What happened to the boy's model sailboat in the illustration?
The boy left his handmade model sailboat on the beach when something distracted him, and it disappeared. Months later he saw it in a pawn shop window. The shopkeeper said he had paid for it and required payment, so the boy earned money shoveling snow and mowing grass and bought his boat back.
Les explains the illustration of a little fellow who spent one whole winter laboriously building a beautiful model sailboat. His parents took him to the beach, where he played with it, but being a child he got distracted and left it; when he came back it was gone, and he wept bitter tears. Months later, walking with his mom, he saw it in a pawn shop window and was elated. The shopkeeper said he had paid for it and would not give it back unless the boy paid. Since the price was far more than he had, the boy shoveled snow all winter and mowed grass until he had enough. He returned to the pawn shop, where his little boat was still there, and paid the money.