The new heater
Winter is very cold in the Smith home, and Joanne knows they needs warmth. When the school announces a hotdog‑eating competition with a new heater as the prize, she decides to give it all she has.
It’s terribly cold in the little house in which the Smith family lives. They suffer much in the cold winter months. The trees outside their house don’t have any leaves. All the leaves have already fallen off and the frost lies thick on the lawn.
Joanne puts bulky clothes on and tightly wraps the scarf around her neck. It’s very cold when one must walk to school. Her brother has a pair of gloves on, and she firmly holds onto his hand while they are walking.
Today Dad feels despondent. He definitely will have to do something. The kids feel cold and they are going to be ill if he doesn’t quickly devise a plan. He worked very hard at different houses during the past week. He is a gardener.
At school there is a competition which the Grade R’s piloted. The only thing you must do is to see how many hotdogs you can eat. The first prize is a brand-new heater.
Joanne knows that Dad feels miserable because all the new heaters in the shop are frightfully expensive and they don’t have enough money to buy one. At playtime she runs to be first at the competition table.
Mr. John has a flag in his hand. As soon as he lets the flag down the participants must immediately start eating. Joanne just watches Mr. John and when he lets the flag down, she hurriedly starts eating. She takes reasonable bites so that she doesn’t become nauseated.
Some of the other kids started to eat too greedily and are quickly discouraged. Joanne stays focused, because she must win this competition today. The whistle blows to indicate the end of the competition. Mr. John hurriedly adds up how many each of the participants has eaten.
“And the winner is: Joanne!” She proudly walks up to the podium. Today she stands on top! The kids clap hands and she nearly begins to cry of happiness. This afternoon she will make her whole family happy. The brand-new heater is wrapped and has a huge red bow on it. Mr. John gives the heater to her.
Mr. John offers to take Joanne and her brother home that afternoon as the heater is too heavy and big for her to carry. Daddy and Mommy stand at the front door when they arrive. They cry purely of gratitude. Tonight, all of them sleep in a comely, warm house!
Joanne hears how her dad switches the heater off when everybody is in bed. She feels extremely pleased because she succeeded in giving her family such a big present. Eventually everyone is happy and satisfied. She falls asleep with an enormous smile on her face.