The Berkshire Biddies Solve the Crime

THIS IS MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT WRITING FICTION. WHEN YOU SEE BERKSHIRE BIDDIES IN THE TITLE OF A BLOG ENTRY, THINK FICTION. ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. THANKS 1HW

They were on the phone. They always called each other, as good sisters should, every day. Lucetta, who lived up over her husband's grocery store 'The Stop In,' was trying to make icicle pickles and could not remember how much alum to put in the batch, so she was talking with her youngest sister Florence. Florence interrupted Lucetta (Setty) saying, "It is one teaspoon of alum per half gallon of pickles." "Did you put in our secret ingredient?" "Of course," continued Setty as if she had only drawn a short breath. "I am trying to fill the large crock with these pickling cucumbers that Jim got in the store yesterday. Esther Ford's husband brought them down from Richford." "How is Esther?" asked Florence.

"Well, you know she isn't good. She has dropsy, and her goiter is giving her fits, but A. C., the town doctor, has her medication under control, I heard," said Setty. "Well, I knew all of that," said Florence. "After all, A. C. is my husband and has been for thirty years." "Have you talked with Helen this morning yet?" asked Florence. They called her "Duals" behind her back since she had to wear hearing aids in both ears and was so hard of hearing that the sisters frequently put off calling her since it was so hard to make her understand without yelling on the phone. Besides, Isabel would get on Helen's party line to listen in and frequently would comment too, "You don't have to yell. I'm not hard of hearing." This was usually followed by, "Get off the line, you nosey old bat." It never deterred Isabel, who went on happily listening and then called everyone she knew with her latest gossip.

Florence and Setty continued to comment on the goings on in Berkshire and surrounding communities for another forty minutes when Setty was interrupted by thumps on her floor, which was Jim's way of saying, " Get down here to the store. I need help with the customers."

A half hour went by before Florence got around to calling Duals (Helen). The phone rang four or five times before she heard a click and then Isabel interrupted to tell her that Helen had gone into town in a hurry because there was some trouble at the GLF store. "Oh well, thanks for the info," said Florence and hung up just as she heard the siren of the ambulance go down the back street toward the GLF feed store. "I wonder what is happening," she thought as she untied her apron and hurried out the back door.