"Everyone used to attend Watermelon Day in Rocky Ford," Aunt Sarah said. "We had such wonderful times. Most people traveled to Rocky Ford in buggies, but the Santa Fe ran a free train back and forth to take persons who wanted to go. It was just about the biggest fair in the county." Her eyes were shining as she took us back over the years.

"Watermelon Days began in Rocky Ford in 1877, I didn't remember that because I was only three years old. I recall a lot of Watermelon Days, but the year I was 12 was just about the best of all because of what happened.

We got to ride on the train to Rocky Ford. I loved that ride, ten miles was a long trip in those days and the train went so fast it just took my breath away.

The Perkins lived down the road from us. Mary Jane Perkins was a year younger than me in school and she was a pest. Mama and Mrs. Perkins were friends, so her mother and Mary Jane came to our house once in awhile. It was too much for me, I didn't like Mary Jane. Fact was that Mary Jane was a bragger. She didn't have any brothers or sisters and was always showing up in a new dress. She had a new purse or new jewelry every time she came to visit. I thought they must be rich.

I tried to tell Mama how I felt, but she said the green eyed monster had taken hold of me. She was right, I was jealous, there were a lot of us Millers and it was a rare day when we got something new. Most of my dresses were hand-me-downs from my big sister Laura.

I tried to run away from Mary Jane and at school I could disappear when I saw her coming, but when I was home if I tried to escape Mama gave me lectures about how I should appreciate the fact that Mary Jane liked me so much. So I was stuck with her.

Watermelon closing day was on Saturday and that day they gave away melons. They were delicious. At one end of the park a huge pile of watermelons was stacked and when a whistle was blown we could all race to the pile and get free samples. Some of those bigger men could carry two and three watermelons.

But that year when Saturday came Mama just about ruined my day. She announced that Mrs. Perkins and Mary Jane would be going with us.

"But Mama," I protested, "I don't want to be stuck with Mary Jane. I like to hang around with Oscar and Albert."

"Sadie," Mama said. "It's time you started playing with girls."

"I don't like Mary Jane," I whined.

"Why don't you try to look for her good points?" Mama said.

"I don't think she has any good points," I grumbled. From the look on Mama's face I knew I better shush and stop arguing, but I sure felt cantankerous. My day was going to be spoiled.

Sure enough Mary Jane was up to her old tricks. As soon as we sat down in the train she flashed a ring at me. "See my new ring." She held her hand out. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Nice," I grunted."

"It cost ever so much money," she crowed.

I fumed as I sat in my seat. I had never had a ring, why did we have to be so poor? It just wasn't fair.

I decided I would pay no mind to Mary Jane. Even if I was stuck with her I would ignore her. That way she couldn't spoil my day. It was mighty hard pretending she wasn't there, but I just looked out the window and imagined that I was all by myself on a long trip across the United States.

When we got to the fair the boys ran off. If Mary Jane hadn't been there I could have gone with them, but I was stuck. We walked aways. There were so many things to look at if she hadn't been chattering all the time I would almost have been able to forget that Mary Jane was tagging along.

We joined Mama and the boys for lunch. Mama always packed a lunch of fried chicken and baked beans and we ate lunch in the park. Then we walked over to watch a minstrel show. All the performers sat with their faces black and told jokes. There was a band and they played banjos and rattled bones.

Then we went to watch the bicycle races. Bicycles looked different then, some of them had big wheels and they could move faster than a mosquito. After the races we walked around and looked at everything. I never saw so many people.

Suddenly Mary Jane screamed, she scared me out of ten years growth.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"My ring," she cried. "It's gone." I looked at her hand, sure enough the ring was missing.

"I have to find it." Mary Jane turned and ran back to where we had been sitting. I was thinking of sneaking away from her, but I knew Mama would be annoyed, so I walked slowly back to where she was kneeling on the ground, searching frantically through the grass.

"Please Sadie,"" she begged. "Help me find my ring."

I started looking, my heart wasn't in it, but then I looked at her face. There were big tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I have to find it," she cried.

"It's not here," I said. "Someone probably picked it up."

At those words Mary Jane started howling. She put her head into her hands.

"Your Ma will buy you another one," I told her. I was so embarrassed I looked around to see if anyone was watching.

"You don't understand," she cried. "It wasn't my ring."

"It wasn't?" That surprised me. "Whose ring was it?"

"It used to be my Grandma's ring," she cried.

"Oh." I still didn't understand why she was taking it so hard.

"My Mother keeps it in her chest and I'm not supposed to touch it. If she finds out I took it she'll have Papa spank me."

Spank her? I was so surprised my mouth flew open. It's a wonder I didn't swallow a pack of flies.

"Papa spanks me with a board," she wailed. "He hits awful hard."

For the first time I felt sorry for Mary Jane. We kept looking for the ring but it just wasn't there.

"How come you told me it was your ring?" I asked.

"I wanted you to like me," she said. "You're so lucky."

"Me?" I asked.

"You're never shy. You have such a nice big family and heaps of friends," she sobbed. "You're my only friend."

I'd never stopped to think that I was lucky.

"I wanted you to like me," she said.

"But you're the lucky one," I said slowly. "You have new things all the time."

"They're not new," she admitted. "My cousin sends me her clothes."

You could have knocked me over with a feather.

"Mama will never forgive me for losing the ring." Mary Jane started crying again. "And Papa will be furious."

I started thinking about my family. Suddenly I felt rich. Papa never spanked me.

"When I lose things," I told her, "I pray and ask God to help me find them."

"I - I -," Mary Jane stuttered. "I don't know how to pray."

"You don't know how to pray? I thought everyone knew how to pray." How could she not know how to pray? Although I had never seen Mary Jane at church I thought she went to the other church in town.

"Don't you go to church?" I asked.

"No," she admitted. Tears were rolling down her face.

"Why not?"

"Papa and Mama say they have too much work to do to go to church."

"I'll show you how to pray," I suggested and bowed my head. "Dear God, help us find Mary Jane's ring and help Mary Jane never to take anything again. Please send your angels to help us find the ring."

"Angels?" When I opened my eyes Mary Jane was staring at me.

"Sure," I said.

"I don't know anything about angels," Mary Jane said.

"There are lots of angels in Mama's big Bible. The next time you come over I'll show them to you."

"I'd like to see them." The sadness in her eyes made me feel bad.

We started looking again, but it was hopeless. There was no ring there.

"Maybe it bounced over here," I said crawling to another spot. Suddenly I looked up and there stood the biggest, tallest man, he was way taller than Father.

"Hello, girls," he said. His eyes were kind. "Are you looking for this?" Something was in his hand.

"My ring," Mary Jane cried.

"But it's not your ring," the man said.

"No." Mary Jane hung her head. "It's not my ring."

"It's your Grandmother's ring," the man continued.

"How did you know that?" Mary Jane asked as the man gave her the ring. He didn't answer her.

"Don't take things that don't belong to you," the man's eyes shone. "That makes God very sad."

"I won't," Mary Jane said as she slipped the ring on her finger.

The man patted both of our heads as he walked away. For some reason it made my hair tingle.

"How did he know it was my Grandmother's ring?" Mary Jane asked.

"And how did he know your name?" I added.

"I forgot to thank him," she said and started running in the direction the man had gone. I ran after her but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I wonder if he was an angel," I said breathlessly.

"Do you think so?" Mary Jane's eyes were big.

"I don't know," I said. "The only angels I ever saw were the ones in Mama's Bible."

"God answered your prayer," Mary Jane said.

"Yes, He sure did. Would you go to church with us next week?" I asked.

"Could I?" Mary Jane asked eagerly.

"Sure, I'll ask Mama and Daddy to stop and get you. Come on we'll go watch the show. It's almost time for the watermelon race."

"Let's find my mother first," Mary Jane said.

"Okay," I answered.

"I want to tell her I took the ring and give it back to her," Mary Jane said. "Maybe she won't let Papa spank me. I don't want to ever take anything that doesn't belong to me again."

"That's a good idea," I said.

I felt like the richest person in town.