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T H E K I N O ’ S B U S I N E S S
May, 1940
j un i or King' s Bus iness By MARTHA S. HOOKER Member o f Faculty , Bible Institute of Los Angeles JOHNNY WHICH By A lverta N. D undas
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pop-eyed frog. And God’s penny was taken into the bedroom and placed in ' the drawer beside Johnny’s second dime. . That very night Johnny was suddenly disturbed by the queerest noise. He sat up. He was certain a burglar was try ing to get his dime and God’s penny. He jumped out of bed; he turned on the light, and quietly he slipped to the drawer. The noise grew louder. Johnny was afraid. “Maybe it is some mice having a fight. Supposing I opened the drawer and four or five mice jumped out, and then ran up my pajama legs—.” He' put out his. hand; he grabbed the knob of the drawer— he waited a Sec ond-then gave a jerk—and when he looked’ at the money, his black eyes grew bigger and bigger, for God’s penny had grown eyes—and ears—and a mouth —and arms—and long legs. “What—what—what' is tl\6 trouble ?” asked the astonished Johnny., “My Master is calling me. He needs me. 'I must go to Him,” cried the penny. ' \ “All right—go on—” ordered Johnny. Immediately God’s penny ran up the side of the drawer; it slid down the leg of the dresser. It jumped through a hole in the screen, and it was gone. As Johnny pulled on his clothes, he declared, ‘TM going to follow God’s penny.” Out of the door into the moon light he ran. He called, “PEN N Y - PENNY—PENNY—where are you?” "I am hurrying to my Master's air plane. See "it stand in the field ready to start?” answered the penny. “I’ll carry you to the plane,” of fered Johnny. “You’re a fine fellow,” laughed the penny as he sat down oh the shoulder of Johnny. .“Now let’s see how fast you can run.” '; Off Johnny started, and he ran very fast until the penny shouted, “LOOK, LOOK! They c a n n o t get over the [While visiting his ¡grandparents on the farm,: Johnny Simpson earned two shining .dimes fo r ,' cleaning the hen houses. H e and Prince, the big dog, went to the store .to get some peanuts and candy animals with one of the dimes. As he started to pay the store keeper, Johnny remembered that the minister at church had said that when any one fails to give for God’s work one penny in every dime, the penny that bhlongs to God, he is robbing God. Johnny thought, too, of the story the minister had told about Billy Which, a boy whose friend Conscience would ask him, whenever he was. tempted to do wrong, " W H IC H are you going to do?" Johnny had told his grand mother he was going to be " Johnny Which," and that he would obey the voice of his friend Conscience.]: PART rr a OHNNY stood at the candy coun one of the six candy animals to put back, for he had only one dime. How ‘ Johnny wished he could have the five- cent bag of peanuts and all six of the candies for his dime! Besides, there was the question of what he should do about God’s penny, a tenth of the dime. Was he going to rob God ? All the time, Conscience, Johnny’s, friend that no one ever saw, was whispering, “Johnny, which—WHICH. WHICH? Which are you going to be, a robber or an honest boy?” / Finally Johnny said, “Please take the rooster out of the sack—and pull out that grinning monkey. He looks as if he .were making fun o f me. I don’t like him—pull him out. You see I have but nine cents, for one penny out of every ten belongs to God to help pay the ex penses of His work. I don’t want to be a penny thief.” “Good for you, my boy,” praised Mr. Nelson. On the way home, Johnny and Prince ate the peanuts, then the candy. The dog was given the trunk of the elephant, a hump of the camel, the head of the bear, and one of the long legs of the and legs, and fingers, and toes. “Have you been in a wreck?” Johnny wanted to know. “We were in prison. We had to fight our way out,” explained God’s pieces of money. “IN PRISON?” repeated the aston ished boy. “Yes, in prison. Purses of people who want to rob God are prisons to us,” explained one of God’s dollars. “Will ydu help us across the water? Our Master -is calling us. He needs our help.” “ Of course, I’ll help you,” answered Johnny as he carefully pieked up every piece of money. Some he put on his shoulder;. some on his arms, and others crawled into his pockets and stuck out their heads. As Johnny started, all of God’s pennies, and nickels, and dimes, and quarters, and dollars yelled, “Hurrah for Johnny Which!” And as they , came near the plane, hundreds of pieces of God’s money shouted, “Hurrah, HURRAH for Johnny Which!” Around the airplane stood much money which had come to say good bye to these nickel and dime and dollar friends. They explained they had to stay at home- to pay the salaries of ministers and missionaries; to pay for lights and water; to buy Sunday-school papers, and to look after ever so many other things. In the plane the pieces of money were determined to tell where they would go when the plane would start with them. One group said, “We’re going to a radio station to pay for the^ time of a minister who tells about Jesus, and for s p e a k e r s who warn against drunken drivers causing auto mobile wrecks which kill people.” .... ter /looking very much troubled. Mr. Nelson, the storekeeper, was waiting for him to decide which n \
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