“Johnny Sings a New Song”

Little Johnny was having a big time skipping rocks in the lake last week when he managed to slip up on a big old water snake, sunning himself on a cypress knee at the water’s edge. Now, there’s nothing Little Johnny likes more than killing snakes.

A few minutes later he came barreling into the house, holding that dead snake by the tail and hollering for his mama—who just happened to be having the preacher and his wife in for coffee. Karen, Little Johnny’s mama, is the church hostess down at the Baptist Church. They were discussing the cottage prayer meeting coming up before the spring revival.

Little Johnny didn’t see their guests right off. He was looking for his Mama. Soon as he saw her he started waving his snake in the air.

“Look a here, Mama. I done slipped up on this big old snake. Can you believe how big he is? What type of snake do you think he is? I bet he’s a mean old cottonmouth!”

His mama put up her hand to slow him down, but he was too excited. “Mama, I hit him over the head with Papa’s shovel and then I dragged him up the lake bank and poked him some more and then I cut his head off to make sure he was dead. And then”—about that time Little Johnny saw his Mama cutting her eyes to his guest. That’s the first time Little Johnny saw the preacher. It startled the child, but just for a minute…

Little Johnny cradled that old dead snake in both hands, hung his head, and tried his best to hit a sad note. “And then, Mama, and then—the Lord called the poor thing home.”