An Unfortunate Incident for Visiting Preacher, Brother Ray

Our little one room church in Mountainburg, which we and all of our relatives went to in this small community, did not have a regular preacher, just one who would come for the day. But Brother Ray will never forget my family. After church Brother Ray, the visiting Preacher, came to our house for dinner (lunch). I'm sure Mom cooked a wonderful meal and we all enjoyed it, even though she cooked on a wood burning stove! When Brother Ray asked what was in the tiny jar on the table we told him they were tiny grapes from South Texas. Someone in the family asked if he would like to taste these grapes. He said that he would. These tiny “grapes” were not actually grapes but very hot peppers. It was an innocent prank to play on him and we didn't realize it would turn out the way it did. But, when poor Brother Ray took a spoon full of the “grapes” he immediately started grabbing other food on the table to try to cool down his mouth. With tears running down his cheeks, he drank milk, ate butter, then biscuits, peas!!! Who knows what all he ate. Surely we weren't laughing! Even one of the peppers will bring tears to your eyes. It might be used in small amounts for cooking a recipe but never to eat alone. I'm sure that Brother Ray never came to visit us again. I wonder if my sister, Mary Helen, remembers this.

So, don't ever be fooled by someone offering tiny grapes from South Texas!!! 😜