Newspaper Page Text
March 17, 1909. 1
she hid n't learn it from me," she remarked
severely.
Tier husband looked up from the apples
he was paring. "She's young yet,
Amandy, she's young," he reminded her.
'Now the thing I'm thinking about is.
how could I lia\e been mistaken about
the apples in that south bin? I was sure
it was even full, but it ain't?not by considerable."
"Don't be a goose, Obed," Mrs. Perkins
admonished him "H'a v..*
as full as you left it. There's been'nobody
around to meddle. Josh is shiftless,
but he'd never touch a thins without
waiting to ask, even though he knows he's
welcome to a lew apples."
A little later she canto tip the cellar
stairs with a big stone jar in her hands.
"Some things do seem curious, Olted," she
said. "I never keep that grey rtone
mince-meat jar only in one place when
it's empty, and It ain't there. I'm certain
sure I saw it the day we went away.
No?it don't matter, only F "tfate to make
changes after I get used to a thing.
Out of apples? Here's another pan full.
"We ain't liable to interruptions today,
thank goodness, because none of the
neighbors know we're home, only Josh
and Maggie. They won't be over before
evening, likely, and I'll get Josh to carry
the mince-meat down cellar for me."
Josh and Maggie were a little late that
night. The big kitchen was spotless and
no sign of the day's occupation was visible
except the big brown jar. "1 left
it for you to carry down for me. Josh,"
Mrs. Perkins explained. "Obed's shoulder
is stiff yet from that spell of rheumatism
he had. Put it on that three-cornered
shelf in the northeast corner of the cellar
?the one with the iron braces. There's
the candle.
"Yes, I am tired, Maggie. Nursing's
harder than housework and it's played
me out some. Then today I've made
mince-meat."
"You have!" exclaimed hnr fiister-in
law. "Wihy, I never supposed you'd get
at it so soon. I?"
"When I have anything to do, Maggie.
I don't loiter over it," said Mrs. Perkins
severely. "What's that, Josh? Not room?
Why, man. that shelf's held a five gallon
jar of mince-meat every winter for
twenty years. Wait. I'll bring a lamp.
You must be in the wrong corner." Mrs.
Perkins descended the narrow stairs,
Maggie close at her heels. "Well, If
there ain't my missing jar." was the first
exclamation. "And another brown jar
Stand aside, Josh, till I lift them down,
with it. Somebody else did this. J
never use this slielf for empty jars.
My patience alive! They're full of something?heavy
as lead. Let me get those
1 covers off. Mince-meat both of 'em, as
sure as I'm a living woman. Obed,
there's some mighty mysterious things
been happening around here."
"I don't know anything about the grey
jar, Sister Amanda. I supposed you had
pickle in it. But I can explain about the
brown jar. T made the mince-meat in it
for you." Maggie's voice wasn't very
Bteady.
"Put that jar down. Josh, before your
arms break off. Why, goodness' sake,
Maggie, how did you ever come to do
that? it was very kind of you, but you
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know I'm not apt to relish other people's
seasoning."
Maggie sat down on the lowest step.
She wasn't very brave at best, and there
were times when it need courage to
face Sister Amanda. "After Hattie went
away," she began, "I got uneasy for fear
there might have been some fire left in
the house, Hattie being inexperienced, so
I came over to see for myself, 1 noticed
your mince-meat rule pinned up on the
clock-shelf, and I remembered that you
had been awful anxious to get your mince
done that week. So I just thought I'd
do it.
"I'd never have dared undertake it,
Sister Amanda, if you hadn't left your
recipe; but I followed it letter for letter,
and I think it's real good."
"Well, it certainly was thoughtful,
Maggie. Did you have the things
charged at Dennis's or Taylor's? We
don't want any bills running."
"I paid for them?all but the apples.
I got those out of the south bin, knowing
that was the kind you use. It was
my own money. I wanted to do it, Sis- .
ter Amanda. You and Obed have done
a lot for us, and there's never any way
for us to show that we appreciate it.
There's lot of times I'd dearly love to
help you if you only thought I could do
things to suit you, but you don't, so 1
said to Josh, 'Here's my chance,' and he
thought so too. And so, if it isn't good
no one will be the loser, only myself."
Mrs. Perkins sat down on the vinegar
keg.
"Was it your birthday money that
Obed gave you for a hat?" she asked
bluntly. Maggie's face flushed hotly, but
her sister-in-law put the question again,
relentlessly.
"Yes, but he said I should do as I
pleased with it, and I pleased to do this."
Maggie's voice was faint and guilty, but
Mrs. Perkins only said, briskly, "We'll
see about this later," when a girlish voice
called from overhead, "May I come down
too? It's Nellie. I saw the house lighted
and knew you must have come today.
How do you do, everybody? Oh, Mrs.
Perkins, you've found Hattie's mincemeat.
Wasn't it dear of her? She missed
the biggest party of all to stay home and
make it, and she paid for everything out"
of her own money that her father left
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her to go away with?all but the apples.
She got those out of that south bin. She
was so happy?said that was the only
way she could share her good time with
you, and she just loved to do it."
"My little girl made it? After all 1
said! Do you hear that. Oherf? ? '?
chopped as fine as mine and smells as
good." That was Mrs. Perkins' only
reply to the breathless torrent of words,
but she squeezed Nellie's hand tight as
she said, "Fifteen gallons cf mince-meat!
Come on upstairs. Josh, I hate to
trouble you, but you may carry that jar
back to the kitchen, and also home with
you. Obed, go and write another check
for Maggie same size as the birthday
one."
"Oh, no?please let me do this. Sister
Amanda. I can do without a hat this
winter very well."
Mrs. Perkins set the lamp on the
kitchen table, then turned to put her
hands on her sister-in-law's stooped
shoulders. "It isn't that I don't appreciate
it, Maggie, for I do. But we've got
a plenty and vou haven't nr>*i *
mouthful of that mince-meat would
choke me If I had to feel all winter that
I was slowly swallowing Maggie's hat.
which she needs worse than I need pie,
but which she'd likely never have got if
she'd waited for her selfish old sister to
provide it. I'll accept the work and the
time and the strength you spent on it,
and that's a good-sized present, considering
it meant double duty at home to
make up for it, and I'll try not to bo
so crabbed hereafter that you have to
own up to a piece of kindness like it was
a penitentiary offense. There's no more
to be said about it. Nellie, when did
you hear from Hattie?"
It was after they went to bed that
Mrs. Perkins said, subduedly, "Obed. that
ought to be the best mince-meat that any
family ever ate, all ten gallons of it,
for It's flavored through and through
with love?" she hesitated, then added
in a voice that didn't sounH Wta hero
"for a very undeserving woman."
A quarter of a mile away Maggie wiped
tears of happiness from her eyes as she
said, "Josh, I never had anybody pay me
such a compliment In all my life as Si3ter
Amanda did when she gave us the mincemeat
she'd made herself and kept mine
instead."?The Westminster.