When Johnnie was eight, his Pa gave him a little wooden pistol. Johnnie was so proud of that pistol, and he played with it all the time.

He would pretend to shoot at the cows, and shoot at the birds in the trees. One day, when he was out playing in the barn, he found a real pistol.

He didn’t know if it was loaded or not, but he pointed it at the barn door and pulled the trigger. The pistol went off, and the bullet went right through the door.

Johnnie was so scared, he dropped the pistol and ran home. He never told anyone what happened, and he never went near that barn again.