“Why, they are old enough to help around the shop. Let them come here and they can be our delivery boys. We are always needing a boy to run errands.”
“That would be wonderful, but they are such little fellows that I am afraid they would be in the way.”
“Children are never in my way, and you know how Irene feels about them. Elizabeth is fine to boys. She doesn’t take much stock in girls, having been brought up in a house full of them. Let me talk it over with my partners first, though.”
The partners were more than willing and the next day when Ursula came to work she came hand in hand with her two brothers. Ben and Philip were delighted with the idea of holding jobs, but more than anything were they pleased at the thought of being near “The Lady in the Chair,” which was the name they had given Irene.
“I’m the chief office boy an’ Phil is my clerk,” announced Ben. “I’m gonter do all the work an’ he’s gonter trot along an’ watch me. He’s just six an’ I’m in my ’leventh year. I’m gonter grow up an’ take care of Sister an’ buy her a ring an’ some beads an’ a Stutz racer. I’m gonter send Phil to college too, an’ buy him some long pants.”
“An’ I’m gonter save up my money that I make watchin’ you work an’ buy The Lady in the Chair a all-day sucker,” announced Philip.
There could be no two opinions concerning those Ellett boys. They were beautiful children—their loveliness almost unearthly. Ben was fair and sturdy, large for his years, with the wide blue eyes and yellow hair of a Viking child. Philip was more like his sister Ursula, slender and patrician, with dusky hair and eyes like dark pools in a forest where the blue sky is reflected unexpectedly. The boys adored first their sister, whom they considered the most wonderful person in the world, and then each other, Ben ever protecting his little brother and Philip ever looking up to Ben as a superior being.
They were natural, normal boys and for that reason not at all saintly. Ursula felt she could trust them as far as honesty was concerned but was always very anxious about them when she had to be away from them in the pursuit of a livelihood. This arrangement with the Higgledy Piggledies was an ideal one. There she could have an eye ever on her charges and she was sure the boys would be as good as boys could be, which of course is not perfect.
Faithfully they delivered parcels for the Higgledy Piggledy shop, Viking Ben carrying the burdens and Phil walking just two steps behind his brother, admiring his prowess with loving eyes. Faithfully they brought back money from the customers carefully pinned in Ben’s pocket and painfully counted out by that future business man.
Josie got a knapsack in which small parcels could be securely strapped, as often the articles to be delivered were quite valuable such as old lace mended by Irene or rare linen laundered by Josie or manuscript corrected or copied by Elizabeth. The boys were instructed to return immediately and report at the shop after making a delivery. This they did with a promptness surprising in such youngsters.