On Mother Brown's Doorstep by Mary Jane Staples Page A

‘Meet my dad. Dad, look who’s here.
    Mr Brown looked. He liked what he saw.
    ‘I don’t think I’ve ’ad the pleasure,’ he said.
    ‘Well, you have now.’ said Susie, ‘this young lady is Annie Ford.’
    ‘Pleased to meet yer, Annie,’ said Mr Brown, rising and shaking her hand. ‘But to me sorrow, I still can’t say I know yer.’
    ‘Of course you know her, Dad,’ said Susie, ‘Annie’s the young lady who hurt her knee and—’ She paused, she smiled. ‘And was helped home by Will.’
    ‘Well, I’m blowed, so you’re her,’ said Mr Brown with a huge grin that gave Annie a sinking feeling.
    ‘Oh, he didn’t tell you how he helped me home, did ’e?’ she asked.
    ‘Well,’ said Mr Brown, and let it go at that.
    ‘Did he?’ asked Annie of Susie.
    ‘I’m Susie. Is your knee better, Annie?’
    ‘Oh, be did tell you.’ Annie gritted her teeth. ‘It’s not fair, I suppose everyone in Walworth knows now that he wheeled me home in a pushcart. Can you believe it? I’m seventeen, goin’ on for eighteen, and I expect even when I’m ninety there’ll be people talkin’ about how I stopped the traffic.’
    ‘Will never mentioned the traffic,’ said Susie, trying to keep her face straight.
    ‘No, but you know what I mean,’ said Annie. ‘Oh, wait till I see your brother. It’s not that he doesn’t ’ave some nice ways – well, I’ve come to thank him for the flowers he brought me, and it’s upset me dignity again to find he told everyone about me in a pushcart.’
    ‘Flowers?’ said Mr Brown.
    ‘Daffodils?’ said Susie.
    ‘Yes, they were lovely, a whole bunch,’ said Annie, ‘only I didn’t thank ’im properly. I was a bit overcome.’
    ‘I like bein’ overcome by flowers myself,’ said Susie.
    ‘I’ll overcome yer mum tomorrow, Susie,’ said Mr Brown, ‘I’ll buy ’er some daffs on me way ’ome from work, seein’ it’ll be me first day in charge at the new yard. Now don’t fret about that pushcart incident, Annie, I can tell yer Susie ’ad many a ride in one when she was young.’
    ‘Excuse me, Mr Brown,’ said Annie, ‘it wasn’t when she was seventeen, was it, and with ’er legs showin’?’
    Mr Brown, who could put a cheerful face on most things bar an earthquake, said, ‘Well, it’s not all bad news, Annie . I mean, there ain’t too many girls that could stop the traffic in a pushcart.’
    ‘Yes, cheer up,’ said Susie, ‘Will was only tryin’ to get you home the best way he could.’
    ‘Yes, but tellin’ everybody,’ said Annie. She glanced at Mr Brown. Mr Brown tried to look as if he thought a ride in a pushcart for a seventeen-year-old girl happened ten times a day in Walworth. Annie glanced at Susie. Susie looked reassuring. ‘Oh, well,’ said Annie, ‘I’ll just have to do my best to live it down. I don’t suppose it’ll take more than fifty years. I’d better go now or I’ll be late for church. Will you tell your brother I called to thank him properly for the flowers?’
    ‘We’ll tell him,’ said Susie.
    ‘Mind you,’ said Annie, ‘it’s only fair to say that if I do meet ’im again, I’ll have to give him a talkin’-to for tellin’ everyone about my indignity.’
    ‘Oh, yes, do give him that kind of talkin’-to,’ said Susie. ‘We girls shouldn’t suffer indignities in silence, or we’ll never get the better of men, will we?’
    Annie looked at her. Susie smiled. Annie saw a kindred spirit.
    ‘Is he goin’ back to the Army soon?’
    ‘No, he’s got a long leave, three months,’ said Susie.
    ‘Then I might ’ave a chance of givin’ him a talkin’-to,’ said Annie, and laughed. ‘Well, it’s been nice meetin’ you both,’ she said, and Susie saw her out. The church bell was ringing.
    Mrs Brown appeared in the passage.
    ‘Who was that, Susie?’
    ‘Annie Ford.’
    ‘What, the girl Will met? What did she want?’
    ‘To thank Will for a bunch of daffs he bought her,’ said Susie.
    ‘Well, bless