VIGNETTE No 19

After our potato feast we drifted home with our boxes and soon got busy to turn them into bundles of firewood.

Bessie and I agreed that on our next round we would purchase three boxes and increase our truck load which turned out to be sixteen bundles. I said to Bessie,  “We will make a good profit this time”,  as the truck was paid for and the binding wire for the bundles so our only expense that time would come to sixpence for the three boxes.  Provided we sold all sixteen bundles we would gross two shillings and two pence.

I made Bessie’s eyes shine I tell you.

As we trudged around with our truck piled high we called on our regular customers first and sometimes a customer would give us a biscuit (cookie) or a piece of homemade treacle toffee or if it was warm we were thrilled to partake of a small cup of homemade lemonade.

As our little business thrived it certainly kept us busy and out of mischief.

Sometimes, as we did our rounds, we became acquainted with other children who wanted to help us (for a part of the money no doubt) but I politely declined.  They were very interested when they saw us collecting the payment for the firewood. No work just a slice of our profit.

As time went by we began to save our money in a little tin just taking sixpence each week to purchase three more boxes. We became so regular at the market most of the fruit sellers became acquainted with us and sometimes gave us a bruised apple, pear or banana - free.

Whilst Dad was at work Mam was engaged with a little job doing house work for local ladies, so on Saturdays we were left to our own devices.  For lunch she would leave us a penny each to enable us to get a meal from the local fish and chip shop. A meal for a penny?                     Ronald Mizon