Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-12-30
THE VOICE OF
EXPERIENCE

keeping house on the back steps. They
mad already played at everything they
could think of, had prepared every
meal necessary in the routine of a
day, had scrubbed and busted and now
their ingenuity was at standstill.
Suddenly Bessie had brilliant
idea. She fairly danced with delight
at her originality.
ooh, let's play making ielly!" she
said.
II should say mott" returned Millie
very decisively. My sister Jennie has
been making preserves and jelly all
summer and l know that's nothing to
have fun with"
Bessie was so taken aback at this
outburst that she had not thought of
any reply to make before Mile asked
her: Does your ma make preserves
and jelly?"
Sometimes" replied Bessie.
"Sometimes!" repeated Millie "No
wonder you think it's fun. But my sis
ter Jennie has been making that sort
of stuff all summer
Jennie is going to be married, you
know" explained Mile, $50 she is
learning to cook. Pa says she should
learn to cook a good steak the first
thing, and ma says she ought to learn
to make biscuits and such things first,
but Jennie says she wants to learn
to make preserves first, 'cuz she says
Will-that's her beau-likes sweet
things and so does she. But we just
hate 'em. She don't care nothing about
u.s. added Mile, bitterly. "And it's
taking her an awful long time to learn
to make such things. Just think of it!
All summer!
"Once when she was putting up
some raspberries one of the jars broke
and she scalded three fingers. Maybe
pa wasn't mad when he had to pay
the doctor bill till her fingers were
| well! But Jen said she didn't care
much, 'cuz you couldn't get no more
berries anyway, and she said she was
just taking rest. And ma said she
was taking a rest. too.
"The worst of it was" continued
Mile, "that we never had no pudding
or pie or anything like that while
Jennie was making preserves. We al
ways had for our dessert what was
left over after the jars were filled.
And, say maybe we didn't all get sore
when we saw that stuff coming to the
table! We had jelly or preserves
for breakfast, preserves for lunch,
jelly after school and jelly or
l r
tell you, it was just the awfullest
thing! And I guess we amt over it
yet, 'cuz I heard Jennie say yester-
day she was going to make some peach
butter UGH"
| Neither spoke for a while.
when l grow up" Mile said at
last, with vehemence, and have to
get married and have to learn to cook,
you bet l won't make jelly and pre-
serves. 1 just hate EN-"
| Silence reigned again for time
Both little girls were buried deep in
thought. Bessie trying to grasp the
full meaning of Miles speech and
Mile brooding over past horrors.
PLAY make jelly!" repeated Mile
| with sheer. you never was in
kitchen where there was nothing but
holiness and steam, and you was al
ways gettin' chased out. First it was
ma, being afraid I'd get scalded, and
then Jen would chase me, she was so
scared that I'd get taste of her old
preserves. I never wanted EN- any
way"
Again both fell to thinking.
Say, Bess, smell somethin? asked
Mile suddenly coming out of her rev.
erie, her nose pointing kitchenward.
Smells like peaches, l think" an
swered Bessie after shifting the air.
"Uh-huh, that's what it is. Jennie's
making some peach butter and it's
just fine. Hurry up and we'll get
some," called Mile over her shoulder
to Bessie as she ran up the kitchen
steps.