IN ENGLAND long ago there lived a Christian blacksmith and his little daughter, Elsie. Her mother had died when she was quite young. It was in the days when wicked men who hated God’s Word tried to get rid of all the Bibles in the country.
Elsie’s father had a Bible which he loved to read with her every day. She liked the stories about Jesus whom she loved and trusted as her Saviour. Her father kept the precious Book hidden in a hole in the ceiling of his blacksmith’s shop.
The soldiers heard that the blacksmith was a Christian and that he had a Bible, and one day they came and took him away to prison. They searched all over for the Bible but couldn’t find it. They thought it must be hidden in the shop somewhere so they determined to burn the shop down. After setting fire to the building, the soldiers left.
Seeing the shop in flames little Elsie determined she must save her father’s Bible. Quickly she dashed into the smoke and flames and climbing onto a chair she took the precious Book from its hiding place and fled from the building. Though badly burned she was still able to dig a hole with her hands in the ground and wrapping one of her garments around the book she buried it.
Sometime later the village people found her lying in the garden badly burned. They took care of her and she got better. The villagers thought how brave a little girl she was to rescue and protect her father’s Bible like that.
May the blessed Book of God be precious to us as it was to little Elsie and her father.
ML-10/28/1973