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Sally walked slowly- to the table and sat and drop [Q the brown paper on the counter.
behind a big bowl of soup and a slice of but- They formed little curls like the shavings left
tered bread. The soup was hot and so was the when she scraped her knife over a rsn. ck. The
room, and the girl wasn't hungry. She Con- knife slid quickly in and out between the apple
tented herself wi rh outlining a patch of sun on and its skin. Grandma hummed as she worked.
the table wi th the handle of her spoon a~d a
puddle of soup. When she looked up, Grandma "You like to make pies, don't you?" Sally
was at the sink washing the apples before asked finally.
making pie.
"Yes" the 'woman -smiled. "My own grand-
"Sally, eat your ·soup." Grandma called. mother showed me how when I wa-s a little
girl.
"It's too hot."
"Gee, you could teach' me then. Hu hI."
"Then, cool it off." The words were out before Sally could stop
them .., "Now ies done ;;she thought to her"
Sally took a glass of water and poured self. "You'll have to stay here all afternoon.
part of it into her bowl. It made the soup too When she saw the pleased look on her grand-
cool, but she ate it anyway. Taking the piece mother's face, she didn't care,
of bread, she slipped it into the trash basket
by the table arid waited for her grandmother to "Do you really want to help?"
notice that she had finished. The woman's
gray head was- ben t over her kni fe as 'sh e be- "Uh-huh. "
gan to peel the apples.
"Then. get the flour and sugar out. I'll be
"I'm finished," Sally said at last. fini-shed cutting the apples in a minurs."
"Put your dishes -in the sink, " Grandma Sally hummed as she took the flour down
said without looking up. "You know where the from its perch and measured it while Grandma
cookies are." told her how. The room was warm, but the sun
made it gay. Even the flies seemed to .b.um
The girl took a cookie and returned to her happily. If Sally had been given to thinkl~g
chair. She was free to go now, but somehow about such thIngs she would have called t .e
'she wanted to stay. Watching her grandmother, room cozy. She b,rushed a lock of damp half
she saw the peels slip e a si lv from- the apples from her face and got flour on her cheek.
24 Nancy Ann Mengel
