Year: 1875

that was sure. She generally timed
her calls on my grandmother when
that lady was away from home. Not
that she would have failed of her
peculiar and cherished entertainment
had my generous and kindly grand
mother been at home. But she doubt
less felt more at liberty when the
girls were the only dispensers of hos
pitality.


"Now, honey" she would say, when
she had lain her green sun bonnet on
the floor, beside her chair, and had
filled her corn-cob pipe from my
grandmother's tobacco box, lighting
it by means of coal held in her
horny and callous fingers. "Now,
honey, can't you give me a cup of
your mothers good strong yollu,'
coffee? l amt had none like it since
I was heah last. Yer mother allus
has sich nice yallur coffee"


This, of course, meant raid on
the thick cream set for making but
ter. Granny Roberts scorned any
thing thinner than the creme de la
creme.


My mother, beside being generous
and and hospitablc by nature, was
also inexperienced. Consequently
she suffered good deal at the hands
of this old hcighbor and frequent
! visitor. Her older and more world
wise sister and the very touchy black
cook were not thus imposed upon
Granny Roberts "sensed" this atti-
tude of mind toward herself on the
part of these two members of the
family, and she took good care not
to provoke hostili.ies by any act of
her own. But my mother, sensitive
and fine fibred, could not bring her.
self to snub this old woman, whose
feelings she ignorantly imagined to
be as sensitive as her own. Cunning
old granny! She imposed upon this
high-minded young soul as systcmat-
ically as any professed humbug the
world has ever known.


She never came at meal time. The
most ample of coffee urns would not
have stood the demand of granny's
capaclous appetite. She usually came
in the middle Of the afternoon, when
the kitchen fire was out, save the few
embers in the middle of the huge fire
place, covered up in order to keep fire
till time for supper. SO my mother
would kindle a fire-as much a mar
tyr to blazing logs as anyone who
suffered at Smithfeld Gmagine this
is on a sultry July afternoon), and
grinding large mill full of coffee,
would proceed to make an amount of
liquid sufficient for a large family.


"Now, honey" granny would say,
following her young hostess to the
kitchen, "makc it good and strong.
You know Pm kind o ailn', I'm
trembly like, an I've got a Fiction in
my head, and sight o misery in my
side, and I know a cup o your moth
er's good strong yallar coffee would
kind o set me up. l only want a
cup, child. Never take more'n cup.
That's my rule"


This single cup was filled and pre-
pared according 10 minute instruc-
tions from granny. When more than
half drained she would pass the cup,
saying:


"Too sweet, honey; lots too sweet.
Jest fill it up, won't ye:"


This time perhaps two-thirds was
swallowed and the cup passed with
the request for little more cream
Replenished in this direction, it
seemed entirely satisfactory, except
the last teaspoonful. ".Iest a little
mite O sugar, honey. You put in
mos too much cream that time"


Sugarcd, it seemed the nectar of
the gods fora little while, and my
mother would take up her knitting
in the vain hope that granny was at
last satisfied. Not by any means.


"Now, honey, this is a heap too cold.
1 wish you'd just fiji it up with hot
coffee" And so proceeded the flu
tile attempts to satisfy the very crltl-
cal taste of this old woman, until the
last drop Of the strong brown liquid
was exhausted, and then Granny
Roberts praised her cup of coffee
highly. This cup of coffee required a
pint of thick cream, and caused a
perceptible lowering of the ample
sugar bowl, but it was only one cup.


81 never drink but one cup, honey,
but like that good"