THE GREEN COAT
In a quiet back street just away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre, there lived an old woman. She had lived alone in her small terraced house for as long as any of her neighbours could remember. Her name was Mrs Pickenden. This was the only information anyone had about her. She was known locally as a miserly, crotchety person who preferred her own company. No one went to her house and when she went out of her house, she spoke to no one.
Just a little way up the street from where the old lady lived dwelt a very poor family. Six of the family's children were devil-may-care little boys who did all the naughty and messy things that little boys can possibly get up to when they are out and about playing in the streets but the seventh child was a little girl named Barbara. Her family called her 'Babs' for short, Barbara being considered too long and posh a name for such a little mite as she was.
Babs was a sweet natured little girl and when she saw Mrs. Pickenden out on the street, would offer to carry her bags of shopping and she always said hello to the old lady. After quite some time the old lady let down her guard and a gentle friendship blossomed between the two.
One drizzly day Babs realised that she hadn't seen Mrs. Pickenden at her usual time, so she went and knocked on the old lady's door. She heard a frail voice telling her to enter and she lifted the latch and walked in. Babs found the old lady on an old sofa wrapped in blankets and obviously feeling very ill. The kind hearted little girl made up the fire and brewed a pot of tea and then offered to go to the shops. Mrs. Pickenden liked the little girl and was pleased to accept her help but warned her not to talk about what she knew about the old lady's life style. Babs promised and during the next few months the bond of friendship grew stronger and trust was formed between the lonely old lady and the gentle little girl.
In a quiet back street just away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre, there lived an old woman. She had lived alone in her small terraced house for as long as any of her neighbours could remember. Her name was Mrs Pickenden. This was the only information anyone had about her. She was known locally as a miserly, crotchety person who preferred her own company. No one went to her house and when she went out of her house, she spoke to no one.
Just a little way up the street from where the old lady lived dwelt a very poor family. Six of the family's children were devil-may-care little boys who did all the naughty and messy things that little boys can possibly get up to when they are out and about playing in the streets but the seventh child was a little girl named Barbara. Her family called her 'Babs' for short, Barbara being considered too long and posh a name for such a little mite as she was.
Babs was a sweet natured little girl and when she saw Mrs. Pickenden out on the street, would offer to carry her bags of shopping and she always said hello to the old lady. After quite some time the old lady let down her guard and a gentle friendship blossomed between the two.
One drizzly day Babs realised that she hadn't seen Mrs. Pickenden at her usual time, so she went and knocked on the old lady's door. She heard a frail voice telling her to enter and she lifted the latch and walked in. Babs found the old lady on an old sofa wrapped in blankets and obviously feeling very ill. The kind hearted little girl made up the fire and brewed a pot of tea and then offered to go to the shops. Mrs. Pickenden liked the little girl and was pleased to accept her help but warned her not to talk about what she knew about the old lady's life style. Babs promised and during the next few months the bond of friendship grew stronger and trust was formed between the lonely old lady and the gentle little girl.
Every day Babs called at Mrs. Pickenden's house before she went to school and again after school to do what housework she could and run errands. You might think that it was rather peculiar that an old lady should have no relatives to take care of her. Mrs. Pickended did have a relative, a nephew. He lived in the rich part of town and had no time or thought for his old aunt. In fact, the truth was told, he considered that her miserable and miserly lifestyle was something to be ashamed of. Instead of kindness and thoughtfulness, he showed complete indifference to her plight and ignored her existence. None of his rich friends and none of Mrs Pickenden's neighbours knew that they were related. The sad part of it all was that he was considered to be a pillar of society, supporting good works and helping deserving charities but in reality he was a selfish man who only paid lip service to kindness and his reputation for his kindness was a sham!
FROST AND COLD
The following winter after Babs and Mrs. Pickenden had become real friends, it was very cold. Each morning the windows in the houses were covered in frost pictures and poor little Babs shivered as she walked to school. She didn't own a good warm winter coat and her shoes had holes in them. Her mum had put layers of newspaper inside her shoes to help keep her feet warm and dry and found an old cardigan to wear under Bab's coat to help keep her thin little body warm but it wasn't enough and often her fingers and toes were blue with cold. This didn't stop her knocking on Mrs. Pickenden's door, however, and she faithfully went each day to make sure the old lady was taken care of.
Mrs. Pickenden owned a lovely thick warm green coat which she kept in her wardrobe. She only wore this coat on very special occasions. She told Babs it was her favourite garment and she always kept moth balls in the wardrobe to make sure it didn't rot with moth grubs eating it. The little girl liked to stroke and feel the coats lovely soft material. It felt wonderful and she liked its warm softness.
NO ANSWER
One morning Babs called at her friend's house as usual but this time didn't receive a reply when she knocked on the door. She knocked harder but still got no reply. Babs ran home and told her mother who sent for a policeman. When the policeman arrived he went inside. He came out a few minutes later and told Babs and her mother that Mrs. Pickenden had died. Poor Babs, she had learned to love the old lady and she went home and cried with sadness that she had lost her friend. No one in the street could understand the little girl's sadness. They only knew the old lady as a crotchety and miserly person but the little girl knew different and truly mourned the loss of her friend. She had discovered that when you are kind to a person, they respond, and she knew that Mrs. Pickenden wasn't crotchety as everyone thought, just lonely and sad.
FROST AND COLD
The following winter after Babs and Mrs. Pickenden had become real friends, it was very cold. Each morning the windows in the houses were covered in frost pictures and poor little Babs shivered as she walked to school. She didn't own a good warm winter coat and her shoes had holes in them. Her mum had put layers of newspaper inside her shoes to help keep her feet warm and dry and found an old cardigan to wear under Bab's coat to help keep her thin little body warm but it wasn't enough and often her fingers and toes were blue with cold. This didn't stop her knocking on Mrs. Pickenden's door, however, and she faithfully went each day to make sure the old lady was taken care of.
Mrs. Pickenden owned a lovely thick warm green coat which she kept in her wardrobe. She only wore this coat on very special occasions. She told Babs it was her favourite garment and she always kept moth balls in the wardrobe to make sure it didn't rot with moth grubs eating it. The little girl liked to stroke and feel the coats lovely soft material. It felt wonderful and she liked its warm softness.
NO ANSWER
One morning Babs called at her friend's house as usual but this time didn't receive a reply when she knocked on the door. She knocked harder but still got no reply. Babs ran home and told her mother who sent for a policeman. When the policeman arrived he went inside. He came out a few minutes later and told Babs and her mother that Mrs. Pickenden had died. Poor Babs, she had learned to love the old lady and she went home and cried with sadness that she had lost her friend. No one in the street could understand the little girl's sadness. They only knew the old lady as a crotchety and miserly person but the little girl knew different and truly mourned the loss of her friend. She had discovered that when you are kind to a person, they respond, and she knew that Mrs. Pickenden wasn't crotchety as everyone thought, just lonely and sad.
Two days later, a very large, shiny and expensive car drove down the street and stopped outside Mrs. Pickenden's house. A man got out of the car and entered the house. It was, of course, Mrs. Pickenden's nephew. His mother had told him that his old aunt must have lots of money somewhere in her house. The family all knew that Mrs. Pickenden didn't like banks and that she never bought new clothes or furniture. There just had to be a hiding place somewhere in the house where the old lady stored her wealth.
He searched the house from top to bottom. He turned over the chairs and sofa and felt inside. He opened the mattress. He lifted floorboards. He hunted through all the drawers, cupboards and wardrobes but he found nothing at all of value to him. He was most annoyed. He was a greedy man as well as a selfish one.
After he had been searching the house for quite some time he heard someone knocking at the door. It was a solicitor. This gentleman had come to inform the nephew that a will had been found. A council officer had found the will and passed it on to him. The will left everything to the nephew except the warm green coat hanging in the wardrobe. This, the old lady instructed, should be given to the little girl who lived up the street, Barbara Tomkinson, known as 'Babs'.
"She's welcome to it!" snorted the disgusted nephew. "And as for my aunt leaving everything else to me, what can you see here except ancient and tatty furniture. There isn't even a valuable ornament or picture. As far as I am concerned the whole lot can go on the rubbish tip."
The solicitor told him he could do what he liked with his aunt's meagre possessions but that he would take the coat bequeathed to Babs and deliver it himself.
When Babs opened the door and found the solicitor holding the coat, she felt very happy that her old friend had thought of her and had left the beautiful warm, green coat to her. She was delighted for now she could wear the warm green coat to school and when she went on errands. She thanked the solicitor.
When she went upstairs to try on the coat and admire herself in the mirror, she put her hands deep into the pockets and found that although they were empty, they were strangely lumpy. The hem and other parts of the coat were lumpy, too. Babs decided that the inner lining of the coat had probably crumpled over the years. She took the coat off and got out her sewing box and settled down to unpicking the lumpy parts so that she could smooth out the lining. After unpicking just a few inches, Babs realised that the lumps were not crumpled material but paper inside the lining. She began to pull it out and found that it wasn't just paper but bundles of money. The more lining she unpicked, the more money she found. When she had finally finished unpicking all the lining she was surrounded by bundles and bundles of money. There were thousands of pounds. Babs couldn't believe her eyes. She had found money hidden in the sleeves, in the pockets, in the hem, down the front and all along the seams. She raced downstairs and ran into the parlour to show her mother the incredible find.
"Look!" she shouted, "Mrs. Pickenden left me more than just a warm coat. She left me lots of money."
The solicitor who had been having a cup of tea with Babs mum smiled at the child's joy.
"Yes, and it's all yours," he said. "Mrs. Pickenden's will was quite clear. You are to have the green coat to keep you warm and as she was quite clever and used the green coat to hide her money, she intended that you should have that as well."
The money which Mrs. Pickenden left to Babs made a huge difference to their lives and from that time forward they began to prosper and became very rich indeed. But they never forgot their humble beginnings or the wonderful kindness and generosity of Mrs. Pickenden. The whole family became well known for their kindness and generosity to others less fortunate than themselves.
As for Babs, she kept the green coat for the rest of her life to remember her dear old friend and to remind herself that money doesn't necessarily bring friends but that kindness and helpfulness can lead to great joy and wonderful surprises.
He searched the house from top to bottom. He turned over the chairs and sofa and felt inside. He opened the mattress. He lifted floorboards. He hunted through all the drawers, cupboards and wardrobes but he found nothing at all of value to him. He was most annoyed. He was a greedy man as well as a selfish one.
After he had been searching the house for quite some time he heard someone knocking at the door. It was a solicitor. This gentleman had come to inform the nephew that a will had been found. A council officer had found the will and passed it on to him. The will left everything to the nephew except the warm green coat hanging in the wardrobe. This, the old lady instructed, should be given to the little girl who lived up the street, Barbara Tomkinson, known as 'Babs'.
"She's welcome to it!" snorted the disgusted nephew. "And as for my aunt leaving everything else to me, what can you see here except ancient and tatty furniture. There isn't even a valuable ornament or picture. As far as I am concerned the whole lot can go on the rubbish tip."
The solicitor told him he could do what he liked with his aunt's meagre possessions but that he would take the coat bequeathed to Babs and deliver it himself.
When Babs opened the door and found the solicitor holding the coat, she felt very happy that her old friend had thought of her and had left the beautiful warm, green coat to her. She was delighted for now she could wear the warm green coat to school and when she went on errands. She thanked the solicitor.
When she went upstairs to try on the coat and admire herself in the mirror, she put her hands deep into the pockets and found that although they were empty, they were strangely lumpy. The hem and other parts of the coat were lumpy, too. Babs decided that the inner lining of the coat had probably crumpled over the years. She took the coat off and got out her sewing box and settled down to unpicking the lumpy parts so that she could smooth out the lining. After unpicking just a few inches, Babs realised that the lumps were not crumpled material but paper inside the lining. She began to pull it out and found that it wasn't just paper but bundles of money. The more lining she unpicked, the more money she found. When she had finally finished unpicking all the lining she was surrounded by bundles and bundles of money. There were thousands of pounds. Babs couldn't believe her eyes. She had found money hidden in the sleeves, in the pockets, in the hem, down the front and all along the seams. She raced downstairs and ran into the parlour to show her mother the incredible find.
"Look!" she shouted, "Mrs. Pickenden left me more than just a warm coat. She left me lots of money."
The solicitor who had been having a cup of tea with Babs mum smiled at the child's joy.
"Yes, and it's all yours," he said. "Mrs. Pickenden's will was quite clear. You are to have the green coat to keep you warm and as she was quite clever and used the green coat to hide her money, she intended that you should have that as well."
The money which Mrs. Pickenden left to Babs made a huge difference to their lives and from that time forward they began to prosper and became very rich indeed. But they never forgot their humble beginnings or the wonderful kindness and generosity of Mrs. Pickenden. The whole family became well known for their kindness and generosity to others less fortunate than themselves.
As for Babs, she kept the green coat for the rest of her life to remember her dear old friend and to remind herself that money doesn't necessarily bring friends but that kindness and helpfulness can lead to great joy and wonderful surprises.