enough to heat the house properly again. The dining room glowed with danc-
ing red lights. The shadows on the walls moved from side to side, and every-
thing in the house was warm and cheerful. Grandfather sat in his big, old
armchair and soon relaxed in the warmth coming from the hearth. He put his
feet on a footstool and wiggled his toes. Anna curled up on the floor under a
small blanket. Everything was quiet and perfect for a little snooze.
Anna suddenly opened her eyes. Something was wrong! She smelled the
strong scent of smoke! She saw embers on the floorand flames on the drapes!
She jumped up and looked around at the entire room. The fire was no longer
just in the fireplace. The rugs and drapes were on fire! Anna shook her grand-
father, but he was in a deep sleep. She ran to the sink and filled a pot with
water. She began throwing water on the growing flames. Finally the fire was
out, and the smoke had gone up the chimney. When Grandfather awoke, he
said, “It looks like we need more wood for our fire.”
Anna just shook her head and smiled.
Exercise 4.9Sample answers are provided.
The Pickpocket
It was a hot day, and crowds of tourists wandered down Main Street. Peo-
ple enjoyed holiday time like this and looked in shop windows and enjoyed
the warmth of a summer’s afternoon. It was a happy time for Mike because it
was the perfect time to acquire some money. Mike knew there would be a lot
of pockets that were bulging with cash. The crowds were enormous, and every-
one was busy looking around or just chatting. Mike couldn’t have been hap-
pier ifhe had found the sidewalk littered with bills. When he thought the
moment was right, he walked slowly down the street and waited for a tourist
to come by. Finally he saw an elderly woman, who was very busy window-
shopping. He came up behind her and carefully reached into her purse. The
poor woman was aware of nothing and continued to look at the goods in the
window. Her husband turned suddenly, but Mike ran off into the crowd
before he could stop him. On the corner Mike saw another preoccupied
woman, who had a heavy purse over her shoulder. Mike stood next to herand
then pretended to stumble. He pulled out a wallet from the woman’s purse.
Mike smiled; he was very happy with himself and walked briskly through the
crowds of people.
When he saw a man with a bulging back pocket, Mike decided there was
time for one more theftand soon was in possession of another wallet. He got
away that time and knew he had been luck y. But the policewoman on the curb
Answer Key 225