Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1872-11-15
Scene at a Fair.

A YOUNG LADY COOKING FOR A PREMIUM
A correspondent of the Louisville Courier
Journal, writing from Memphis gives the
amusing description of young lady's cook
ing at an agricultural fair, to secure eDe
cial premium
A TRUE STORY.
heard Of 4 young lady the other day up in
Middle Tennessee who, as river men say. has
taken another chute. The story told about
her did my soul good, and for the comfort OIL
other half-starved dyspeptics like myself,
whose tardy sustentation is effected by
means of fried chicken, soggy biscuits,
greasy hash and soe-leather fritteFs. I'll
relate it. For years past, as mere matter
Of form-something handed down from re-
mote antiquity-the officers Of the caanty
fair held in the neighborhood where this
young lady lived have been in the habit of
offering Premium to tho (unmarried) cook
ing the best dinner. It was dead letter
Nobody had contested for the premium With
in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
This year, however, the young lady Of whom
| am speaking determined to compete for
fthe prize. Her aname-I wish could i'm
mortalize twas Kate JanaEay. The fair
men set up stove for her, stretched Z can
vass to shield her from the sun, and about
eleven o'clock of the last day she went to
work. The matter had been talked about
BY every one in the neighborhood. ard curl
osity was on tip toe. A crowd collected
around the place whore the stove was act up
early in the morning aud Increasing, but
when Miss Kate herself, buxom hand
some girl of nineteen, daughter of the ex-
Mayor Of the town, appeared on the ground,
and putting on white apron and rolling up
her sleeves commenced operations, oil other
attractions were nothing. Every ooe was
eager to see SO novel sight There was a
tree near by which soon became black With
spectators who had climbed up to get bet
ter view The branches we're, finally, so
burdened that one BY one they broke, pre-
cipitating those upen them to the ground,
until only one man was left in the trea.
He sat in lofty fork with eyes rivetsd on
the scene below. No amount of persuasion
BY those beneath, envious Of bis better view,
could induce him to come down-ovon
bride of ten dollars failed He said be vas
bound to see or die. Meanwhile
THE DINNER
preparations went on apace. The favory
smell of the cooking food seemed to intoxi-
cate the crowd which pressed nearer and
nearer. 1t took all the police force OH the
grounds to keep order The time arrived (
for the trotting match, announced as the
sport of the day, but the amphitheater was
empty. The judges with the exception Of
ore grabbed old widower,) of the time, all
were missing. and SO nothing could be done.
AT half past two the dinner was announced
ready, and the judges, happy men, seated
themselves at the table-the crowd regard
ing them With illdisguised envy. a roast
of beef, delicasely done, was put s;camiug
hot upon the table, then followed corn pul-
ding, whose delicate aroma fell upot tho
olfactories Of the excited crowd ''lke breezss
of Araby the blest; profuson Of vegeta
bles, cooked to perfection, followed next
The judges ate and ate, prasing the flavor
Of the food and the skill of the cook st every
mouthful. But when, at last, a desert Of
piping hot spple dumplings made its appear
ance the forbearance of the crowd was at an
end. They broke through tho ropes into
the ring with one accord, and the dun pings
disappeared in a thrice
One old fellow, proprietor of q store aud
owner Of a big w-mill proposed to the young
lady on the spot, but he was quickly colared
and led off the grounds by two younger aspi
rants, who made common cause against the
aged sutton, saw-mill and all. That young
lady was the centre of attraction in her town
after the cooking feat. She received twen-
ty.fve offers Of marriage the first week. and
her fame spread through all the country
round. An old bachelor fellow do~n in
Grundy county, with farm SO big that it
takes him all day to ride around it. and cat
tie on hundred hills, heard of her, aud
made pilgrimage ali tue way to that town
to learn the truth. He got the girl, too,
although some Of the young men Of the
place sued out writ of habeas corpus to
prevent her being carried out of the county.
They were too late.
This is, I am aware, rather sad, ending
for so good story, but devotion t. the
truth compels me to give nothing hut the
simple unvarnished reality.
She ought to have married that fellow
who set up there in the crotch of the tree so
long and At such fearful discomfort. He
wanted her, and he was a poor bilious dys-
peptic whom her splendid cooking would
have soon restored to usefulness and society,
but he was poor. All!