Peter and the Silver Coins
One cool, cloudy day I was walking home from school behind a hunched-over, little old lady. She walked slowly and used a cane. On her head she wore a large, orange, floppy hat decorated all over with red maple leaves. I slowed down to stay well back from her because Mama always told me not to walk quickly up to old people as I might scare, or startle, them. Before my very eyes, coins started falling from the pockets of the hunched-over, little old lady. Lots and lots of silver coins tumbled out. Like a shiny spring shower they sprinkled onto the sidewalk and glistened in front of me. There were piles of them. I’d never seen so many coins; not even when Papa rolled the coins, from our spare change bucket, into thin paper tubes. The hunched-over, little old lady hobbled along in front of me. She didn’t seem to notice that her coins were falling onto the sidewalk. I didn’t think I should call out to her, or run after her, because I didn’t want ...