Emiline Elmwood, an imaginative young girl in the Old West, dreams of being a hero. But does she really have what it takes? As she is faced with needy neighbors and the school bully whom she has learned to hate, her courage is put to the test. Can s...
The wintry days crept by slowly. Too slowly for Emma's liking. But she had plenty of things to do and think about now. As usual, she had school and chores to keep her busy. Then, on Saturdays, she would go to Susan's for tea. But the thing that made Emiline's winter really pleasant was spending time with Mrs. Winston. Sometimes, she and Mother would go up to the shack with some homemade rolls for the old lady. Or, sometimes, Emma would go alone just to bide her time and visit. Every time the girl walked into Mrs. Winston's house, she discovered something new and beautiful that the old woman had done. The place was being changed from an unkempt shack into a livable home.
Mrs. Winston was an excellent seamstress. As she made herself comfortable in her old home, she found time to sew herself some new dresses. She had also found good work sewing garments for Mrs. Hillenbrand's shop, and she was doing quite well on the money she earned.
Slowly but surely, Mrs. Winston began looking more like a respectable lady and less like a poor beggar. This made Emiline feel much better about spending time with her. She was already learning to love the old woman anyway. But now, she wasn't as embarrassed to be seen with her in public.
One evening, Emiline walked up to Mrs. Winston's house for a visit. She tapped on the door quietly and then walked in without waiting for an answer. "Mrs. Winston," she called, "are you home?"
The thumping of Mrs. Winston's staggering feet sounded upstairs. "Yes, I'm home," the woman answered. "Come in, child." Slowly, she limped downstairs and slumped down into a living room chair. She looked very tired, but there was a pleasant smile on her face.
"Are you alright, Mrs. Winston?" Emiline asked in concern.
The woman chuckled. "Yes, I'll be alright," she answered. "I've been cleaning my attic. What an undertaking! To tell you the truth, my old bones just won't take the work very well these days." She stretched her back painfully. "But I won't live with that attic the way it is," she said with determination. "It has to change."
Emma sat down beside Mrs. Winston and leaned her head on the old woman's shoulder pityingly. For a moment, Mrs. Winston was silent, as if she had fallen deep in thought. Then, in a more cheerful tone, she began, "Emma, would you like to make a little money?"
"Me?" Emiline asked in surprise. "How would I do that?"
The woman smiled brightly and rose to her feet. "Come with me, dear," she said. "I have something to show you."
Emiline followed her up the steps with excitement. Was Mrs. Winston really offering her a job? She had always wanted to make some money for herself. But it was hard for a girl to get a job.
If I had money, she thought hopefully. I could buy a new dress, just like Susan's!
The attic was a dark, cluttered room with one small window which let in a thin beam of light. Spiderwebs dangled from the ceiling rafters, and a narrow path wound in-between huge trunks and boxes.
"Here's my dilemma," Mrs. Winston stated, looking around at all of the dusty items; "I haven't looked inside some of these trunks for over twenty years. And I'm afraid some of those dreaded mice have moved in." She pointed to a furry creature in the corner of the room. Emma shuddered in disgust. "What I need you to do," Mrs. Winston explained, "is help me go through all of my keepsakes and tidy this attic up a bit."
Emiline thought for a moment. She had never liked cleaning, and she had always hated mice. But she loved the thought of making money.
I could buy new books and new shoes! she thought silently. I could even buy candy from Mr. Harvard's General Store! Better yet, if I save up my money, I could buy a pocket watch just like Peter's!
As she weighed the benefits of working for Mrs. Winston, the old woman opened one of the trunks. Inside, a treasury of ancient and beautiful keepsakes caught Emiline's eye. There were old hat boxes, hat pins, scarves, books—everything imaginable.
"I would love to help you, Mrs. Winston!" Emma blurted joyfully. "I've never had a job before. This will be fun!"
The two sat down and made the plans. Emiline would come every day after her regular chores and would clean for an hour. She already knew that Mother wouldn't mind. As long as she did her own housecleaning first and was home by supper time, Emma could do almost anything after school.
The next day, Emma hurried to Mrs. Winston's house with an excited heart. This was her first job, and all at once, she felt very grown up.
Cleaning Mrs. Winston's attic felt like becoming a historian. As Emiline pulled dazzling antiques out of oak chests, the old woman would gasp in delight and tell the story behind each object. Then Emma would dust them and put them wherever Mrs. Winston wanted. Some went back into storage, but many of the beautiful things were placed downstairs to decorate the old building.
Within a few days, Emiline had sorted through half of the trunks, thrown the mice out of their homes, and swept the cobwebs away. But there were many more things to be done in Mrs. Winston's home. There were windows to clean which the elderly lady couldn't reach any more. And there were jobs which were just too hard for her to do. Emma was more than happy to help. She was saving all of her money in an empty tin until she gained enough to buy something amazing.
Even though Mrs. Winston couldn't do some things, Emiline still marveled at all of the jobs she accomplished. Even when she was hurting and tired, she kept on working. This was something Emma didn't understand; but she admired it very much. When Emiline felt sick or hurt, she let mother do all of the housework. But now, she began to think that it was very heroic of Mrs. Winston to keep working and helping others even though she didn't feel well. The longer Emiline knew the woman, the more she cherished each day with her.
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