The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-12-27
THEVOICEOF'
EXPERIENCE

Mile and Bessie were playing at
keeping house on the back steps. They
had 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 a brilliant
idea. She fairly danced with delight
at her originality.
"Oh, let's play making jelly!" she
said.
Il should say mott" returned Mile
very decisively. my sister Jennie has
been making preserves and jelly all
summer and I 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?v
Sometimes" replied Bessie.
"Sometimes!" repeated Mile. "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, so 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 a 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 filed
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 OF
preserves for supper. Oh,
tell you, 1t was just the awfullest
thing! And I guess we amt over II
yet, 'cuz l heard Jennie say yester
day she was going to make some peacf
butter. UGH"
Neither spoke for q while.
when l grow up" Mile said a.
I, last, with vehemence, "and have t.
get married and have to learn to cook
you bet l won't make jelly and pre-
serves. l just hate EN-"
Silence reigned again for a time
Both little girls were buried deep il
thought. Bessie trying to grasp the
full meaning of Miles speech ant
Mile brooding over past horrors.
PLAY make jelly" repeated Mile
with sneer. You never was in {
kitchen where there was nothing bu
holiness and steam, and you was al
ways gettin' chased out. First 1t was
ma. being afraid I'd get scalded, ant
then Jen would chase me, she was sc
scared that I'd get taste Of her ole
preserves. I never wanted 'em 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 smiling the air.
"Uh-huh, that's what 1t is. Jennie.
making some peach butter, and its
just fine. Hurry up and wen gel
some," called Mile over her shoulder
to Bessie as she ran up the kitchen
steps.