Did George get anything for his fifty pence? What?
Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad, of course, provide a regular supply
of pocket money, but uncles and ants are always a source of extra income. With some children,
small sums go a long way. If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets, they rattle for
months inside money boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box. For most
of them, fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.
My nephew, George, has a money box but it is always empty. Very few of the fifty pence pieces
and pound coins I have given him have found their way there. I gave him fifty pence yesterday
and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble.
On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then
disappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed his right
arm through the drain cover. He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what is more,
he could no get his arm out.
A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter, but George
was firmly stuck. The fire brigade was called and two fire fighter freed George using a special
type of grease. George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet
shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with large box of chocolates.