December, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
453
Jun ior K ING ’S BUSINESS B y M a r t h a S. H o o k e r
TEDDY’S CHRISTMAS GIFT B y A l ic e M . A r d a g h
A s Miss H il y a r d and Miss Paxton came out from seeing the new Strei- cher baby, Miss Hilyard remarked, “What a miserable place for a baby to be born into!” Miss Paxton responded gravely, ‘‘Jesus was born today in a stable." Neither of them saw Teddy Coleman sitting on the curb, but Teddy caught Miss Paxton’s words, and Teddy, who was three years old and considered himself almost a man, wanted more than anything else to see a baby. “Born today I Why, it is not a day old I” he said to himself. Teddy was going to see that baby! Teddy knew of only one stable, and he scrambled to his feet and set off in its direction. His little legs were very short, and it took a weary number of steps to reach his destina tion, but when he got there, the door was open and he walked in. He saw a man lying on some straw in one of the stalls. Teddy went up to him. “ Hello, Youngster!” the stranger ex claimed. “Where did you come from?” Teddy’s eyes were searching for some thing. “ Vere did ’ou put it?” he asked. “ Put what? I didn’t take anything from you, Youngster!” ■ “I never had it. It vas born today in zis stable.” The man, who was only about nineteen, sat up. “ Say! What are you talking about, Baby? I wasn’t born today, and I’m the only one here!” “ It vasn’t ’ou; it vas a baby. It vas younger nor me. I’m free years old. It vas born today in zis stable.” “Not this stable, young fellow. There are others.” “ Vill ’ou take me to ’em?” Teddy’s voice was very pleading. “And who will I ask for when I get there?” laughed the youth. “Jesus.” The smile faded from the young man’s face. “ Say, Mr. Three-years-old!” he said. “ Some one’s been telling you fairy tales! Jesus was born nineteen hundred years ago, in a stable miles away from here.” Teddy’s little head was being slowly shaken. “ Zat musta been anuzzer Jesus,” he said. "Zis oiie vas born today. Vill ’ou take me to ze uzzer stables ?” “ Look here,” said the youth. “Where do you live?” “Out zere,” replied Teddy, pointing to ward the open door. “ Couldn’t be clearer!” said the young man, laughing again. “Well, I’d better take you ‘out zere’ !” “ Could ’ou carry me?” asked Teddy, “Ise awful tired.” The lad caught up the weary little trav eler. “Guess I could, Baby t” he said. “It might keep us both warmer, at that.” They went out into the pale sunlight o f the
winter day. “ Now which way, Youngster?” Teddy looked distressed. “Doesn’t ’ou know?” he asked. j‘fI doesn’t.” Ned Taylor came to a decision. He must
Miss Paxton lifted the tiny form to the low table in front of her. “ What wasn’t there, darling ?” “Ze little baby, Jesus. And ’ou said it vas born today in ze stable. I vant to see it.” Teddy’s voice was very firm and clear and could be heard all over the hall. Miss Paxton encircled him with one arm and said: “I want you to be very quiet and listen, dear, and I will tell you all about it. This little laddie (she turned toward her audience) must have heard me say that Jesus was born today in a stable. He didn’t know I meant this day of the year, but long years a g o!” Teddy’s eyes were fastened on her face, and Teddy understood what she said. It came to him suddenly that there was no little baby Jesus! He wasn’t going to see a baby! Miss Paxton, looking down, saw the big tears that rolled down the baby cheeks, and she drew him more tightly to her. “On that wonderful day,” she con tinued, “a little Baby lay in a stable in Bethlehem, very far away from here. The Baby’s name was Jesus. God sent an angel to some shepherds who were watching their flocks in the field, to tell them that the little Baby, the Saviour of the world, was born, and that if they wanted to see Him, they could find Him in a manger in Bethlehem. Then the shepherds wanted to go to see Him. They came to the stable and found the little Baby. By and by the little baby Jesus was grown up, and as a man He went about healing sick people, feeding hungry ones, and raising people from the dead. Wouldn’t you think every one would have loved Him? Instead of that, they beat Him and put Him on a cross, and then they sat down to watch Him suffer and die. Even as He was dying, He still loved them! But He was God, you know, and He couldn’t stay dead. After three days, He came out of the grave, and later He went back to heaven. Now He is asking every one of us to love Him as Saviour, even this little laddie as well as you and me. Jesus loved little children. He is listening to us now. This is His birthday. W e give gifts to our earthly friends on their birthdays; shall we give Him nothing on His ? But there is only one thing He wants—ou r, hearts. How many o f you will give Him yours?” Teddy’s tiny hands—both o f them—went up, and Teddy’s clear little treble voice said, “I’ll div Him mine!” Perhaps he did not understand what he was promising—he was only three years old—but his little heart was* warm with love at that moment for the kind Jesus who had been so good to everybody, and God took the offered gift o f Teddy’s love. As the years went by, an understanding of what the Saviour had really done came to
■M take the little one to the police station. “All right!” he said cheerily. “Hold on to me, and I’ll take you there.” And Teddy did hold on, rather choking ly for Ned, but Ned would not have asked for any loosening o f the little trusting arms. The two had covered only a few blocks when Teddy stiffened suddenly. "Sh-hl" he said. “ Zere's ze name!” They were passing an open door through which came the words, sung by many voices: “ Sweetest Name on mortal tongue! Sweetest carol ever sung: Jesus, blessed Jesus!” “Take me in !” commanded Teddy. But Ned did not want to go in! He put the little one down and said: “ You go in, Youngster!” Surely some one in there would see that Teddy was taken home! But a tiny hand seized Ned’s and drew him excitedly into the building. A sweet faced woman came forward and handed Ned a hymn book, but a cry of joy went up from Teddy. “ Zere she is! Zere’s ze lady dot said it !” And he was on his way up the aisle as fast as. his short little legs could carry him. Up the rough steps lead ing to the platform he scrambled. Then he ran across the platform to the lady who was now addressing the people and who did not see, as, the' smiling people did, the little figure funning toward her, until she felt a tug at her skirt and heard an ex cited baby voice crying: “I wented to ze stable an’ it vasn’t zere.”
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