Old Dawson had the best apples in town, but kids knew they mustn't go into his yard to pick a delicious apple, even off the ground, because Dawson, a bad-tempered( 坏脾气的 ) man, they said, would come after you with his gun. One Friday, 12-year-old Janet was going to stay all night with her friend Amy. They had to walk by Dawson's house on the way to Amy's house. Like most of the children, Janet was scared of the old man because of the stories she'd heard about him. Amy said that Mr. Dawson wouldn't hurt anyone. Still, Janet was growing more nervous with each step closer to the old man's house. When they got close enough, Dawson looked up with his usual frown( 皱眉 ), but when he saw it was Amy, a big smile changed his whole face as he said, "Hello, Miss Amy. I see you've got a little friend with you today." Amy smiled back and told him Janet was staying overnight and they were going to listen to music and play games. Dawson told them that sounded fun, and offered them each a fresh picked apple off his tree. As they walked on, Janet asked Amy, "Everyone says he's the meanest man in town. Why was he so nice to us?" Amy explained that when she first started walking past his house, he wasn't very friendly and she was afraid of him, but she always smiled at him. It took a while, but one day he half-smiled back at her. After some more time, he started smiling real smiles and then started talking to her. Just he always offers her an apple now, and is always very kind. We're always trying to achieve so much, and it's so easy to get caught up in ( 被卷入 ; 陷入 ) everyday life that we forget we can bring cheer to ourselves and others simply. Giving a smile takes so little effort; let's smile to others.