The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-21
EVENING STORY
Bread-an' Butter-an' Apple
Butter.
BY BARBARA. KERR.


BY BARBARAsKERR.
She was a little brown wisp of a
thing, sitting in a big chair propped
upon a box to make her just the right
height to stir the apple butter. She
could rest the long handle of the stir
yer on the arm of the chair SO it would
not be SO heavy. then she could keep
the paddle moving over the bottom OF
the great copper Kettle. To help keep
the rich butter from sticking to the
bottom of the kettle her mother had
thrown in a number OF bright, new
copper cents thoroiy cleansed with hot
vinegar and salt. If the apple butter
was not scorched Sarah Jane was to
have all the pennies for her own. be-
sides, of course, all of the good bread
and butter and apple butter she could
eat all winter.
It was an ideal October day. Along
the fence was riot OF color, with now
and then a sumach, like an immense
bunch of scarlet geraniums or a clump
their purple inkwells mingled with the
| browns, russets and greens OF summer
| weeds and a great profusion of wild
grapevines. And Sarah Jane ap-
proved. The air was spicy with the
| fragrance, of cooking apples and cider.
| The great copper kettle hung over
slow outdoor fire near the spring.
house, and the long stirrer moved
rythmically over the bottom. pushing
the pennies about ceaselessly.
Sarah Jane was droning an i'm
provised little Song which she at
| tuned to the swish Of the pennies and
the gurgle Of the apple butter as 1t
! surged thru the holes in the wooden
paddle of the stirrer:
''Peter-Pitter-P atter-Putter-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. But
Too much hard cider will make you
'Weli, hello, little poet! How do you
| know? Tried it? I've brought the
| rest of your cider from the mill, but
| it's not hard. Where's your mother?
r. Ashamed that any one. especially
Milo Ward, the idol of her childish
heart. should have heard her silly lit
! tie song, Sarah Jane hung her head
| in modification. She would have run
away, but she was mindful that Dun
| can farm was famous for its apple
| She tried to pull her little brown bare
feet up under her skirts and almost
upset her precarious perch.
Look out for the throne!" cried
Milo, as he caught the topping chair.
Then, seeing her embarrassment. he
| ing gently: Don't mind me, little
Say-Jane. Let me give the stirAer z
few whirls while you find your mother
| for me-"
ding. She found her mother. but
would not return to her post till Milo
had delivered the cider and gone.
She heard him say to her mother as
he was leaving: II guess 1 teased
Say-Jane, Mrs. Duncan; tell her I'll
have better manners next time, for
| I'm going away to college"
Octobers came and went In the val
ley. Other children, sons and daugh-
| tiers of the farmers, vent to college.
| Many OF them. after finishing, re-
| turned no more, but took up their
| lives in various ways in other places.
One who did not return was Milo
Ward for his family had moved away
and the Ward farm was sold. But
| Sarah Jane could not remain away;
the old folks at home needed her. She
and her mother>still made apple but
ter, but not in the big copper kettle.
| for there were SO few now to eat 1t.
Then war broke out, and Sarah
Jane, patriotic and sweet and whole
| some as her own valley, wanted to do
her bit. She would make apple but
ter for the soldiers. She brought
sat patiently stirring her thoughts re-
verted to that other October day when
| she was SO mortified, and she and
her mother laughed over the memory.
I When the apple butter was done
and set away to cool In great stone
|
ket full of apple butter sandwiches
and took them in to the station. fer
she had been warned that a troop
| Il ain was coming.
| She delivered the delicious sand
witches into eager hands thrust thru
the windows till she had just one left.
wheE she saw a soldier hu, ryIng to
meet her. Thinking that he was cum
ing for the treat she held it out to
him, crying out her wares in her mu-
| steal ccntralto: Just one of my fa-
| nous apple butter sandwiches left
Warranted pure cider. fresh from the
Duncan farm"
butteri'' mimicked the soldier. And
it's little Say-Jane, too. Don't you
tell me you don't remember met
and he took the sandwich and the
hand. too.
81 remember that you promised
you'd have better manners next time
and now you've reminded me of tina.
awful moment
when the queens throne toppIed-
and when 1 tried to fix 1t she abdi-
/ Gated"
at looks as If you We're intent on
soaring some enc else into abdicating,'
remarked Sarah Jane with a sweep Of
her basket toward the train-"the way
you go flying thru the country, not
even stopping to see the old home
place.
who said so:" bantered Milo. sI
!, have a 26-hour stop-over. I was
/ going out to your place, hoping YOU
invite me to stay, and then take me
around to see the old places. Be-
sides one apple butter sandwich is
only tantalizing when you haven't
tasted the Duncan brand for so long,
/ Sarah Jane for a moment ANas
itongue-tied with q rush of her old
childish diffidence. "Oh, have a
! hearth" he pleaded, as he took her
/ basket from her arm. I'm sure your
mother would bid me welcome"
YES" assented Sarah Jane de-
mure1y, ss'mother is such a good
patriot, she'd do anything for SOL
der"