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The Soldier's Peaches
The Soldier's Peaches is a short story by
Stuart Cloete. You can
read it online here. It begins,
Mrs. Brennen took snuff. She got it out of her grandson's store; going in and helping herself from the big tin on the second shelf. It was a habit her family deplored. Mrs. Brennen did not like snuff much. It was one of the things she had got over. It made her cough. But the fact that her family deplored her taking it prevented her from giving it up completely. She drank a little too. Not much; just enough to get "tiddly." That was what she called it, "I'm a little tiddly to-day," she'd say, and the family didn't like that either. Nor did she, save for the fun of shocking them and the interest outwitting them gave her.
An old woman did not have much fun, and she had her reputation as a character to keep up. Sometimes she wished she was not a character.
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Posts
...people often do things that they don't enjoy, why?
ReplyDeleteShe's contrary lol doing what she knows irritates her family even though she doesn't enjoy those things.
DeleteShe remembers, but they don’t hear or understand
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking how frustrating that would be. To have so much to say and yet be unable to convey it.
DeleteOh I liked this one. Sad, but richly told. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a sweet story. She'd had quite the life :)
DeleteThis sounds intriguing! Valerie
ReplyDeleteI thought so :)
DeleteI love that "she had a reputation to keep up!" That's a gorgeous photo.
ReplyDeleteIt can be exhausting to fulfill that "character" role.
DeleteI found this a very sad tale.
ReplyDeleteI liked the idea that people may have a rich internal life not visible to the rest of us.
DeleteSounds like a good one to read.
ReplyDeleteI found myself identifying with that old woman :)
DeleteShame she feels the need to portray a character and not just please herself and have fun, I can relate to this. Happy wishes! Hugs, Jo x
ReplyDeleteShe may have always been contrary, though... ;)
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