Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-01-11
SOMETHING
BETTER THAN
FRIENDSHIP
'000N0D00000000


In Marathon. where she had lived
~ for sixty exemplary years. Fame
Is OF all sorts, and Sophronin,
who could make the best loaf of bread
In all that community, had fnme
that was quite as genuine as CALI
Curci's II not as far-reachng
At soclable, banquet or fair, Sophro.
MAS bread always met with praise
and appreciation. II she took a gentle
pleasure and had quiet pride In her
accomplishment. she was fully entitled
to do So
chlnned woman, who always wore
gray and looked, as she fitted about,
like a bit of blown thlstledOwn. She
lived In tiny white house which was
frightened In summer by glrdle of
roses, and In winter looked so much
like a small snowbank that II might
well have been taken for one Sophro-
mia had little money to live on
which she added to by baking bread
for anybody who required 1t. And
good many people did require II, from
Mrs. Macleod, who lived at the Ter
race, to little Emily Buckbee, who
sewed, lived In two rooms. and had no
cOnveniences for baking.
II was Viola Rush who conceived the
idea that there was something secret
In the process of SOphronlas bread.
making, some mystery which she care
fully guarded. She suggested this
suspicion to Mrs. Graves as they sat
together on Mrs Graves porch one
breezy afternoon.
"I'd give the world to know what
Is In that recipe" Viola said. She
was tall, thin woman with little dark
hairs growing on her chin and upper
lip. She was crocheting nervOusly and
rocking faster than she crocheted. Oc-
casIOnally her chair approached too
close to Mrs. Graves and then she
ierked away.
Mrs. Graves smiled at Viola. She
was large, calm. and judlclous-too
much interested In her own affairs to
care much about anybody else's.
otis the yeast, know II is" went
on Viola. "She has got some trick OF
making yeast that the rest OF us don't
know about. And we will never know
about II. for It's a secret, and phro-
MIA Blair will never give It up"
81 guess she doesn't use any Ingredl-
ents the rest Of us don't know about"
said Mrs Graves. "She's just good
hand at making bread, that's all. I'm
not, I'm ashamed to say. oh, my
bread eats well enough, but II Isn't
what II should be-"
"Why don't You ask her for her
recipe?" demanded Viola.
"Why, did once. and she said 1t
was just like mine, no different"
"And you believed herl or course,
she wouldn't give away her secret to
anybody. ! should say not. You are
awfuly easy, Mrs. Graves; too easy
for your own good. Now, II lived
next door to SOphronla Blair she
wouldn't gather half TIE grapes off
my vines every season."
Mrs. Graves cOlOred.
"Wby, II drops over on her side and
there's plenty Of grapes, She can have
them for all OF me-"
"She wouldn't let you pick her
grapes know she wouldn't"
"Oh, you've got the wrong Idea Of
SOphronla, Mrs. Rush. She's good as
gold I've lived here beside her for
twenty years and we've never had a
word"
Mrs Graves assumed the expression
Of not intending to say anything more,
and nfter a moment the conversation
changed to something else.
After Viola had gone the things she
had said and inferred REQUIRED to Mrs
Graves. Might II not be true that So
phronia had withheld the real secret
her success In bread making when
she had given her the recipe? A pinch
OF this or lump OF that might make
all the difference In the world. Mrs
Graves hated to believe that SOphronla
would do such thing and yet Viola
had instilled In her toxin for which
there was no adequate cOunttraciant
"pu 90 out and die some dando.
uons and got n M nv mind" sbe
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situng AT her 't''e desk which wns