Title: The Button Stall
Fandom: Call the Midwife
Rating: G
Length: 495
Summary: Sister Hilda is convinced the tin of buttons can be used at the sale in some way.

"Are there any other ideas for stalls we could add to our sale?” Shelagh Turner asked.  “I feel we could do with something a bit different.”

Sister Hilda placed a large tin of buttons on the table.  “I do think we should be able to use some of these, but I don’t think encouraging people to rummage around in the tin and buying individual buttons would achieve much.”

“How about Guess the Number of Buttons in the Tin?” Phyllis Crane suggested.

“We’d need to provide a prize then,” Shelagh replied.  “And someone would have to count them all.”

“People normally want to buy a number of similar buttons,” Violet Buckle said.  “And you’re right, they wouldn’t want to bother rummaging in the tin to find them.”

“You can make quite nice pictures with buttons on card,” Sister Hilda said.  “We could sell little packs to the children.”  Then she sighed.  “It would still need someone to sort them though and make the packs up.”

“I wouldn’t mind putting the buttons in packs, or threading similar buttons together,” Miss Higgins said, “but I don’t think I’d have time to sort through them all as well.”

“Reggie will be home for Easter at the weekend, and I’m sure he’d be happy to do the sorting, while you pack them up,” Violet said.

“I shall be very happy to work with Reggie,” Miss Higgins replied.  “He can tell me all about what he’s been doing this term.”

***

The following week, Violet called into Nonnatus House to see how the button sorting was going.  Sister Hilda had suggested Miss Higgins and Reggie use one of their tables, since it would give them plenty of room.

There were buttons all over the table, and without thinking Violet put her hand down to pick one up.

“Please don’t touch them,” Reggie said.  “They are all in order.”

“Oh!” Violet said.  Although some of the piles of buttons were clearly all the same, other piles seemed rather mix and match.

“Yes.  They’ve all been sorted into colour and size.  Miss Higgins is threading the buttons which are all the same together, and when she’s finished that, we’re going to put different groups of buttons in the little envelopes Sister Hilda has given us.  And each envelope will say how many buttons there are and whether they are big, small, or medium.  Did you want to help?”

Violet smiled.  “No, you and Miss Higgins seem to be well organised, so I shall carry on.  You will be finished in time for tea?”

Miss Higgins looked up from the buttons she had just strung.  “Oh yes.  It won’t take much longer now we’re all sorted.  Stringing the buttons took the time, but I shall write the descriptions on the envelopes and Reggie will fill them, so we’ll finish quite quickly.  We’ve had a very good afternoon.”

“I’m pleased to hear it.  I think the button stall at the sale will prove very popular.”