JUNIOR KING’S BUSINESS FEATURE
The Hidden Treasure by Helen Kratavil
S c a r c e ly were the Spencers settled in their new home than Mrs. Spencer called to Jack and Betty: “ It is time for you to work on your Sun day School lessons. You have fine teachers and I want you to be well prepared.” Jack looked up from his microscope. “ Oh, Mother, not now!” he protested. “I want to mount this butterfly!” Betty looked unhappy too. “ Please, Mother, not when I am reading such an exciting story. Can’t the lesson wait?” Suddenly she glanced out of the window, “ Look! the police are out there!” Jack was out of the house in a flash, following the police car until it stopped at a large old two-story house in the next block. Two officers got out of the car and knocked on the door, but ^receiving no response, went around to the back. At that moment Jack’s friend Bob appeared. “What’s all the excite ment?” Jack asked him. “ Oh, the old lady who lived here died this morning. I guess they are checking up on her things. Let’s fol low the officers.” Evidently the police had gone in the back door and as the boys waited, the city marshal, who happened to be a friend of Bob’s fa ther, drove up. “Did you know Miss Barnes?” he asked the boys. “ This is Jack Spencer,” said Bob, “He’s new here. Yes, sometimes I saw Miss Barnes going to market. She wore a long, old-fashioned dress that swept the sidewalk . . .” “ Come on in, boys, if you like. You’ll have the surprise of your lives.” Eagerly Bob and Jack followed the marshal into the house. “Did you ever see anything like this in your life?” asked the marshal. “ But you mustn’t touch a single thing!” “Boy! Is it filthy!” exclaimed Jack. Dust lay thick on everything; great strands of cobwebs filled with dead flies hung from the ceilings; the floors, walls and furniture were so stained their color could not be told. But in the dining room the boys got the biggest shock of all. In a huge bowl on the table were stacks of currency and checks. As the boys looked around, 36
money seemed to be everywhere. It spilled out of the backs of pictures; it stuck out from the rubber mats on the staircase. Half-open drawers dis closed dozens of rings and other jewel ry- “ It’s a regular treasure!” murmured Bob. “ I never saw so much money be fore,” said Jack, “Are those two po licemen guarding it?” “ Yes,” said the marshal, “ and now you must go.”
“ Good girl!” said Mr. Spencer, “ Now, Jack, you were in that house. How did it look?” “It was terrible! The marshal said it looked like a bat’s cave.” “Were there dust and dirt on the money too?” “ Sure, Daddy; it was just as filthy as the rest of the house.” “ All right, then. The money couldn’t keep itself clean — much less its owner. Can you think of a verse that might apply here?” “Yes, Sir,” said Jack enthusiastical-. ly, “ ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin,’ ” but I just can’t remember the reference.” “ That’s fine,” said Mr. Spencer. “ One more thing. Miss Barnes was a very lonely old lady. She never seemed to have any friends. No one cared whether she was happy or sad and her money didn’t give her any friends. But the Bible tells us how we may be children in God’s big fam ily and never alone. Jack, you quoted part of the verse, and here is the rest of it: ‘But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellow ship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ That is First John 1:7. You can’t buy this fellowship with money. Christians are interested in one another; they enjoy being togeth er, and best of all, they have fellow ship with the Father and the Son. Now who has the greater treasure — people with just money or the Lord’s children?” Betty and Jack answered together, “ Christians, Daddy.” Then Jack went over to the desk and picked up his Sunday School les son book. “Well,” he said, “ I guess I never knew how many treasures there are in the Bible! I’m going to do my lesson right now!” “Me, too,” said Betty, as she ran to get her book. “ I want to see if I can find more treasures. Let’s see —■eter nal life, a clean heart, Christian friends — that’s a wonderful start! And Daddy, I just thought of some thing! Miss Barnes had to leave all her money here when she died, but when a Christian dies, he takes all these real treasures right with him!” THE KING'S BUSINESS
M oney spilled, out of everywhere. Jack found his family discussing the same subject when he got home. Mr. Spencer had additional information. “Miss Barnes was very rich,” he said, “ The officials have found about a mil lion arid a half dollars in that house.” “Wow !” said Jack, “You could buy a Cadillac with that!” “Yes,” agreed Betty, “ or even a mink coat!” “ Two mink coats!” added their mother. Mr. Spencer smiled. “ Sit down a minute, children. I want to talk to you.” He picked up his Bible. “Miss Barnes knew how to make money. Her house was full of money, but she didn’t know how to enjoy it. She didn’t have any real treasure. She couldn’t buy the things that mattered with all that money. For one thing, it didn’t keep her alive. Betty, can you tell us where in the Bible we are told about a new and different life, and how to get it?” “ Yes, Daddy, I can,” said Betty hap pily, “ It is John 3:16 and it says: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ ”
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