A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people seldom visited. The house was very old and the owner hardly ever came out. They boy's parents told him to stay away from the house, a lot of other neighborhoods children were told the same from their parents. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. "What do you want?" the old man said. "Uh, sir, I am selling these magazines and I was wondering if you would like to buy one." The old man stared at the boy. The boy could see inside the old man's house and saw that he had dog figurines on the fireplace mantle. "Do you collect dogs?" the little boy asked. "Yes, I have many collectibles  in my house. They are my family here. They are all I have." The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul . Then the old man was ready to close the door and said, "No, boy, I don't need any magazine of any kind, now goodbye." The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the big house. The boy went home and then had an idea. He knocked on the door again and this time the old man came right to the door. "Boy, I thought I told you no magazines." "No, sir. But I want to give you a gift. The boy handed him the figurine and the man's face lit up. "It's a Golden Retriever, and I have one at home, this is for you. The old man was simply stunned ; no one had ever given him such a gift and shown him so much kindness. From that day on, the old man started coming out of the house and _ people. He and the boy became friends; the boy even brought his dog to see the man weekly. What made the old man start coming out of the house?
Golden Retriever. All of his dog figurines. The magazine. The little boy's kindness.