James shook his money box again. Nothing! He carefully counted the coins that lay on the bed. $ 24.52 was all that he had. The bicycle he wanted was $90! How on earth was he going to get the rest of the money? He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was hard to hang around with people when you were the only one without wheels. He thought about what he could do. There was no need to ask his parents for he knew they had no money to spare.

There was only one way to get money, and that was to earn it. He would have to find a job. But who would hire him and what could he do? He decided to ask Mr Clay for advice, who usually had opinions in most things. “Well, you can start right here,” said Mr Clay. “My windows need cleaning and my car needs washing.’’ That was the beginning of James’ odd-job (零工) business. For three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He was surprised by the various jobs that people found for him to do. He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards, and mended books. He forgot the number of cars he washed and windows he cleaned, but the money increased and he knew that he would soon have enough for the bicycle he was dying for. The day finally came when James counted his money and found $ 94.32. He wasted no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted.

It had been hard work for the money, but James knew that he valued his bicycle far more since he had bought it with his own money. He had achieved what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.

He rode proudly home, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends.

Many years later, James succeeded in