The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-01
Listening M On Eve
Some Pickled yValnuts

" L. 66 "A pickled walnuts this year. sis ?" asked Miss Belinda's brother os they 'strolled under the black walnut free which marks one corner of Hill top garden. '3'
 why, no, dear, not now; it's too lare." answered Miss Belinda.
 saThen I must change my question tense. Have you put up any pickled walnuts this year?"
 "Well, no, Ben, haven't" replied Miss Beiindo rather apologetically. You sec we haven't any nuts on this dear old tree.'
 "Why, my dear, it was loaded early in the season. What happened? Did that wind storm blow them galley west last week!
 "No, the nuts came off the tree long before the wind storm, Ben. You see, Mrs. Bilby came one day weeks ago and asked if I could let her have some walnuts to pickle. She said she had mothers old recipe, and she hadn't been able to put any up since she and MT. Bilby moved from the farm. to the viii lage, and they were just hankering after some. Of course, l told her to help herself" >y-- ,.
  grumbled Ben, though if you had had any consideration for me, you would have remembered how she took all opr few for jelly"
 "I suppose I was careless" said Miss Belinda. T must say was surprised when Tim came up to the house and told me that Mrs. Bilby and her son. | tuIyS ,nry the tree. Tim wished me to give him authority to take most of the nuts away from them, but of course, didn't like to do that. Anyway, Ben, we have the tree, even if the Bilbys have the nuts. I love this old walnut more than any other tree on the place. It must have been forty years ago that mother brought the walnut from grandfather s farm in Ohio and planted it here. She often told me how delighted she was when she found the tiny tree growing.
 q love it, too, Belinda, but my af- factions isn't entirely historical and sentimental. I'm just material enough to grudge that grasping old dame my winter supply of pickled walnuts."
 "Well, I'm sorry, Ben, dear, but don't cry about it. We can buy pickled walnuts." E.,~------
 "But not your brand, Belinda. They're not made commercially as you and mother made them. You are too alarmed generous, my dear. Please try to remember in future that charity begins at home when it comes to pickled walnuts!"
 I'll try" said Miss Belinda with mock humility, and the subject was dis missed, but the next evening at dinner, Ben's eyes sparkled when he saw dish of pickled walnuts on the table.
 Were they packed away in the eel. lar?' he asked gayly.
 "Yes," murmured Miss Belinda as she dressed the salad.
 By jiminy, they're good. No one can make them as you do,, sis. You shouldn't have had so many served. Ii there's only few left, we should con serve them for high days and hoi days"
 "Oh, there's plenty of them" an swered Miss Belinda Honchalantly Eat as many as you like, old dear"
 But I>thought these were just few left from last year."
 "No, these were made this season Ben. I'm awfully pleased that they suit your taste so well, for l have tc own up that bought them"
 Bought them? I thought you said they came out of the cellar"
 q didn't say what cellar, Ben. dear As it happened strangely enough, this very morning, Miss Bilby called up iron the village to ask if I would buy any of her preserves. I inquired what sht had, and when she mentioned, amonf other danties, pickled walnuts, I tole her would take all she had. fell rs ther mean, for she told me that sht and MT. Bilby just hankered for them
 "Let lem hanker," Ben grinned Honestly, sis these are almost as gooC as you make."