he was thinking so hard that it hurt. He knew well enough that he was a sinner. There were many things for which he needed to be forgiven: the many times he had disobeyed his mother; the mean things he had said to his little sis ter ; the melons he had stolen; the hate he felt in his heart when his father punished him. These things had bothered him long before Mr. Cameron came to the reservation but Running Deer had his own way of dealing with them. He just ran away from them! When he felt bad inside and did not like himself at all, he jumped on Swift Arrow and rode mile after mile. Of course, the bad feeling came back and soon he was as mean as ever. Running Deer now knew that he did not have the an swer to his sins. He had learned from Mr. Cameron that the an swer was in his answer to that question: “What will you — Run ning Deer — do with Jesus ?” It hurt him down inside his heart that Jesus had loved such a bad boy so much that He gave His life for him. Who could help but love such a Saviour? Often Running Deer talked aloud to Swift Arrow. Today he had been so silent that the little pinto looked at him as if to say, “What is wrong with my pal to day?” Pushing his co ld nose against Running Deer’s arm, the pony nuzzled him affectionately. Then suddenly with a swift move ment, Running Deer threw his arms about Swift Arrow’s neck, gave him a big hug, and, jump ing on his back, shouted: “ I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” They were off like the wind, rounding up the cattle and driv ing them into the corral. In a few hours, Running Deer was sitting in the arbor, listening to the mu sic. Tonight, however, he did not take his own harmonica out o f his pocket. After the singing and playing were over, Mr. Cameron did a surprising thing. He said, “Tonight we shall not have any pictures at all. I am going to read a story about a boy in the Bible.” After reading Luke 15:11-32, he
Jr. KING’S BUSINESS
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PART II
A twelve-year old Pima Indian boy, Running Deer, out on the desert herding cattle with his pinto pony, Swift Arrow, was re membering things. Mr. Cameron, a missionary, had come to teach the Bible to the boys and girls. Running Deer, who knew both English and the Pima language, went with the missionary to se cure Chief White Feather’s per mission to erect a brush arbor where meetings could be held. This was granted and for his help Mr. Cameron gave Running Deer a beautiful, red English Bible. To go on with the story: T he missionary had arrived sev eral months ago when all of these things took place. Running Deer had not missed a single night reading from his red Bible. There was never a Book like this and never a Person like the One of whom it spoke. Every day Run ning Deer thought about Jesus and His love. How the children loved their little brush arbor, the object les sons and Bible stories Mr. Came ron taught them! When he went into the city, he brought back awards of pictures, and books, and candy for learning Bible
verses. The music was great too: they had their own orchestra of harmonicas, reed whistles, an oc casional horn and at least one violin. When Mr. Cameron di rected them from his small organ, they made up in volume what they lacked in melody. Now they could sing the Gospel choruses and songs without even looking at the words! All the boys and girls loved Mr. Cameron because they knew he cared about them. He listened to their troubles, wrapped up cut fin gers, and put salve on stone blis ters. But, most of all, they could trust him. He kept his word and never deceived them. So when he showed them from God’s Book that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world because He loved them and wanted to take away their sins and make them His children, they believed him. “ Ev eryone in the world,” said Mr. Cameron, “must answ er this question: ‘What will you do with Jesus?’ ” Already many o f the boys and girls had become Chris tians by believing upon Jesus and receiving Him into their hearts. This was the trouble. This was the reason that Running Deer was so quiet and thoughtful, why
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T H E K IN G 'S BUSIN ESS
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