sure. Don’t fail.”
Ganus watched Dr. English put the paper he had signed on the desk.
“Every Saturday from now on, Dr. English?” he said with a worried look. “For how long?”
Dr. English glanced over the rim of his glasses. “How long? Oh, let’s see.” He did some figuring on the pad. “About six months will take care of it, unless you fall behind in the weekly payments, and then in that case we’ll have to add a little more to the total. That’d take longer to pay off, wouldn’t it? Anyway, you won’t be paying me any interest. I collect only what you owe me for the bicycle. However, if you fail to make a payment of five dollars every Saturday, you’ll have to turn the bicycle over to me, and then of course you’d lose all you’d paid out. If you wanted to buy it back again after that, naturally you’d have to begin paying all over again. That might take a year or more. It’s a lot better to keep up the payments, Ganus.”
“If it’s going to take all that long to pay for it, Dr. English, I’d rather leave off the headlight and all those other things so I could finish paying for it quicker.”
Dr. English frowned and shook his head. “No, Ganus. You might be out delivering groceries some night after dark and run into something.” He kept on shaking his head. “I don’t want you wrecking my bicycle like that. You go ahead and take the headlight and the other things Mr. Hutto wants you to have.”
“I’ve got some wrenches of my own. I don’t have to buy the tool kit, do I?”
“Ganus, Mr. Hutto wouldn’t like it if you took the bicycle away without the proper tools. Remember the spokes have to be kept good and tight all the time. Nobody can tighten spokes properly without a good spoke wrench.”
“But I’d sure like to save on it somehow, Dr. English,” he said persistently, “so I wouldn’t have to pay on it for six whole months. That’s a mighty long time to pay five dollars every week. It’s half a whole year.”
“You’ll be surprised how fast time goes when you have that new bike, Ganus. Now, go on back to Claude Hutto’s and let him fix you up like he wants to. And remember to keep that bike in good condition, too. Don’t let it stand out in the rain. Take it in the house at night. That bike belongs to me until you’ve paid for it. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it, either, because it’s mortgaged property now. I’d hate to have to turn the law loose on you, Ganus. Remember that.”
Ganus wanted to talk some more about finding a way to shorten the length of time necessary to pay for the bicycle, but it was already after ten o’clock and he was worried about the job at Daitch’s Market. He backed out of the office and hurried down the hall. The nurse at the desk looked up as he walked through the reception room. He did not speak to her, because he was looking at the people waiting to see Dr. English, and wondering if they were really ill or if they hoped to buy an automobile or some furniture or a pair of mules. He was almost through the door when he heard the nurse calling him. He went back to the desk.
“You can hand me the payments Dr. English spoke of,” she instructed him matter-of-factly. “I’m usually right here at this desk all day Saturday. There’ll be a lot of others coming in to make payments, so please wait your turn in line like everybody else. Thank you.”
“Yes, ma’m,” Ganus replied, backing to the door.
He hurried down the stairway and ran the rest of the way. On the opposite side of Peachtree Street he could see people constantly going into and coming out of Daitch’s Market, but there was no bicycle leaning against the curb and he hoped he could still get there in time.
Claude Hutto was waiting for him at the door when he ran inside. The red-and-gray bicycle had been lifted from its rack, and already attached to it was the battery headlight, a tool kit, and tire pump.
“Well, I’m glad you got things fixed up
Ganus watched Dr. English put the paper he had signed on the desk.
“Every Saturday from now on, Dr. English?” he said with a worried look. “For how long?”
Dr. English glanced over the rim of his glasses. “How long? Oh, let’s see.” He did some figuring on the pad. “About six months will take care of it, unless you fall behind in the weekly payments, and then in that case we’ll have to add a little more to the total. That’d take longer to pay off, wouldn’t it? Anyway, you won’t be paying me any interest. I collect only what you owe me for the bicycle. However, if you fail to make a payment of five dollars every Saturday, you’ll have to turn the bicycle over to me, and then of course you’d lose all you’d paid out. If you wanted to buy it back again after that, naturally you’d have to begin paying all over again. That might take a year or more. It’s a lot better to keep up the payments, Ganus.”
“If it’s going to take all that long to pay for it, Dr. English, I’d rather leave off the headlight and all those other things so I could finish paying for it quicker.”
Dr. English frowned and shook his head. “No, Ganus. You might be out delivering groceries some night after dark and run into something.” He kept on shaking his head. “I don’t want you wrecking my bicycle like that. You go ahead and take the headlight and the other things Mr. Hutto wants you to have.”
“I’ve got some wrenches of my own. I don’t have to buy the tool kit, do I?”
“Ganus, Mr. Hutto wouldn’t like it if you took the bicycle away without the proper tools. Remember the spokes have to be kept good and tight all the time. Nobody can tighten spokes properly without a good spoke wrench.”
“But I’d sure like to save on it somehow, Dr. English,” he said persistently, “so I wouldn’t have to pay on it for six whole months. That’s a mighty long time to pay five dollars every week. It’s half a whole year.”
“You’ll be surprised how fast time goes when you have that new bike, Ganus. Now, go on back to Claude Hutto’s and let him fix you up like he wants to. And remember to keep that bike in good condition, too. Don’t let it stand out in the rain. Take it in the house at night. That bike belongs to me until you’ve paid for it. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it, either, because it’s mortgaged property now. I’d hate to have to turn the law loose on you, Ganus. Remember that.”
Ganus wanted to talk some more about finding a way to shorten the length of time necessary to pay for the bicycle, but it was already after ten o’clock and he was worried about the job at Daitch’s Market. He backed out of the office and hurried down the hall. The nurse at the desk looked up as he walked through the reception room. He did not speak to her, because he was looking at the people waiting to see Dr. English, and wondering if they were really ill or if they hoped to buy an automobile or some furniture or a pair of mules. He was almost through the door when he heard the nurse calling him. He went back to the desk.
“You can hand me the payments Dr. English spoke of,” she instructed him matter-of-factly. “I’m usually right here at this desk all day Saturday. There’ll be a lot of others coming in to make payments, so please wait your turn in line like everybody else. Thank you.”
“Yes, ma’m,” Ganus replied, backing to the door.
He hurried down the stairway and ran the rest of the way. On the opposite side of Peachtree Street he could see people constantly going into and coming out of Daitch’s Market, but there was no bicycle leaning against the curb and he hoped he could still get there in time.
Claude Hutto was waiting for him at the door when he ran inside. The red-and-gray bicycle had been lifted from its rack, and already attached to it was the battery headlight, a tool kit, and tire pump.
“Well, I’m glad you got things fixed up
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