“Daily Star, sir,” called Jason, carrying some newspapers under his arm. The little boy had been running up and down the street, but there were still twenty ______ left. His voice was almost gone and his heart was ______. The shops would soon close, and all the people would go home. He would have to go home too, carrying the papers ______ money. He had hoped to sell more papers tonight to make more money to buy a ______ for his mother and some seeds for his bird. That was why he had bought the papers with all his money. He ______ as he thought of his failure to sell all his papers.

“You don’t know the ______ of selling papers. You must shout, ‘Hot news! Bomb bursting!’” another newsboy Chad told Jason. “But it’s not in the paper at all,” replied Jason. “Just run away quickly before they have time to see, and you’ll ______ out and get your money,” Chad said.

Jason thought of his bird with no ______ and the cake he wanted to buy for his mother, but was ______ that he would not tell a lie. Though he was just a poor newsboy, he had been taught some good things.

The next afternoon Jason went to the office for his papers ______. Several boys were crowding around Chad, who declared with a ______ smile that he sold six dozen the day before. He added that Jason ______ money because he would not tell a lie. The boys ______ at Jason. “You wouldn’t tell a lie yesterday, my boy?” a gentleman at the office came up and patted Jason’s shoulder ______. “You’re just the boy I am looking for.” A week later Jason started his new ______. He lost the sale of twenty papers because he would not tell a lie, but got a well-paid job because he told the truth.