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By Marie Huston My dearest Hattie, I have the most exciting news to share! Connie's engaged. Isn't that just wonderful? Now, I know you're thinking it must be that little Briscoe boy she was so crazy about a while back, but that didn't work out. I never did get the whole story, but he pitched a hissy fit out at the lake one day -- something about a motor or some tools going off into the water and he blamed it on the children. Can you imagine? Anyway, Connie ditched him pretty quick after he yelled at those sweet young'uns. She told him if the motor had been any good to start with, he wouldn't have had to spend all day fixing it. You remember I told you, way back when, there was something strange about him. He'd just sit there and crumble his pound cake, thinking I wouldn't notice he wasn't eating it, and never once went back for seconds. I always thought he had sneaky eyes and I never did trust him after that. No, this is a new fellow and he seems like a nice boy. Lord knows, she's had a hard time of it since Roy ran off and this boy at least has a job. He's from over around Acworth somewhere. I don't know the family myself but they seem like nice people. He says his granddaddy was a Maxwell and owned a dairy over there, so I'm sure they're good folk. Jean Fowler said she knew of one of the cousins but she couldn't remember much about the family. She's going to call her sister and see can she find out what it was she had heard about them. I offered the engaged couple the use of my garden, but Connie wants a church wedding this time. She says she doesn't believe in that old saying about "three strikes and you're out" and I hope she's right because he's a fine young man. She's dreaming of bridal veils and I'm thinking chicken manure. That's what I wanted to ask you about. See, this here boy's thinking on buying a truck and I was wondering, how long do I need to wait before I get him to haul me a load of chicken manure from over at Uncle Spurgeon's place? Coy won't let me haul it in the car anymore because one of the bags broke last time and I have to admit, it did start to smell some before we got it home. But that was during the big heat wave we had back in August and I don't think it'd hurt anything since it's cooled off a bit, do you? But you know how Coy is and I don't want to be stuck six hours on the way home, listening to him ranting and raving about how the stupid car smells to high heaven. So when I heard this boy was buying a truck, I decided it was fate and he's just perfect for Connie. She says he's getting one with a back seat for the children. Isn't that sweet? She says he loves those kids to death. It's about time she settled down with a fine young man who could appreciate her and the girls. I'm pleased as punch about the whole thing and I knew you'd want to be the first to hear the news. Oh, I need to go. Hazel just called and told me they've got a body over at the funeral home, but she didn't know who. Let me go see what I can find out and I'll write more later. Give my love to Harley, Mabel *** Dear Mabel, I was so pleased to hear the news about Connie. She's a lovely girl and those children are just precious. I thought you'd like to know, the wood glue you suggested worked fine. That leg went right back on with no problem at all. You'll let me know next time Connie's planning to bring the girls over, won't you? I think I'll go ahead and put the coffee table out in the back bedroom if I know she's coming. It'll probably hold up fine on its own, but if the little one decides to jump on it again, I don't know if it'll stay put and I wouldn't want her to get hurt. I imagine she'll be past that stage before they head this way again, don't you? I asked Harley about the truck. He says that boy's never gonna let you put chicken manure in a new truck. He says something about it cutting into the paint or chrome or something like that. I don't know exactly what he was saying because he started having one of those spells again when I told him about your letter. Why don't you buy a big tarp so you'll have it handy if that boy needs it? He could just lay it down on the truck bed if he's going to be particular. He sounds like a fine young man if he's from Acworth. JoJo Connerly was from Acworth and she was a wonderful cook. Is Uncle Spurgeon letting the chicken manure set outside a spell before you take it for your garden? You know you promised those new neighbors you'd let it age before you brought any more home. Some people didn't grow up around it like we did and they don't like the smell. As for that Briscoe boy, Mabel, I told you at the time, there are people who don't like too much lemon extract in their pound cake. It's all what you were raised with and you can't judge people simply because they don't like too much lemon in their pound cake. Who was it that died? Love, Hattie P.S. Harley says hey. *** Dear Hattie, Tell Haryley hey back. Billy, that's Connie's young man, is just the sweetest thing. He ate three pieces of my pound cake and took a slice home with him for his supper. He said it tastes just like his mother's cake. Her name's Sarah Lee. Isn't that a pretty name? Did JoJo know a Sarah Lee Maxwell from over at Acworth? Jean still hasn't called me back with what she found out about the family and I don't know what to think. You don't reckon she found out something bad about them and is afraid to tell me, do you? Billy turned red as a beet when I showed him the tarp I bought for his truck, like you said I should. He swelled up and couldn't even say a word -- he was that moved! Connie said she'd never seen him get so quiet so fast and it made me think he's a proper young man with the sense to appreciate a friendly gesture. Do you remember what it was that Mama used to get ballpoint pen off the walls? I'm thinking it was hair spray. Connie's girls were over here today. They're such lively girls. It was that sorry Jimmy Logan who died, but I went on and took a plate of chicken anyways because I had it done before I found out who it was. Seems that train he was always racing beat him to the crossing. Turned out lucky for Mason Brumblelow because it opened up a promotion for him at the mill and he needs it with his wife pregnant again. Connie's still planning a church wedding, but she's mad at the preacher. He wants her to come talk to him before he'll marry her. Some kind of pre-marital counseling. She told him she wasn't crazy and neither was Billy and they didn't need any counseling. I don't think I have to worry too much about those new neighbors any more. They've gotten real stuck up and hardly speak, so I don't much care what they think. Can you imagine? They asked me if I would move the pink flamingos to the back yard! Well, I've lived here all my life and I never! They moved out here from Atlanta. I told them they weren't in Atlanta now and we don't hold with big city ways around here. Write soon. Love, Mabel *** Dear Mabel, I was surprised to hear that Mason Brumbelow's wife is pregnant again. How many does this one make? Maybe your preacher needs to talk to Mason and his wife and tell them what's causing all those children instead of picking on poor Connie. But I'm glad Mason got Jimmy Logan's job. I never did know how Jimmy managed to hang onto a job anyway, what with all his troubles. Seems fitting, doesn't it, going that way, with the train and all, after trying to beat it all his life. Try the hair spray. Maybe one of those little girls is going to take after Aunt Mary and be an artist. Wouldn't that be fine, to have another artist in the family. I still have Aunt Mary's picture hanging up in the hall but I never have figured out what it was supposed to be. Oh, and while we're on the subject of those darling children, the azaleas are coming back after all. At least half of them are going to make it, I think, and I've found a new place to keep the scissors where the little one won't find them. All these new people moving in. It's sad, isn't it? Your neighbors sound like the young man across the street from me. He has a fancy new car and he washes it every Saturday morning that comes around. Harley says anybody who washes his car that much can't afford the car and wants everybody to think he's rich because it's all shiny. Looks like he'd just wait for the next rainstorm like everybody else. Have they set a date for the wedding yet? I need to start looking for me a new dress to wear. Love, Hattie P.S. Harley says hey to Coy. *** Dear Hattie, Don't spend too much on a new dress yet unless you can wear it to church, too. Billy don't seem to be in no hurry to go get me my manure and I'm not sure about the wedding coming off anytime soon. He talks like it's too far to go but I told him Uncle Spurgeon and Aunt Mary would let him spend the night, so I don't know what the problem is. I told you that painting is supposed to be a door. Look at it real close again and see don't you think so. I'm glad to hear about the azaleas. Were you able to sew your pillow back up? Let me know 'cause I can whip you another one right up if she cut it too bad. I've still got a piece of that material left over. It didn't take as much as I thought it would to make the skirt and I can either make a matching blouse or a new pillow. I did have my heart set on a blouse to make me a whole outfit to match, but I can live without it if you can't fix the pillow. Well, those new neighbors have gone and done it now! They called the County on Coy. The County says he's got to move his antique car collection away from the property line or else put up a fence. Why, those cars have been sitting out there since we got married and people still stop by every now and then to see if they can find themself a part. Have you ever? I think these new people are just mad because of the problem with the dog. I guess where they come from, dogs don't do dog things. And we paid the cat's doctor bill, so I don't understand why they got so all fired up about it in the first place. Jimmy Logan's wife has already gotten a lot of money from the railroad and she's out buying up the town. I heard tell she was seen three nights in a row eating dinner at the cafe in a brand new outfit. I think she's got a thing for Doug Lewis and thinks he's got money, but don't say I said so. They say she speaks to him real friendly like every time she walks into the cafe and he always hurries over to the table to make sure the tea pitcher's full and stands around talking to her so's you can't get his attention to pay your bill. Let me know about the pillow. Love, Mabel P.S. Coy says tell Harley hey back. *** Dear Mabel, I can't see the door. I even turned the picture upside down and I still can't see the door. But it's a pretty color and it goes all right in the hall so I'll leave it for now. I wouldn't want Aunt Mary to think I didn't like it and you never know, she might get famous one day. Harley says don't worry about the pillow. I asked Harley was it too far to drive a new truck over to Uncle Spurgeon's, but he just grunted when I told him about your letter. He says we need to buy a new coffee table because I put that leg on crooked but I don't think anybody'll notice it much. You can't even see it if you're sitting in the recliner. Well, I'm not surprised to hear about Jimmy Logan's wife. I remember her from high school and she was fast back then. She even took out after Harley one time until I got ahold of her and set her straight about him and me. She always did have an eye out for a good-looking man. I found a dress I like for the wedding and I put it on lay-away. Are you making your own dress or do you want me to see if I can find you something? Have they set a date yet? Love, Hattie P.S. I told Harley Coy said hey. He says hey to him. *** Dear Hattie, The wedding's off and, just between you and me, I think it's better this way. That Billy pulled the wool over everybody's eyes except me. I knew the minute he said he wasn't going to drive all the way over to Mississippi to get my chicken manure that he had a dark side to him. Connie's lucky she found out about his temper before the wedding. I feel real bad for her, but any man who'd put his new truck in front of those adorable children has mental problems. I told the preacher he should go talk to him and see could he help him, but the preacher said if they weren't getting married, it wasn't any of his business. What's the world coming to, I ask you, if a crazy man isn't a preacher's business just because he doesn't belong to the same church? Connie's been crying her eyes out over it. She told Billy she didn't mean to hurt his truck and she didn't see why he was so upset. All she did was take the girls to the Dairy Queen to buy them a treat. I told him I thought hair spray would get that mess off the back seat, but he wouldn't hear of it and took off making the awfulest racket you ever did hear. I'm sending you the new pillow I made. Don't you like the gold trim I added? I think it perks it up right good. Love, Mabel P.S. I finally got in touch with Jean Fowler and I was right. She said she didn't want to worry me, but this boy's mother brought chicken salad to a church dinner and put dark meat in it. I say, good riddance, and Connie's much better off without him. And so are those precious children! P.S. again. Connie tells me she needs to get away for a few days and she's on her way over to see you right this minute, and bringing the little darlings with her for a nice long visit. I know y'all are going to have a wonderful time and I'm sending you a pound cake by her that I just took out of the oven (and this letter since you wanted me to let you know when to expect her next time). See if you don't like this new recipe that calls for lemon rind instead of the extract. I almost hopped in the car to ride over there with Connie to see y'all, but decided I'd better settle for writing you instead since the County's brought some kind of bulldozer over here and I'm not sure what they're up to. I hope to goodness Coy doesn't take the shotgun to them again, but let me go see what's going on out there and I'll write more later.
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