Johnny was perplexed. He knew there must be some way of answering his father, but he did not know exactly how to do it. The right[10] thing would have been for him to say that, when our parents tell us to do what is plainly contrary to the command of God, we must obey God rather than men. But Johnny had not learned this yet. So he said:

“Father, please excuse me from stealing. I’ll ask God to send us some wood. Praying’s better than stealing. I’m pretty sure God will send it. And if it don’t come before I come home from school at noon to-morrow, I will go and work for some, or beg some. I can work, and I can beg, but I can’t steal.”

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