articlesforchristians

Taking Orders

I know a new game, Peter,” said Tim.

“Where did you get it, Tim?”

“I got it from some boys, Peter. Yesterday my mother and I went visiting. I played it then.”

“Let’s play it now,” said Peter. “What shall we do first?”

“We keep a store. Every day we take our horse and wagon. We call on our customers. They give us orders. We write them in a book.

“By and by we go back to our store. We put lots of things in our wagon. Then we drive around and give the things to our customers.”

“All right,” said Peter. “My father keeps a store. We will play that it is ours. But where is the book?”

“Here it is, Peter. My mother gave it to me yesterday. We played with it then.”

“Well, where is our wagon?”

“There is your father’s wagon, Peter. It is in front of the barn. I saw it. That is what made me think of the game.”

Tim and Peter climbed into the wagon.

“You drive,” said Tim. “I will take the orders. I know just how. See my pencil.”

“Get up,” said Peter to his play horse. And off they went.

“I wish that we truly had a horse,” he said. “Then we could take orders all over the village.”

“I should rather have my goat,” said Tim. “I like him better than a horse.”

“Sometimes he will not go when you wish him to,” said Peter. “That is not very nice.”

“I do not care,” said Tim. “I like old Billy just the same. Here is the first house, Peter. Stop for me to get out.”

“Whoa,” said Peter. And the play horse stopped at once. Tim ran to Peter’s back door. He knocked. Mrs. Howe, Peter’s mother, was in the kitchen. She came to the door.

“Good morning, Tim,” she said.

“Good morning,” said Tim. “I am a store man. I am taking orders. Will you please order something of me?”

“Yes, I will. Let me see. Please bring me one pound of butter and one half pound of tea. Can you do that?”

“Oh, yes,” said Tim. “I can bring you more. We have a very big store.”

“Then I will order a dozen eggs and a quart of milk. Do not let Peter bring me a quart of eggs and a dozen of milk. That is the way he played store once.”

Peter heard what his mother said and he laughed. He had learned better than that.

“Goodbye,” said Tim.

“Goodbye,” said Mrs. Howe. “Oh Tim! Perhaps other families live in this house. Go to the side door and to the front door and see.”

Tim climbed back into the wagon.

“Get up,” said Peter to his horse. And the play horse started.

“Did you get many orders? How far is it to the next house?”

“I got four orders. Here is the next house. Please stop now.”

“Whoa,” said Peter. And the horse stopped at once.

Tim knocked at the side door. A lady, with a blue dress on, opened it. Tim played that it was not Mrs. Howe.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning, Mr. Storekeeper,” said the lady. “Please bring me a box of salt, a pound of cheese, and a box of crackers.”

“Shall I bring you some bread?”

“I make my own bread, thank you. It is better than baker’s bread. But you may bring me a pound of coffee. Have you written all the things down? Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” said Tim.

He climbed back into the wagon.

“Get up,” said Peter to his horse. And the play horse started. “How far is it to the next house?”

“Not very far,” said Tim. “It is just to your front door. Lots of families live in your house this morning. Here it is.”

“Whoa,” said Peter. And the horse stopped at once.

Knock, knock, knock went Tim’s hand on the front door. A lady, with a large white apron on, opened it.

“Good morning, Mr. Orderman,” she said. “I have been watching for you. I need a dozen pears and a dozen peaches. I need a box of strawberries, too.”

“You cannot have the strawberries,” said Tim. “They were all gone long ago. They come in the early summer. It is almost autumn now. My mother did not get enough to can.”

“That is too bad,” said the lady. “Then you cannot eat strawberries this winter, can you? Please bring me the pears and the peaches.

“You must get very hungry taking so many orders. Here is a bag of cookies for you and for the man who drives. You may eat them under the trees.”

“Oh, thank you,” said Tim. “I like this place best of all. We will bring your things some other time. Goodbye.”

The driver got down from his seat. He unharnessed the horse. Then the driver and the order man sat on the grass to eat their dinner. The horse had his dinner, too.

They had driven so far that they were tired and hungry.