The Richest Heart

Chapter 18

He looked so alone as he sat there eating his lunch in silence. Dorothy stared at Benjamin with a feeling of pity. She had just come from the little play house she had built by the river where she had eaten all of her lunch except for three tiny carrots. She had brought far too many carrots that day. There were still several more in the pocket of her jacket which was hanging up in the schoolhouse.

I wonder why no one is playing with Benjamin? she thought, fingering the smooth vegetables in her hand. It wasn't usual for him to play with the older boys. He was too cowardly to do the dangerous things they did. But today the others were only playing ball, and it looked like the sort of game Benjamin would have enjoyed.

There was something about the little boy that Dotty couldn't help but like. He was always kind, and he was quiet and shy just like her. Maybe he'd like to play with me! she thought with sudden joy. With a warm feeling in her heart, she stepped forward with a purpose. Dorothy usually wasn't good at making new friends or talking with the other children. She was always nervous about starting conversations. But somehow she didn't feel scared to talk to this boy.

"Hello, Benjamin!" she said merrily. "What did you bring for lunch?" She sat down on the ground beside him and glanced at his messy hands to glean an answer. Benjamin looked at her for a moment with wide eyes. He almost seemed surprised that she was talking to him.

"I'm eatin' a cheese sammich," he answered with his mouth full. "Ma made it for me."

"Oh, that's nice!" the girl said brightly. "I ate some turnips and some carrots and leftover porridge."

The boy looked down at the vegetables in her hand and licked his lips. "I like carrots," he said, his eyes still fixed on her uneaten treat.

Dorothy giggled at his hint. "Oh, I'm glad," she said, "because I'm too full to eat these ones. Would you eat them for me, Benjamin?"

Without a moment's pause, the little boy snatched the carrots from her hand and began munching on one like a starving animal. An outburst of happy laughter rang through the air as the other children played. Dorothy saw Benjamin look at them with a pouty face.

"Don't you like to play ball?" she asked.

"Yeah," the little boy answered, looking down at the ground. "But I can't play. Simon said I was in trouble."

"Why?" Dorothy asked.

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. That's just what he said. He said I couldn't get up till school starts again too."

"Oh," Dorothy gave him a pitying look, but she didn't know what to say. She didn't think it was very nice of Simon to punish him so harshly. But then, she didn't know what Benjamin had done wrong either. She didn't want to know, she just wanted to make the boy happy.

"Well, I know a game we can play right here," she said as Benjamin ate his last carrot. She leaned forward and drew a few lines in the dirt. Then she began a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Benjamin was eager to play, and Dorothy made sure that she always let him win. It made the boy very happy, but he still wished that he could have played ball.

"Maybe for my birthday," he began, drawing a circle on the ground. "Ma and Pa will get me a ball! I sure do want one!" He grinned and hesitated for a moment. "I sure would like more carrots too," he mumbled quietly.

Dorothy smiled sweetly. "I have a few more in the schoolhouse," she said. "I'll be right back with them!"

She jumped up from the ground, her heart aglow with delight. It felt so good to share. She ran as fast as her broken shoes would carry her, clomping up the stairs clumsily and racing into the schoolhouse. There she grabbed the carrots from her jacket and hurried out again. As she ran back down the steps, she hardly noticed the other children, but one boy in particular had noticed her.