by Joan Jonker
Although there was plenty of jostling, the crowd on the whole were good-natured. And the stallholders’ voices, each trying to outdo the other, called out to attract potential customers to their stalls. They were very good-humoured and funny, and Ann found herself enjoying the experience. ‘Come on, ladies,’ one stallholder called, ‘where else can yer buy jumpers for one and eleven? Yer couldn’t knit the flippin’ things for that! And there’s no dropped stitches in them, either!’
‘Are those jumpers all right?’ Ann asked. ‘Seems too good to be true.’
‘Ay, I’ll have yer know the jumper I’m wearing was bought off that stall,’ Dolly said, putting on a haughty expression. ‘And it’s as good as yer’ll get anywhere in town for twice the price.’
Ann looked more closely at the stall. ‘He’s got girl’s dresses as well. Will you come with me to have a look? If they’re no good there’s no harm done.’
Bridie pulled her to a halt about two yards from the stall. ‘If yer see anything yer think yer’d like for the girls, me darlin’, let Dolly do the haggling. Sure, she’d win an argument with the good Lord himself, so she would.’
Ann looked puzzled. ‘How d’you mean, haggling?’
‘Nobody pays the asking price ’cos it’s always higher than the stallholder really expects. He always puts a higher price on so when he drops it yer think he’s given yer a bargain. But he can spot a beginner a mile away, and he’d take one look at you and up the price.’
Dolly’s head was nodding. ‘She’s right, girl! Give me the wire if yer see something yer like, then leave the rest to me.’
As they neared the stall, Ann could see a line of girls’ cotton dresses on a makeshift clothes rack. They looked all right too, and she soon spotted two pretty ones that would fit her daughters and would be lovely for Christmas. ‘The blue and the pale green, Dolly, I like both of those. Ask him how much and if he’ll get them down so I can feel the material. It’s no good buying them if they’re going to look like dish-cloths after they’ve been washed.’
Dolly favoured the stallholder with a beaming smile. ‘How much are those dresses, sunshine?’
‘All different prices, queen, depends what size yer want.’
‘The blue one, with the frill around the neck and sleeves. What are yer charging for that?’
‘Seeing as I like the look of yer, darling, I’ll let yer have it for four and six. It would cost yer more in shoe leather looking for somewhere yer could get it cheaper. Best buy in Liverpool, they are, even if I do say so meself.’
‘Get it down for us and stop the bleedin’ blarney.’ Dolly tutted. ‘Yer must think I came over on the banana boat.’
‘What! A good-looking woman like you!’ The stallholder was lifting the dress down with the help of a long-handled iron hook. ‘No, I think yer came over on one of those airyplane things from Hollywood. And I bet one of the passengers mentioned me name to yer, and that’s why ye’re here.’ He had a cheeky grin on his face when he laid the dress down in front of Dolly. ‘All the film stars know me, yer know. Oh ay, I had Joan Blondell in last week to buy one of me better-class dresses. Made up with it she was, and gave me a tanner tip.’
‘My God, sunshine, yer haven’t half got the gift of the gab. And all the time yer talking ye’re telling yerself yer’ve got another sucker on yer fishing line.’ Dolly fingered the material of the dress as she tapped her foot against Ann’s. ‘What d’yer think, girl? D’yer think me daughter would like it?’
This was the first time Ann had ever been to a market, and she was amazed at the price of the dress and the decent quality of the material. She always bought the girls’ clothes from one of the most expensive shops in Liverpool, and she was telling herself now that it was no wonder she was always short of money. What a fool she’d been! ‘I like it, it’s very pretty and the colour would suit her complexion.’
Ann didn’t know what was coming next, but Bridie did and she waited with bated breath. This was part of the enjoyment of a day out with Dolly.
‘How much did yer say?’ Dolly stared the man out. ‘Three and six, was it?’
‘Was it hell! Listen, missus, yer haven’t got cloth ears, yer know very well I said four and six. I’m practically giving it away at that price, it cost me nearly that much.’
‘Sod off, sunshine, or yer’ll have me crying in a minute.’ Dolly could see by Ann’s expression that she would be prepared to pay the four and six as she thought the dress was worth it. But the man would go to sleep with a smile on his face if anyone paid him what he asked for. ‘Do us a favour, sunshine, and reach that green dress down, I can’t make up me mind which one I like best.’
‘God, ye’re just like my missus, she can never make up her mind either.’ The stallholder’s voice was good-natured, with a laugh in it. He reached for his hook then smiled at Dolly. ‘Except when I hand her me wages. That’s one time she never says, “Ooh, I can’t make up me mind whether to take them, Bert.”’
While his back was turned, Dolly went into a huddle with Ann while Bridie kept her ear cocked. ‘What d’yer think, girl? If yer like them, which one d’yer want to get today?’
‘I’d get them both if I had enough money on me,’ Ann whispered back. ‘I’ve only brought five shillings with me, and a few odd coppers for the tram.’
‘I’ll help yer out if ye’re stuck, me darlin’,’ Bridie said. ‘Yer can pay me back when yer get yer wages.’
‘I could pay you back as soon as we get home.’ Ann was thinking of Theresa’s five shillings. She could put it back on Saturday. ‘I’ve got enough to pay you today.’
‘Well, do yerself a favour and keep yer mouth shut,’ Dolly told her as the man came back to them with the green dress.
‘That’s a size smaller than the blue one, so it mightn’t fit.’
‘It would,’ Ann said, her head lowered and speaking out of the side of her mouth. ‘Both would be perfect fits.’
‘I’ll take the two,’ Dolly said. ‘If I can have them for three and six each.’
‘No can do, missus, sorry. I’ve got a wife and kids at home to keep. And the funny thing about them is, they like to eat and run around with shoes on their feet.’
‘Spare me the gory details, sunshine, I’ve got enough trouble trying to keep me own family from starving to death.’ Dolly pretended to ponder for a few seconds, then said, ‘I’ll give yer three and eleven each for them, and that’s me last offer. Take it or leave it.’
This was the price the man had had in mind from the beginning and he was delighted to be selling two dresses on a Thursday. But it wouldn’t do to tell the customers that. ‘Yer drive a hard bargain, missus, but seeing as yer’ve got a big family, I’ll let yer have them for that.’ He reached for a paper bag. ‘I’m all heart, yer see. A sucker for a sob story.’ He put the dresses in the bag and handed it over. ‘That’s seven and tenpence, if yer please.’
Dolly turned to Ann. ‘Lend us that five bob yer said yer had, girl, and I’ll pay yer back when my feller gets his wages.’
‘Got a good job your feller, has he, missus?’
Dolly’s body shook as she roared with laughter. ‘Yeah, he’s a pilot of one of those airyplanes yer mentioned. Smart uniform and peaked hat, he’s a proper toff. He married below himself, yer see, but he’s never thrown it up in me face ’cos he loves the bones of me. But, funny thing, he’s never had no Joan Blondell on his plane or he’d have told me. Jean Harlow and Gary Cooper, yes, but never no Joan Blondell. And he knows what she looks like ’cos he’s seen her at the pictures and thinks I’m the spitting image of her.’
The stallholder snapped his fingers. ‘I thought yer reminded me of someone but couldn’t for the life of me remember who. Of course, yer haven’t got blonde hair, blue eyes and a sylph-like figure. But yer’ve got everything else she has, like one head, two arms and legs and ten fingers and toes. So there is some resemblance.’
‘Ay, you, don’t be getting personal, talking about me arms and legs. If my
feller heard yer, he’d be landing his airyplane in Scotland Road and coming to duff yer up. So mind yer manners if yer please.’
‘Only having a laugh, missus!’
‘I know that, sunshine, it’s what makes the world go round, isn’t it? Anyway, I’ll be seeing yer when I’ve got a few bob to spend.’
Ann was over the moon. She had two dresses for the price she usually paid for one. ‘Dolly, you’re an angel. That’s the girls fixed up for Christmas. I’ll give yer the three shillings as soon as we get home. But I don’t want them to see the dresses until Christmas morning, so if they’re in from school would one of you hide them in your house for me?’
‘I’ll take them, me darlin’, and put them on top of the wardrobe,’ Bridie said. ‘My two boys never rummage, so they’ll be quite safe.’
They wandered around the stalls, and Ann couldn’t believe her eyes. Men’s shirts and socks, jumpers and cardigans, all at unbelievable low prices. ‘I’ll get everything I want from here, they’re so cheap.’
‘I won’t be buying much until I get me tontine,’ Dolly said. ‘Then I can buy everything in one go. At least, almost everything.’
‘What’s a tontine?’ Ann asked. ‘It’s a new word to me.’
‘A woman in the next street runs it and it comes in handy. You pay in a shilling a week and get two pound ten shilling back the week before Christmas. Yer get a free week at Christmas, and the woman keeps a shilling for herself.’
‘As Dolly said, it comes in handy, so it does,’ Bridie said. ‘Sure, if yer were saving a shilling a week at home, yer’d be dipping into it all the time. This way, yer pay every week and she’ll not let yer draw it out no matter what hard-luck story yer give her.’
‘Can anyone join?’
‘Of course they can, girl! I’ll give yer the wire when it starts up.’
Ann nodded her head while thinking what a sheltered life she’d led. They say you live and learn, well, she’d left it a bit late but she was certainly learning now.
Maddy and Tess had just turned in to their street when they stopped in their tracks. The street seemed to be alive with women running from one side to the other and others dashing out of entries and running into houses. And small groups were gathered at intervals down the whole length of the street, the women with serious faces and speaking in low tones. ‘There’s something very wrong, here,’ Maddy said. ‘I wonder what it is?’
‘Perhaps someone’s been murdered.’ Tess gripped her sister’s arm as her imagination took over. ‘You never know.’
‘Don’t be silly, no one’s been murdered.’ Maddy didn’t know any of the families from this end of the street, apart from Mrs Lizzie, of course, but she was at work. So she didn’t like stopping at any of the groups they passed as they slowly made their way home. But it felt eerie, and a premonition that something was drastically wrong sent a shiver through her whole body. Perhaps someone had died, or been taken to hospital? Then she shook her head, telling herself that neither of those things would bring every woman in the street out of her house.
‘Why don’t you ask someone, Maddy?’
‘I will when I see someone I know. But don’t worry, Tess, I’m sure it’s not anything really bad.’ Then Maddy saw a woman whose face she recognised as living opposite to them, and who had smiled at her a few times. So she hurried across the cobbles, pulling Tess with her. The woman was with two other neighbours, and it was awkward because Maddy didn’t know any of their names. But if she didn’t ask, she’d never find out. ‘Excuse me, but could you tell me why all the women are out in the street? Is there something wrong?’
‘Yes, sweetheart, a little girl has gone missing. We’ve searched everywhere and can’t find her. Her mam’s out of her mind. The child’s only four and heaven only knows where she’s got to. Yer probably know her, it’s Emma Wilson from two doors down.’
‘The little girl with long blonde ringlets?’ Maddy was horrified. ‘How long has she been missing?’
‘Over an hour now. Her mam said they heard the rag and bone man in the street and Emma tormented her for some rags so she could get a balloon off him. The child hasn’t been seen since.’
‘Perhaps she’s in someone’s house?’ Tess said. ‘She might be showing off her balloon.’
‘We’ve tried every house in the street, sweetheart, and every yard, but there’s no sight or sign of her. And we’ve been up and down every entry half a dozen times, and down to the shops. The child seems to have just vanished. Anyway, the police have been told and we’re expecting a bobby any minute now.’
‘What about the field in Province Road? She might be playing there.’
‘She wouldn’t go that far on her own, sweetheart, she never wanders away from home and her mammy.’
‘We’ll put our school things in the house, and then go and look in the field. She might just be there, it’s worth a try.’ Maddy moved so fast she almost pulled her sister over. ‘Come on, it’ll be dark soon and then they’ll never find her.’ She was putting the key in the lock when she noticed Tess walking away. ‘Where are you going? Wait for me!’
‘I’m going to ask Mrs Bingham if she’s seen Emma. I bet no one has asked her ’cos they don’t like her.’
‘Tess, our mam won’t like you doing that. Now come back and we’ll go out together.’
‘No, I won’t be a minute, I’ll just give her a knock.’ Tess wasn’t going to be put off and was rapping on the Binghams’ door before her sister could stop her.
‘What d’yer want?’
The scowling face of Nellie was enough to send a shiver down the girl’s spine, but she stood her ground. ‘Have you seen little Emma Wilson, Mrs Bingham?’
‘What the hell are yer asking me that for? Now go back home where yer belong and don’t be bothering me again.’ Nellie began to close the door. ‘I’ve got more to do with me time than be messing with the likes of you. Now get lost.’
‘She’s gone missing, you see, and I just thought you might have seen her.’
The door was opened wider. ‘How d’yer mean, she’s gone missing? And if she has, what makes yer think I know where she is?’
‘Well, every woman in the street has been looking for her, they’ve searched everywhere and can’t find her. She’s been missing for over an hour now and the police are coming.’ Nellie came to the edge of the step and poked her head out. Looking from left to right, she muttered, ‘Why didn’t her bleedin’ mother keep an eye on her?’
‘She only went out to get a balloon off the rag man, and her mam hasn’t seen her since. The neighbours say she’s out of her mind with worry.’
‘The rag man, eh? Has anyone looked for him?’
‘They never said. But they’ve looked in all the entries and didn’t see anyone.’
Nellie reached for her coat off the hook behind the door. ‘Come with me, girl, and we’ll try places no one else has thought of looking.’ When Tess dropped her head, she said, ‘I’m not going to eat yer, girl, so come on.’
Maddy was by her sister’s side in a trice. ‘I’ll come with you.’
Without looking left or right, Nellie walked with some speed. She might be wrong, but if the rag man had evil intentions towards the child, he wouldn’t walk the streets with her because she was known to too many people. And even if his cart would fit, he wouldn’t take her down an entry because they were open both ends and he’d be spotted in no time. Of course she could be wrong and the rag man might have nothing to do with the child going missing, but she had a hunch and if she didn’t follow it up she might regret it.
‘Where are we going, Mrs Bingham?’ Maddy asked, fearing they were going further away from their street. ‘She won’t have come this far.’
‘She wouldn’t on her own, no, but she might if someone said they were taking her for a walk. Anyway, it’s better to be lookin’ than standing around doing nowt. The child might be in a strange place and frightened out of her wits.’
‘But where are we going?’
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‘There’s an entry along here which would be wide enough for a cart. And it’s blocked off at one end so not many people use it. It’s worth a try.’
The girls were afraid now, hearing that Emma might have gone off with a stranger. They’d thought she’d wandered off on her own and got lost. But Mrs Bingham’s words filled them with dread.
Nellie came to a halt and put her arms out to stop the girls from going any further. ‘Stay here and keep quiet.’ She walked on a few steps, stopping just before the opening of a wide entry. She popped her head around the corner and her hand went to her mouth. The cart was there, and the rag man had his back to her, talking to the little girl, who was crying and asking him to let her go home to her mam. The man had the front of his raggedy coat open, and Nellie knew he was exposing himself to the child.
She walked back to the two waiting girls and said, ‘One of yer stay with me, the other go back to Willard Street and fetch someone back quick. Tell them we’ve found the child and to get here as fast as they can.’
Tess’s face lit up. ‘Ooh, you’ve found her! Can I go to her?’
‘Keep quiet,’ Nellie hissed. ‘The rag man has got her and I want some of the women to help me catch him. You,’ she pointed to Tess, ‘run faster than yer’ve ever run in yer life. I want to teach this bastard a lesson.’
They watched Tess fly like the wind, then Maddy asked, ‘What are we going to do?’
‘I’m going to sneak down behind him and take him by surprise. With a bit of luck I’ll be able to hold him until someone comes to give me a hand. One thing’s for certain, he’ll not get that bleedin’ cart past me. But if he tries to make a run for it, I can’t follow him ’cos I want to stay with the little girl till her mam gets here. So that’s where you come in. Run after him, shouting at the top of yer voice as though the bleedin’ devil was after yer, just to make people notice. He mustn’t get away ’cos he’s evil and will do it again to another child unless he’s taught a lesson.’ Nellie looked briefly into the girl’s deep brown eyes, then turned her head. ‘Give me half a minute, then pop yer head around the corner and see what’s going on. Can yer do that?’