“Hurry, Hurry Lilloweth! Farmer Frank’s wife is down near the old apple tree right now!” Betsy was beside herself with excitement.
“I can taste those Mac apples already.”
As the girls pranced through the open gate at the bottom of the field- just a hundred metres or so from their cozy barn and housestalls, Lilloweth finally found an extra breath to speak-
“Betsy Dear. What’s the rush. It’s just an apple and it’s still so early in the day!”
“Oh Lilloweth. It’s more than that. The apples that Farmer Frank’s wife is collecting are the first, snappy Macs of the season. They’re always the best!”
“...and she’ll share them- with us?”
“Yes- of course. She always does silly!”
As the bovines made their way along the cedar rail fence, they could see Helen- who lived in a housestall near the big barn door, standing near the old oak, chewing on some luscious, green grass. She sported a beautiful sunhat decorated gaily with black-eyed susans, all tied together with yellow and burgundy ribbons.
“Hi Helen!” Betsy called out. “What a day! Love your hat! Do you know where we’re headed?”
Helen looked up from her snack and saw the girls rushing towards her.
“Haven’t got a clue Dear. Is there a sale at the General Store?”
Betsy laughed and then snorted as she approached Helen’s side.
“Oh no. Better than that!”
Helen stopped chewing.
“Better than a sale at the General Store? This I got to hear. I’m all ears!!”
Lilloweth was just a few steps behind. As she tried to catch her breath again she spoke- “Oh much better Helen. You see, Farmer Frank’s wife- Daisy, is down at the bottom of the field collecting some fresh Macintosh Apples. Helen here is expecting the human to share.”
Helen looked to Betsy.
“Is that it Hun? That’s the excitement? Whatever would you do with Macintosh Apples?”
“Oh, I’d make apple spice muffins. An applesauce cake. Applesauce even! The sky’s the limit!” Betsy smiled excitedly from ear to ear.
“My, My.” Helen looked at Lilloweth, shrugged and turned to Betsy, “Who knew an apple could send you into such a tizzy Dear?”
“I know! Why last year I made an apple torte. You must remember. I brought it to your yard party last September. I had all that whipped cream on top? Remember girls?”
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Finally, Lilloweth broke the quiet.
“Is that what that was? You made that? You must admit Helen, that was a very good cake. A very, very good cake.”
"It wasn’t a cake!”- Betsy replied, “It was a torte.”Helen playfully bumped up against Betsy’s side- “Of course it was Dear…and a delicious cake- I mean torte it was, as I remember. Yes! Whipped Cream and all. How could I have possibly have forgotten your torte?”
She nodded to Lilloweth.
Lilloweth cracked a smile- “Maybe it was all that fruit compote you were drinking Helen Hun. That was an absolute tip-top party as I recall. A real hoot!”
“Well, I am glad you two haven’t lost your memories completely or anything. So, do you want to go down to the Mac trees with me and see if Farmer Frank’s wife will part with a few of those delicious, red beauties?”
“Dear Betsy, if it will make you happy, I would be pleased to attend with you.”
“Oh me too, Hun.”- says Lilloweth. “We’re practically there now. Shall we amble on?”
“Oh Lets!”- Betsy cried.
So the girls all strolled down to where Farmer Frank’s wife was collecting the mac apples. She gladly parted with several bags of the fresh beauties which the gals happily lugged all the way back to Farmer Frank’s barn.
Later that day the aroma of baking apples filled the barn’s interior.
Round about tea time, Betsy called both Lilloweth- who lived in the housestall next door and Helen who lived in a housestall near the barn door, to her cozy, homey housestall for tea and apple muffins.
