IT
January, 1940
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Junior King' s Bus iness By MARTHA 5. HOOKER Member of Faculty. Bible Institute of Los Angeles
SAMMY’ S NEW YEAR’ S DAY B y J anet L. W heeler morning. How would you like to bundle up and go for a hike in the woods before breakfast?” “ Yessuh.” Falling into step silently behind David, Sammy w o n d e r e d why ? his master seemed so different today. They strode down the s h a d e d woodland path and soon crossed the line marking the bor der of Colonel Dickson’s plantation. When at last they reached a small clear ing, the two stood watching the beauty of the eastern sky, while all around them the shadows shrank back timidly out of sight to give place to the sun. “That sho’ am pow’ful purty, Mastah David.” “Yes, Sammy.” And then as if talk ing to himself, “Only God could make a sunrise.”
I T WAS dawn. Young S a m m y slipped quietly out the back door and hurried down the path through a forest of fragrant magnolia and moss- hung oaks. To Sammy, a colored boy on a plan tation “down South,” dawn meant the beginning of a n o t h e r day with his young master, David Dickson, the only son of wealthy old C o l o n e l Dickson. S a m m y was unusually cheerful this morning, and a bit curious, too. Just two days ago, David had come home from a visit with his Uncle John in the North. He had seemed different, some how, and . s e v e r a l times Sammy had caught Master David looking at him in a thoughtful, earnest way, as if there were something special on his mind. Once he had seemed almost ready to say something. But there had been an in terruption, and this morning Sammy was still wondering what had happened to Master David while he was away. Overhead in the trees the birds were waking and twittering sleepily. Some where behind him Sammy heard the crowing of old Tom, the rooster. Peer ing through the trees and out across the distant fields, he saw the eastern sky turning from inky blue to pale rose as the sun neared the horizon. Down there through the trees about a quarter of a mile stood the beautiful southern mansion of the old Colonel and his son. Sammy closed the gate behind him goftly and walked as quietly as he could down the gravel path, and soon he stood directly below Master David’s bedroom window. Looking up, he gave a long shrill whistle. As the echoes died away, he listened intently. Soon the curtains parted, and Master David greeted his little colored friend with a smile. “Top o’ the morning to you, Sammy.” “Momin’ to you, Mastah David.” With this the head in the window disappeared, and Sammy hurried to the stables. Climbing the fence, he perched on the top, his usual place of waiting for his master. As the young man ap proached, Sammy dropped lightly to the ground. “Does yo’ all want the ho’ses groomed fust thing fo’ de Colonel?” he asked. Master David stood looking down at Sammy’s eager face. “Let’s forget the horses for a while. The Colonel and I won’t be riding this
Sammy glanced up at him wondering- ly. He had never heard Master David say anything like that before. They were now following the bayou which wound its snakelike path through the trees. Upon reaching his favorite woodland spot which he called Over hanging Rock, Master David climbed to the top of the rock that jutted out over the water, sat down, and motioned for Sammy to do the same. For several moments they sat silently watching the sunlight filter through the ancient oaks beside the bayou. Sammy did not want to speak first, but in his heart he was wondering why David had brought him out here if he just intended to sit and look at the trees and the water. A t last Master David spoke, with real seriousness -’“' his vr’ :e, “This is New Year’s Day, Sammy. You know, when ever I think of a new year, I always think of all the new things that will hap pen that never happened before. For one thing, starting today, there will be all kind's of new life.” “Oh, you mean like de new grass dat sprouts in de spring and like Baby Sis ter?” “That’s right, Sammy, but there’s still another kind of new life.” For a moment the young man sat watching the moss festoons on the stur dy oaks as they swayed in the breeze. Then, lifting his finger, he pointed to a huge oak a few feet away. “ See that big oak tree over there, Sammy? You know, of course, that be fore that oak tree could have life and grow to the size it is now, something had to die. Once, many years ago, an acorn fell from one of these other oaks into the soft ground. After a while the acorn was buried in the earth, and then a little oak tree began to grow. Now see what a great tree it is, and here we are sitting under it, enjoying its shade. Through the death of the little acorn, here is something beautiful and useful. And did you know that Someone died for you and me so that we might have a new life?” Taking from his pocket a Testament, the young man opened it and read: “ ‘But God commendeth his love to ward us, in that, while we were yet sin ners, Christ died for us’ (Rom. 5:8). ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’ (Rom. 3:23). ‘For the wages of sin is death; but tht gift
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter