CHAPTER VIII.
KATY SELLS OUT AND VISITS THE MAYOR.
Katy reached Washington Street once more. She had lost all hertimidity, and would not have feared to accost the governor, if she hadmet him, and request him to purchase a cent's worth of molasses candy.
"Buy some candy?" said she to the first person who passed near her.
"No!" was the prompt and emphatic answer of the gentleman addressed.
"It is very nice," suggested Katy.
"Get out of my may," growled the gentleman, and the little candymerchant deemed it prudent to heed the command.
She was nettled by this rude reception, and would have been disposed toresent it, if there had been any way for her to do so. She had not yetlearned to bear up against the misfortunes of trade, and her eyefollowed the sour gentleman far down the street. Why should he treather in such a rude and unkind manner? What would he say if she shouldtell him that her grandfather was a great Liverpool merchant, lived ina big house, and had lots of servants to wait upon him? She was as goodas he was, any day.
"Give me a stick of candy," said a nice little girl with a silk dresson, whom a lady was holding by the hand, at the same time placing acent on her tray.
Katy started at the words, and reproved herself for her want ofmeekness. She might, perhaps, have sold half a dozen sticks of candywhile she had been watching the sour gentleman, and persuading herselfthat she had been very badly used. She tore off a piece of paper, inwhich she wrapped up the candy for the purchaser, and handed it to her.
"Thank you," said she, as she picked up the copper, and transferred itto her pocket.
"Your candy looks very nice," added the lady evidently pleased withKaty's polite manners.
"It is very nice, ma'am."
"Have you sold much to-day?"
"No, ma'am; I have but just come out."
"It looks so good, I will take half a dozen sticks for the children athome."
"Thank you, ma'am; you are very kind," replied Katy; and her nimblefingers had soon made a nice little parcel for the lady, who gave her afourpence.
Here was another avalanche of good fortune, and the little candymerchant could hardly believe her senses. At this rate she would soonbecome a wholesale dealer in the article.
"Buy some candy?" said she, addressing the next person she met.
"No."
"Buy some candy?" she continued, turning to the next.
"No."
And so she went from one to another, and no one seemed to have theleast relish for molasses candy. She walked till she came to StateStreet, and sold only three sticks. She begun to be a littledisheartened, for the success she had met with at the beginning hadraised her anticipations so high that she was not disposed to becontent with moderate sales. While she was standing at the corner ofState Street, waiting impatiently for customers, she saw a man with abasket of apples enter a store. She crossed the street to observe whathe did in the store, in order, if possible, to get an idea of his modeof doing business. She saw him offer his apples to the clerks andothers in the shop, and she was surprised and gratified to see thatnearly every person purchased one or more of them. In her heart shethanked the apple man for the hint he had unconsciously afforded her,and resolved to profit by his example.
Now that commerce was her business, she was disposed to make it herstudy; and as she reasoned over the matter, she came to understand whyshe found so few buyers in the streets. Ladies and gentlemen did notlike to be seen eating candy in the street, neither would many of themwant to put it into their pockets, where it would melt and stick totheir clothes. They would eat it in their shops and houses; and withthis new idea she was encouraged to make a new effort. Walking alongtill she came to a store where there appeared to be several clerks sheentered.
"Buy some candy?" she said, addressing a salesman near the window, asshe raised up her ware so that he could see them.
The clerk made no reply, but coming round from behind the counter, herudely took her arm, opened the door, and pushed her into the street.Katy's cheek burned with indignation at this unprovoked assault, andshe wished for the power of ten men, that she might punish theill-natured fellow as he deserved. But it was all for the best, for, inpushing her out of the shop, the clerk threw her against a portlygentleman on the street, whose soft, yielding form alone saved her frombeing tumbled into the gutter. He showed no disposition to resent theassault upon his obesity, and kindly caught her in his arms.
"What is the matter my dear?" said the gentleman, in soothing tones.
"That man pushed me out of the store," replied Katy, bursting intotears, for she was completely overcome by the indignity that had beencast upon her.
"Perhaps you didn't behave well."
"I am sure I did. I only asked him to buy some candy: and he shoved meright out the door, just as though I had been a dog."
"Well, well, don't cry, my dear; you seem to be a very well-behavedlittle girl, and I wonder at finding you in such low business."
"My mother is sick, and I am trying to earn something to support her,"sobbed Katy, who, with her independent notions of trade in general, andof the candy trade in particular, would not have revealed thishumiliating truth, except under the severe pressure of a wounded spirit.
"Poor child!" exclaimed the portly gentleman, thrusting his hand deepdown into his pocket, and pulling up a handful of silver. "Here is halfa dollar for you, for I know you tell the truth."
"O, no, sir; I can't take money as a gift."
"Eh?"
The gentleman looked astonished, and attempted to persuade her; but shesteadily protested against receiving his money as a gift.
"You are a proud little girl, my dear."
"I am poor and proud; but I will sell you some candy."
"Well, give me half a dollar's worth."
"I haven't got so much. I have only fourteen cents' worth left."
"Give me that, then."
Katy wrapped up the remainder of her stock in a piece of paper, andhanded it to the gentleman, who in payment threw the half-dollar on thetray.
"I can't change it."
"Never mind the change;" and the fat gentleman hurried away.
Katy was so utterly astounded to find she had disposed of her entirestock, that she did not have the presence of mind to follow him, andthe half dollar had to be placed in her treasury. She did not regard itwith so much pride and pleasure as she did the two four-pence, and thefour coppers, for there was something unmercantile about the manner inwhich it had come into her possession. She could not feel satisfiedwith herself, as she walked towards home, till she had argued thematter, and effected a compromise between her pride and her poverty.She had sold candy for the money, and the gentleman had paid her overthree cents a stick--rather above the market value of the article; butthere was no other way to make the transaction correspond with herideas of propriety.
Her work was done for the forenoon, though she had plenty of candy athome. It was now eleven o'clock, and she had not time to sell outanother stock before dinner. As she walked up the street, on her wayhome, she encountered Master Simon Sneed, who, with the dignity andstateliness of a merchant prince, was lugging a huge bundle of goods tothe residence of some customer.
"I am glad to see you, Simon," said Katy. "Have you seen your friendthe mayor?"
"I am sorry to inform you, Katy, that a press of business has preventedmy calling on his honor."
"I am sorry for that. I am afraid I shall never see the watch again."
"Depend upon it, you shall. I pledge you my honor that I will use everyexertion to recover the lost treasure. Just now our firm require theundivided attention of all in the store."
"I told Mrs. Gordon all about it, and she promised to speak to themayor."
"It was unnecessary to trouble her with the matter; my influence withthe mayor will be quite sufficient."
"I dare say it will; but when shall you see him?"
"Very soon, be patient, Katy."
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sp; "Mrs. Gordon promised to take me to the mayor to-day, and tell him allabout it."
"Take you to the mayor!" exclaimed Master simon.
"That's what she said."
"You will be afraid of him, and not able to tell your story."
"No, I guess I shan't. I will tell him that I have mentioned the matterto you."
"Perhaps you had better not; his honor, though we have been quiteintimate, may not remember my name. But I must leave you now, for thefirm gets very uneasy in my absence."
Simon shouldered his bundle again, and moved off, and Katy walkedtowards home, wondering why a person of so much importance to theMessrs. Sands & Co. should be permitted to degrade himself by carryingbundles. When she got home, she found her mother in a very cheerfulframe of mind, the result of her reading and meditation.
"Well. Katy, you come back with an empty tray have you sold all yourcandy?" asked Mrs. Redburn, as she entered the room.
"Yes, mother, every stick. I have brought back sixty-six cents,"replied Katy, emptying her pocket on the bed.
"Sixty-six cents! But you had only thirty sticks of candy."
"You must not blame me for what I have done, mother; I could not helpit;" and she proceeded to narrate all the particulars of her forenoon'soccupation.
Mrs. Redburn was annoyed at the incident with the fat gentleman; moreso than by the rudeness to which Katy had been subjected. The littlemerchant was so elated at her success, that her mother could not findit in her heart to cast a damper upon her spirits by a single reproach.Perhaps her morning's reflections had subdued her pride so that she didnot feel disposed to do so.
After dinner Katy hastened at once to Temple Street again. To her greatdisappointment she found that Mrs. Gordon and her daughter had beensuddenly called to Baltimore by the death of one of her husband's nearrelatives. But the kind lady had not forgotten her, and that was agreat consolation. Michael gave her a note, directed to the mayor,which he instructed her to deliver that day.
With the assistance of Michael, she found the house of the mayor, andthough her heart beat violently she resolutely rang the bell at thedoor.
"Is the mayor in?" asked she of the sleek servant man that answered thesummons.
"Well, suppose he is; what of it?" replied the servant, who could notpossibly have been aware that Katy's grandfather was a rich Liverpoolmerchant, or he would have spoken more civilly to her.
"I want to see him."
"He don't see little brats like you," answered the servant, shuttingthe door in her face.
Katy was indignant. She wished a dozen things all at once; and amongother things she wished Master Simon Sneed had been there, that hemight report the circumstance to his friend the mayor. What was to bedone? It was mean to treat her in that shabby manner, and she would notstand it? She would not, that she wouldn't! Grasping the bell handlewith a courageous hand, she gave a pull that must have astonished theoccupants of the servants' hall, and led them to believe that somedistinguished character had certainly come. The sleek man servantreappeared at the door, ready to make his lowest bow to the greatpersonage, when he beheld the flashing eye of Katy.
"How dare you ring that bell again?" snarled he.
"I want to see the mayor, I have a note for him from Mrs. Gordon, and Iwon't go away till I see him."
"From Mrs. Gordon! Why didn't you say so? You may come in."
Katy entered at this invitation, and the man bade her wait in the halltill he informed the mayor of her errand. She was not a little pleasedwith the victory she had gained, and felt quite equal, after it, to thefeat of facing the chief magistrate of the city. While she stood there,a little boy having in his hand a stick of molasses candy, with whichhe had contrived plentifully to bedaub his face, came out of theadjoining room, and surveyed her carefully from head to foot. Katylooked at the candy with attention, for it looked just like one of thesticks she had sold that forenoon. The little fellow who was not morethan five or six years of age, seemed to have a hearty relish for thearticle, and as he turned it over, Katy assured herself that it was aportion of her stock.
"My pa brought home lots of candy," said the little fellow, after hehad satisfied himself with the survey of Katy's person.
"Do you like it?" asked she, willing to cultivate his acquaintance.
"Don't I, though!"
"Where did your father get it?"
"He bought it of a little girl; she was poor and proud," replied thelittle gentleman, transferring half an inch of the candy to his mouth.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Katy.
But her conversation was interrupted by the return of the servant, whodirected Katy to follow him up-stairs.