Dear Boys and Girls,
It was just getting dark and was already windy and raining. The hens were beginning to roost, but one difficult hen still picked away at bits of corn on the grass, and kept well away from the henhouse. “Shoo, shoo,” cried the little barefoot girl, “you know it's time to go to roost; and I'm in a hurry – shoo!” With a loud squawk, the hen scuttled round the back of the henhouse and wouldn't come out. “Well, stay there! I'll go and get the lantern while you make up your mind,” said the girl.
She then went into a tidy tool-shed, but on taking the lantern down found that the catch was broken. “Dear me, everything is going wrong tonight when I am in such a rush,” she said; “now hurry up little hen or I'll lock you out for the night!” At last she got the hen into the henhouse and then fastened the door. “Now, what can be done about the lantern?” she puzzled. She then ran out of the gate and a little way down the hill until she came to a little farm cottage. “Mr. Williams, would you kindly lend me your lantern tonight? The latch of ours is broken.” “Why, it's Mary Jones,” said the man, “of course you can have the lantern; I suppose you are going off to the meeting tonight.” Mary quickly got the lantern from Mr. Williams and raced off home.
“Where have you been child?” her mother asked her when she got back “we certainly shall be late tonight.” When Mary explained about the hen and the lantern her mother said, “We could have done without the lantern.” “Yes, but then I could not have come with you,” said Mary, “for the people would have said that there was no need for me to come if I had no lantern to hold for you, and I do want to be at the meeting and hear all I can from God's Word; I do wish I had a Bible of my own.” With these words on her lips, this little eight-year old girl went off to the meeting with her mother.
Well, boys and girls, I wonder do you go off to church, or Sunday school, or Bible class with the same eagerness as this little girl. She was hungry to know more and more from God's word, and her great desire was to have a Bible of her own. She eventually got one, but not before she had many adventures and had overcome many obstacles. You can read the rest of her story in a book called “Mary Jones and her Bible”. I hope some of you, if not all, think it worthwhile to read the book. In the meantime, learn a lesson from Mary, and seek out and study the Bible. Remember the words of the psalm, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”