Bo lived in a far country where even fathers don’t love little girls.
Bo did not share his playthings with his sister, as you have done. He
made her wait on him. He didn’t know any better. That was the way Bo’s
father treated his mother. Bo was not white, as are the boys and girls
who read this. He was brown as a berry. So was his little sister Nare.
So were all the people Bo and Nare knew, except two ladies. These white
missionary ladies were Bo’s teachers. They told him about Jesus. But Bo’s
father taught him to worship idols. Bo sometimes wondered which was the
true God. But at this particular minute he only thought about the music,
and ran after it. He saw a great crowd and a priest in the midst beating
a drum. He heard the priest cry in a loud voice, “Let every one keep
silence.” Then the priest looked fiercely at the small boys. Bo began to
tremble, and wish he were back fishing. “On this day week,” again shouted
the priest, “at noon a god will arise from the ground in the field near
our temple.” A second time the drum sounded, and the priest moved on to
convey the news to other villages.
Everybody began to talk excitedly. “A god rise from the ground!” said
they; “can it be possible?”
Bo was delighted. “Now I’ll find out,” thought he, “if men make our gods
out of wood and stone, as the missionaries say. I’ll go and see for
myself.”
That week seemed the longest Bo had ever spent. But the great day came at
length, and Bo was very happy. Nare was not. Nare wanted to go too. She
begged Bo to take her, but Bo answered, “You are only a girl; it doesn’t
make any difference what you think. By-and-bye I’ll be a man; so I ought
to know what is right.” Bo thought it manly to speak so rudely. Why,
even mothers are treated very badly by boys in countries where Jesus’
teachings are not known.
So Bo started off alone. He found the largest crowd he had ever seen in
the great field near the temple. In the centre was a vacant space, where
only priests stood. Bo made straight for that spot. But a priest took him
roughly by the shoulder, and said, “The new god will kill any one who
comes inside this circle.” Bo ran back and hid behind a tall man, who
didn’t look afraid.
It was a silent crowd. Most of the people seemed awe-struck. Every one
was eagerly looking toward the vacant space where the god would rise. At
noon more priests in long white robes came out of the temple. They began
to mutter and wave their hands. The tall man next to Bo said, “Something
black is coming out of the ground!” Bo stood on tip-toe and strained his
eyes to see.
The something grew larger and larger. Every eye was fixed upon the spot.
Could it be the top of a head? Yes, for the brow, eyes, nose, and mouth
slowly appeared. All this time the priests never once went near. The
big black idol seemed to rise of itself. The crowd, almost wild with
excitement, cried out, “A miracle! a miracle!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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