Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-06-17
Unto Him That
Asketh
Observation-Disclosures 80
BY Louise Huston

Aunt Mandy, at my rap on the screen
door of her kitchen. had run over
by the back way to borrow bonnet
pattern and found her seeding cher
ries. She did not get up to welcome
me. "Take chair, Miss Hetty, and
talk to me here, and I'll finish these
while / have my hands in them.
'"You want my bonnet pattern" she
said, after l had made my wants
known. "And so you don't like to
borrow" after had expressed myself
as being opposed to borrowing. why
Miss Hetty, you're welcome to it.
And now, do you know l think to bor-
row once in while is just neighborly.
But no one ever comes to borrow from
me but think of the time your Uncle
Abner and l undertook to break the
Coxes of borrowing"
] pulled my chair up close to Aunt
Mandy, and putting newspaper
across my lap, commenced to help
her with the cherries, for l knew she
was going to tell me a story worth
| hearing. The bonnet l was going to
make that morning could wait.
"It was your Uncle Abner's idea, and
I hated nightly to do it; for l don't
like to hurt anyone's feelings, most Of
all poor folks But then, the CoXes
didn't borrow just because they were
poor, but because 1t got to be habit
with them, and they borrowed morn
ing, noon and night and between
times.
what did they borrow? Every
thing. Sometimes I'd be in the bed
room at work. There would come a
rap on the door, and it would be
one of the children after something.
Aunt Mandy'-that's what they called
me-'ma's goin' to make some vanilla
cookies and wants your VANILLA or
mas goin' to make some noodles and
wants three eggs;' or perhaps it was
gingersnaps and it would be cup of
molasses they would want. But no
matter what l was doing, or who was
here, l would have to get up and come
out to get it for them.
$50 1t went on, year in and year out,
from sugar to tacks and back again.
Sometimes they would return the
things, and many times they wouldn't
When we had the Sunday School con
vention here l had two of the city
preachers to care for. OF course
had things as nice as l could; ice
cream and friend chicken and such
like
"Just as cne of the preachers was
saying grace, the second boy piped
up at the door: Say, Aunt Mandy, ma
wants a piece o. that chicken ant
some O. that cream for little Washie
he's sick l was so embarrassed
didn't know where to look, but O.
course l gave it t. him. My, but Alb
ner was mad!
I'm few days he came home with {
little blackboard ard hung it right uI
there on the kitchen door. He wrote
across the top, 'Coxes,' and on one
side Borrowed and on the other re
turned Now says he, whenever the,
get anything, you put 1t down on this
side and when they bring it back pu
1t down on that side. And let then
know that hereafter whatever the.
borrow they will have to bring back.
"'But Abner,' says /, 1T will hur
their feelings Feelings, fiddlesticks
says he. If they had any they would
MT borrow everything. And mayb
they'll quit II they have to return
things
"Well, the words weren't more thai
out of his mouth, when in comes tn
Oldest Cox boy. Uncle Abner,' h
says, can we get your tater fork
Ourn's broke Abner gets it for hin
and then puts down under the borrow
ed column, Potato Fork, Aug. g.
at kept on that way for month
: Sugar, tea, spice, clothesline, skir
pattern and spoons-they got ther
when they had company. The Dol
rowed' column was full and over; o.
the returned side there were just
few things that we had to have an
had gone after, like the potato for
and clothesline.
zone morning, as / was kneadin
my bread at the table here, there wa
rap at the door and Mrs. Cox came i
and sat down to chat awhile. But sh
had cup in her hand and knew sh
was after something. While we wer
talking and she was telling me abou
the program for children's day, an
how her Mary was to speak a piec
and Johnnie, was in a dialogue, an
how all of them were in something c
other the wind blew that kitchen doc
shut, and there was that blackboar
staring at us.
"Well, when she sensed the meal
ing of it, she jumps up and fairl
glares at me and manages to Suite
out: 'You-you on-neighborly things
And with that she jerks the door ope
and was gone before / could say
thing, If there was anything to say.
"a few days later when got HON
from Aid meeting, found whol
box full of little packages on thu
bench there in the porch. There Wa
pepper, mustard, starch, tea, rice,
g..I