As Annette, a bright, happy girl about nine or ten years of age, was returning from school one summer’s afternoon, her path was impeded by the gambols of a dirty, ragged boy, who was jumping over the door-steps and turning head-overheels on the pavement, and showing perfect indifference to everything but his own enjoyment.
His dirty face showed signs of intellence, and Annette wondered how he could prefer to put his head where his feet should be.
He was standing upon his head, and before Annette could skip out of his way, another turn brought his feet in contact with her school-bag, and away it flew into the middle of the street.
Annette heard the fall of the books with dismay, and ran to catch them up, while the boy was about to run away; but Annette’s good-humored face influenced him to remain.
“I didn’t mean it, Miss,” he said sheepishly.
“No, I know you did not,” said Annette kindly, “but why do you like to go on your head?”
“It’s good fun,” returned the boy, reating the performance with infinite glee, “Poor boy,” thought Annette, “I wonder if anybody teaches him!” and she looked compassionately at him.
Going closer, she said in a tone of childish simplicity,
“Little boy, will you tell me? Do you know anything about Jesus Christ?”
“No, I don’t. Who is He?” said the boy, staring at her with surprise.
“Poor boy! Then you don’t know that He is the Saviour—God’s own Son—who loved us and died to save us, because we are sinners and can’t save ourselves?”
“No, I don’t; I never heard about Him, but I ain’t so bad as Dick and Bill; they is bad, and no mistake.”
“We are all bad in some way,” said Annette, “and I should like to tell you about Jesus Christ. Will you come with me, and I will read to you about Him?”
Leading the way to her father’s house, Annette took the wondering boy into a small, back room, where she eagerly hung up her hat, and took her Bible and sat down on a low stool, telling the boy to sit by her.
Then she began to tell him the Bible is God’s book, and that He has told us in it that He sent His dear Son into the world to die for us, because we were all sinners, and deserved to be punished. Jesus, in His great love, said He would suffer and die instead of us.
“Now,” said Annette, “if you believe it, and put your trust in Him, you shall be saved and live in glory forever. Poor boy! Will you learn to read? Shall I teach you? Then you could read all the beautiful things for yourself, and I will save up my money to get you a Bible?”
“Yes, I’ll like that, Shall I come tomorrow?” asked the boy eagerly.
“Yes, tomorrow,” replied Annette, delighted at his readiness to come, “but you must learn a text now,” and she taught him.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,” and after making him repeat it many times, said,
“You can go now, and come again tomorrow.”
The ragged boy came to learn at the same hour next day. This time her mamma was working in the room, while Annette and the boy sat together.
“Do you know why my little girl is so pleased?” asked Annette’s mamma, seeing the boy’s gaze of astonishment.
“No, I’m wondering at her all the time,” he replied.
So the lady told him that Annette had given her heart to Jesus—that she had learned to love Hirn because He had first loved her—that she believed what God said, that
“Whosoever believeth on the Son hath everlasting life,” and this had made her so happy that she wanted others to know it too.
“This is the reason why she wants to teach you about the Saviour. She wants your sins to be forgiven, and washed away in the blood of Jesus,” said the lady.
“I’m not as bad as Dick Bankes; he is very bad to his mother,” said the boy.
“O, how dreadful!” said Annette; “do ‘bring him with you, and I will tell him what the Bible says about it.”
“Maybe he won’t come, but I’ll try.” He did try, and Dick did come, and others also, and the dear little girl spent the happiest hours of her life in telling the poor ragged boys of the loving Saviour, and how He pitied them, bore their sins upon the cross, so that “whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasng life.”
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, dear young reader, you, too, may serve Him. You may not be able to do it in the same way that Annette did, but you may be able to give a little tract, or to say a word for Him. The Lord says He will reward the gift of a cup of cold water, if it be given in His name, for His sake.
ML 10/18/1942