Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-05-12

her elbows, picking, boiling, strain
ing, until her cheeks were flushed
and her head ached.
"Why, Jane, this juice won't jelly,
and it has boiled so long. What can
be the matter?"
"There's something you put in it
to make it jelly, I think, ma'am."
ooh, dear, no. Mother never did
Pm sure. I'll add more sugar and let
it boil another hour. Dear me! 1
thought we should have had our last
kettle on by this time. We shall be
SO late, and Pm tired to death now.
1 wish had done as mother said.
She advised me to send the currants
over there and let Hannah make the
jelly, but 1 was sure l could do it
myself.
The steaming kettle boiled another
hour.
The summer sun hung above the
green summit of the poplars.
"Surely it will be jelly now, Jane"
said the weary housewife, pouring
some of the hot liquid into cold
water.
But juice it remained, for all the
cooking and stewing it had under
gone.
ooh, what shall l do? Surely the
stuff must be bewitched. Tve great
mind to pour it all away" cried poor
Nell, ready to cry with vexation.
81 tell you ma'am, you put some
thing in to make it jelly" persisted
Jane.
sob, Jane, hush, you know moth
ing about it. tell you, you don't
put anything in. What must / do?
Cook it more? 1t is burning to the
kettle now, and I've wasted ever so
much sugar. Jane, run over to
mothers and ask Hannah to run
over, will you? She'll know in a
minute what to do. Do pray, be
quick it is dreadfully late"
Jane departed.
"If cooking will do, I'll make jelly
of it before Hannah gets here" she
said.
But instead of boiling to jelly, the
currant juice boiled over in great
foamy, red waves.
The fire Kissed, and a dense smoke
and pungent scent of burning sweets
filled the kitchen.
Spattered from head to foot with
the hot liquid, one hand scalded, her
pretty face besmeared. Nell retreated
to the door in utter despair.
ooh, wish | had never''-
The sentence was never finished.
She stood dumb with horror, for
coming leisurly along the sunny gar
den path she saw her husband and
his particular friend, Mr.. Warburton.
HE has invited him home to din
ner =" she gasped, darting back into
the smoky kitchen. ooh, what shall
l do?"
Two or three narrowing minutes of
suspense and her husband entered.
''Nell are you here? And what is
the matter? Is the kitchen on fire
The whole place is in fog"
"Pm making currant jelly and
thought you wouldn't be home till
late, Ned"
"Does it require such a mess as this
to make currant jelly? And what a
fright you are, Nell! I've brought
Warburton home to dine"
"There's not a mouthful of dinner,
Ned"
"What? Didn't 1 send a ham and
a pair of chickens?"
81 have had no time to cook; Pve
been making jelly all day."
"Confound the jelly! Come, Nell,
you must get up some show of din.
ner."
81 can't, Ned | am tired to death
and my hands burned. You should
not have invited Mr.. Warburtor
without letting me know"
"Now, just hear thatw cried the
provoked husband, "after telling me
so often to bring a friend when
liked! Pm surprised at you, Nell p
Nell sank into seat, and, covering
her face with her sticky apron, burs
into tears, while the jelly began t.
stream over again.
, Her husband, half beside himsel
with the Kissing noise and his owl
veXatiOn, made a dive at the kettle
and in his effort to get it off the stove
, upset it, deluging the floor.
"Pm glad of it! You've no bust
ness attempting to make the con