It was gymkhana and rodeo day at the "Full Moon" riding lodge. Horse trucks packed with ponies were arriving. Pete could hear the familiar sounds of the ponies being unloaded. He had worked very hard preparing for the big day. It was time for him to be saddling up. Instead, Pete sat on the end of the bed holding his head in his hands.

"My head hurts," he muttered as Mr. King came into the bunkhouse.

"Now, Pete," said Mr. King, sitting down alongside him, "you have been attending the Christian Science Sunday School for quite some while. I'm sure you know how to help yourself." Reaching up to a small bookshelf above Pete's bed, Mr. King took down two books, the Bible, and Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy.

"I don't want those books," muttered Pete. "They can't help me. I'll have to go back to sleep to get rid of my headache."

"Take it or leave it," remarked Mr. King, but kindly. He placed the books on the bed and walked from the room.

"Take it or leave it—take it—," Pete murmured to himself. "Where have I heard those words before?" Pete opened the Bible at the book of Revelation. The verse was already marked because it was part of that week's Lesson-Sermon he'd been reading in the Christian Science Quarterly: "And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up." ^{Rev. 10:9;} Then Pete read from Science and Health, "Mortals, obey the heavenly evangel. Take divine Science." ^{Science and Health, p. 559.}

"I know how to take divine Science," thought Pete as he put the books away. "I'll pray."

Prayer is a private thing—getting oneself right with God. Pete was glad it was between only God and himself. He had a lot of wrong thoughts that needed righting. Pete was sorry for the spiteful way he had been picking on Tony, his younger brother. "Now with God helping me, I'm sure going to be kind to him," Pete declared aloud.

By taking divine Science Pete was accepting the divine law, God's law. Pete knew that law governs and controls man and everything.

"A stiff head is a lie about me, God's child. It's not a law," he said with real feeling. "God didn't make me have anything bad."

Pete thought about Christ Jesus, how he taught and healed the people. "Jesus was strong and fearless. He never gave in to evil's lies."

Although his head still hurt, Pete decided to go saddle up. The pony Cricket whinnied shrilly when he saw Pete coming toward the stable. Pete felt a new kind of love for his pony today. He wrapped his arms around Cricket's neck.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, mate," he said affectionately.

Now he found it easy to love the good qualities his pony expressed. Bending over to adjust the girth of the saddle, Pete was tempted to moan. But instead of going along with the pain and weakness, he stuck to obeying God's law of perfection. As he patted down Cricket's black coat with his bare hands, Pete kept on thinking about God's good creation. The Christ, Truth, he was sticking to would free him from the pain. God's law always frees us.

Soon the pony finished eating his small feed of dampened oats and bran. Pushing open the stable door, Pete led Cricket out into the open. Suddenly he realized he didn't need to shield his eyes from the bright sun. His headache had gone, and he felt great! He drew a deep breath. "Boy, what a day!"

He swung into the saddle and reined Cricket toward the marshaling yard.

"I've missed a lot of riding events, but it doesn't matter one bit." Pete realized a much more important event had taken place for him, something he'd never forget. He'd learned God's law of perfection really works.