Read Online Ruby McBride by Freda Lightfoot - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Freda Lightfoot
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living wage that’ll keep a family is well-nigh impossible. Make you old before yer time bosses do, allus clipping a bit off here, cutting a penny off there. Just when you think you’re sorted you find you can’t afford to pay the rent and eat. Not both at the same time anyroad.’
‘We’ll manage. I’m sure we will.’
‘Happen so.’ The sadness in the woman’s voice expressed a weary lack of conviction, despite her efforts to inject enthusiasm into her voice. ‘I can see yer a lass with a bit of gumption about her.’
Or impulsive, rebellious stupidity, Ruby thought.
At that moment the door burst open and Kit strolled in to place a cabbage and a couple of pennies on the table in front of his mother. ‘Best I could do.’
‘That’s grand. I can buy some tatties and onions, and make us a bit of soup. Bless you, luv. It might even run to a gill of milk for the little ‘uns, though I’ll need a penny for the gas soon, come to think of it.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m off now to do me bit of delivering for Willy, then I’ll see what else is going.’
‘All right, chuck. Take care.’ There was a warmth in her tone as she addressed her eldest son, and pride shining in her eyes.
‘I allus do.’ He didn’t glance at Ruby until he’d reached the door, almost vanishing from sight, then he popped his head back inside and said, ‘Are you coming or not?’ His voice was impatient, just as if he’d been waiting hours for her to make up her mind.
His mother chuckled. ‘Go on with yer. I’ll see to these two nippers,’ and seconds later Ruby and Kit were out on the streets of Salford on a cold, autumn morning, and somehow, against all odds, everything seemed right with the world.
Life on the streets with Kit Jarvis was an education for Ruby. In the days and weeks following, she discovered that it might be precarious but certainly never dull, even at times quite exciting. She often accompanied him on his delivery round and was amazed to find that at many of the big houses where he took the boxes of groceries, he’d be given a halfpenny, a newly baked cake from the oven, and once a few broken eggs which they took straight back to Marie. They all fed like kings and queens that dinnertime on scrambled eggs and milk.
‘Are people always so generous?’ Ruby wanted to know.
‘Them that aren’t can fetch their own groceries,’ came his cutting reply.
Ruby didn’t dare risk sending Billy and Pearl to school, in case too many questions were asked or Sister Joseph had reported them missing, so most days they came along too. She was always nagging them to behave, afraid they might run off. Not that Billy would, he stuck to her like glue, but Pearl was perfectly capable of doing something daft. ‘You do what I tell you, remember?’ she constantly remind them.
‘What, me an’ all?’ Pearl would ask. ‘Even though I’m ten now, and not so daft as our Billy?’
‘You an’ all, madam. You haven’t a sensible notion in your pretty head, so let me do the thinking.’
Pearl purred with pleasure, taking this as a compliment. They were joined during the course of that first week by the other boys who made up Kit’s gang. One, introduced as Jackdaw, apparently had a knack of finding useful stuff for them to sell. Charlie and Clem were brothers and hard to tell apart for all they weren’t twins. They also had a habit of finishing each other’s sentences.
Charlie said, ‘He’s thirteen and shouts all the time. He can’t hear proper, and I’m. . .’
‘. . . eleven and got a club foot so he walks funny.’
They both giggled and started pushing and thumping each other, just as if life were some silly jape.
The last of the group was Pongo, so named, he explained to Ruby, because he had a good nose for sniffing out which dustbin was worth exploring for food that had been thrown away, yet was still fit to eat.
‘It’s all in the nose. Yer know what I mean?’ he said, tapping it and
‘We’ll manage. I’m sure we will.’
‘Happen so.’ The sadness in the woman’s voice expressed a weary lack of conviction, despite her efforts to inject enthusiasm into her voice. ‘I can see yer a lass with a bit of gumption about her.’
Or impulsive, rebellious stupidity, Ruby thought.
At that moment the door burst open and Kit strolled in to place a cabbage and a couple of pennies on the table in front of his mother. ‘Best I could do.’
‘That’s grand. I can buy some tatties and onions, and make us a bit of soup. Bless you, luv. It might even run to a gill of milk for the little ‘uns, though I’ll need a penny for the gas soon, come to think of it.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m off now to do me bit of delivering for Willy, then I’ll see what else is going.’
‘All right, chuck. Take care.’ There was a warmth in her tone as she addressed her eldest son, and pride shining in her eyes.
‘I allus do.’ He didn’t glance at Ruby until he’d reached the door, almost vanishing from sight, then he popped his head back inside and said, ‘Are you coming or not?’ His voice was impatient, just as if he’d been waiting hours for her to make up her mind.
His mother chuckled. ‘Go on with yer. I’ll see to these two nippers,’ and seconds later Ruby and Kit were out on the streets of Salford on a cold, autumn morning, and somehow, against all odds, everything seemed right with the world.
Life on the streets with Kit Jarvis was an education for Ruby. In the days and weeks following, she discovered that it might be precarious but certainly never dull, even at times quite exciting. She often accompanied him on his delivery round and was amazed to find that at many of the big houses where he took the boxes of groceries, he’d be given a halfpenny, a newly baked cake from the oven, and once a few broken eggs which they took straight back to Marie. They all fed like kings and queens that dinnertime on scrambled eggs and milk.
‘Are people always so generous?’ Ruby wanted to know.
‘Them that aren’t can fetch their own groceries,’ came his cutting reply.
Ruby didn’t dare risk sending Billy and Pearl to school, in case too many questions were asked or Sister Joseph had reported them missing, so most days they came along too. She was always nagging them to behave, afraid they might run off. Not that Billy would, he stuck to her like glue, but Pearl was perfectly capable of doing something daft. ‘You do what I tell you, remember?’ she constantly remind them.
‘What, me an’ all?’ Pearl would ask. ‘Even though I’m ten now, and not so daft as our Billy?’
‘You an’ all, madam. You haven’t a sensible notion in your pretty head, so let me do the thinking.’
Pearl purred with pleasure, taking this as a compliment. They were joined during the course of that first week by the other boys who made up Kit’s gang. One, introduced as Jackdaw, apparently had a knack of finding useful stuff for them to sell. Charlie and Clem were brothers and hard to tell apart for all they weren’t twins. They also had a habit of finishing each other’s sentences.
Charlie said, ‘He’s thirteen and shouts all the time. He can’t hear proper, and I’m. . .’
‘. . . eleven and got a club foot so he walks funny.’
They both giggled and started pushing and thumping each other, just as if life were some silly jape.
The last of the group was Pongo, so named, he explained to Ruby, because he had a good nose for sniffing out which dustbin was worth exploring for food that had been thrown away, yet was still fit to eat.
‘It’s all in the nose. Yer know what I mean?’ he said, tapping it and
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