The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-08-03

ing fof one of his mothers chicken pies.
SO Pm going to make one for him."
With thousand injunctions about the |
| crust and gravy, and the fire and the oven,
and with many misgivings, Mrs Prentice |
withdrew, and Kate, her daughter, reign
ed in her stead.
Mr.. Prentice returned at evening with |
his wife, and was told by her of the events
of the day. They went together to look
at the pie.
"Oh, Mr.. Prentice, never can have
such looking pie go on my table, said |
the model housekeeper.
"Oh, yes, mother, it might look q good
deal worse; but | will step down early to
the market, and have some nice things
sent home. which you will make all right,
you know. We mustn't let Kate spoil all
her chances by poor dinner"
The next day came, and with 1t Charley
Adams, and the dinner was one of Mrs.
Prentice's best, so that Charley was in
capital humor when he reached the pie
and declared it was years since he had
eaten such chicken pie lie might,
with equal truth, have said he had never
eaten such chicken pie, for the crust was
tough as well as burned, and Kate had
been in a reverie while making as well as
baking. so she had forgotten the salt, and
it was indeed very poor pie But what
is it that Virgil says-''Love seasons all
things m-even chicken pie.
So Charley ate it lust as if it was his
mothers best. and Kate was radiant with
happiness.
After dinner, Mr.. Prentice said slyly 10
his wife, It's all right. A man must be
thoroughly in love with y woman to eat
such pie rs that with so good 4 grace
And ii was all right. Out under the
stars that night katie's reverie came true
and Charley told her once more that he
loved chicken pie, and her a great deal
better, and that she only must make it for
him all his life, and they decided about
the cottage, and Hates dreams that night
were a medley Of cottages and bridal
dresses. and chicken pie.
II.
They had been married y year, and the
honeymoon had shone rs steadily as if it
had been heightened by dispensaton
But it waned at last, as it always does,
and the conflict of life begun.
Hates great grief was that Charley had
a mother Not but that in the course Of
nature he would have been expected to
and Charley had become wholly possess
ed with the idea that no one could cook
like his mother. Now Kate had made a
long visit to the mother soon after her
marriage, and with herteaching and loves
assistance rendering her the aptest of
pupils. Kate had really become quite a
cook herself. To this mother. who was
in truth n rare cook, Kate told the story
of that first chicken pie. And she took
lessons now most humblv, not scorning
advice as 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 nc"
So then the housekeeping began. Oh,
how brave the little woman was How
She worked and worked in the kitchen
day after day to make the dainticS to
please Charley, and Charley would come
home and pay no heed to the flushed and
weary face, and eat the goodies in silence
taking all as a matter of course. His
mother had been such a cook it was moth
inc new to him he didn't stop to think
that what was easy for mother was hard
enough tor little Kate. But worse still, half
the time it was:
Kate, | do wish you would getmother
to teach you to make this. She used to
make it so it would melt in your mouth.
This is no more like it than if it hadn't
the same name"
Kate would bear up under these con
trasts, which he, man that he was. never
dreamed she minded, till he was safely
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 oil
the old days, when everything was am
brosia if she made it, I'm try chicken
pie. Mother herself says | can make that
equal to her.
No sooner said than done, and when it
came out of the oven, 4 triumph Of art,
Kate laughed herself as she contrasted it
with that other one, and reflected Poor
fellow, how could he eat that unsalted,
burned up thing"
She gathered a few flowers to adorm
her table, and even put on her French
print to look q little roster herself and
then when all was ready, tried TO look as
if nothing was the matter-:ls if nothing
had happened but what happened every
day; tried to keep her foolish 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 hurriedly, did chance TO notice the
bright new dress, but did not think TO say
tondly. "This for my sake DEAR" but
only said, SCOT company?n
And then, as he threw himself into his
dining chair
''Oh. chicken pie hey?' and then ate
on in silence.
Kate tried to be cheerful, though the
tears were well nigh bursting from her
dropping lids.
He said not a SINGLE word about the
dinner till he moved back from the table,
and then he said
ITS no use talking. tell you what it
il, Kate, nobody can make chicken pie
but my mother - and this was his parting
word
When Kate was alone she dill not cry.
She walked the floor with clenched fists,
and vowed elf she ever married again it
should be a man that never had a motherr'
And she felt so weary Of the struggle, and
she cursed the whole race of men, and
stamped her pretty foot, and bit her lips,
and said, 'they were thankless wretchesn'
And she almost wished she had taught
school all her days, and never had any
thing to do with any of them Then at
last tears came, and after that of course
she felt BETTER and began to find excuses
for him, and said, after all. she knew he
, did not mean it, And then she tried to
t think what she could do next, and then
i she struck a bright idea, and she began
n | to c,Oila-ap1 lppu Iafora (tbo,1o,- anna