Ruth’s Test

“Ruth, you need to pay attention if you’re going to pass that test tomorrow.”

“I’m trying,” said Ruth with a sigh. “Is seven times three, eighteen?”

“Seven times three?” asked her mom. “Don’t guess. Think, Ruth.”

“I am thinking!” Ruth wailed.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Mom. “Your mind seems to be somewhere else today.”

Ruth frowned. Her mind was full of the neighbor’s new puppies, but she didn’t want to admit it. “I’m thinking about seven times three,” she said.

“Try skip counting,” suggested Mom. “If you don’t remember your sevens, try counting by threes. It works both ways.”

“Three, six, nine…” Ruth counted slowly, and then wrote down the answer. Multiplication was so hard to remember! Maybe Dad would let her have one of the puppies. Her favorite was the one with—

“Is six times two, eight?” Mom asked, looking over her shoulder. “You need to pay attention to what you are doing.” Ruth sighed. It seemed forever before that math page was done!

“You should practice your reading, too,” Mom said, just when Ruth was ready to hurry outside.

“I already read that book,” Ruth said quickly.

“Then it shouldn’t take long to read it to me,” Mom said with a smile.

Ruth sat on the couch with a sigh. “ ‘Daniel woke up before the breakfast,’ ” she began quickly.

“Slow down, Ruth,” said her mom. “What word is this?”

“ ‘Break of day,’ ” read Ruth. She looked at the dog in the picture and thought of the puppies again. “ ‘He took his gun and went outside,’ ” she said.

“He did what?” Mom asked. “You need to stop guessing and read.”

“I’m trying!”

“Trying to study—or trying to get outside as soon as possible?”

Ruth hung her head. “I want to go see the puppies next door,” she admitted. “I wish I could take one home!”

“Puppies are exciting,” Mom agreed. “Are they fun to read?”

“Read? You don’t read puppies!” Ruth said.

“That’s what I thought,” Mom said. “And if you are going to learn something today, you’d better not leave your mind in the doghouse.”

Ruth giggled. “It is not so funny,” Mom said. “It would be pretty sad if you flunked your test just because you were daydreaming. You know, Dad and I have been thinking about a reward if you did well.”

“What is it?” Ruth said quickly.

“I’m not sure if you’re ready,” Mom said, slowly. “The reward is for someone who can pay attention and be diligent. Can you read this book without making any mistakes?”

“I’ll try,” Ruth said, and took a deep breath. This time she made her mind read instead of daydreaming. It was hard work to focus on the words at first, but she didn’t give up. Soon she was only thinking about Daniel and his hunting trip. By the time she got to the last page she was even a little bit interested.

Mom was pleased when she could answer all the questions correctly. “That was much better,” she said with a smile. “If you focus like that on your test, I think you just might be ready for a bigger responsibility.”

“Like what?” asked Ruth.

“How about something wiggly with a wet tongue?” Mom hinted.

“You mean, a puppy!” Ruth squealed. “I will take very good care of it and spend time with it every day!”

Mom smiled. “If you keep your mind on your lessons, I believe you will.”