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The AngelMiss Dulcie read in the local newspaper that the adult school was starting classes on the following Tuesday to train angels for the Christmas show. On the next page of the newspaper she read a request from the local hospital. Women were needed to help crippled children. Miss Dulcie put the newspaper down and went to her calendar. She marked down the hours she could help the children.Later that week, Miss Dulcie had a visitor. It was Mr. Bruckner, head of the adult school.“Miss Dulcie,” Mr. Bruckne said, “I once heard someone call you an angel. The class can’t start without you. We need fourteen students to be eligible for (= be suitable to be chosen for) government’s aid. We have only thirteen. I must ask you to help meThe next Tuesday, Miss Dulcie appeared at the Adult School. She quietly sat down in the back of the classroom. The teacher, Mrs Periwink, make an announcement: “We have received fourteen pairs of wings. Class begins now.”The girls tried on the wings and practiced. They walked and danced on their toes. But Miss Dulcie stayed in her seat.“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” said Miss Periwink. “Practice does it.”So Miss Dulcie got up. She spread out her arms. To the surprise of all the ladies, including Miss Dulcie herself, she rose above the floor. Immediately, she felt ashamed of doing this. She came gently down and folded her wings.The girls ran to her and asked her to show them how she did it. Miss Dulcie refused, for she thought she had done something unforgivable. So she hurried home.At the next class, Miss Dulcie rose off the floor once more.Again the girls begged her to tell them how she did it. She tried to explain, “I guess it’s the way you feel inside…and perhaps a ques tion of faith. When you swim you expect the water to hold you up. If you trust the air…”“Trust the air? How foolish!”The girls jumped across the stage. But no one could rise off the floor. She was asked to show them again and again. Still, nobody was able to do what Miss Dulcie had done.One of the girls said she had been angry with her neighbors for a long time and another said she was angry with her mother.They asked Miss Dulcie if she was angry with anyone. She said no.“There is only one answer, girls,” said Miss Periwink.“The only way to become an angel is to be an angel.”Rebuilding of a BridgeDavid and Roy decided to go for a bicycle ride with three other students Robert, Helen and Betty. But Robert's father couldn't afford to buy a bike for him. So they were going to borrow one for him.The students had planned to meet at 8 o'clock. But Robert, Helen and Betty were half an hour late, for they had to come a long way since they found the bridge over the stream had been washed away.When they told the bad news to David and Roy, David said nothing and kept silent for a moment. After a while, an idea came into his mind. "Do you think we could rebuild it?"All of them agreed and started to consider this seriously. They decided to rebuild the bridge before they went for the bicycle ride. Betty said she could ask her brother to make a plan for them.The biggest problem was to get enough wood. The next day they visited nearly every house in the village. Mr .Robinson agreed to supply the wood so long as they did the work. Several people promised to give money if they could build a new bridge because it was a short cut for them.The students worked for nearly a week under Mr. Robinson's guidance. At the end of a week of hard work, the bridge was completed. They all agreed to ask Mr. Robinson to officially open the bridge. "He has helped us most," David said."And tomorrow morning we can go around to all the houses," added Roy," and tell the people that the bridge will be officially opened at six o'clock. Then we can remind them about their promises about money," Roy added."But we don't really want that, do we? " said Robert."Yes," said Helen. "We need it and I think we should collect it." He glanced quickly at the others, who nodded.The next day, the students visited all the houses again. They were surprised when they saw how pleased the people were with them. By two o'clock they had collected over a hundred dollars. By five o'clock, unknown to Robert, they had spent it.At six the students gathered at the bridge. Mr .Robinson appeared with nearly forty of the people of their district. In a short speech he praised the students for their efforts."And now I declare the bridge open," he said, "and I have a small surprise for you." He turned to his son and received small metal sign from him. Climbing down the bank, he nailed it on the side of the bridge. "Students' Bridge", it said. The neighbours clapped, and the students felt even more pleased with their work. David turned to Robert."And now, " he said, "we have a surprise for you. Look!" Look!" Helen pushed a new bike through the crowd and gave it to the astonished Robert. "Now you see why we wanted the money," she said.。
