A bargain mutually beneficial to both sides

We’ve talked a lot about spring and flowers and everything getting so green and beautiful right now, which got me to thinking about my grandmother and her little brother.

In the old days, kids had to not only make their own fun, there was no such thing as an allowance, so in order to get treats, they had to use their ingenuity.

My grandmother, Margaret, and her little brother, John, lived in Kirby as they were growing up. Their father, my great-grandfather, was the sheriff at the time.

My great-grandmother had a beautiful garden full of all manner of flowers and she was quite proud of her green thumb.

Back in the wild west days, there was a house in Kirby featuring “ladies of the evening” that I’m fairly certain grandma and John were told to stay away from.

Curiosity being what it is in young children, there was no way that was going to happen. Of course, grandma and John had to check things out.

Wouldn’t you know, the “madam” of the establishment caught them skulking around the yard and a bargain was struck that was mutually beneficial to both sides, particularly grandma and John.

The deal was Margaret and John would pick flowers from their mother’s abundant garden and bring them to the madam in order that the “ladies” could have fresh flowers in their rooms for their guests. In exchange, grandma and John received fresh baked cookies and a promise not to tell their father, the sheriff, that they had been anywhere near the business.

Now that, was ingenuity.