Poor and Proud; Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn: A Story for Young Folks, Optic [best books to read now txt] 📗

the injured Sneed.

"He said his customers were disgusted with you. You talked so big and thought so much of yourself, he would not have you in the store at any price. But I should think that Runn & Reed would be glad to have you if you can carry so much trade with you."

"They cannot know till I have had a chance to show them what I can do."

"I hope you will soon have such a chance."

"There is one thing about it; when I do, Sands & Co. will see the mistake they have made. I think the ladies that visit their store will miss a familiar face. They used to insist upon my waiting upon them, though it was not exactly in the line of my duty to sell goods. Often was I called away from the bundle department to attend them. No one seemed to suit them but me. Why, it was only the day before I left that an elegant, aristocratic lady from Beacon Street made me go clear home with her."

"Why, what for?"

"To carry her bundle; but that was all a pretense."

"Did she invite you to tea, Master Simon?" asked Katy, who could hardly help laughing in his face.

"No, but she kept me quarter of an hour at the door."

"What did she say?"

"She was trying to make it out that I had brought the wrong bundle, and so she opened it, in the entry; but it was only to keep me there."

"You think she was smitten?" laughed Katy.

"I have an opinion," replied Simon, sagely. "There are a good many fine ladies will miss my face."

Katy didn't think any fine lady could be much charmed with that thin, hatchet face; and she realized now that Master Simon was a great heap of vanity. She never thought before that he could be so silly. She wanted to tell him that he was a great fool, for she feared he would never find it out himself; but he was older than she was, and she did not think it quite proper to do so.

"I must go now," said Katy. "If you don't find anything you like better, you can sell candy, you know."

"Katy!" exclaimed Simon, sternly.

"I am poor and proud, Master Simon; I am too proud to be dependent, or do anything mean and wicked; but I am not too proud to sell candy."

"I am," replied Simon, with dignity.

"Then yours is a foolish pride," replied Katy, with a smile to soften the hard words; and she walked away toward her own house.

She felt thankful that she had no such pride as Simon's; and she had reason to be thankful for when any person is too proud to do the work which God has placed within his reach, he becomes a pitiable object, and honest men will regard him with contempt.

Katy had to work very hard that evening, in making candy for her assistants to sell, and it was nine o'clock before she was ready to go to bed.

The next morning, all the girls who had engaged to come, appeared with their trays, and were supplied with candy. Katy instructed them very modestly in the art of selling; taking upon herself no airs, and assuming no superiority. Ann Grippen came with them, and seemed to be very much pleased with her new occupation.

At noon they all returned, though only two of them had sold out their two dozen sticks. Katy gave them further instructions in regard to the best places to sell candy, and when they came home at night, all but one had disposed of their stock. The experiment, therefore was regarded as a successful one. The next day several other girls, who had heard of Katy's plan, came to the house, and wanted to be engaged. The little merchant could not supply them, but promised, if they would come the next day, to furnish them with a stock. Even now, the quantity manufactured required the services of Mrs. Colvin for three hours, and this day she engaged her to come immediately after dinner.

I need not detail the manner in which Katy's trade kept increasing. In a fortnight she had more than a dozen girls employed in selling candy. She was actually making a wholesale business of it, and no longer traveled about the streets herself. By the first of December, Mrs. Redburn had so far recovered her health as to be able to take charge of the manufacturing part of the business, and Katy was permitted to go to school, though she supplied the girls in the morning and at noon, and settled all their accounts.

One day she received a call from Michael, Mrs. Gordon's man, requesting her attendance in Temple Street. She obeyed the summons; but when she met Mrs. Gordon and Grace, she was alarmed to see how coldly and reproachfully they looked upon her.

"I have heard a very bad story about you, Katy," said Mrs. Gordon.

"About me?" gasped she.

"Yes; and I was very sorry to hear it."

"What was it, ma'am? I hope I haven't done anything to lose your good will."

"I am afraid you have."

"I don't believe she did it, mother," said Grace. "She is too good to do any such thing."

"What is it? Do tell me."

"I have been told that a little girl, who sells candy, has been playing tricks upon passers-by in the streets; that she tells lies and deceives them."

"I never did such a thing!" protested Katy, her cheeks covered with the blush of indignation.

Mrs. Gordon explained the deception, and spoke in very severe terms of it. The trick had been played off on a friend of hers, who had told of it the evening before.

"When was it, ma'am?" asked Katy.

"Yesterday forenoon."

"I was in school then. Besides, I haven't sold any candy in the street for more than three weeks."

"I knew it wasn't she!" exclaimed Grace triumphantly.

"I was very unwilling to believe it," added Mrs. Gordon; "but the description seemed to point you out as the little deceiver."

"I wouldn't do such a thing, ma'am. If you inquire you will find that I have been in school every day this week."

"I believe you, Katy. But can you tell me who it was?"

"I don't know, but I will find out;" and before she took her leave she told the ladies how she conducted her business, which amused them very much.

"Who played this trick?" said she to herself when she got into the street. "If I can only find out, I will discharge her. She will bring the business into contempt."

Of course no one would own it, and the only way she could find out was by watching them. It must be stopped, for, besides being too honest to allow such deception, Katy saw that it would spoil the trade.

When she got home, she found a letter which the penny-post had brought, directed to her in large schoolboy hand.

"It is from Tommy," exclaimed she, eagerly seizing the letter and retiring to a corner to read it.

"You and Tommy are great friends," said her mother.

"Yes, mother; but don't you see it came all the way from Liverpool?"

Mrs. Redburn sighed deeply at the mention of her native city, and a thousand memories of the past flitted before her. Katy broke the seal, and as this letter contained some very important information, my young readers may look over her shoulder while she reads it. It was as follows:—

Liverpool, Nov. 13, 1845.

"Dear Friend:—I take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well, and I hope these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing. I arrived to Liverpool safe and sound, and when I got home, I will tell you all about it. Just as we got in to the dock, I kept thinking about what you told me. They won't let us have any fires on board ship in the docks; so we all board ashore. I asked the man where we stopped if he knew such a merchant as Matthew Guthrie. He did not know him, and never heard of him. Then I went round among the big merchants, and asked about your grandfather. I asked a good many before I found one who knew him, and he said your grandfather had been dead ten years. I asked him where the family was. He said Mr. Guthrie had only two daughters; that one of them had run away with her father's clerk, and the other was married and gone to America. He said her husband belonged to Baltimore. This was all he knew about it, and all I could find out. We shall sail home in about three weeks. I thought you would like to know; so I wrote this letter to send by the steamer. Drop in and see my mother, and tell her I am well, and had a tiptop voyage over. No more at present from

"Your affectionate friend,
         "THOMAS HOWARD."

Katy read the letter twice over, and then gave it to her mother, after explaining that she had told Tommy her story, and requested him to inquire about her grandfather. Mrs. Redburn was too much affected by the news from her early home to find fault with Katy for what she had done.

Both of them felt very sad for while Mrs. Redburn thought of her father, who had lain in his grave ten years without her knowledge, Katy could not but mourn over the hopes which Tommy's letter had blasted.

CHAPTER XVI. ANN GRIPPEN PLAYS TRICKS UPON TRAVELERS.

The next day was Wednesday, and as school kept but half a day, Katy resolved to spend the afternoon in finding out which of her employees was in the habit of practicing the deception which Mrs. Gordon had described to her. She could think of no one upon whom she could fasten the guilt, unless it was Ann Grippen, who, she thought, would be more likely to play such a trick than any other. After she had delivered their candy, she put on her things and followed the girls down to State Street, where they separated. Ann went up Court Street, and Katy decided that she needed watching, and so she followed her.

It was a very tedious afternoon to the little wholesale merchant, but the dignity of the trade depended upon her efforts in seeking the offender. Ann entered various shops, and seemed to be having very good luck with her stock. At last she appeared to grow tired of her labors, and turned into an alley. Katy wondered what she was going to do there, for it was certainly no place to sell candy. She waited sometime for her to come out, and when she heard her steps, she placed herself at the corner of the alley, in such a position that Ann could not see her face.

Presently she heard Ann crying with all her might; and crying so very naturally that she could hardly persuade herself that it was not real. She glanced over her shoulder at her, and discovered that she had broken the nice sticks of candy into a great many little pieces; and it was for this purpose that she had gone into the alley. Katy was indignant when she saw so much valuable merchandise thus ruthlessly mutilated, and the sale of it spoiled. She was disposed to present herself to the artful girl, and soundly lecture her for the deceit and wickedness: but she wanted to see how the game was played.

"Boo, hoo, hoo!" sobbed Ann Grippen, apparently suffering all the pangs of a broken heart, which could not possibly be repaired.

"What is the matter, little girl?" asked a benevolent lady, attracted by the distress of Ann.

"Boo, hoo, hoo!" cried Ann, unable to speak on account of the torrents of wo that overwhelmed her.

"Don't cry, little girl, and tell me what the matter is," continued the kind lady.

"Boo, hoo, hoo! I fell down and broke all my candy," sobbed Ann.

"Poor child!" exclaimed the sympathizing lady.

"My father'll beat me because I didn't sell it," added Ann.

"He is a cruel man. Are you sure he will punish you?"

"Yes, ma'am," groaned Ann. "He'll whip me almost to death if I don't bring home half a dollar."

"You can tell him you fell down and broke the candy," suggested the lady.

"He won't believe me; he'll say I sold the