Junior King’s Business
MARTHA S. HOOKER, Editor Associate Professor of Christian Education Biola Bible College
Beepo Mends Some Manners
by Betty Bruechert.
B ruce and Mark lay on the lawn in front of their house, enjoy ing the warm sunshine after a strenuous walk home frdm school. Near them their big English bull dog, Beepo, was sleeping. Mark looked at Beepo and began to giggle. “ Bruce, can you think of a four-letter word beginning with U that describes Beepo?” he asked. Bruce answered right away. “ That’s easy— U-gly!” He took a good look at Beepo too. “ I guess he will never win a beauty prize. But let me ask you one—a nine- letter word beginning with U that describes Beepo too?” Mark thought awhile. “ You don’t mean U-seful, do you? Oh, no, that’s only six letters—but that is surely true of him.” Bruce shook his head. “No, that’s not the word, but it is a good one. I can’t think of any animal in the world who tries to be more useful. He always brings in the paper, and he knows exactly where Dad’s slip pers are and when to bring them to him.” “ Yes,” agreed Mark, “ and how about all the packages he carries from the store in that funny little basket of his?1People are always smiling at him.” Bruce broke in enthusiastically, “ Just think how he barks at night when anything suspicious is going on? Mother says she feels perfectly safe when Dad is away if Beepo is in the house. But you haven’t guessed the word. It is not U seful .” Mark w rink led his forehead. “Could it be U-nusual?” He count ed on his fingers. “No, that’s only seven letters. It means different though, and if any dog in the world 26
is different, it’s good old Beepo!” They laughed and then sat up and observed Beepo more closely. His underslung jaw and his pro truding teeth made him look very fierce when in reality he was very gentle and affectionate. “ I think he is unusual because he doesn’t look the way he is,” said Bruce. “ That’s a funny sentence,” re marked his brother, “ but he does scare off some people with that face of his.” “He wouldn’t hurt anyone unless he was doing wrong,” added Bruce. “Mother thinks he ik unusual be cause he is so obedient.” “ I know,” said Mark. “ She wish es we were more unusual that way. But what is that word? It’s a real long one, isn’t it?” “ Yes,” replied Bruce, “ but it is a very common word. Do you give u p ? ” “No,” exclaimed Mark. “ If you can think of it, I can! I know it isn’t U-nderfed because I give him his food every night. It can’t be U-nhappy because he knows how much we love him, and he is al ways wagging his tail.” Bruce said patiently, “Besides, neither of those words has nine letters.” “ Oh, I know! I know!” shouted Mark at last. “ It’s U-nselfish! Why didn’t I think of it before!” “ Yep, you guessed it, Mark. U-nselfish is the right word for Beepo. Unselfishness makes even such an ugly dog beautiful.” Bruce threw himself face down on the green grass. “ Remember the time when Dad had the accident and Beepo wouldn’t eat at all?”
Mark nodded. “ Yes, he sat out side the bedroom door and waited till the doctor said Dad was going to be all right. How did he know how sick Dad was?” “ I don’t know,” answered Bruce, “ but he was in the car when it turned over and he pulled Dad out of the seat onto the side of the road before the car caught fire.” Mark shivered to recall that aw ful time. “ That was when Beepo got his picture in the paper. Mam ma said there was more in the pa per about him than about Dad.” Just then Beepo moaned in his sleep. “Maybe he is remembering too,” said Bruce. “More likely a flea is biting him,” said Mark with a grin. “ But that was only one of the times Beepo was unselfish,” con tinued Bruce. “ I wonder how often he pulled us out of danger when we were little, tumbling over this very yard? Mamma says he always acted as if we belonged to him.” Mark smiled. “ Remember the big Siamese cat Aunt Lou gave us, how mean it was to Beepo, always spitting at him and scratching him?” “ Yes, but Beepo tried every way to be friends, even to letting it have some of his food,” contributed his brother. “ I was glad •when it ran away and never came back, weren’t you, Bruce? But Aunt Lou didn’t like it very well.” Again the boys laughed happily. And, stretching himself out on the green carpet, Bruce asked, “How about the way old Beepo still walks to school with us every day? He thinks he is keeping big fellows THE KING'S BUSINESS
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