Battles Lost and Won Read Online Free PDF Page A

doing jobs for neighbours so she could earn enough to buy herself a badly needed winter coat, but she was the kind of girl who always put other people first. ‘You’re a fine girl, Ruth, and with your dark hair and hazel eyes, you’ll be real pretty when you’ve grown a bit.’
    She tipped her head to one side and made an attempt at a smile. ‘Well then, you’d better come back to find out, hadn’t you?’
    On impulse he bent and kissed her cheek, slipping the coins back into her pocket without her noticing. ‘You take care of yourself, little Ruthie, and don’t settle for this kind of life. You deserve better.’ He straightened up, turned and strode away, not daring to look back.
    ‘Where’s Bob off to?’ Ruth’s mother asked when she went back into the house.
    ‘He’s left, Mum.’
    Daisy Cooper stopped chopping the carrots and shook her head. ‘I was afraid of that. Did he say where he’s going?’
    Ruth shook her head, near to tears. ‘I told him he could come and live with us, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said you had quite enough to do looking after us lot.’
    ‘He’s always been a considerate boy, but if he really couldn’t stand living in that house any longer, we’d have made room for him.’ Daisy went back to chopping the vegetables for a nourishing soup. A few dumplings and a chunk of bread and it would fill her family up nicely. ‘But I don’t like to think of him all alone now. And God knows what’s going to happen to Alf. If he doesn’t sort himself out he’s going to end up in the workhouse. That man is a real mess, but in his own way he loves his boy.’
    ‘Well it’s a pity he forgot how to show it.’ Ruth’s voice wavered, still upset at losing her friend. ‘Bob tried so hard to help both his mum and his dad, and he might have stayed if he’d thought his dad cared.’
    ‘I know, but things are not always what they seem.’ Daisy reached out and pulled her daughter close, smiling down at her. ‘Life gets hard at times, Ruthie, trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. We don’t always show how much we love each other.’
    Suddenly three children erupted into the scullery, yelling and fighting.
    ‘Stop that!’ Ruth grabbed the youngest and pulled her out of harm’s way. Sally was only three and no match for her boisterous brothers, Eddie aged ten, and John aged eight.
    ‘He pushed me!’ John glared at his brother. ‘He made me fall over and tear my trousers. Look.’
    ‘I did not! You tripped.’
    ‘That’s enough!’ Daisy silenced her squabbling children.
    John’s bottom lip trembled as he fingered the hole on the leg of his trousers. ‘I’m sorry, Mum.’
    Bending down, Daisy inspected the damage, and then ruffled her little son’s dark hair. ‘That’s all right, John, accidents happen. Your sister will patch it for you, won’t you, Ruth? You know how clever she is with a needle.’
    ‘Of course. Take them off, John, and I’ll do it now.’ Ruth smiled at her sensitive brother. ‘You won’t even be able to see where the hole was when I’ve finished.’
    The worry cleared from his little face. ‘Oh, thanks, Ruthie. Eddie, can I borrow your other trousers till mine are fixed?’
    ‘All right. They’ll be a bit big, but we can tie a piece of string around to keep them up. Come on.’
    Friends again, the boys left together and scampered up the narrow stairs.
    Ruth returned to the subject of the friend she adored. ‘Bob said I should get out of here when I’m older. He doesn’t believe we should live like this.’
    ‘Bob’s a dreamer, Ruthie; you shouldn’t take too much notice of what he says. We were born poor. That’s our lot in life and there’s no way we can change that. You need a good education to get anywhere, and there’s no hope of that around here.’
    ‘But we aren’t daft, and Bob’s ever so clever.’ Ruth’s eyes shone with admiration. ‘He’ll make something of himself. You’ll see.’
    ‘I hope