magnolia-buildings

"I never had any idea how much Mum does," he said in surprise.

"Nor did I,"1 sighed Ally.

The next day when Ally came to see Mum, the ward seemed very quiet. Mum was quiet too, and nobody shouted jokes from bed to bed. As Ally kissed her, she was afraid, and said, "Aren't you better, Mum?" for her mother was pale and looked as if she had been crying.

Mum did not answer, she only pointed to Mrs Cbbber's bed. It was empty. The bedclothes were changed and thebed was ready for a new patient.

"Has she gone home?" asked Ally. "She told me she was

"You mean — Oh no, Mum!" Ally's own eyes also filled with tears. The children! Mrs Cobber would never see them now.

"They sent for her husband and put up the screens," said Mum, "and in the morning — she wasn't here any more. It makes you think,2 Ally."

It made Ally think too. What was this nonsense called glamour? Suppose that Mum had died, and hers had been the empty bed with the clean bedclothes? She went straight home, and tired as she was,3 she began to clean up the flat.

The next day she went out and bought a good piece of meat and cooked it with vegetables. She also ate a large helping of it.

Chapter XII

"Probably last night. There wasn't anything yesterday."

For days the boys had been waiting for the May fair that came every year to the Common. The fruit trees were in bloom and their leaves were green and fresh. It was high time for the fair to arrive.1

Like magic cities, it had grown up in a night. The great long wagons and the lorries that carried switchbacks, roundabouts and other things were arranged in a circle on the fair-ground'. A spring wind was blowing dust in everybody's eyes, but the show people 2 who assembled the booths and machines went on working as if they were mechanical toys. All the boys from the streets round the Common were there. They were watching, running about, criticizing everybody and everything and getting in the way.3

Soon the electricity was linked up, and by the evening the whole place was full of noise and light. Thousands of

organs and the screaming sirens of the flying boats, a favourite attraction of

At the back of the show,4 among the trees, the show people lived their usual domestic lives. The babies and dogs played beneath the wagon wheels, old women peeled potatoes, and blue smoke could be seen coming out of the wagon chimneys.

The boys had saved all their pennies for the fair, and each evening they tried to choose the best way of spending their money. They could buy delicious hot dogs 6 or candies. But it cost a lot of money to ride on the roundabout, and even more to shoot with a real gun at the shootingbooths.

Ally met Brian Doherty on Friday evening, and to her surprise he said, "Are you going to the fair?"

"Is it here?" asked Ally.

"They're putting it up. Like to come and see?" "Aren't you going with Val and the rest?" Ally saw

with surprise how tall Brian was no'w. He must have grown a lotx during the last weeks. "I can't tonight. I've got to go and see Mum at the hospital," she said.

Val, who had no money, went to the fair every evening. He loved the fair and looked forward to it 2 all the year round. At night, when the place was so full of light, loud music, bright colours and cheerfulness, he was happy to be there. He longed to be one of the show people and do some of their work. He could be the man who loaded up the guns at the shooting-booth; that would be wonderful. Even without a penny he could spend hours there, walking about, watching, listening and enjoying everything.

Dad had promised Ally to speak to Val and Doreen about helping with the housework. But the only thing he did was to premise Val a few shillings to spend at the fair if he helped Ally with the washing-up.

With real money in his pocket, Val went to the fair on Saturday, full of excitement. The rest of his gang were waiting to go with him and all seven boys went there together.

"Tell you what," 3 said Val. "Let's all have a ride on the horses and we could try to change places while they're going round, see? That would be smashing."

"Not me," 4 yelled Ginger! "My grandma gave me half a crow,n. I'll go to the shooting-booth."

"You won't," said George, who was Val's lieutenant. "You'll do what we do, see?" And he gave him a punch as they ran.5

But there was no time to stop and fight as the loud music called them, and at last they arrived at the entrance to the fair where a man was selling funny hats. Val led the way to the roundabout, which had just started off on a new round. The gang stood there waiting, with their mouths

open, and watched the people on crocodiles, swans, horses and other animals rushing round and round and up and down.1 Everything on the roundabout sparkled and shone and the boys forgot about everybody and everything. Suddenly they felt that there was someone behind them and heard Nap's voice, "Look who's here! Those nasty little boys. Do they want to have a ride 2 on the roundabout?"

"Oh, gosh!" 3 muttered Val, turning round. Why must they come now and spoil everything? But Nap had already caught George by his tie and Thompson was getting ready to pinch. There was no time to lose, so Val yelled, "They're stopping! Jump on!" For the roundabout had just slowed down. Val's gang jumped on to the animals and clung to them, hoping that the roundabout would soon start again.

"Do the little boys want to ride on their nice horsies?" * mocked Thompson, and he and Nap and two others jumped on to the platform that was now slowly moving. When Val saw that a battle was inevitable, he kicked out and caught5 Shorty in the face.

"Duly play!"0 yelled Shorty and then the whole gang jumped on to the platform and joined in the fight, trying to pull the smaller boys off their seats. Thompson attacked George who kicked back and the fight grew general and fierce. Val's gang fought as bravely as real knights on real horses. Thompson managed to pull George off his crocodile and they continued fighting on the platform. The public was now in terror; some girls screamed. The boys went on fighting while the roundabout animals went on going up and down and round and round. The yelling soon rose above the music, and the man who had been collecting money on the other side of the platform rushed to the boys and joined in the fight. He had yelled at the man who

worked the machine to stop,1 but the man did not hear at first, so the roundabout continued to move with the boys fighting all over it.

In a few minutes the roundabout slowed down and stopped, and the police appeared.

Val had only one idea, to escape from the cops. He knew that as leader of the gang he ought to stay and speak to the police and explain that Shorty's gang had attacked them; but he also knew that the police

wouldn't listen.2 His nose was bleeding, his clothes were torn, so he couldn't appear before the police in such a state. Then, he had promised Mum not to get into trouble

while she was in hospital, and if the cops caught him now, they would certainly send him to a special school for bad boys.

All those thoughts came later. But at the moment escape was the only thought.1 Paying no attention to the screaming of the women, the shouting of the boys, the whistles of the police, he rushed to the other side of the roundabout, pushed a man who tried to stop him and in a minute jumped down the platform. When he was safe on the ground, he didn't stop to take breath 2 but kept on running, leaving behind him the yells and angry voices and the music of the fair.

With a beating heart he managed to reach home at last. His nose was bleeding less now and he wiped it on his sleeve.

As he ran, several unpleasant thoughts attacked him. Suppose 3 the rest of the gang was caught, what would they say to a leader 4 that had deserted them? What would they do if they were punished, and Val got off free? They would probably turn against him.

And at the same time he knew that he had to run away. There was no other way out for him.5 If the police caught him, that would worry Mum, and make her worse.8 If Mum died, it would be the end of the world.

When he got to the yard, he walked slowly. Nobody must think that he was hurrying. All the way upstairs he

he have done? The police would not listen to a twelve- year-old boy.

What a pity that Mum was not at home! It would be no good to speak to Dad, because he would not understand. He would only be angry that Val had got into trouble again 7 and perhaps he would even give him a thrashing.

In the dark, the house looked like a fortress. Most of the inhabitants had gone to bed. By now, Dad must be back from the "Cock". The problem was how to get into the flat without being seen.

Val went up the stairs very carefully, but suddenly Mrs Doherty opened her door and caught him by the collar. "Wait now!" she said. "Where's Brian?"

"I don't know," muttered Val. Probably in a police car or even in an ambulance, he thought. The light from the open door showed Mrs Doherty the fear beneath the dirt on Val's face.

"Was he not at the fair with you?"

"We — we lost each other, see." Val tried to get free, but Mrs Doherty held him fast. He must get into bed. Only there would he be safe, if the police came to their house. Any of his gang might give him away, especially Bill who was such a big mouth.1

"It's late, very late," said Mrs Doherty. She had put on an old shawl over her head, for the night was getting cold. "What were you doing there? Were you riding on the roundabout?" At the word roundabout Val started. Mrs Doherty looked at him again and saw blood on his shirt. She immediately felt something was wrong.

"Wait now, Val! Something's happened. Tell me the truth, boy."

At first Val wanted to pull away and run, but then he realized that he needed help. Mrs Doherty was the mother of one of his gang. He must try and make her understand.

"It was Shorty —" he began. "It wasn't us." 2

"Oh, those boys again," sighed the woman. "Go on." "We weren't doing anything. Honest.3 We were just waiting for the roundabout to stop, and we were going to have a ride, see. Then Shorty and his gang came up. They started it all. We didn't want to fight. We were just enjoying ourselves, see. We got up on the horses and thought they'd leave us alone, but they went after us and began fighting. They tried to pull us off. All the people were

yelling. Then the police came and I ran away."

"The police? Oh, dear! * What happened to my Brian?" "I don't know. He hates fighting, but Nap attacked

him. Shorty's boys are bigger than us."

"Dear me! So he may be in the hands of the police." Mrs Doherty turned to the door and then cried, "And

"It's that Shorty. The wicked devil!" cried Mrs Doherty. "Those chaps are a shame to the whole block. No one has dared to raise a hand to them,3 and it's high time they werp punished. My Brian's as quiet as a lamb if he's left alone.4 Books is all he wants. I myself'll go to the police and all the other mothers too, for we're already sick ofB those hooligans. No boy can walk safe in this block because of them."

Mrs Doherty spoke with great spirit and Val looked at her amazed. He had never thought that the parents knew about Shorty's gang.

"They always scold me for fighting," he said bitterly. "But I don't want to fight. It's them.8 They always start it. I've just got to defend myself."

"Don't speak so loud. I don't want Mrs Crawley to hear us. If Brian does not come back, I must go to the police station. Did anyone near the roundabout see how it all had started?"

"There was a lot of people. But it all started so quick, see."

"Sometimes I curse the day we left Ireland and came to this wicked city," said Mrs Doherty in despair.

Luckily at this moment, Brian himself appeared; but what a terrible state he was in! His clothes were torn, and there was a great bleeding cut across his cheek. One eye was black and already closing.7

"Brian!" cried his mother. "Have they killed you?" "Almost," said Brian.

"Where are the others?" asked Val.

"The police took George and Shorty and Thompson. But Nap got away and so did the rest of us.1 Oh, Mum, it was awful. They just started it. Nap pulled me off my horse and I fell on to the platform and cut my face. It hurts awfully."

"Come in and I'll wash you," said Mrs Doherty. "Thank God! 2 I thought you were in prison."

"How did you get away?" Brian asked Val.

"Oh, I slipped off," said Val, to whom all his self-con- trol had returned. "How did they get George?"

"Shorty knocked him down, see. It was terrible, Val. You never saw so many cops. And do you know about

fighting at last. Come in now, Brian, love, and we'll put something on your face. One of these days 3 that Nap will kill somebody. You go to bed, Val, or there'll be trouble for you.4 I wonder 5 if anyone has told Ginger's mother?"

"There's the police car below," whispered Val suddenly. The black police car had driven right into the yard, and two policemen were getting out.

"I'm going," said Val and he rushed to his flat and knocked on the door. Mrs Doherty and Brian also disappeared like rabbits into holes.

Luckily for Val, Ally was not asleep yet, as she had washed her hair and was drying it in the new curlers recommended by a women's magazine.

"Where've you been?" she asked angrily. "Haven't you promised Mum?" Val didn't want to tell Ally the whole story. He was too tired and his head ached. He just fell into bed, dirty as he was. Len did not even wake.

The next day, the whole of Magnolia Buildings was discussing Saturday's events. Some people had seen the police car. Ginger's mother and father had to go to the hospital. Ginger's arm had been setx and he was now in plaster. Shorty, Thompson and George would be summoned.2 The rest of the gang had escaped, but the police were making inquiries.3

To Val's relief, none of his gang blamed him for escaping, because they had all been too busy trying to get away themselves. George had lost one more tooth in the fight.

"You'll have to get some false teeth soon," said Val, examining his friend's mouth.

"My lip hurts terribly," complained George. "Still, we gave as good as we got.4 Nap's got an enormous black eye. I wish they'd send Shorty and Thompson to Borstal. Lucky I'm only eleven."

"He says he'll give me a good thrashing," grinned George, "but he won't. He knows Shorty and Thompson."

Mrs Doherty now gathered some of the indignant mothers and they moved from flat to flat. Sometimes they took Brian with them to show what Shorty's gang had done to him. But the boy hated this and ran away to hide in the public library,6 where he could sit and read in peace. He was still at the Grammar School, but he studied so well that there were hopes of the University for him.

All the mothers agreed that Shorty's gang was awful, and they all told Mrs Doherty that something should be done, and that they would speak to their husbands. So the mothers of Val's gang joined up against the mothers of Shorty's gang, and as every mother defended her own son, bad words were shouted from balcony to balcony all the time, and there was no peace left7 at Magnolia Buildings.