The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: "Stop! Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go." Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation , he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, "Maybe I should call you mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison." Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. "Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?" she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy   for her son. Yet, she was most calm, quiet, and pleasant, which made Mr. Carr feel guilty  . Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. "Of course", he said, "I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youth a long time to grow up." And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand.  Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, "You are a burden. Your trouble came one after another, always! Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed." In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. Getting to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one, totally different from the earlier cool, bright face. She lifted the tea cup, her hands shaking, the lips moving nervously.  He watched his mother quietly, without making a sound. The picture of his mother nearly made him cry. Realizing all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hands and the deep lines of worry in her grey face, he felt he shouldn't have done such a shameful theft to hurt his mother so deeply. He determined to grow up like a true man and protect his mother rather than hurt her again. Why Mrs. Higgins's face became a frightened and broken one?
Mrs. Higgins had a hard life and she suffered a lot. Mrs. Higgins was afraid that his son would be in prison Mrs. Higgins regarded his son as a bad luck and burden Mrs. Higgins was sad and disappointed at what his son had done.