The Spoiled Child by Hilda Boden

Rumshus shook his head at the girl sitting in the saddle of the donkey.

“Sure,” he said, “you’ve had three rides, Missy, and I’ve had to run beside you all the way there and back each time. And now there’s other children waiting for rides, I think we ought to give them their turn.”

He looked at the other children hopefully. There were two boys and a girl, and they all looked the sort of people who could manage donkeys for themselves.

The girl on the donkey tossed her own head. She had a mop of light curls, a plump and pretty face with very red cheeks.

“I’m going to stay on this donkey,” she said, “I like it.”

Rumshus shook his head again.

“We have to be fair to the others,” he repeated.

The girl stared at him.

“I like donkey riding and I’m going to go on riding this donkey. And if the other children have to wait, they can wait. I was here first.”

Rumshus did not know what to do. In all his years of helping with the Trapper donkeys on Brightsea sands he had never met a rider who just refused to get down from a donkey. Of course, a lot of children had been lifted out of their saddles by parents who were not prepared to pay for any more rides, but that was different. This girl seemed to have plenty of money to pay with, and she was determined on more riding. The trouble was that when Rumshus let go of the leading-rein and left her donkey run free, she started yelling that she was going to fall off and be hurt; and if he didn’t keep the donkey trotting smartly, so that he was out of breath running beside it, the girl started shouting that she wasn’t having a proper ride for her shilling. Rumshus wished heartily that Sammy Trapper had been waiting with the donkeys when the girl first came up, Sammy was older, and knew how to manage people, but just at that time he had been away along the beach, keeping an eye on a party of boys.

The girl looked at him,

“What are we waiting for? Here’s your next shilling, and I want to go. I want to go a long way this time; right along to that little tower on the sands.”

“We never go there,” Rumshus told her. “It’s too far for a shilling ride.”

“I’ll pay two shillings then,” said the girl.

Rumshus looked at the distant tower, and his legs began to ache at the thought of running so far.

He looked hopefully along the beach, thinking that Sammy must be back soon, and that then he could manage this horrible girl.

“Let’s go,” said the horrible girl. “You must hold that little side rein all the way.”

Rumshus began to explain that usually riders managed on their own, with one donkey boy to several donkeys, keeping an eye on them. He felt quite sure the girl was not listening to this, but he did not mind, because he also saw that Sammy was nearly back again. He stopped talking, and waited for him.

Sammy saw his own riders on to the ground and his donkeys settled quietly, and then turned to Rumshus and his problem.

“What’s this?” he asked. He sounded very grown-up.

Before Rumshus could speak, the girl did it for him.

“This boy here won’t take me on another ride along to that little tower. I’ve told him to, and he won’t do it. I do wish you’d make him.”

She smiled at Sammy, looking very pretty and innocent, just as Rumshus had thought her when she first came up to the donkey stand.

“She’s had three rides,” said Rumshus, “and she wants me to run beside her all the way. And I can’t, I’m tired. My legs are aching like you can’t think. And there are these other children waiting for their turn.”

“Well, you put them on some of the other donkeys,” said Sammy cheerfully, “and I'll see to this young lady.”

“Good-oh!”said Rumshus. He did not wait. He took the three children across to the donkeys Sammy had brought in and saw them mounted. As he had thought, they were sensible children, and no trouble at all.

Sammy was having trouble, though. As soon as Rumshus had disappeared, the girl demanded to know why they were waiting.

Sammy laughed. “Well, if we boys took single riders every time they came along, we’d be too tired to move at the end of the day. We’ll just wait a bit, and somebody else is sure to come along for a ride, and then I’ll take you together.”

The girl’s pretty face did not look quite so pretty. She frowned. “That black boy took me by myself.”

“Well, I shan’t,” said Sammy firmly. “We’ll just wait a few minutes, as I said.”

To his surprise and horror, she opened her mouth, and began to cry. It was not just quiet, unhappy crying, but a noisy sobbing and that made people turn to look at her.

“Be quiet!” ordered Sammy, firmly. “You won’t be having another ride on any of my donkeys. See how people are looking at us! They must be thinking you’ve been hurt, and that won’t do my business any good.”

She did not argue, but let out another cry.

Mrs. Wink, who was the Punch and Judy man, heard the cry, and popped her head out between the curtains at the back of her booth.

“What is the matter, Sammy Trapper?” she called, in her deep voice. The girl was so surprised at the voice that she stopped crying.

“The girl wants one of us to run with her every time she goes out, and she doesn’t want to wait for somebody else to make up a party. Rumshus has taken her out three times, and now I think it’s time she got off that donkey and went home.”

Mrs. Wink walked slowly across the fine dry sand.

“She doesn’t look like a naughty little girl,” she observed.

The girl screamed again. “I’m not a naughty girl. I’m not little, either. And when my grandma comes back, I’ll tell her how you’ve behaved to me, and I expect she’ll call the police, or something. She's very rich, and she does what I fell her.”

"Sounds a foolish woman," commented Mrs. Wink. She eyed the girl sternly. “Now then. Let Sammy help you off that donkey. You’ve been on it long enough.”

The girl hesitated. “You’re a horrid old woman,” she told Mrs. Wink.

“I may be old, but I try not to be horrid,” said Mrs. Wink. “Now, I think you are horrid, and I can see that you are young, and I think a young horror is worse than an old one, any day.”

The girl’s face dropped into its crying lines again.

“I'm not a young horror,” she began to sob. “Wait till I tell my grandma what you said. Nobody ever said anything like that to me before.”

Sammy asked Mrs. Wink, “Do help me to get her away,” he whispered. “People are taking notice and I’m sure I'm losing trade.”

Mrs. Wink was sorry for Sammy. He had been the man of his family since his grandfather died, and she knew how hard he worked and how much he tried to keep the donkey business going. Besides, Mrs. Trapper was her great friend, so she felt rather responsible for the boys and donkeys on the beach.

She went close up to the donkey and just lifted the girl from the saddle. The child was so surprised that she did not have time to cling on. She did, however, kick out at Mrs. Wink as she set her on the sands.

Mrs. Wink bent down and rubbed her leg.

“Don’t do anything like that again,” she said warningly.

Sammy did not stay to hear what happened after that. He led the donkey away and in no time had three more children ready for rides, and was glad to take them out on the sands.

“I shall kick you if I like,” said the girl.

“If you do, I shall give you a good smacking,” said Mrs. Wink firmly. “I’ve half a mind to do that now. You’re a bad girl, and it’s what you deserve.”

Mrs. Wink sounded so decided that the girl started to behave properly. When the old lady turned back to her Punch and Judy booth, the girl followed her.

“Do you live in that funny little place?” she asked.

“I earn my living in it,” said Mrs. Wink. “I’m a Punch and Judy man.”

“You don’t look like a man,” objected the girl.

“Maybe not,” agreed Mrs. Wink, “but it’s not me that you see when I give a performance. It’s Mr. Punch and Mrs. Punch and all the rest of my puppets.”

“Do one for me now,” ordered the girl at once.

Mrs. Wink stared.

“Give a show just for one person? I couldn’t do that. Why, I make my living from the coppers I get in the net I pass round after a show. One person in my audience wouldn’t be much good to me, wouldn’t it?”

“But I want to see a Punch and Judy show,” objected the girl, “I’ve never seen one yet, and I want to see one now. And I’ll give you a shilling to do one for me. A shilling is twelve pennies, so that would be good pay.”

“I don’t think I’ll become wealthy with my show,” said Mrs. Wink dryly, “but I do expect to take more than a shilling. And I’ve just finished one turn, and don’t feel like doing another straight away. As you told me, I’m getting old. Come along tomorrow morning. With luck I’ll have a nice little audience and if you want to be one of them, that will be fine.”

The girl rubbed the toe of her sandal against her other leg.

“I want to see your Punch and Judy now.”

Mrs. Wink was really displeased now.

“I don’t know who you are,” she said, “but it seems to me that you’re a very spoiled child. I don’t like spoiled children, so off you go, now, and leave me to tidy up my booth for the night.”

The girl went red with anger.

“I’ll tell you who I am. I’m Shirley Bentley, and I live at Bour-ton with my grandma. There. That’s who I am.”

“Never heard of you before,” said Mrs. Wink unkindly, “but I’m certain to remember you for the future. And now I’m going inside my booth and you’d better run back to your family. They may be looking for you, because it seems to me you’ve been here a long time.”

Shirley tossed her head. “I ran away from Grandma because I was tired of waiting for her to finish shopping. And now I’ll come into your booth with you and have a look at your Punch and Judy things. That’s what I’ll do.”

“That’s what you won’t do,” corrected Mrs. Wink. “There isn’t all that much room inside my booth, and I’m certainly not sharing it with a spoiled child.”

The girl drew a deep breath.

“If you talk to me like that, I’ll start screaming again, and I dare say a policeman will come along to see what you are doing to me.”

She was quite a clever child, because she had realized that the people who ran the donkey business on the beach did not wish attention attracted by a crying girl.

Mrs. Wink said, “Well, you can have your policeman without crying for him. I see the policeman up there, and it seems to me he is looking for someone. Perhaps he’s looking for you.”

Shirley looked up and exclaimed, “There’s Grandma, and she looks worried.”

“I don’t know why,” said Mrs. Wink. “I think she’d have been lucky if she had lost you for good.”

Then she marched inside her booth and began to tidy her puppets away, although she did look through the curtain once to see a rather plump and silly woman running towards Shirley.

“Darling!” cried the woman as she ran. “My little darling! I thought I had lost you!”

“I’ve just been riding donkeys,” she heard Shirley say. “I want to stay here and ride some more.”

“Another day, darling, another day. We shall be late home as it is. I’ve spent simply hours looking for you. If it hadn’t been for this kind policeman, I might still be looking.”

Then everyone started talking together.

“All right now, ma’am?” asked the policeman.

“We must be going at once, darling,” said Shirley’s grandmother.

“Want another donkey ride,” cried Shirley.

There was a pause, and then the plump woman said, "Well we might have time for just one ride. Although why you should want to ride a donkey on the sands, Shirley, I just don’t know. If you had ever said you wanted to ride a donkey, I should have bought you one.”

“Here’s the donkey boy now,” said Shirley.

Then Mrs. Wink smiled to herself as she heard Sammy’s voice.

“Sorry,” said Sammy, “we’re closing down for the day. No. Very sorry, but we are very particular as to how much our donkeys have worked, and they’ve done enough for today. We shall be down on the sands tomorrow, though, just after ten o’clock. Perhaps we’ll see you then.”

Shirley started to scream.

“I want to ride now, not tomorrow. Grandma, make that horrid boy take me for a ride now!”

Grandma said, “Hush, darling, people are listening.”

Policeman James took charge of the situation.

“I’d take the little girl to your car, ma’am. I know Sammy Trapper, here, and he is quite right in what he says. The Trappers are very particular not to overwork their donkeys. Now, little girl, you go quietly along with the lady.”

And such was the power of the Law that Shirley did stop screaming and walked back to a large waiting car.

Rumshus, who had been trying to hide behind a donkey, came out.

“Is she gone?” he asked.

Sammy nodded. “And I hope I never see her again.”

“That girl,” pronounced Rumshus, “sure is a perfect horror.”

Then they went back to the donkeys, tidied away drinking buckets, saw that the ground was left neat and, finally, led the donkeys back to the stables.