole and I’ll get rid of your whole family!” Lindy was out of breath when he reached his hole and he just stumbled down into it, lying there shaking like a leaf. Suddenly a stream of water began to trickle in. It covered his feet, reached his waist and soon was up to his head. He floundered around, swimming a little, and soon he was washed right out of the hole up on to the ground. There towering above him was big Joe, the Farmer Boy. “ Ho, ho!” he shouted. “ So I drowned you out, eh?” He picked up Lindy, all wet and shiver ing and looked at him. “ Why, you are just a baby gopher,” he laughed, “how could you do so much damage?” Little Lindy’s heart was beating as if it would burst as he struggled to escape
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