There was an old Scots Lady

When I was a little girl of six or seven, an old Scots lady lived on the farm next door to us. My Mother would send me or my cousin to do chores for this woman who was sometimes hard of hearing and had failing eye sight...sometimes.

One of us would carry in a bit of wood for the old iron wood stove that stood resolute against the kitchen wall and a pail or two of fresh water from the well beside the outdoor kitchen.

We never dared to ask for anything in return for doing these daily tasks. One didn't in those times. However, on a summers' day with a gentle breeze blowing, we would on occasion be invited for afternoon tea. Now this was quite the treat for two young girls. The lady, Mrs. McQuaig, by name, had a beautiful collection of tea cups and saucers of varying sizes and degrees of beauty. We were allowed to choose whichever one from which we wanted to drink. Of course, tea was never served without accompanying cookies or tarts or some such dainty. So there we would sit on the wide, wooden front veranda which now no longer exists, sipping our hot, sweet tea and nibbling dainties. Sometimes a gentle breeze would waft around the stately veranda pillars carrying the sound of crickets in the long grass of the adjacent hay fields and that strange hum you can sometimes hear in summer. Although no one in my family drinks their tea with sugar, thanks to the influence of this dear Scots lady, I love my beverage hot and sweet.
By the end of summer, my cousin and I were allowed to choose a cup and saucer to take home. I well remember my Mother's disappointment at my choosing a small, dainty, black cup and saucer trimmed with gold. She preferred flowers and such and in much later years acquired her own extensive collection of cups and saucers. The little black and gold cup and saucer has long since been broken, no doubt in one of my many moves. But the memories of those summer afternoon teas lingers on.