It was a special Saturday evening. Hardly had I finished my work and left my office building at 9:00 pm when it rained cats and dogs. In order to get home earlier, I dashed into the rain without hesitation. Out of my expectation, I noticed a man wandering around my car, the moment I approached the parking lot.

Shaking with cold in the heavy rain, he was looking around every few seconds as though to be waiting for somebody. It was at that moment that it occurred to me that I had forgotten to roll the car window up and that was exactly where I left my wallet. In a flash, I got a big breath.

So I couldn’t help speeding up and at the same time called out to the man, expecting that he didn’t take the money and make a run with it, as after a busy day’s work, I was too tired to catch up with him.

“Are you the owner of the car?” the man asked in a shaking voice, but raindrops on the roof of my car made his voice unclear.

“And who the hell are you?” I replied with an unfriendly expression as if he was a thief who was caught stealing my wallet.

The man went on to tell me that he was a beggar, begging around the nearby buildings where I worked every day and familiar with every face and every car here. “This morning, several young men walked up plotting to take the wallet in your car. I came over and frightened them away, pretending to call the police. Thus the bad boys were scared to run away immediately. I had been waiting for you here since then so that the car and your wallet would be secure,” added the man.

When the man gave me a clear explanation of what had happened earlier, I was astonished to cover my open mouth with my hands.

Standing in the rain, I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Why didn’t you take the money?” I asked him.

Snowball came into our lives one winter. Since the moment my dad brought him home, they have formed a close relationship. While Snowball was still young，my dad began training him. A good herding (牧放牲畜) dog is necessary for our farm where cows are raised, so Dad began preparing him for the role. Snowball’s determination to please my dad was amazing. Watching them herd cows together was interesting.

One summer morning when Snowball was six, he herded our cows out of the corral (畜栏). When the cows walked around and ate grass, my mom and I left home to visit my grandma. And as usual, Snowball sadly watched as my dad left for work in the truck. Although Snowball wished to go along, he made no move toward the truck, knowing he shouldn’t leave.

That afternoon, Snowball walked back to the roadside, lay down under a tree and patiently looked down the road, waiting for my dad to return. When finally seeing my dad’s truck back, he stood up right away. Moments later, my dad pulled up beside the tree. As my dad got out of the truck, Snowball ran to him, voicing his joy. And he danced happily around my dad.

Then, it was time for Snowball to herd the cows into the corral. All the cows, except a yellow one, were successfully herded into the corral. This yellow cow refused to go in, though Snowball did his best to herd it. Probably it was because the extreme heat of the day had made this cow angry. When it had no patience anymore, the cow turned and suddenly charged (进攻) at my dad, who was standing nearby. Catching Dad off guard, the cow knocked him to the ground. My dad wanted to go into the nearby truck but his legs got injured. While he was trying to stand up, the cow looked at him in preparation for charging again. Just then, Snowball rushed to help my dad.

Showing teeth and looking at the cow, Snowball stood bravely in front of my dad.

Before long, my mom and I returned home and learned what had happened.

I’m Li Hua, a senior 2 student, aged 17.

Li Hua