"Look, Ricky. None of it cost very much and I couldn't in all conscience let you move in here with the amount of furniture you had. It would be like tying a millstone round your neck, to expect you to have to pay for your stock and furnish the place as well. Really there is only basic stuff here and it was no trouble. One of the workmen painted the place and got the things so I didn't have to do much. You'll find stove wood in the shed outside, too. Now is there anything else you need? Can I leave you now?"
"All we can say again is thank you, sir. Can't we boys?"
"Yes, thanks, Mr Landon." "Thank you sir," they said.
When the door closed on John Landon the boys suddenly whooped and laughed and danced. "Gee," said Tad, "I reckon we're the luckiest blokes, don't you Rick?"
"Yes, I sure do," said Ricky. "What a great gun he is. We'll have to look after this place really well and show him that we can. That'll be mostly you, Will. Can you do it?"
"Sure thing, Rick," said the smallest lad.
"Let's go out and look at what's out the back," said Ricky.
There was a bit of a verandah out the back door with a washstand, dish and bucket; a backyard toilet along the end of a short path and a large stable across the back with a double gate leading out to a lane. There was a huge pile of wood in one of the loose boxes but nothing else. The back yard was cobbled and quite a decent size. There was a high fence separating them on each side from the stables behind Landon's warehouse and the big factory on the other side. The boys looked around at it all and stood in the centre of their backyard and grinned at each other with delight.
CHAPTER 5 An Arrest and some Drawings
The boys settled into their bedrooms, one to each, that night, but it was not long before Will crept into Tad's room and asked, "You asleep, Tad?"
"No, what d'yer want?"
"That room's awful big. Kin I come in wiv you?"
"Sure thing, Will. I was just thinkin' the same thing. Bring your blankets into the other bed."
"What's all the noise?" Ricky asked from the other room. "Can't you fellows sleep?"
"No we can't," said Tad. "It does seem strange, don't you think, Rick?"
"Well, get going and try to get to sleep. I've got to be up very early. Goodnight and get to bed."
Ricky found sleep didn't come easily. He was too worried about how it would all work out, but eventually thought, "Oh, well, I suppose we can go back to what we were." With that he slept.
It was still very dark when Ricky set out to get his new stock. He knew that he would have to make several trips so that he could fill his shelves, and he wanted to be ready to open when the people started moving in the morning. He had paper and bags to get and all sorts of things. He found that he was able to do all he planned by that time. When he returned after his first trip he was surprised to see that Tad and Will had a fire going and a kettle boiling ready for a cup of tea. They had found tea and sugar in the cupboard and were delighted with that luxury. They had begged some old newspapers from the store-man from the factory next door and had even lined the shelves with some. Ricky could see that they were beside themselves with excitement.
The first customer came while Ricky was away for his second load, and Tad served the woman with great seriousness while Will told her that they would stock all the things that their neighbours would need. When she paid for her two apples Tad wondered then where they were were going to keep the money they took, for Ricky had his cash bag with him for his purchases. The boys decided that there was a lot in this storekeeping business.
Ricky, too found that there was more in running a bigger business than he ever dreamed and to Tad and Will he seemed to be forever wearing a serious look and wasn't full of the usual smiles. There was so much to learn and no-one to learn from. Tad suggested Mr Landon, but Ricky refused that as he wanted to feel no further obligation. However Mr Landon was watching from a distance and could see that the weight of it all was somewhat overwhelming, but kept away from the lad knowing that he wished to make his own way. But two weeks later when the shop was really going Mr Landon came down to see Ricky on his way home one day.
"How is it going, Ricky?" he asked.
"Very well, thank you, sir," came the answer.
"Business good, is it?"
"Yes, sir. More than I expected." But Ricky said this with a frown.
"Can I help in any way? You seem to have a worry."
"Thank you, sir. I just have to get used to the book keeping and banking and everything and I feel rather that I have jumped into deep water and I cannot swim. But I'm learning."
"I thought you may need some help in that line, son, and so I have asked Mr Summerland, our head clerk to give you some time. He can help you a lot. Just tell me when you can come and I'll arrange the time. He is a very pleasant chap."
"Thank you, Mr Landon. I would like to talk to someone about some of the things and I don't want to worry you, but I don't want to take up your head clerk's time. Are you sure it will be all right?" Ricky asked.
"Yes. Quite all right. Call at the front desk and make the time with Summerland."
Ricky looked forward to his session or sessions with the head clerk of the firm, but it didn't reach the boy's expectations. He found that Mr Summerland was pretty old, at least in his eyes, but he was a rather jolly looking man. He sat at a high sloping desk which was piled high with impressive looking books that were dark green in colour, their backs and corners with leather binding. He was received with a grunt and told to , "Sit there." The man pointing to a high stool beside him. The clerk wore gold edged glasses and peering over the top of those he spat at the boy, "What right have you to wheedle you way into Mr Landon's good graces? He shouldn't be troubled by the likes of you. He is far too important a man to have more worries than he has."
Ricky looked startled and began, "I am ..."
"Yes, you are...all right. Just full of you own importance. I know."
"Thank you, Mr Summerland. I will not trouble you. I thought Mr Landon said you would help me, but I will not be spoken to like that." Ricky looked up and saw that others in the office had heard and that some were sniggering.
"You'll sit there and do what your told. Now listen to me."
Ricky could hardly take in what the man said and of course this made Summerland presume that he was quite dumb and unable to comprehend. However he did look at the big books and learn a little about what a ledger was, a balance sheet and cash book, but it was hopeless to take in what they really meant, for the man was clearly reluctant to spend more time than he had to on them, and Ricky could see that it would take more than the cursory run through that Summerland was prepared to give him, to learn more than the bare basics. So after sitting through a humiliating half hour he slid from the stool and thanked the man as politely and patiently as he could and left the office. Looking back he found that the man was smirking with satisfaction and hearing some laughter from the others he quickly went down the stairs vowing that he wouldn't put himself in that position again.
Ricky realised that Mr Landon hadn't explained their relationship, and indeed was glad that he hadn't. But he had expected some sort of co-operation from his staff and had been surprised and hurt by their attitude.
He was happy to get back to the shop to relieve Will who was manfully trying to hold the fort. He smarted all the while and was upset to see that as the office workers left the building some actually looked in at the shop and grinned knowingly. Some people could be cruel.
Just before the shop was due to close one of the men Ricky had noticed upstairs came in. He greeted Ricky and immediately apologised for the reception he got. He told Ricky that he was leaving the office and would be glad to be free of Summerland and his cronies. The man, Gosling, appeared to be a pleasant man. He was a slight person with a rather rat-like face, but when he smiled he seemed to be quite friendly.
"I think I can help you young fellow-me-lad. I am going into business with a friend of mind and we will be selling first
class fruit and we would deliver it to your door, if you would care to buy from us."
One thing that troubled Ricky was the everlasting carting of cases of fruit. His turnover was greater than he had had when selling from his barrow, and he found that he was unable to get enough fruit on his barrow to keep his shelves stocked, without making several trips each morning to the markets. His enquiry of one carrier had not been a success for the man had wanted to charge an exorbitant fee for the cartage and so the boy had given up that idea. This did seem to be an answer to his problem.
He liked the look of this man and asked, "Can you guarantee the quality of the fruit you sell and at the right price?"
He was assured in this, and so after much further discussion he came to an agreement with Mr Gosling. He was to commence buying from him on the following Monday and gave his order. Gosling also offered to help him with his books.
The boys were very interested in hearing all about Ricky's adventures, and were happy that Ricky seemed pleased with the forthcoming arrangements. They were too used to abuse to take much notice of Ricky's experience in the office. Ricky made light of it anyway, he was not one to grouch about adversity, but it still rankled.
Will was the only one to throw cold water on Gosling's proposal by saying, "Mind him, Rick. If 'e's the one I think he is, 'e could be a bit slippy." Will still missed an 'h' or two occasionally. He suggested that Ricky check him with Mr Landon, whom Will thought was nearest thing he knew to God.
But Rick assured him that he would be careful, and in any case Ricky was in no mood to consult Mr Landon any further. He was determined to stand alone in future.
They spent a pleasant evening, as their evenings were usually. Tad was always full of the news of the town, and this day he had an extra bit that pleased them all; one of the office boys was leaving and Tad had asked Mr Hughes if he could get the job. Mr Hughes had said that he would think about it, but as he now spoke well, wrote well and dressed tidily he had good prospects of getting it.
Ricky was very pleased, of course and told him so. "Will it mean you will have to be inside all the time, Tad? Will you like that?"
"Yes, I'll just be inside all the time, but it is the way most of the reporters started and so I know I'll have to start that way, too? I'll just have to make myself so useful that they will give me a better job quickly. I'll get proper pay, too, Rick. That will help, won't it."
"Yes, you'll have to have a bank account and save all you can."
"But, Rick, I'll share it with you and Will. You share all you have."
"No, Tad I don't share all of it, I put as much as I can in the bank for a rainy day."
"Yes, but you use that for us when we need it. I think we are your rainy day. Any way I've got to give you some, I've got to help you with costs and things. You have bought these clothes for me so I can look decent and now it is my turn." insisted Tad.
Ricky was very pleased with his protégée and smiled at him. "Well, I guess we'll see when you get that job."
Will looked wistfully at the two older boys. "I wish I could earn some money. I just don't seem to be able to do anything to help."
"Yes, you do, matie," said Tad. "You clean up and do all sorts of things, doesn't he Rick? Anyway, one day your going to be a famous artist and get more money than the lot of us."
"You do help a lot, Will. You look after the shop when I'm busy and do all sorts of things." He smiled at the eager boy, thinking how hard it was to get flesh on those pinched cheeks and how frail looking he was. Will was always keen to try to keep the place clean and do what he could to help, but the others knew what an effort it was for him everlastingly dragging a lame leg, and so Ricky had found that it was better for the boy to be in the shop and Ricky himself do the hard cleaning. He was always able to make Will feel that he preferred to do it.
Gosling arrived on Monday morning with all that Ricky had ordered. He was careful to scrutinize all the cases before taking delivery. Gosling watched him carefully standing with the man who owned the cart. He smiled at the care of the boy and nudged his companion and said, "There's a man who knows what he is after, George. He's going to be a good man to do business with."
Certainly Ricky was pleased with the quality and amazed at the low price. He was happy to give a further order, but at the same time wary. Somehow it all seemed too smooth. However he would be careful and be alert.
For two weeks all went well. The fruit arrived on time, it was very good quality and a good price. Ricky felt that things were going well for him. But on the third Monday morning just as the cart arrived and unloading was taking place, suddenly there was a rumpus outside the shop and several police appeared at the door.
"Where's that fruit thet was brought in 'ere, lad?" A burly policeman demanded.
Ricky showed him the two cases that George had placed inside the door, and asked what the trouble was.
"Stolen fruit, that's what the trouble is, my lad. And I arrest you for receiving stolen goods."
Ricky couldn't believe his ears. Now what had he got himself into?
"But sir, I pay for these. I didn't know they were stolen. What am I going to do?"
Outside the shop he could see that George and Gosling had already been arrested. He looked around helplessly.
Will had heard all this and he edged himself to the door while the arguments were going on. He hurried up the stairs to Mr Landon's office as fast as his leg would let him, cursing all the way for making him so slow. He went to the main counter and asked to see Mr Landon, "Quick," he said. But was told not to be a nuisance. Will was not be put aside and just stood there yelling, "Mr Landon, come quick. Ricky needs you." The clerk who had tried to shoo him away was aghast, but the door of a glassed in office opened and Will was relieved to see Mr Landon.
"What is it, Will? What's wrong?"
"Quick Mr Landon, go to Ricky." Then he whispered as the man caught up to him, "The police are arresting him."
Landon raced down the stairs. Will marveling at the speed the man went. He was very slow and on arrival in the shop found that Mr Landon seemed to have the situation well in hand, just as Will had expected him to. He heard his god say to the policeman, "Come on officer, are there any of the marked cases in this shop?"
"No, sir, I will admit that there ain't. But I must take this man to the station for further questioning, for he must have been conspiring with these known felons."
"No," burst out Ricky. He turned to John Landon. "No, I didn't know they weren't straight. Really I didn't. You'll believe me, won't you Mr Landon?"
"Yes, I do, son," replied John, and addressing the policeman he asked, "Have you found any stolen goods on the premises, officer?"
"No, sir, I haven't. We knew that these fellows were stealing from the markets and so we marked some boxes and they are all there on that wagon. But that doesn't mean he wasn't consorting with known criminals."
"Are they known criminals, officer? If they are then I have been associating with them for until recently I was employing Gosling. I am afraid you will agree that there is no evidence that this lad has bought anything suspect. You honestly haven't, have you, Ricky?"
"No, sir, and I never would. I stand by my honesty," pledged Ricky.
"And I guarantee it, too, officer. I really cannot see that you have any need to question this lad any further."
Ricky stood looking first at his mentor and then at the policeman, listening to what was said and he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the officer agree that he would not proceed further in the matter and turned to say, "Let this be a lesson to you, my lad. Buy your stuff from recognised dealers and don't go through any back doors or you'll get yourself in more trouble. I'll be watching you and if there's any more nonsense you'll hear from me."
"Thank you, officer, I assure you I never intended to do any wrong and as you say it has been a lesson to me." Ricky looked sheepish.
After the police left taking George, Gosling and all their goods, John Landon looked
at Will and asked, "Can you make tea, Will?"
"Yes, Mr Landon, I can."
"Well run off and make some, then could you look after the shop while Ricky tells me how he got mixed up with these fellows?"
"Sure, I can." Turning to Ricky he said, "I telled yer," with a big grin.
Ricky ruffled his hair, "You did, too, Skeeter. You did warn me, didn't you? I'll listen next time."
Over a cup of tea John Landon heard parts of the story, but Will piped up and said, "You tell Mr Landon about that nasty Summerland man, Rick."
"Summerland? What's he got to do with it? Tell me lad."
"All right," said Ricky. "But Will, you'd better watch the shop."
"I'm going, I'm going, but mind you tell him all about it."
"Come on Ricky, what is it that I have to hear?"
Ricky reluctantly told of the reception he had had from the head clerk and how distressed he had been about it and how he had agreed to buy from Gosling when the man had come with his easy offer. "It didn't occur to me that Gosling was crooked, Mr Landon. I thought that if he worked for you he must be all right."
"Yes, I am sorry about that Ricky, but we had to sack him because we didn't trust him. We found him to be a very slippery customer. I am surprised at Summerland, though. I thought he had more sense. I will certainly give him the edge of my tongue."
"Sir, I don't want to get him in to trouble. He apparently thought I was just a nuisance to you and he was getting rid of me for you."
"Well, you leave that to me. When I give orders I expect them to be carried out. Now, what are you going to do about stock, today? Can you go back to your old associates and buy from them?"
"Yes, I can do that. I'm good friends with one particular man. As a matter of fact I didn't like leaving Charlie, but these fellows offered such a good price and they delivered to my door. Perhaps I'll have to buy my own horse and cart for cartage costs a lot."
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