“Hello, Ernest! What is this?” I said to a boy I had met some time ago.
“Why, didn’t you know I had a dog?” “No, indeed I didn’t; you never told me you had one, did you?”
“Yes, I did, in a letter, nearly six months ago; but that was Nero, my old dog. He died; and the name of this one is Fido, which means ‘faithful,’ you know.”
“Yes, and do you find he deserves his name?”
“Yes, he does,” replied Ernest. “But I want him to be obedient as well, and already he will do some things I have taught him.”
Ernest proved his words by telling Fido to fetch a stick, beg and shut a gate by leaning his paws against it. He then put a piece of sugar on the ground, and I must tell you, Fido is more fond of sugar than anything else you could give him.
“Fido, don’t touch it,” said his young master.
Fido looked anxiously at the wished for sugar, and then began to push himself further from it with his front paws, going backwards in a manner which made me laugh. Back, back he went.
“What is he doing, Ernest?”
“He is not sure he can keep from snatching up the sugar if he is too near to it, and so he evidently wants to get out of danger by going as far away as he can.”
He is quiet now, but the tempting sugar is nearly out of sight. At his master’s words, “Take it now, Fido,” he springs forward, and in a moment a rapid crunch, crunch tells how the sugar is being enjoyed.
I think Fido can teach us a lesson. We are often tempted to do some naughty thing by running in its way. Just a word with the boy Father has told us not to make a friend of; just a look at the rosy apples to be kept for the winter.
Let us try and imitate Fido by keeping as far as we can out of temptation. And, dear boys and girls, if we belong to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to help us and keep us from doing wrong, He will help us.
ML 12/27/1959