Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-06-06

| And it WAS all right. Out under tho
stars that uight, Katc's revery came true,
ane Charley told her once more that he
loved chicken pie. and her great deal
better, and that she and she only must
make il for him all his life, and they de.
cided about The cottage and kates
dreams That night were a medley of cot.
lages, and bridal dresses. and chicken
pie.
They had been married year, and the
honey. moon had shone rs steadily rs il it
had been heightened by dispensalion.
But it waned at last as it always does,
and the conflict oi life began.
Let the honeymoon be longer or short.
CT. the first few months that follow il are
rs the crucible in which every woman's
heart is tried as by fire. and they prove
most abundantly OF what metal she is.
| When she first wakens from the rosy
dreams of love TO a consciousness OF some
OF the hard facts OF life when il dawns
upon her that
Loves not precisely
| The thing that her fancy pictured so nicely"
! her hero is not exactly as she had drawn
him. that he is very mortal after all. and
chiefly likes to be exceedingly conlforta-
BILE, and considers that ho has got wife
| to make him so: and ii she does not sue.
cced in doing so he has been ill-used
OF fate. and usually expresses himself
pretty encrgetically upon The subject;
| tho fire Turns most women To droSs. A
few tears ale shed when they realize the
fact that their lovers have passed with
DAYS that made them such, and when
they lapse into indifference. and turn
back Ia tho world. and its pleasures, and
seek Ton The light OF other eyes, and all
the fond dreams of "Love in Il cottage"
alc buried forever.
! But Kate was pure gold. She shed
.-"Shall vim his love and not keep IL?
Ir fail Of happiness now, 1t is lost tor
all my lie; il shall bc mine" And
br.vely did she struggle for it.
Rates great grict was that Charley
had mother Not but that in the course
of nature he would have been expected
To have. but his mother was great cook,
and Charley had become wholly possess
| od with the idea that no one could cook
| like his mother Now Kate had made n
long visit to the mother soon after hor
| marriage and with her teaching and
loves assistance rendering her The aptesl
of pupils, Kate had really become quite 4
cook herself. To this mother, who was
in trnth rare cook. Kate told the story
OF the chicken pie. And she took lessons
now most humbly. not scorning advice
rs she had her own mothers in The old
DAYS. So all unknown to Charley she
made the pies till the kind mother said:
II shall be quite jealous, Kate. think
YOU even out-do me-"
So then The housekeeping began. On.
how brave the little woman was. How
she worked and worked in the Kitchen
day after day 10 make the daintcs To
please Charley and Charley would como
home and pay no heed to the flushed and
weary face, and eat the goodies in silence
taking all as matter of course. His
mother had been such cook it was
nothing new to him; he didn't stop TO
think that what was easy for mother was
hard enough for lear little Kate. But
worse still. halt the time il was.
Kate. do wish YOU would get mother
to leach YOU this She used 10 make it so
il would melt III your mouth. This is no
more like it than il it hadn't the same
name.n
Kate would bear up under these con-
trasts, which he, man that he was, never
| Uroatllcu sue lilllucu, tlil HC was s~iOiJ
out of the house. then up to her little
room to "cry it out and get heart to try
again.
Finally, said Kate, thinking sadly OF
the old days, when everything was am.
brosia II she made it, "rll try Il chicken
pie. Mother herself says can make
that equal to her"
No sooner said than done, and when it
came out OF the oven. n triumph OF art.
Kate laughed herself rs she contrasted it
with that other one, and reflectcd-'Poor
fellow. how could he cat that unsalted.
burned up thing"
She gathered few flowers TO adorn
her table, and even put xon her French
print 10 look little roster herself: and
then when all was ready, tried to loo; as
if nothing had happened but what hap
pened every day tried to keep her fool.
ish heart from beating so fast as she sat
and waited for his coming, and thought
how he would praise her. Wasted
trouble! He came in hurliedly; did
chance to notice The bright new dress,
but did not think to say fondly. "This Tor
nv sake, dear?" but only said SCOT COM
pany?"
And then, as he threw himself into his
| dinner chair
"Oh, chicken pie. heyP" and then ate
on in silence.
Kate tried to be cheerful, though the
tears were nigh bursting from her droop-
ing lids.
He said not single word about the
dinner till he moved back from the table,