Ginger and Pickles
[Dedicated
With very kind regards to old Mr. John Taylor,
Who “thinks he might pass as a dormouse,”
(Three years in bed and never a grumble!).]
| Once upon a time there was a village shop. The name over the window was “Ginger and Pickles.” |
| It was a little small shop just the right size for Dolls— Lucinda and Jane Doll-cook always bought their groceries at Ginger and Pickles. |
| The counter inside was a convenient height for rabbits. Ginger and Pickles sold red spotty pocket handkerchiefs at a penny three farthings. |
| They also sold sugar, and snuff and galoshes. |
| In fact, although it was such a small shop it sold nearly everything—except a few things that you want in a hurry—like bootlaces, hair- pins and mutton chops. |
| Ginger and Pickles were the people who kept the shop. Ginger was a yellow tomcat, and Pickles was a terrier. |
| The rabbits were always a little bit afraid of Pickles. |
| The shop was also patronized by mice—only the mice were rather afraid of Ginger. |
| Ginger usually requested Pickles to serve them, because he said it made his mouth water. |
| “I cannot bear,” said he, “to see them going out at the door carrying their little parcels.” |
| “I have the same feeling about rats,” replied Pickles, “but it would never do to eat our customers; they would leave us and go to Tabitha Twitchit’s.” |
| “On the contrary, they would go nowhere,” replied Ginger gloomily. |
| (Tabitha Twitchit kept the only other shop in the village. She did not give credit.) |
| But there is no money in what is called the “till.” |
| Ginger and Pickles gave unlimited credit. |
| Now the meaning of “credit” is this—when a customer buys a bar of soap, instead of the customer pulling out a purse and paying for it —she says she will pay another time. |
| And Pickles makes a low bow and says, “With pleasure, madam,” and it is written down in a book. |
| The customers come again and again, and buy quantities, in spite of being afraid of Ginger and Pickles. |
| The customers came in crowds every day and bought quantities, especially the toffee customers. But there was always no money; they never paid for as much as a penny- worth of peppermints. |
| But the sales were enormous, ten times as large as Tabitha Twitchit’s. |
| As there was always no money, Ginger and Pickles were obliged to eat their own goods. |
| Pickles ate biscuits and Ginger ate a dried haddock. |
| They ate them by candle- light after the shop was closed. |
| “It is very uncomfortable, I am afraid I shall be summoned. I have tried in vain to get a license upon credit at the Post Office;” said Pickles. “The place is full of policemen. I met one as I was coming home. |
| “Let us send in the bill again to Samuel Whiskers, Ginger, he owes 22/9 for bacon.” |
| “I do not believe that he intends to pay at all,” replied Ginger. |
| When it came to Jan. 1st there was still no money, and Pickles was unable to buy a dog license. |
| “It is very unpleasant, I am afraid of the police,” said Pickles. |
| “It is your own fault for being a terrier; I do not require a license, and neither does Kep, the Collie dog.” |
| “And I feel sure that Anna Maria pockets things— |
| “Where are all the cream crackers?” |
| “You have eaten them yourself.” replied Ginger. |
| Ginger and Pickles retired into the back parlor. |
| They did accounts. They added up sums and sums, and sums. |
| “Samuel Whiskers has run up a bill as long as his tail; he has had an ounce and three- quarters of snuff since October. |
| “What is seven pounds of butter at 1/3, and a stick of sealing wax and four matches?” |
| “Send in all the bills again to everybody `with compliments,’” replied Ginger. |
| Pickles nearly had a fit, he barked and he barked and made little rushes. |
| “Bite him, Pickles! bite him!” spluttered Ginger behind a sugar barrel, “he’s only a German doll!” |
| The policeman went on writing in his notebook; twice he put his pencil in his mouth, and once he dipped it in the treacle. |
| Pickles barked till he was hoarse. But still the policeman took no notice. He had bead eyes, and his helmet was sewed on with stitches. |
| After a time they heard a noise in the shop, as if something had been pushed in at the door. They came out of the back parlor. There was an envelope lying on the counter, and a policeman writing in a notebook! |
| At length on his last little rush—Pickles found that the shop was empty. The policeman had disappeared. |
| But the envelope remained. |
| “Do you think that he has gone to fetch a real live policeman? I am afraid it is a summons,” said Pickles. |
| “No,” replied Ginger, who had opened the envelope, “it is the rates and taxes, 3 pounds 19 11 3/4.” [pounds are British money, the 19 is schillings, and then pence] |
| “This is the last straw,” said Pickles, “let us close the shop.” |
| They put up the shutters, and left. But they have not removed from the neighborhood. In fact some people wish they had gone further. |
Ginger is living in the warren
[game preserve for rabbits].
I do not know what
occupation he pursues; he
looks stout and comfortable.
Pickles is at present a game-
keeper.
| After a time Mr. John Dormouse and his daughter began to sell peppermints and candles. |
| But they did not keep “self- fitting sixes”; and it takes five mice to carry one seven inch candle. |
| The closing of the shop caused great inconvenience. Tabitha Twitchit immediately raised the price of everything a halfpenny; and she continued to refuse to give credit. |
Of course there are the
tradesmen’s carts—the butcher,
the fishman and Timothy
Baker.
But a person cannot live on
“seed wigs” and sponge cake
and butter buns—not even
when the sponge cake is as
good as Timothy’s!
| And Miss Dormouse refused to take back the ends when they were brought back to her with complaints. |
| And when Mr. John Dormouse was complained to, he stayed in bed, and would say nothing but “very snug;” which is not the way to carry on a retail business. |
| Besides—the candles which they sell behave very strangely in warm weather. |
| So everybody was pleased when Sally Henny Penny sent out a printed poster to say that she was going to reopen the shop—“Henny’s Opening Sale! Grand cooperative Jumble! Penny’s penny prices! Come buy, come try, come buy!” |
| The poster really was most ‘ticing. |
| There was a rush upon the opening day. The shop was crammed with customers, and there were crowds of mice upon the biscuit cannisters. |
| Sally Henny Penny gets rather flustered when she tries to count out change, and she insists on being paid cash; but she is quite harmless. |
| And she has laid in a remarkable assortment of bargains. |
| There is something to please everybody. |