magnolia-buildings

have a cup of tea. I'm dying for one."2

ers home with her. She was always laughing and talking and always ready to sit down and have a cup of tea. She was stout now, and so she was always glad to give her feet a short rest. If the flat was usually rather untidy, well, what of it? 4

"The house is made for the people, not the people for the house." Mum would say,5 gathering up some clothes and toys and shoving them into the nearest drawer, "There are some people who grumble at the dirt that's brought in, but I like a bit of company and a bit of fun. Come on, fill up 9 and don't spare the sugar."

There were always friends and neighbours in Mum's flat. They came there to chat and to forget their troubles.

their names on your pants." This was all because Ally had embroidered the names of Elvis Presley and Tommy Steele on her blue jeans.

"All the other girls did it too," Ally said angrily because she didn't like it when Mum laughed at her. "It's the fashion."

"You would stand on your heads if it were the fashion,"3

On Saturdays, the children all went to the cheap show at the cinema. It cost them only sixpence.

"I'm not going. I'm busy," said Val.

Mum smiled and hoped he wouldn't get into trouble again.6 Val was a handsome boy with curly hair and dark eyes, rather tall for his age. Val was usually in trouble.

"I'm going to the pond to see if there's ice," said Len. "Get out!"7 shouted Val. He always shouted, never talked.

"They 8 won't let you on the ice. They break it up on purpose, so that we boys couldn't slide. It's not fair. What's ice for?"

"They don't want you to get drowned," said Dad. He was a big fair man with a droopy moustache. He never said much as it was impossible to out-talk Mum when she began talking. Now he sat down to read his paper. Doreen said

same old village. And who wants to see Mickey Mouse?"1

"I do," said Len. His pointed little nose was red with the cold.2 "Oh, Mum, I do want to go.3 Or I'll miss the serial, The Black Box. It's always so exciting. Last time the monster man was in a dark cave and..."

"Go on,4 Ally, take him, do," said Mum. "I'm afraid to let him cross the street alone. You go now, Ally, and do the shopping, and then take Len to the pictures."

"It's a waste of money," grumbled Ally. "I want to go and see A Heart for a Coronet next Wednesday. Now, that'll be a smashing picture."

"I'll give you the money to go, if you just take Len now," said Mum.

Dad said, "That's right. Chucking your money away!"5 "That's what I work for, isn't it?" cried Mum with spirit, her black eyes sparkling. "So as 6 to have a bit of

money I can chuck away as I like."

She liked spoiling the children. She had spoilt them all, especially Len. But none of the familly could resist Len, with his dimples, his funny nose and his yellow crew cut.

"Mum never goes to the pictures, never," said Doreen in an accusing voice to Ally.

"Shut up," shouted Ally. "Give me the basket. What do you want, Mum?"

Ally usually liked shopping. She was friends with everyone in the shops, and they often gave her a bit more

ful to happen. Something with a spot of glamour.8

Outside the air was full of frost. It was a fine day. Even old Sprot, the flats' caretaker, was whistling to himself as he walked about the yard. He hated all children and regarded them as natural nuisances.1 He would have liked to let the flats to no one but2 old age pensioners and spinsters.

Ally and Len ran across the Common.3 The trees were white with snow and the pond was covered with ice. Alas, Val was right. The park keepers had got up very early and had broken the ice into lumps which looked like yellow candy. Small boys were already throwing the lumps at each other.

Yes, it was just a day for a foreign prince to drive up and announce that Ally was really a foreign princess in disguise who had been put at the door of 49 Magnolia Buildings as a baby and that now her time had come to go back to her native country and become a queen. All Ally's ideas about the world beyond the Common,4 all her dreams came from the pictures or T. V. because she had never been anywhere else.

"Oh, come on, Len," she grumbled, because it was really awful to walk with small boys. Either he went round and round her feet like a puppy on a cord, or he lagged behind and got stuck 5 at crossings.

There was a long queue outside the cinema. When the doors were opened, the children rushed in shouting with excitement. Ally had bought some sweets to suck, in case it was a dull film. But after a while she got interested in the picture. There was one girl who really had glamour in spite of her old-fashioned clothes. Lucky thing! 6 What a time she had! 7 She was held up in stage coaches,8 carried

off on horseback, tied to railway tracks and so on and so forth. And never a hair out of place.1

"I've got to have glamour," Ally said to herself. On the way to the pictures she had seen her own reflection in a shop window. Her pony tail of curls 2 of which she was usually proud, had looked — well, shabby. She had grown out of her coat, and her jeans looked funny beneath it. She had a hole in her sock and her old shoes looked awful because she had not polished them that morning.

When the lights went up 3 at the end of the film, she looked at her nails. The nails were not too clean and some

THE BLACK HAND GANG"

Val went down the stone staircase of the house that Saturday morning. His coat collar was turned up, his hands were in his pockets. He walked with the special swagger 7 adopted by all gangsters. He also walked cautiously, because at any moment one of Shorty's 8 gang might jump

out and attack him. His life was dangerous. It was one long battle in self-defence.

When he got to the yard, Sprot was shouting at some small children, a few mothers were passing with shopping baskets, or were talking to one another in loud voices up and down the balconies. Two chaps who belonged to Val's gang were in the yard too. They were leaning against a wall, pretending not to see anybody or anything. Val gave them a sign and walked firmly across the centre of the yard. It was safer to keep clear of1 the walls, something might always drop from the balconies. The other chaps, pretending not to see him, immediately walked out of the yard too. It seemed they had just remembered something important.

The thiee boys, George, Ginger and Val, met on the Common. This was more or less safe, being near to the

"We'll go separately," commanded Val. "Don't want3 to be seen together. Might arouse suspicion. See you later."4 He went quickly across the Common. The other boys went separately through the trees, all the time keeping an eye on 6 Val. They knew that at any moment he might be

attacked by one of Shorty's gang.

Something must be done about Shorty and his lot,6 Val was thinking as he walked across the Common. They are a nuisance round the block. Somebody must break them up. It'll have to be me.7 None of the other chaps have got organization. That's the main thing, organization.

Shorty and his lot were a real menace. They were big boys, some of them fifteen or sixteen. They hadn't enough money to amuse themselves. So they just hung about and

beat up the younger boys. Val had been collecting his gang all the winter. He was not by nature a bully; in fact he liked to live a peaceful life, but he was a natural leader. He couldn't allow Shorty's gang to beat up the small chaps and to steal or break their bikes. Whatever people said about Val Berners, they always agreed that he had a kind heart.

The bandstand was a good meeting place. It was safe enough as it was near the cafe, where there were always lots of people. If the worst came to the worst* and Shorty and his gang turned up, they could always run into the cafe. Shorty couldn't start anything in there.

Val made his way 2 through mothers and prams. Six of his chaps had arrived but only four of them would be much good 3 in a proper fight.

There was George, a tall boy, but not as strong as he looked. He had broken two front teeth falling off his bike when Nap, Shorty's lieutenant,4 had put a stick in the front wheel. George certainly had a reason to be very angry with Shorty's gang. George was a good chap and Val could trust him all right.

Then there was Billy with the round red face and stout body. He was all right too, but a bit of a big mouth.5 Bert and Ginger were brothers. Bert was all right, but Ginger was a bit young, although he could run very fast. Brian was fifteen and by rights he should have been 6 in Shorty's lot, but he was a quiet boy and was afraid of

bullies. He had joined Val's gang for protection. Val didn't think a lot of him.7 He couldn't fight well and spent most of his time reading in the public library.

Eddy was the sixth. He was such a thin child that Mum said he could go through a keyhole.

The boys faced Val, with their backs to the high bandstand.

"I know how to get into that old house," said Val. "But we must be careful, or we'll have the police on our tails again.1 You all know where it is? Bill, you got the candles?"

Bill took some candle-ends out of his pocket. "How did you get them?"

"Mum threw them out, Val." "Did you tell her anything?" "No."

"That's all right then. Let's go."

They all went running across the grass. Now that2 they were not in the yard, they could look like boys who were playing and not like gangsters.

Soon they got to the deserted house, which stood right in the middle of the Common, among some fir trees. Its dark dirty windows were broken by stones.

"Come in one by one 3 and don't make any noise," said Val.

He slid behind some dark evergreen bushes that were covered with snow. Val was an excellent climber4 because he spent-the summer evenings climbing over garden walls in search of fruit or flowers. Most of the fruit was not ripe and he didn't really want the flowers, but it was the fun of the thing.8 No explorer can make a dangerous voyage and come back without some treasure.

Now George dug out a crowbar that he had put under some rubbish a few days before. With the help of the crowbar he and Val tried to open the back door; but at that moment there came a low whistle from Ginger. All the boys dived into the bushes and froze. Ginger crept up to Val.

"Cops!" 6 he whispered. "Saw them on the road, two of them."

After a while the policemen moved on and the boys tried again to force the door. It gave * suddenly with a loud noise and the boys fell into the hall. They stopped a moment to listen and then Val said, "Give us a light.2 It's very dark in here."

George struck a match and the boys rushed forward. "Get back!" cried Val. "Discipline must be maintained.

And don't make any noise or I'll teach you. Brian, shut the door. Ginger, you stay in the bushes."

The house had the damp smell of deserted houses. The boys rushed into the kitchen. The stove was rusty. There were empty jam jars on the table and mice droppings everywhere.

"This'll do fine for headquarters,"3 said Bill.

"No! Underground is the only safe place," said Val. "The cellar!"

They had a look at the cellar. It had probably been a coal cellar, for the floor was covered with dirt.

"This'll do fine." Val held the candle high. With his handsome dark head, he looked like a real leader. Billy with his red face, and George without his front teeth could not compete with Val.

There was no need to explain to the chaps how useful it

"Better have a look round upstairs. You never know,"1 said Val. "Remember that picture when the hero took over the empty house and never thought of looking 2 upstairs?"

"Yes," said George. "But there was only a girl there." "Not that film," said Val scornfully. "I mean the one

with the time bomb 3 inside the clock."

So they decided to go upstairs and have a look. There was nothing on the top floor, not a dead body, a time bomb, nor even a girl. However, they found an old table there and carried it down to the cellar.

George looked at it with pride as he put it in the middle of the dirty floor. "We've got some furniture already," he said.

"My mum's got an old stove she never uses," said Brian. "I'll bring it next time and we'll cook potatoes."

Ginger, who had been told to keep watch outside but who had followed with the rest,4 now put a hand on Brian's mouth. "Sh!"

There was certainly someone outside the house. They heard steps.

"Downstairs all of you and shut the cellar door, Ginger," whispered Val. It might be the police, or, worse still, some of Shorty's lot.

The boys blew out the candle and stood there, as if frozen. Val was frightened, for it would he awful if the cops caught him again. He had had too many warnings already and this would count as breaking and entering.5 Val knew as much about the law as any lawyer. If the police