The torn sweater [short story]

Media

Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title
The torn sweater [short story]
Year
1941
Rights
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
AUGUST, 1941 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 277 THE TORN SWEATER ADAPTED BY PANCITA FLORES ]UANITO looked sadly at the big hole in his sweater. "What will Mother say· when she sees it?" he thought anxiously. "I promised her that I wou.ld not climb any ,tree while I was wearing my good sweater, and then l. forgot all about my promise the minute I started to play with Jose and Tomas." J uanito walked home very slowly. How he hated to have Mother see his new sweater! She had given it to him for his birthday and· it was the nicest sweater that he had ever owned. Now there was a big hole right in the front where it had caught on a branch .. J uanito was so busy thinking <about his ·sweater that he didn't notice Jose and Tomas running after him. "Wait a minute, Nita!". called Jose, but J uanito didn't even hear him. "Nito, wait for us!" shouted Tomas. He s.houted so loudly that this time Jua­ nita stopped and turned around. 14We just-wanted-to tell you-how sorry-we are about-your sweater," puffed Jose, who was all out of breath from running. "Yes," added Tomas, _"we thought maybe we could help., Juanita shook his head sadly. ��r guess no one can hetp·me. It's such a big hole that my sweater is spoiled .. The worst part of it is that I broke my promise to l\1other." "It was our fault as much as it was yours, Nito," said Tomas. "If you hadn't tried to he I p us fix the swing, you wouldn't have torn your ·sweater." "That's right," agreed Jose. "Maybe . if we went home with you and explained to your mother, she wouldn't mind about the sweater so much." HOb, no!" answered J uanito quickly. "I didn't have to climb that tree because you did. You could have fixed' the swing all right without me. That would be only an excuse. Mother says that she doesn't like boys who make excuses when they do something wrorig." · Jose and Tomas didn't say anything for a minute. They were thinking hard of some way to help poor Juanita. "I know!" said Jose. "Why don't you tell your mother that you caught your sweater on the fence while you were play-· ing in my yard? Then maybe she wouldn't scold you at all." "Oh, dear," said J uanito. "I wish I could. That would be m.u�h easier than telling Mother I broke my promise." J uanito knew that he couldn't tell his mother such a lie. He knew that if he didn't tell her the truth, it would be much worse than climbing trees when he had promised her that he would not. THE YOUNG CITIZEN AuGusT, 1941 "No, Jose," said 1 uanito at last, "I couldn't tell Mother that. I don't think it would be rightY "No, I guess it wouldn't," agreed Jose, "but I really ·can't think of any other way to help you, Nita." "I'm afraid I'll just have to go home and tell Mother exactly what happened," decided J uanito. "I'm going right now and get it over with as fast as I can." And away he ran. · "Hello, J uanito,'' called Mother, when she.saw him come running into th_e house. "You ar-e .just in time. I have baked some cup cakes. Here are two big ones for you to eat before you go out to play." Two cup cakes! That was what J :ua­ nito liked to eat lbetter than anything else when he came from school in the afternoon. Today, however, even two cup cakes couldn't make him feel happy. Mother set a glass'of orange juice and a plate with the two cakes on it on the kitchen ta·ble. · "Here is your lunch, 1 uanito," she invited. "I don't feel hungry," he replied in a low voice. · Mother looked at him in surprise. Som-ething terrible must have happened to make J ua·nito refuse freshly-baked cup cakes. "Are you sick?" she asked an­ xiously. J uanito shook his head. "Look!'� he said, pointing sadly tC! the big. hole in his sweater. "Oh, J uanito," cried Mother, "your beautiful new_ s:weater! What happened to it?" J uanito felt very much ashamed, bu.t he looked at Mother bravely. "I caught it on a branch while I was climbing a big mango .tree in Jose's yard." "But," asked Mother in surprise, "why were you climbing the tree? You prom­ ised me you wouldn't. You don't usu­ ally break your promises to me." "I'm sorry," said J uanito. "But why did you do it?" asked his mother again. "Haven't you a reason, Juanita, for behaving so badly today?" "No," answered J uanito. "I guess I just forgot all about my promise. I saw Tomas and Jose, and they asked me to come over and play with them. They were making a swing, and I climbed up in the tree to help tie the rope. It was my own fault, Mother." Mother looked at J uanito a long time without saying anything. He felt so much ashamed. He wis·hed she would hurry up and scold him. "rm very sorry about your sw�ater, J uanito," said Mother at last, "but p·er­ haps I can mend it so that it won't look · so bad." J uanito looked at his mother in sur­ prise. "But aren't you cross because I broke my promise to you?" he asked. . "No," said Mathe� "But I don't like to think that my boy would br-eak his promise. It makes me feel very sad, but I am glad that I have a son who is brave enough to tell me the truth, and who doesn't try to make excuses for doing the · wrong thing. I know how _sorry you must feel about spoiling that nice new sweater.. Perhaps you've had trouble enough for today wiJhout my scolding you, too. So, eat those two cakes and drink your cold­ orange JUice now. That will probably make you feel better." "Oh, l\1other ," exclaimed J uanito hap­ pily, as he ate one of the cakes," you are the kindest mother any boy ever had. The next time I make a promise, I'll be care­ ful not to br-eak it."