SCARLET'S TAMS
Old Mike had really been good to her, he had helped her in so many ways, from shoveling her steps and sidewalk to turning the mattresses and even to washing the windows. But after this last bout with her back and hip, she did not have the money to buy him a decent Christmas present; she had twelve dollars to last her until after the first, twelve dollars. Also she didn't have much food and the rent was due the 29th. Scarlet just sat there thinking, "How can I get Old Mike a present?"
Then the bell dinged, her cake was finished, so she took it out of the oven and began to ice it. AHA! I have it, I can do some baking, some Christmas baking and make some money. So she set about calling people she knew, "Hi this is Scarlet Cerise and I was wondering if you . . . . . . . " Not one taker did she get because they had bought the store bought pies, cookies and cakes, and her prices were too high, they said.
Finally, she started to the store, to buy some milk and a few things, and as she passed the library, she went in. She always loved to stop by the library. As she browsed the newspapers and new magazines she was chatting to Madge, Madge Plucker, the local town musician. You see Madge was called upon to provide music for most any and everything in town. "Hi Madge bet you are really busy, bet you do not have any spare time," Scarlet said as she browsed the local newspaper.
"Oh Scarlet, it is so funny. No I do not, the only playing I will be doing is at the church and it as you know it does not pay." Madge looked down in the dumps whereas she usually was so upbeat and always smiling. "No Scarlet, and I do not know what I will do because I rely on playing for parties and different occasions for my Christmas money. Scarlet I do not know what I am going to do."
Scarlet smiled as she thought, and all I want to do is make enough money to buy Old Mike a Christmas present. "Yes", she sai, "I am in a quandary for everyone says my prices are too high for baked goods."
Scarlet checked out a couple books then went on to the store. As she walked past the dry goods store, she noticed a hand painted sign, "Big going out of business sale." Gosh that store too? It had been there since before her mother was a young girl, and now it too was closing.
In the store, the clerk asked her, "Where did you get that cute hat? I would like to have one, give you seven dollars for it."
Scarlet smiled, took her homemade tam off, gave it to the girl, and with a smile put the seven dollars in her pocket.
The girl put it on and before she could finish checking Scarlet's order, two other clerks came by. "Neat hat where did you get it?" they both asked.
The salesclerk pointed to Scarlet. "This lady made it. Maybe for fifteen bucks she would make you one."
As Scarlet walked home, it seemed like the town was bustling and everyone was busy. She headed for the dry goods store for she had seventeen dollars in her pocket: seven for her hat and five each from the two girls. A 50% down payment on a blue one and an aqua one.
She entered the dry goods store and found Old Mr. Willoby and his wife sitting by the stove. Funny, all the modern conveniences and they still had two old coal fired pot-bellied stoves. "Hi Scarlet, what can we do for you?" The Willobys had run this store all their lives, for their parents and grandparents had owned it for many, many years.
"I need some yarn. Just got an order for two tams. Two girls at the grocery store ordered them," Scarlet said as she set her shopping bag inside the door. Soon she had spent her seventeen dollars for yarn. Matter-of-fact, Mr. Willoby had given her a good deal on the yarn. Slowly Scarlet trudged home, with her groceries and the big bag of yarn.
She put her groceries away, then put her stew on and sat down, and within two hours she had the tams finished. She quickly did two more. Then she put her old gray one on, put the four in a bag, and walked back to the store.
One of the girls was working the check-out counter and could not believe it. Shee had this cool, custom made tam for only ten dollars? Scarlet pulled out the other two, a sage one and an odd one she called pie-bald for the yarn was multicolored.
She sold both for fifteen dollars each and again went home bareheaded. She had sold the old gray one she was wearing. She was elated and left her name and address.
Scarlet went home and ate supper, then she sat down and began to knit, her fingers flying as she listened to the local Public Broadcast Radio station, which was playing old-fashioned Christmas carols. Normally she was in bed by ten but at midnight she was still working and finally called it a day.
The next morning after Scarlet did her chores, she looked at that piece of pie-bald yarn, and thought of Old Mike. She got a piece of cardboard and set to work. Soon she had knit a really close-woven chauffeur's cap and then she made a neck scarf. When she was done she put them aside and took the ten tams she had made and started up town, to see if she could sell them.
As she passed the dress Shop, Milly Sells came out. "Mrs. Cerise, I have heard about those tams you made," Milly said. "Would you come in so we can talk about them?"
Scarlet liked the idea. Scarlet showed Milly the ones she had made and wanted to sell.
"Mrs. Cerise I cannot pay you what those girls paid you, but what if I took them on consignment and sold them on commission? I am willing to take orders for more."
"Keep talking Mrs. Sells, keep talking." Scarlet really liked this idea.
"If I sell them for $11.95 and I keep the $1.95 and you get ten, how would that be?" The anxious shop keeper asked.
Scarlet looked at Milly, looked her up and down and thought, It takes me about and hour and a half to knit one, and about two dollars worth of yarn." Then she looked at Milly. "What do you think a fair price is? What would be a fair and good price for a one-of-a-kind tam?"
Milly could see she had the old woman's interest. "Similar stuff from China sells for six or seven dollars, but overnight custom things like this can sell for fourteen, or maybe fifteen dollars. But you won't sell many." She paused to read the old lady's face. "Okay, $9.95 one color, $10.95 multicolor."
Scarlet smiled. "OK, Milly. 70-30 or 60-40 which?" Then Scarlet added, "The orders I have I will fill, and any others I will direct to you."
They shook on it, and Scarlet, with a good feeling, left the tams and delivered the others. As she walked by the hardware store she saw pocketknives and remembered Old Mike saying he had broken his pocketknife. She went in and bought him a nice big Case Stockman pocketknife, a Stockman with three blades and a real bone handle.
She went back to the dry goods store and bought all of the yarn Mr. Willoby had remaining. She smiled as she went home, for now she had bought Old Mike a Christmas present...a new pocketknife, and she had knitted him a hat and scarf. Tomorrow she would buy a turkey and the fixings, and maybe a ham. Then she would invite all of her senior friends to come over and eat dinner with her on Christmas day.
Scarlet really felt good as her fingers began to plie the needles. It would a good Christmas after all. Of course the tam fad would soon peter out, but she had an idea. She had an idea in which Milly Sells would be instrumental.