Here's what was originally in A Buss from Lafayette, that was taken out to shorten the opening chapter. You might also notice that the story was originally told in the 3rd person. (I would love to hear readers' opinions as to whether these "outtakes" should have stayed in the story or not! Please let me know at jensendorothea@gmail.com.)
* * *
“I think that Dickon’s mother—or
Dickon—is confusing two different dishes, Joseph,” Priscilla said, addressing
Joss by his formal name, as she usually did. “One is Salmagundi, made from cold
vegetables and meats dressed with herbs, oil and vinegar. The other is Solomon
Gundy, a kind of pickled fish paste from Jamaica.”
Clara listened intently. She might
not be thrilled to have a former schoolteacher (or former aunt) as her
stepmother, but Priscilla did have a lot of information stored under that white
mobcap. And Clara liked learning new things. That was one reason she read every
moment she could do so.
Joss didn’t seem quite as pleased to
learn this new fact. “Pickled fish paste, ma’am? That sounds disgusting. Maybe
I won’t run away and be a pirate after all.”
“Not many pirates around these days,
son,” his father said with a chuckle. “Although I suppose you could run away to
be a privateer, but that’s only if we
go to war with somebody again, God forbid. This last fight with Britain when
you were a young lad just about wiped out all the businesses in New England.
Hardly any imports to sell, even in Towne’s or any of the other stores in the
village. Some, like Mr. Ballard, were driven right out of business.”
“It’s lucky Mr. Ballard also had his
own school to run, then,” said Priscilla.
“Not lucky for me,” Joss grumbled.
He’d attended Mr. Ballard’s private school for a short time, until it was
decided that Joss and Mr. Ballard did not see eye to eye. -A Buss from Lafayette © 2016 by Dorothea Jensen
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