1 . I was working at the toy counter of a “dime” store in Orlando, Florida. I was 15, and the year was 1952. I had to_______about my age to get a job, and I barely supported myself on the $25/week salary. But this was the South, and it was a time when things were_______for everybody.

It was a few days after Christmas, and we had a lot of dolls left_______on the toy counter, as well as many more dolls in a storage closet. My young voice trying to_______the passing shoppers to our sale didn’t seem to get anyone’s_______—shoppers continued to walk by, ignoring me.

Suddenly, a small girl walked by, and I handed her a doll. Her mother stopped to find out_______her daughter had this doll, and I explained our_______sale. The girl had stars in her eyes and nothing was going to make her_______this doll. I had made my first_______.

I continued, handing anyone walking by, ________their age, a doll, and soon I had the two________behind the counter rushing to ring up all the sales. I was feeling very________, and confident about the success.

Then I handed a doll to a small,________dressed girl. Her eyes lit up. I explained to her mother about the wonderful sale.________, her mother took the doll away from the little girl and handed it back to me. Quickly ________filled the little girl’s eyes as her mother explained gently that there was no________to buy this doll and apologized to her. I________her that this was a really good________, but the mother just shook her head.

Just then a well-dressed, middle-aged woman said, “Wait—let me________this doll for your little girl.” She took the doll from my hands and handed it________back to the little girl.