Florence Bagette learns of her husband's demise.

Mrs. Florence Bagette, the wife of the Southern Union Bank president, Mr. Balfour Bagette, was enjoying her afternoon tea and petits fours on the veranda of her Southern style plantation home in Valdosta, Georgia when Mrs Genivieve Easley burst through the screen door and blurted out, "Mrs. Bagette, I'm so sorry but your beloved husband, Balfour, died this morning while eating breakfast, of a massive coronary. Florence was overcome with emotion, but not because she lost a dear husband. The marriage had died years ago. Mr. Bagette was simply too fat to do anything other than to embezzle from the bank and to eat and drink himself to death. No, Florence was momentarily immobilized by emotion wondering how she was going to maintain her lavish lifestyle now that Balfour was gone. She calmly collected her wits and gently placed her teacup and saucer down on the sterling silver tray next to the sterling silver tea pot, cream and sugar container. She got up and walked across the room and slapped Dinah, her former slave, now serving as head of the household servants in the newly reconstructed South after the Confederacy was ruined by the overly aggressive and destructive Northern troops lead by the punitive demon General William Tecumseh Sherman during the War of Northern Aggression. Dinah said, "I'm so sorry for your loss Miz Bagette. Is there anything I can do to hep?" Florence responded, "Why yes Dinah, you can pack up your things and get out. I can no longer afford to provide for you. And tell the rest of your kind to leave also. There will be no more free lunches on this plantation. And don't let the door hit you on the rear end as you leave." To be continued... Slàinte, Tommy Maaltman