"Me, me, grandma;
I'm the smallest." "No, me, me, grandma; I'm the biggest" When they had
been all finally satisfied, she would embrace with great tenderness all her
sons, inquiring of each in turn as to his health.
Sometimes in the conversation there would come a cloud of sadness as some
relative would be mentioned who had departed since the last family reunion.
Then finally, after having returned to the garden to play for a while under
the great trees, the bell of the nearby church would strike the hour of
noon, and Justina would appear at the grape arbor entrance crying, "Come
one, come all! The soup is getting cold!"
Then there would be a wild race on the part of all the cousins to see who
would be first at the long table placed in the cool shade under the great
spreading vines, that wonderful table with its wide damask covering which
only appeared on state occasions. Grandma's loving hospitality was shown in
the minutest details of that elaborate feast; for she had remembered the
favorite dishes of each one of her three sons and each found himself
confronted with the delight of his childhood. When under the maternal eye
in bygone days, he was not allowed to overeat; but now each was left to his
own discretion to satisfy the most ample appetite.
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