back to the woods. Something caught his eye; Laddy suddenly saw his mistress’
blue shirt. He jumped over some bushes and headed straight for her. A few
moments later he saw the little stream, where the little girl was sound asleep.
When she saw her dog standing over her, she said, “You rescued me, Laddy,”
and the little girl kissed him several times.
Laddy led his little mistress out of the woodsand across the meadow to
her home. Mother and Father were so relieved. And that night Laddy had a
hero’s supper: steak with gravy.
Exercise 4.11Sample answers are provided.
The Day I Got Fired
I finally found a good job in a factory not far from where I lived. The com-
pany made electronics for television and radio sets. I was put on a line where
circuit boards were assembled, and I had to solder three particular circuits
into the board. The job was rather simple, and I believed I was doing well. Then
they hired a new foreman, who everyone said was really tough. For some rea-
son he didn’t like me and often said, “You’re never going to last here.” I was
afraid of him because he could fire me at any time he wished. And I needed
my job. Without a job Icould lose my apartment or even my car.
I knew I had to be careful around the foreman and worked hard and long
for him. Then one day my car broke down on the way to work, and I arrived
nearly an hour late. The foreman was out of controland began shouting at me.
When I explained that it wasn’t entirely my fault, he just laughed and said it
was my fault for buying an old car. I went to my job and began to put extra
care into my work. I worked hard and tried to do everything perfectly.
When lunchtime finally arrived, I sat at a table with Mrs. Garcia, the
accountant. She was a really nice woman and told me to treat the foreman with
kid gloves. But it wouldn’t be easy to get along with him, because he was a
grumpy person and seemed to dislike me.
After lunch I started soldering some new circuit boards. They had to be
shipped to Asia the next morning. I was hurrying because I wanted to get the
work done on time. But I worked too fast and ruined seven of the ten sample
boards. The foreman was furious with me. He said, “That was your last
chance!” Then he pointed at the door and shouted, “Get out! You’re fired!”
I never went back there again. And now I have a better job, and my boss is
avery kind woman with a heart of gold.
Answer Key 227