Page 17 of Mail Order Mockery

He looked down at the bag and then back at her. “Thank you.” As he walked out of the house, he thought about how very thoughtful his new wife was. She was a truly kind person. Perhaps he was wrong to dismiss her as a potential wife.

Mary Sue came that day shortly before noon. She had leftover stew with Jessica and the children, and then she got them down for their nap. While Mary Sue listened for the children, Jessica made up a batch of jam. She used the raspberries and the blackberries together to create a new taste, canning what was left in pint jars.

When the children arrived home from school, Mary Sue woke the smaller children, and went to her own home knowing she would have some jam on Sunday. Jessica had decided to take two jars of jam for each sister-in-law, and she would pick more berries that weekend. The apples could wait a little longer, as they would continue to ripen for a month.

Jessica let each of the children have a slice of bread with jam to see how it had turned out. She knew she liked it, but letting someone else decide if it was good was always better.

Nancy frowned when her bread was gone. “There’s no more?” she asked.

Jessica laughed. “There’s lots more, but you and I are going to make jam rolls tomorrow for dessert.”

“I’ve never had a jam roll.”

“You’d never had apple cake either,” Jessica reminded her.

Finally, Nancy nodded. “I like everything you cook. I’m sure I’ll like jam rolls.”

“Tomorrow, we’re picking berries. Some of them are getting overripe, and I don’t want any to go to waste.”

“That will be fun,” Nancy said.

“It should only take an hour or two, and we’ll work on your new dresses for the rest of the day. Come with me, and see what your pa let me buy at the store this morning.”

Nancy walked with Jessica to the parlor. “What is it?” Nancy asked, staring wide-eyed at the contraption.

“It’s a sewing machine,” Jessica said. “I’ll be sewing your new dresses on it. I think I could get a whole dress sewn for church on Sunday if I work hard at it.” She held up the new yellow fabric she’d purchased. “Would you like this fabric for Sunday or for school?”

“Sunday!” Nancy said, looking at the fabric excitedly. “You’re really going to make me a new dress?”

“Two new dresses,” Jessica corrected. “I’ll do everything I can to get it ready for you to wear on Sunday.”

“Oh, that will be wonderful.” Nancy spun in a circle, letting her skirt flare out around her. Jessica couldn’t help but notice that she really was bursting at the seams. It was time for the girl to have a dress that fit.

Supper was on the table when George came in from milking a short while later. Along with the chicken pot pie she’d made, she put a bowl of jam on the table to be eaten with the fresh bread that had just come out of the oven.

George eyed the feast, a slow smile crossing his face. “Did you make that jam?”

Jessica nodded. “From the berries behind the barn. This is a mix of raspberry and blackberry, but we’ll pick some more tomorrow, and I’ll also make raspberry jam and blackberry jam. It’s my little way of paying back your sisters for the food they’ll share with us.”

George shook his head. “You work hard.”

Jessica shrugged, brushing off what was obviously meant as a compliment. “I believe that idle hands really are the devil’s playground.”

“I guess you’re right about that.”

“I also baked a loaf of bread for each of your sisters. I will fill a small crate for each of them with jam, bread, and a few apples. Then hopefully by next week, we’ll have more types of jam and applesauce to share. I feel like they’re feeding us with their hard work, so I can feed them with mine.”

George felt himself warming up to Jessica even more. She was pretty, but she was a great deal more than that. She cared about his children and was working hard to have something to reciprocate for his sisters’ hard work, though she’d never been asked to. She was a good wife.

They ate their meal and had jam on bread as a dessert. George took one bite and closed his eyes as he savored the taste. “This jam is delicious. I don’t want you to share it!”

Jessica laughed. “There are plenty more berries. We’ll have more jam soon.”

As soon as George left for work on Saturday, Jessica put the younger children in a wagon, while she, Bertie, and Nancy each carried a pail for picking berries.

Bertie picked blackberries, Nancy picked raspberries, and Jessica found all that the children missed, planning to make more of the mixed berry jam and even some pie filling.

As they walked back to the house, Jessica felt that they’d picked all they could from the berry bushes. Soon, she could move on to the apples. She was so happy to stay busy.

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