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Page 11
WHERE AUNT ANN HID THE SUGAR
BY MARY L. BOLLES BRANCH.
Teddy was such a rogue, you see! If Aunt Ann sent him to the store for
raisins, the string on the package would be very loose, and the paper
very much lapped over, when he brought it home; if he went to the
baker's, the tempting end of the twist loaf was sure to be snapped off
in the street, and a dozen buns were never more than ten when they
reached the table. Boys are _so_ hungry! Teddy knew every corner of the
pantry: if half a pie were left over from dinner, it could not possibly
be hidden under any pan, bowl, pail, or cunningly folded towel, but he
would find it before supper. Pieces of cake disappeared as if by magic,
preserves were found strangely lowered in the crocks, pickles went by
the wholesale, gingerbread never could be reckoned on after the first
day, and once--only once--did Teddy's mamma succeed in hiding a whole
baking of apple tarts in the cellar for a day by setting them under a
tub. The cellar never was a safe place again; Aunt Ann tried it with
doughnuts, and the crock was empty in two days. She put her stick
cinnamon on the top shelf in the closet, behind her medicine bottles,
and when she wanted it a week after, there was not a sliver to be
found. Then the loaf sugar--I don't know but that was the worst of all.
Did he stuff his pockets with it? did he carry it away by the capful?
It seemed incredible that anything _could_ go so fast. One day, Aunt
Ann detected Teddy behind the window curtain with a tumbler so nearly
full of sugar that the water in it only made a thick syrup, and there
he was reading "Robinson Crusoe" and sipping this delightful mixture.
From that moment Aunt Ann made up her mind that he should "stop it."
"I'll tell him it's nothing more nor less than downright STEALING--so I
will," muttered the good soul to herself; "the poor child's never had
proper teaching on the subject from one of us; he's got all his pa's
appetite without the good principles of _our_ side of the family to
save him."
So, the next day, the sugar being out, she bought two dollars' worth
while Teddy was at school, and without even telling his mother, she
searched the house for a hiding-place. She shook her head at the pantry
and cellar, but she visited the garret, and the spare front chamber;
she looked into the camphor-chest, she contemplated a barrel of
potatoes, she moved about the things in her wardrobe, and at last she
hid the sugar! No danger of Teddy finding it this time! Aunt Ann could
not repress a smile of triumph as she sat down to her knitting.
Unconscious Teddy came home at noon, ate his dinner, and was off again.
His mother and Aunt Ann went out making calls that afternoon, and as
Aunt Ann closed the street door she thought to herself--
"I can really take comfort going out, I feel so safe in my mind, now
that sugar is hid."
But at tea-time she almost relented when she saw Teddy look into the
sugar-bowl, and turn away without taking a single lump.
"He is really honorable," she said to herself; "he thinks that is all
there is, and he wont touch it." And she passed the gingerbread to him
three times, as a reward of merit.
There was sugar enough in the bowl to sweeten all their tea the next
day, and so far all went well. But the third day, in the afternoon, up
drove a carry-all to the gate, with Uncle Wright, Aunt Wright, and two
stranger young ladies from the city--all come to take tea, have a good
time, and drive home again by moonlight.
Teddy's mother sat down in the front room to entertain them, and Aunt
Ann hurried out to see about supper. How lucky it was that she had
boiled a ham that very morning! Pink slices of ham, with nice biscuit
and butter, were not to be despised even by city guests. She had also a
golden comb of honey, brought to the house by a countryman a few hours
before; it looked really elegant as she set it on the table in a
cut-glass dish. Then there were,--oh, moment of suspense! would she
find any left?--yes; there _were_ enough sweet crisp seed-cakes to fill
a plate.
The table was set--the tea with its fine aroma, and the coffee,
amber-clear, were made. The cream was on, so was the sugar-bowl, and
Aunt Ann was just going to summon her guests, when she happened to
think to lift the sugar-bowl cover and peep in. Sure enough, there
wasn't a lump there!
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