At church and at the market where she distributed her delicacies, she was always humble. “Oh, those rascals keep me on my toes,” she’d chuckle, telling sympathetic neighbors. “I suppose it’s just the way of youth. Oh well, it’s just the garden though. Good exercise for me to keep it well tended.”
If Magnolia hoped her good humor would shame them, the teens mistook her silence for license. When they left open and empty snack packets across her yard, she sighed and picked them up herself. Neighbors shook their heads at her gentleness, some marveling at and others ridiculing her brand of kindness.