English Original
In 1945, a 12-year-old boy named Reuben Earle saw something in a shop window that set his heart racing. The price—five dollars—was a fortune to his family, nearly a week's worth of groceries. His father was a fisherman, and his mother stretched every penny to care for their five children.
Undeterred, Reuben entered the shop. Standing straight in his humble clothes, he asked the shopkeeper to hold the item for him. "I'll try," the man replied kindly.
Determined to earn the money himself, Reuben had an idea. He discovered that discarded hessian nail sacks from local construction sites could be sold back to the factory for five cents each. He began collecting them, hiding his earnings in a rusty tin can in the barn loft.
Through seasons of school, chores, and harsh weather, Reuben diligently searched for sacks. He faced cold, hunger, and his mother's puzzled questions, but the thought of his goal kept him going.
Finally, after nearly a year, he counted his savings. He was twenty cents short. Desperate, he found four more sacks just as the factory was closing. The buyer, moved by the boy's urgency, paid him.
Reuben rushed to the shop, paid the five dollars, and received his treasure. He raced home and presented a small box to his mother, Dora, who was scrubbing the stove.
Carefully, she unwrapped it to find a blue-velvet jewel box. Inside lay a small, almond-shaped brooch with the word "Mother" in gold lettering.
It was Mother's Day, 1946. Dora, who owned no finery except her wedding ring, was speechless. With radiant tears, she gathered her son into her arms.
中文翻译
1945年，一个名叫鲁本·厄尔的12岁男孩在商店橱窗里看到一件让他心跳加速的东西。价格——五美元——对他的家庭来说是一笔巨款，几乎是他们一周的伙食费。他的父亲是渔民，母亲则精打细算地抚养着五个孩子。
鲁本没有气馁，他走进了商店。穿着简陋的衣服，他站得笔直，请求店主为他保留那件商品。店主和善地答应了：“我尽量。”
决心自己赚钱的鲁本想到了一个办法。他发现当地建筑工地丢弃的黄麻钉袋可以以每个五美分的价格卖回给工厂。他开始收集这些袋子，把赚来的钱藏进谷仓阁楼的一个生锈的苏打罐里。
历经上学、家务和恶劣天气的四季更替，鲁本孜孜不倦地寻找麻袋。他忍受着寒冷、饥饿和母亲疑惑的询问，但对目标的念想支撑着他。
近一年后，他终于数了数积蓄，还差二十美分。在工厂即将关门之际，他绝望地又找到了四个麻袋。收购员被男孩的急切所打动，付了钱给他。
鲁本冲到商店，付了五美元，拿到了他的珍宝。他跑回家，把一个小盒子递给了正在擦洗炉灶的母亲多拉。
她小心翼翼地打开包装，一个蓝色天鹅绒首饰盒映入眼帘。里面是一枚小巧的杏仁形胸针，上面刻着金色的“母亲”字样。
那天是1946年的母亲节。除结婚戒指外别无饰物的多拉一时语塞。她眼中闪着晶莹的泪光，灿烂地笑着，将儿子拥入怀中。