The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-09-03
Misfellauenns.
MISS BtTSEY PRICE.
HOW SUE CANE TO CHANGE HER STATE.
BY LIZZIE A. s. CHESTER.

Miss Betscy Price made excellent GIN
ger snaps! There could be but one opin-
ion about that. This was her recipe: "a
teacupful of molasses, teacupfnl OF SUI
gar, teacupfnl of butter. u spoonful of
ginger. half teaspoonfnl of soda, and
flour enough TO knead rs hard rs can be
rolled" Now, you or might follow Miss
Prices recipe with undertaking accuracy,
and vet have no snap at all to our gingers.
They might be thick cake-like squares,
gingcr-aats. next of kin TO the d0ughnut
family; or our gingers might have too
much snap-likewise too much ginger.
But some people have giffs and some
haven't. and therein exists the cause OF
divers differences in the vast brotherhood
of mankind; which aphorism, by au ac-
synccdoche, may include
the sisterhood of womankind, and rs es-
pecially applicable in the line of cookery
and knotting up half-inch ribbon elective
g.
Miss Prices ginger snaps were sponta-
neous illusions. thrown of from her hands
in very much the same hasty way poetic
nj gems come from gifted minds. She no
more thought of stopping To measure her
ingredients than IA poet thinks of stopping
in the heat Of his fancy to count the met
rical feet in his stanzas. She mixed up
her ginger snaps by intuition, pounded
vigorously and rolled ont energetically;
she cnt the dough into small squares,
crossed them with the back of her knife.
and spread them ON the tins; then slipped
the tins into the oven, and behold! there
came forth these ginger snaps, golden
brown. crisp and fragrant--in every quail
iiication everything to which ginger snaps
may attain-consoquently complete, as
few things in this world can be complete.
One particular April morning Miss
Price gave the last ginger snap in her
brown stone jar to little Patrick McNla-
hon, and Immediately set about rcplenish-
ing the jar. She siftcd the flour, put nm
uncertain quantity Of butter by the fire to
melt. took of the cover of the sugar-boN,
and brought the molaSses jug up from Its
place beside the nour-bairel. This jug
was ancient and respectable; II was small
Mt the bottom, bulged out at the sides, and
tapcred again ut the neck; consequently
the molasses, had long and winding
way, up grade and down. to travel to the
mouth Of the Jug. and In cool weather 1t
was slow on the road. Miss Price was
well acquainted with these peculiarities
of her jug. and of molasses; so that after
she had taken out the cork and tipped the
mouth of the jug over tin pan, she walt
ed patiently for couple of minutes; but
no rich black stream rolled out with that
gurgling sound so dcliciously suggestive
vet always so narrowing To infant souls,
who prefer trcaclc in its pristine excel
lence To any loss of identity in ginger
bread or snaps. Miss Price took up the
jug and peered into its depths. She shu,
one eye and put the jug up to the other.
Then she held the jug inverted perpendic-
ularly over the pan; n few drops came
drizzling down and dripped into the pan.
The molasses was all out
Miss Price set the jug down and put
In the cork. Then she put on her hood
and shawl and took the jug from the pan
try with the design of going To the gro
ccry TO have il filled. Her hand was on
the door-knob when she bcthought her.
self that the state of the walking that
April morning required overshoes. She
turned back into little dark closet in the
sitting-room to get her 1ndia-rubbers,-n
detention whcreon hangs this story; for II
Miss Price had gunc out the moment she
had put her hand ON the ioor-knob, Fore
thought Tinker never would have called,
and II Forethought had never called. Miss
Price in NIL probability would never have
changed her state; wherefore there would
have been nothing to write. forcthought
had walked back and forth before Miss
Prices gate five times, in n state Of pain
ful difidcnec. Just rs Miss Price put her
hand ON the knob. he caught u sight ol
the Sanford girls who live opposite, peep.
ing and giggling from behind their parlor
curtains. and had Miss Price herself come
forth then. bashfnlnc>s would have tri-
umphcd. and his enterprise been aban.
doned. That glimpse Of the Sanford girl'
gave him feeling Of indignation which
was followed by an impetus of courage.
He walked boldly up to the door. and
while Miss Price was pecring into the far
tber corner Of the closet for the mate te
her India. rubber. rnng the bell In AN en-
erretic and busincSs-like manner. Mis-.
Price looked surprised when she openet
the door, and Forcthought looked as II h
wished a passage to China would opsr
Just beneath his feet. Miss Price wakct
for him To deliver his errand. Forcthough
edged into the room. Miss Price closes
the door and invited him TO be seated. .
forethought thought at first he wonit