better under the little roof. Pulling the wagon up next to the church’s big double doors, Athena picked up the doll family one by one and dried them off on the sleeve of Diane’s sweater. Then she leaned against the door and waited for the rain to stop.
But it didn’t stop, and after a while the wind began to blow so hard that the rain started coming right in under the little roof. Athena was leaning back further to get away from the rain when suddenly the door began to move—and when she pushed harder it moved some more. Pulling her wagon behind her, she went on in.
Inside the big church doors there was a room with tables and pictures around the walls, and some other doors that led to an even bigger room with a very high ceiling. Leaving the wagon in the first room, Athena went on in to look around. It was very beautiful inside the church. She looked at all the benches for sitting on and at all the statues and pictures and candles. Then she went back to the smaller room to wait for the rain to stop.
While she was waiting Athena looked at the pictures and notices on the walls and tried to read what they said. She could read words like you and call and school and children .
The word children was on a box that sat up on short wooden legs near the front door. There was a picture of children on the box too. Lots of skinny little children with sad eyes and thin, hungry faces. Athena looked at the picture of the sad, sick children for a long time, and at the box behind it.
The box was like a bank for saving money, with a narrow hole in the top to put the money in and with one wall made of glass so that you could see how much money was inside. The money was all mixed up together so it was hard to tell, but it didn’t seem like there was very much. Not enough to buy food for all the skinny little children in the picture. Looking at the little bit of money made her feel sad.
After a while Athena remembered that she had some money too. She had two pennies in her playsuit pocket. She pulled up Diane’s sweater, reached into her pocket, and dropped the two pennies into the hole on the top of the box. It was fun dropping the pennies into the hole. And afterwards, when she looked at the pictures of the hungry children and then at her own two pennies lying there in the box with the other money, she didn’t feel quite so sad.
Athena had to wait in the church for a long time. Every now and then she went to the church door to see if the rain had stopped. After a long time it almost did. The sidewalks were still wet and the sky was gray and cloudy, but not much rain was coming down. She closed the door quickly and went back inside to get her wagon and the doll family.
The family had been waiting very patiently. Athena picked up the mother doll and the little girl doll and made them sit down beside each other. “Look,” she made the mother doll say, “look baby. The rain is stopping. We better go home right now.”
“Oh no,” the girl doll said. “I don’t want to go home yet. I want to stay here in the church. Let’s go see all the statues and candles. And the money for hungry children. I want to see the money box for hungry children.”
Athena played with the girl doll for a little while longer before she finally pulled her red wagon out through the church’s doors. The rain was all gone, the sun was shining, and she was feeling especially happy.
Chapter 14
W HEN CARLOS AND EDDY saw Nijinsky with the bone, they forgot, for the moment, about hurrying over to Bucky’s. Instead they went back and squatted down on each side of Nijinsky to do a more careful inspection. Just to be sure the bone was the same one that they’d found the night before, buried where the treasure chest had been.
Carlos and Eddy leaned closer. With some dogs it might be dangerous to get so close in a bone-chewing situation, but with Nijinsky you didn’t have to worry. He only wagged his tail and stopped chewing long enough to let them have a
But it didn’t stop, and after a while the wind began to blow so hard that the rain started coming right in under the little roof. Athena was leaning back further to get away from the rain when suddenly the door began to move—and when she pushed harder it moved some more. Pulling her wagon behind her, she went on in.
Inside the big church doors there was a room with tables and pictures around the walls, and some other doors that led to an even bigger room with a very high ceiling. Leaving the wagon in the first room, Athena went on in to look around. It was very beautiful inside the church. She looked at all the benches for sitting on and at all the statues and pictures and candles. Then she went back to the smaller room to wait for the rain to stop.
While she was waiting Athena looked at the pictures and notices on the walls and tried to read what they said. She could read words like you and call and school and children .
The word children was on a box that sat up on short wooden legs near the front door. There was a picture of children on the box too. Lots of skinny little children with sad eyes and thin, hungry faces. Athena looked at the picture of the sad, sick children for a long time, and at the box behind it.
The box was like a bank for saving money, with a narrow hole in the top to put the money in and with one wall made of glass so that you could see how much money was inside. The money was all mixed up together so it was hard to tell, but it didn’t seem like there was very much. Not enough to buy food for all the skinny little children in the picture. Looking at the little bit of money made her feel sad.
After a while Athena remembered that she had some money too. She had two pennies in her playsuit pocket. She pulled up Diane’s sweater, reached into her pocket, and dropped the two pennies into the hole on the top of the box. It was fun dropping the pennies into the hole. And afterwards, when she looked at the pictures of the hungry children and then at her own two pennies lying there in the box with the other money, she didn’t feel quite so sad.
Athena had to wait in the church for a long time. Every now and then she went to the church door to see if the rain had stopped. After a long time it almost did. The sidewalks were still wet and the sky was gray and cloudy, but not much rain was coming down. She closed the door quickly and went back inside to get her wagon and the doll family.
The family had been waiting very patiently. Athena picked up the mother doll and the little girl doll and made them sit down beside each other. “Look,” she made the mother doll say, “look baby. The rain is stopping. We better go home right now.”
“Oh no,” the girl doll said. “I don’t want to go home yet. I want to stay here in the church. Let’s go see all the statues and candles. And the money for hungry children. I want to see the money box for hungry children.”
Athena played with the girl doll for a little while longer before she finally pulled her red wagon out through the church’s doors. The rain was all gone, the sun was shining, and she was feeling especially happy.
Chapter 14
W HEN CARLOS AND EDDY saw Nijinsky with the bone, they forgot, for the moment, about hurrying over to Bucky’s. Instead they went back and squatted down on each side of Nijinsky to do a more careful inspection. Just to be sure the bone was the same one that they’d found the night before, buried where the treasure chest had been.
Carlos and Eddy leaned closer. With some dogs it might be dangerous to get so close in a bone-chewing situation, but with Nijinsky you didn’t have to worry. He only wagged his tail and stopped chewing long enough to let them have a
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