Word:
Definition:
Word:
Definition:
BEGIN
DAY 2
Literal: Why does Della want to buy a gold chain for Jim?
Della feels Jim deserves a chain to replace the strap attached
to his watch.
mere
very little, a small
amount
envy
the feeling of
wanting
something that
belongs to
another
2
The Gift of the Magi
Vocabulary
Generate Questions
It was Christmas Eve. The snow had fallen. The cold
had settled in comfortably. And so had Della, a beautiful
young woman, who sat in her small apartment counting
her change. “Eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven,” she
said aloud as she stacked the last of her pennies. Her
grand total was $1.87. All the saving and hard work she
had endured these last few months had resulted in a
mere
$1.87.
She tried to comfort herself. But she could not. Della
was so disappointed she flung herself onto her old, worn
sofa and began to cry. A spring popped up and almost cut
her. That made her cry even harder.
Della was sad with good reason. She wanted to buy a
really nice Christmas present for her husband, Jim. The
couple was quite poor. They did not have many fancy
things. But Della wanted to show Jim her love with a
special gift. Sadly, she knew that $1.87 would not do.
Della wanted badly to buy Jim a fancy chain for his gold
pocket watch. Jim truly loved that watch! He would pull it
out whenever he could. He didn’t really care what time it
was. He just wanted to show off his most prized
possession. He also wanted to admire it himself.