In a mountain village toward die South of France, there lived some years ago a young girl named Margaurite. Neither her parents, nor any in the village possessed a Bible. By some means or other, this young girl had heard of this wonderful Book that told the way to heaven, and that people might be saved and happy here on earth.
She tried hard to find a Bible in her native village, but without success. At last someone told her that a copy could be procured in Nimes, a town about seventy miles away, and that it would cost her three francs—that is about 60 cents.
This gave little hope to the anxious maiden, as she had no money of her own, and the journey was expensive and difficult to make. Yet she longed for the desire of her heart, and fell upon the following plan to obtain it. She had two pretty pet rabbits of a very rare kind, which she was willing to part with in exchange for a Bible. The difficulty was, how to reach Nimes, where she could sell the rabbits, or exchange them for a Bible. Weeks passed by, but no colporteur or merchant came to the mountains with the Book of books.
One fine summer morning, Margaurite started off, carrying a little basket on her arm, along the road that leads to Nimes. How many days it took her to tread that long journey I do not know, but I am sure she must have been very tired before she reached the town of Nimes. Resting often by the way-side plucking green food for her pets, and sharing the shelter of the hospitable people along- the way, she reached the place at last, and entered it a perfect stranger, with her two pet rabbits in her basket on her arm.
Margaurite wandered along the streets, looking in at all the windows to see if she could find the Book of God, but it seemed to be almost as little known there, as among the hills of A. At last she heard of a small store where Bibles were sold, and tired and hungry as she was, she hurried along- to the place„ and went straight in.
The bookseller heard her story, and was deeply interested in the anxious girl. She told him she had no money, but opened her basket, and showed her pair of pretty pet rabbits, saying she would give them in exchange for a Bible. The offer was accepted, and Margaurite stroking her pets, handed them to the kind-hearted bookseller, who in. exchange gave her a copy of “The Holy Bible.”
Margaurite clasped the treasure to her bosom, and tripped out as proud as a queen, The seventy long miles lying before her, were forgotten in the joy of her new-found treasure, and many a half-hour did she spend on the homeward journey, sitting under the shadow of a tree by the way-side, reading in her own dear Bible the wonderful words of God. At length she reached her mountain home, and there every day she read a portion from the Book of God, and spoke to others of the Saviour whom she had learned to trust, and own as her Redeemer and Lord.
From her lips, many of the sinful dwellers in that mountain village heard the story of a Saviour’s love, and it will be seen in a coming day, that her’s is not a starless crown and that Margaurite did not read her Bible in vain, for others were led to the Lord by her means.
It is much easier for most of my readers to procure a Bible for themselves than it was for Margaurite, but do they have the same love for it as she had? Has its precious words led you, dear young friend to the Saviour? To read the Book of God without believing what it says, is only to increase your condemnation.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall not pass away,” Matt. 24:35.
ML 07/11/1937