When I was 9 years old, I used to cut grass for Mrs. Long. The elderly lady paid me very little, for she hadn't much money. But she did promise me. When Christmas comes, I shall have a present for you.‖ I spent much time wondering what it would be. The boys I played with had baseball gloves and bicycles and ice skates, and I was so eager to acquire any one of these that I convinced myself that Mrs. Long intended choosing from among them.
It would hardly be a baseball glove, I reasoned with myself. A woman like Mrs. Long wouldn't know much about baseball. Since she was old and weak, I also ruled out the bicycle, for how could she handle such a large item.
On my last Saturday at work, Mrs. Long said, '' At Christmas you come to the door and collect the present. '' These words clinched(确定)my guess. Since she was going to have the present in her house and handle it herself, unquestionably she was giving me a pair of ice skates.
I became so convinced of this that I could imagine myself upon the skates and the excitement they brought me. As the cold days of November arrived and ice began to form on the ponds, I began to try my luck on the ice. ''Get away from that ice!'' a man shouted.
''It's not strong enough yet.''
As Christmas approached it was with difficulty that I restrained (抑制) myself from reporting to Mrs. Long and demanding my present. On the 21st of December, icy weather froze all the ponds so that boys who already had ice skates were able to use them. My longing to possess mine became overpowering.
So the next day I could control myself no longer and presented myself at Mrs. Long's door. ''I've been waiting for you, '' she said with a smile.
Paragraph 1: She set me in a chair and handed a package to me.
Paragraph 2: On Christmas morning, I could not wait to open the package.
