The Fair Organ

A Memory of Newbury.

I was 19 years old when I was to move over to Newbury but at first I was roughing it until I could find cheap enough accommodation. At times, due to me being not able to get a good old scrub down and also a clean change of clothes; wearing a black double breasted Jacket and a French style beret all I needed was the string of onions around my neck and I would have passed for a Frenchman. I was something of a pitiful sight! I had but a few pennies in my pocket and was wandering where my next meal was coming from. I'd barely have enough money for a cup of tea. At about 9:30 in the morning I was to walk into Newbury Town centre, an old fairground organ was pulled into the square and I could but admire the workmanship of it! Then there were some men and women of which were dressed in costume clothing. There were some of which were wearing traditional farmers outfits, of which one would associate with Cornwall or Devon (some women were wearing historical dress) Suddenly a man approached me and thrust a charity tin into my hand and said, "go on then, get on with it - get collecting!" And so it was I would shake the tin of which was on behalf of the Nurses of Newbury. Anyway the tin once filled up to capacity; the guy who had gave me the charity tin replaced four empty tins as I'd fill them up. The organ was blurting out both old and modern organ music: it was the organ that would attract people to place money into the charity tins. I had been shaking the tins for perhaps eight hours; where after all that time the fair organ came to an halt. It was then that the guy said that he had counted up all the money of what I had collected within the four tins and that it had amounted to 'x' amount of pounds. He then placed 20% of that amount into my hands: I was somewhat gobsmacked and asked him why the payment? He said that was the agreement that I had signed for, but I said I did not sign anything. "You gave me the tin to shake and that's exactly what I did" He looked at me in puzzlement and then said he thought that I was one of the team that had put on fancy clothes or outfits to pull in the crowds. He said that the way I was dressed up like a tramp was simply costume wear. I said, "no actually, I have been living rough for a few days" and told him that I was skint. He was to apologize for mistaking me for being one of the official collectors: they say that God works in mysterious ways! For him mistaking me for being an official 'collector' I was to have a hearty old meal.

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