remember how perfectly wonderful to
me when a child appeared the large, wide-mouthed glass jars containing
candy. There were red and white striped mint sticks, striped yellow
and white lemon sticks and hoarhound and clear, wine-colored sticks
striped with lines of white, flavored with anise-seed. One jar
contained clear lemon-colored 'Sour Balls,' preferred by us children
on account of their lasting qualities, as also were the jujubees,
which resembled nothing so much as gutta percha, and possessed equally
as fine flavor; also pink and yellow sugar-frosted gumdrops. In a case
at one end of the counter were squares of thick white paper covered
with rows of small pink, also white, 'peppermint buttons,' small
sticks, two inches in length, of chewing gum in waxed paper, a white,
tasteless, crystalline substance resembling paraffine. What longing
eyes I frequently cast at the small scalloped cakes of maple sugar,
prohibitive as regards cost. They sold for a nickel, am I was always
inordinately fond of maple sugar, but the price was prohibitive. I
seldom possessed more than a penny to spend in those days, and not
always that. Father raised a large family, money was never plentiful,
and we relished the plain, cheap candies usually sold in those days
more than many children of the present day do the finest and most
expensive cream chocolates, to many of whom in this extravagant age a
dollar is not valued more highly than was a penny by us in years gone
by. And 'Candy Secrets!' I don't believe you know what they are like.
I've not seen any for years. They were small, square pieces of
taffy-like candy, wrapped in squares of gilt or silver paper,
inclosing a small strip of paper containing a couple of sentimental
lines or jingle. Later came 'French Secrets.' They consisted of a
small oblong piece of candy about an inch in length, wrapped in tissue
paper of different colors, having fringed ends, twisted together at
either end. These also inclosed a tiny strip of paper containing a
line or two. Small, white candy hearts contained the words in pink
letters, 'Little Sweetheart,' 'I Love You,' 'Name the Day,' etc. These
were invariably distributed among the young folks at small parties and
created no end of merriment."

"Mary, old as I am, I still remember the delight I experienced when a
little, rosy-cheeked urchin surreptitiously passed me around the
corner of my desk at the old 'Cross Roads School' a 'Secret,' with the
words, 'Do y