Grandfathers -- Juvenile fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction; Orphans -- Juvenile fiction; Poor girls -- Juvenile fiction
Too surprised to speak for herself, Nick answered for the vender, "They
was fifty bags, that's fifty cents, an' five fer commish. If it'd been a
hunderd, 'twould ha' been a dime. Glory, she's the best seller Toni
Salvatore's got, an' he often chucks her in a bag fer herself, besides.
Fifty-five'd be fair, eh, Take-a-Stitch?"
Glancing at Glory's sunny face, Miss Laura did not wonder at the child's
success. Almost anybody would buy from her for the sake of bringing
forth one of those flashing smiles, but the girl had now found her own
voice and indignantly cried:
"Oh, parson, if you ain't the cheat, I never! Chargin' money for goobers
what's smashed! Think you'll get a lot for yourself, don't you? Well,
you won't an' you needn't look to, so there."
Thus having rebuked her too zealous champion Glory explained to Miss
Bonnicastle that "they couldn't be more'n twenty-five good bags left.
They belongs to Antonio Salvatore, the peanut man. I was goin' to buy
needles an' thread with part, needin' needles most, but no matter.
Better luck next time. Do you really want a bag, lady?"
Again the tiny packet was extended persuasively, the small peddler being
most anxious to make a sale although her honesty forbade her accepting
payment for goods unsold.
But Miss Laura scarcely saw the paper bag, for she was looking with so
much interest upon the child's own face. Such a gay, helpful, hopeful
small face it was! Beneath a tangle of yellow curls, the brown eyes
looked forth so trustfully, and the wide mouth parted in almost
continual laughter over white and well-kept teeth. Then the white
carnation pinned to the faded, but clean, blue frock, gave a touch of
daintiness. Altogether, this seemed a charming little person to be found
in such a locality, where, commonly, the people were poor and ill-fed,
and looked sad rather than glad. The lady's surprise was expressed in
her question, "Little girl, where do you live? How came you in this
neighborhood?"
"Why--I belong here, 'course. Me an' grandpa live in the littlest house
in Ne' York. Me an' him we live together, all by our two selves, an' we
have the nicest times there is. But--but, did you want a bag?" she
finished, pleadingly. Time was passing and she was too busy to waste
more. She wondered, too, why anybody so rich as to ride in a carriage
should tarry thus long in Elbow Lane, though, sometimes, people did get
astray and turn into the Lane on their way to cross the big bridge.
"Yes, little Glory, as I heard them call you, I meant just what I said.
I wish to buy all your stock as well as pay for a new basket. Will you
please invite your friends to share the feast with you? I'm sorry I
caused you so much trouble and here, the little boy suggested fifty-five
cents, suppose we make it a dollar? Will that be wholly satisfactory?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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