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A short story

Conte trouvé sur Children's Short Stories for New Year's Day

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English exercise "A short story" created by bridg with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from bridg]
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Dinah is one of the most good-natured children that evernever.I don't know lived, but she is very, very lazy. There is anythingnothing-I don't know she likes, or used-is usedI don't know to like, so many-muchI don't know as to curl up in some warm corner in the sun and do nothing.

Dinah's mother wished very much that her child should-wouldI don't know learn to read, but the lady who tried to teach her soon givesgavegiveI don't know it up. 'It is no use,' she said, 'Dinah will not learn. She wasiswereI don't know not a stupid child, but she is too lazy for anything.'

It happened, soon after this that a young man offromtoI don't know Massachusetts came to the house where Dinah lived. He brought with him something no one else in the neighbourhood had ever seennever seenever seeI don't know before--a pair of roller-skates.

When Dinah saw the young man going rapidly up and down the piazza on herhistheirI don't know skates she was so astonishedastonishesastonisheI don't know she hardly knew what to think. She ran after him -likeasI don't know a cat, her black eyes shining as they had never shineshone-I don't know before.

One day the young man -allowsallowedI don't know her to try on the skates. The child was totootwoI don't know happy for words. Of course she fell down, and sprawled onoveraboutI don't know the floor, but did not mind at all. 'Look here, Dinah,' said the young man, 'I understand that my aunt has been triedtryingtryI don't know to teach you to read.'

Dinah answered that she certainly havehashadI don't know.

'Why didn't you learn?' askedaskasksI don't know the young man. 'You need not trouble to answer,' said he, 'it was just because you are too lazy. Now, whetherif-I don't know, on the first of January, you can read, I tell you what I will do. I will sendsent-I don't know you as good a pair of roller-skates as I can buy in Boston.'

How Dinah's eyes snapped. For anatheI don't know moment she said nothing, then exclaimed decidedly, ' I'll haveI hadI haveI don't know those skates, sure.'

And she did. When she bent her mind on her work she could-canI don't know always do it well, no matter what it was.

The lady who had before this found her such asuch-I don't know difficult child to teach, now had no trouble. If Dinah showed the least sign of her former laziness the word SKATES! was enough for-toI don't know make her bend her mind on her lesson instantly.

On New Year's -theonI don't know morning she received a box marked in large printed letters:
MISS DINAH MORRIS, /Care of Mrs. Lawrence Delaney, NEW ORLEANS, LA. If she can read whichwhomwhatI don't know is on the outside of this box she can have what is inside.

And as Dinah read every word plainly and quickly, of course she had tofor-I don't know her very own the fine roller-skates the box held. And now sitting curled up in the sun, doing nothing, iswerewasI don't know not the thing she likes to do best.