Margie: I love sitting on our porch of a Sunday afternoon, Edna. It also makes me think about the old days. Things move too fast for me now.
Just looking at today's newspaper reminded me of how the old peddler used to go house to house. Remember Edna? We didn't have store bought food. Mama would get all her supplies from the peddler and she'd pay him with a chicken or ham or some of her homemade jellies and jams.
Edna: You're right about things moving too fast now. All of these young folks think that you have to move a mile a minute in order to get anything done. I hope they realize that everything always gets done, in its own time.
My lands Margie, I haven't thought about that old peddler's wagon in ages! We were just little girls then, weren't we? Remember when Mama would buy gingham to make us pinafores? That peddler had such lovely bolts of cloth, and he never did tell us where he got it from.
Margie: My goodness! I do recall Mama making us those pinafores. She was a fine seamstress. I wonder where he did get that cloth?
Edna, do you remember that hen Mama gave you? You were so little that I bet you don't remember what happened.
Edna: Margie, maybe you'd better tell our readers what happened, I might not get the details right. But don't you go telling them anything embarrassing, you hear?
Margie: Edna, I'm so tickled. Mama gave you that old hen because you loved it. You loved candy too and the peddler always had lots of hard candy. One day, when you were about 5 years old, you wanted candy. Well, Mama told you that you could trade your hen for candy.
The three of us walked to the peddler's wagon and you carried your hen. When Mama told you to give that hen to the peddler you started bawling and ran back to the house with the hen. You yelled, "I can't sell my hen, Mama."
Mama got you some candy anyway but that old hen lived on for years.
Edna: I remember the hen but I don't remember that story! Well, I suppose it's true, since I surely do love hard candy. And that sounds like Mama, she always was soft-hearted. I remember the peddler always had horehound candy, and he'd sneak me a piece when Mama wasn't looking.
Margie, as much as I've seen and done in this world, it's the old days that make me yearn the most. I suppose that's true of anyone when they get to our age, isn't it?
Margie: I believe it is true, Edna, I surely do.
