Ahh, The Sweet, Sweet Taste of Candy

 

If you were walking to Second Avenue Grade School in 1925 you had to pass by Mrs. Grace Kaegle’s house.  You really wouldn’t notice it much, unless you knew about the window that she opened up to display and sell candy to passersby.

 

My friend, Scoot, and I never had any money to jingle, but we always slowed down in front of the house, just to imagine what we would buy if we could.  There were kids who had been there, we could tell because of their bright red tongues they would show off at recess.

 

One magic day, Scoot opened a wrinkled handkerchief and showed me four pennies; two were mine, she said, and two were hers.  So, we both ran over the brick sidewalks to Mrs. Kaegle’s window where a great expanse of sweets faced us and a serious decision had to be made.

 

There were small cards with button candy fastened on them, trays of lollipops shaped like ears of corn, pointed chocolate drops and squares of caramels wrapped in waxed paper.  Would it be those dreamy butterscotch dollars, jelly beans or those peanut shaped things?  We might’ve favored a striped jawbreaker or those candy cigarettes.  We took our time; even looking at the more expensive candies like Black Jack gum and the little tin frying pan with candied eggs on it.  Finally, we pointed to our very favorites-red laces and licorice whips.

 

When we got to school, Scoot told everyone on the playground, “We can’t share our candy with you, because we licked it all on the way here!”  What a golden day that was.

 

Mary Elizabeth Mruzik

Pacific, Missouri