A Farm Girl Becomes a Writer Which event in the passage happens first?
O 1. The narrator writes a story about human
kindness.
O 2. The narrator purchases a doll from the general
store.
O 3. The narrator learns of a writing contest with a
cash prize.
4. The narrator receives a free copy of the weekly
newspaper
1 A thousand fat, healthy turkeys resided on our farm in the fall of 1929. The
bad news was hardly any families could afford to buy one of our turkeys.
Everyone kept talking about Black Tuesday and some great depression, but
fortunately Pop managed to find a job to pay our debts from the turkey feed.
He would have to be away for several months working in the next state, so
things were going to be different.
2. I was twelve during that fall of 1929. I was plenty old enough to take over
his chores. Runaway turkeys, broken fences, and fieldwork filled my days, and
often I took my little sister Elizabeth with me while I worked. This gave Mama a
break and, truth be told, I enjoyed Elizabeth's company.
3 My schooling had been put on hold when pop got his job; farm work was
daytime work. I missed school, and I knew this decision still weighed heavy in
Mama's mind. I didn't want her to see my disappointment. So, instead, I spent a
piece of each night putting my feelings down on paper. Mama thought I was
getting extra sleep when I went to my room each evening, but I actually was
using the time to write.
4 Late one afternoon, I took Elizabeth into town to fetch some nails. When we
arrived at the general store, Elizabeth went straight to a doll on a shelf full of dry
goods. The doll had a delicate porcelain face and was wearing a dress fancier
than anything Mama owned. I warned Elizabeth to keep her fingers to herself,
and I went to the counter to place my order. A stack of copies of our weekly
newspaper caught my eye, so I read the front page while I waited. "That will be
ten cents, Miss," Mr. Redmond said, depositing the paper sack of nails on the
counter. "Will that be cash or credit?"
5
I saw the relief on Mr. Redmond's face when I slid the dime across the
counter. Our money was already stretched tighter than the skin of a drum, but
Mama was determined we wouldn't fall deeper in debt while Pop was away. Mr.
Redmond picked up the top copy of the newspaper, folded it, and put it in the
sack with my nails. "I saw you were reading the headlines," he said. "Take a copy
home. If you like it, maybe you'll start purchasing one regularly."
After thanking Mr. Redmond, I found Elizabeth still staring at the doll. I had
to repeat her name three times to grab her attention. She turned away a little
sadly and said good-bye to Mr. Redmond, who was busy cutting licorice whips.
"She is the best doll I've ever seen, Sis," Elizabeth whispered.
"She will be the perfect gift for someone's birthday," Mr. Redmond