road.
"Did you have a telephone when you were a little girl, Grandma?"
"Mercy, no. We didn't have electricity, or running water, or a lot of other things we enjoy now. But we didn't mind. I guess you don't miss things you've never had."
"I don't know how you got along without a telephone. How did you find out what everybody was doing? Or what if you needed someone to come and help you?"
Grandma laughed. "That was easy. If something important happened, a neighbor would ride over and tell us. Or if we needed help, Pa would send one of the boys to the nearest farm. News got around fast even without a telephone. In fact, it sometimes got around before it happened!"
"How could it do that? You can't tell news before it happens!"
"Some people can," Grandma replied. "And it causes trouble sometimes too."
"Did you do that, Grandma?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I did. I certainly didn't mean to do anything wrong, but I did like to talk. My tongue got me into difficulty more than once."
We had arrived at the store, so I waited until Grandma had paid for the material, and we were on the way home before I asked, "What did you tell that hadn't happened, Grandma? Did you make it up?"
"No," Grandma replied, "not really. I told what I had heard, but I didn't know the whole story. I'll tell you how it happened."
One of the things we looked forward to every spring was the visit of the peddler. For as long as I could remember, it was always the same one every year. When we would see his
wagon coming down the lane, we would run to meet him. If he came in the morning, he stayed for midday dinner. If he came in the afternoon, he stayed for supper. Sometimes he could even be persuaded to spend the night.
Oh, that peddler's cart was wonderful! I'll never forget the splendid things we had to look at when he let down the sides of his wagon. Ma and I wanted to see all the cloth and ribbons and thread he had to display. Of course, the boys and I looked longingly at all the toys and games that were there.
Pa was interested in the tools and in the big grindstone, a large wheel made of something like cement. It sat on a wooden standard, and when the peddler pumped it with his foot, it went around and sharpened metal things. Ma brought her knives and scissors to be sharpened; Pa brought the scythe and other tools.
The peddler was a wonderful man. He could mend pots and pans, or put new soles on our shoes, or even paint a new silver backing on a mirror for Ma.
The whole day the peddler was here became a holiday, especially mealtime when we learned the news of the county. He knew what was happening to people we very seldom saw. This particular evening as we sat at the table, Ma questioned him about some of her friends.
' "Did you stop at the Blakes'?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I was there just last week. Everyone is well, I think. Old Uncle Tosh doesn't rightly remember things as well as he used to, though. He thought I was there to marry Harriet!"
"Harriet has been married for fifteen years!" Ma laughed "Where was Wesley when Uncle Tosh said that?"
"He'd gone to the barn. Harriet said that every time Wesley is out of sight, Uncle Tosh forgets all about him, and wants to know when Harriet is planning to get married!"
"I hope Uncle Tosh knew who Wesley was when he came back to the house," Pa remarked.
"Yes," the peddler nodded. "Most of the time he does, But sometimes he doesn't even remember Harriet. It must be hard to get old and have your past get away from you."
Ma and Pa nodded in agreement.
"How about Luke and Hannah Edwards?" Pa asked. "Are they getting on well?"
"Oh, yes. I saw them just three days ago. Ruth Edwards bought a cloth for a wedding dress."
I put my fork down and looked at the peddler with surprise. "Ruth Edwards! Sarah Jane didn't tell me that Caleb was getting married!"
Caleb was Sarah Jane's oldest brother, and she and I knew he was courting Ruth Edwards. We had talked it over often, and made so many plans about what we were
"Did you have a telephone when you were a little girl, Grandma?"
"Mercy, no. We didn't have electricity, or running water, or a lot of other things we enjoy now. But we didn't mind. I guess you don't miss things you've never had."
"I don't know how you got along without a telephone. How did you find out what everybody was doing? Or what if you needed someone to come and help you?"
Grandma laughed. "That was easy. If something important happened, a neighbor would ride over and tell us. Or if we needed help, Pa would send one of the boys to the nearest farm. News got around fast even without a telephone. In fact, it sometimes got around before it happened!"
"How could it do that? You can't tell news before it happens!"
"Some people can," Grandma replied. "And it causes trouble sometimes too."
"Did you do that, Grandma?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I did. I certainly didn't mean to do anything wrong, but I did like to talk. My tongue got me into difficulty more than once."
We had arrived at the store, so I waited until Grandma had paid for the material, and we were on the way home before I asked, "What did you tell that hadn't happened, Grandma? Did you make it up?"
"No," Grandma replied, "not really. I told what I had heard, but I didn't know the whole story. I'll tell you how it happened."
One of the things we looked forward to every spring was the visit of the peddler. For as long as I could remember, it was always the same one every year. When we would see his
wagon coming down the lane, we would run to meet him. If he came in the morning, he stayed for midday dinner. If he came in the afternoon, he stayed for supper. Sometimes he could even be persuaded to spend the night.
Oh, that peddler's cart was wonderful! I'll never forget the splendid things we had to look at when he let down the sides of his wagon. Ma and I wanted to see all the cloth and ribbons and thread he had to display. Of course, the boys and I looked longingly at all the toys and games that were there.
Pa was interested in the tools and in the big grindstone, a large wheel made of something like cement. It sat on a wooden standard, and when the peddler pumped it with his foot, it went around and sharpened metal things. Ma brought her knives and scissors to be sharpened; Pa brought the scythe and other tools.
The peddler was a wonderful man. He could mend pots and pans, or put new soles on our shoes, or even paint a new silver backing on a mirror for Ma.
The whole day the peddler was here became a holiday, especially mealtime when we learned the news of the county. He knew what was happening to people we very seldom saw. This particular evening as we sat at the table, Ma questioned him about some of her friends.
' "Did you stop at the Blakes'?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I was there just last week. Everyone is well, I think. Old Uncle Tosh doesn't rightly remember things as well as he used to, though. He thought I was there to marry Harriet!"
"Harriet has been married for fifteen years!" Ma laughed "Where was Wesley when Uncle Tosh said that?"
"He'd gone to the barn. Harriet said that every time Wesley is out of sight, Uncle Tosh forgets all about him, and wants to know when Harriet is planning to get married!"
"I hope Uncle Tosh knew who Wesley was when he came back to the house," Pa remarked.
"Yes," the peddler nodded. "Most of the time he does, But sometimes he doesn't even remember Harriet. It must be hard to get old and have your past get away from you."
Ma and Pa nodded in agreement.
"How about Luke and Hannah Edwards?" Pa asked. "Are they getting on well?"
"Oh, yes. I saw them just three days ago. Ruth Edwards bought a cloth for a wedding dress."
I put my fork down and looked at the peddler with surprise. "Ruth Edwards! Sarah Jane didn't tell me that Caleb was getting married!"
Caleb was Sarah Jane's oldest brother, and she and I knew he was courting Ruth Edwards. We had talked it over often, and made so many plans about what we were
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