Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-03-20
POLLY'S PIES.

Inc CLOCK STRUCK Glroe, anu IKE a
punctual fate, Polly, with shovel in
hand, flung wide the oven door. For
hours that laboratory had been work,
unseen of mortal eye, and the fragrance
compounded of spice, of sugar, of crust
ed LOAF and savory fowl, which now
foated forth and filed the kitchen, told
the result. Far through the house
spread the delicious Whit, and stir
and hustle overhead announced that
some one recognized the signal and
knew that the baking was done.
In and out travelled the busy shovel,
till the inner depth, where yet red
glow fingered, was reached, gave up its
last treasure, and Polly, making fan
of her apron, stood before the table to
inspect the results. There they were
arranged in due order, the loaves brown
and white, the rolls, the cracking pork
and beans, the election cake, that diff
cult dainty over whose precarious for
tunes she mad watched till midnight,
the twenty pies, gold, brown and
cranberry red, toothsome mince and
translucent apple, custard fecked with
cinnamon, tarts, open-mouthed and
gaping for the friendly jam and IN
the midst, it's disc-ike yellow chicken,
pie, to whose composition had gone
such wealth of cream, of celery, Of fat
ted pullets, as is not often met with
outside the Pursall farm. With some
thing of feeling of general at the
head of his battalion, Polly reviewed
her forces, noting here and there a
specially crisp edging, and in her own
mind apportioninG this and that to
Uncle Nathan or Aunt Sapphira. and
those to grace to-morrow's dinner, for
I" tomorrow " was New England's
special day-that ''great day of the
feast in behalf of which Governors
are wont to make proclamation and
neighbors to vie in friendly zeal of
housewifery, and kind remembrance
of those who have no portion Of their
own.
& Yes, said Polly, half aloud, that
Will be best for the Bulger children, L
guess. The crust is little too brown,
but they won't mind that, and it's so
big. Then old Aunt Piggett shall have
this and that one I'll send"
An approaching footstep cut short
the soliloquy, and blushing rosy red,
she caught up one special pie and hur-
ried it into the table drawer Next
moment her mother entered.
g Well, Polly, done ?"
Z" Yes, mother, come and look at
them"
They made pleasant picture, that
mother and daughter, as they stood side
by side before that long ironing table
Mrs. Pursall was tall and erect, the
very model of a farmers wife. Strong,
sweet, with face unfurrowed by the
wheels Of that light team, care and
worrS who drive SO heavily over female
good looks in our country, and smile
undimmed and bright, it was easy to
vision forth the bonny bride who thirty
years before had passed through that
door on her wedding morning, to be
henceforth the Joy and comfort Of all
within. And beside her stood the
vision renewed in her early youth, the
same eyes of happy blue, the same
dlmpled cheeks, the same capable
hands; for Mrs. P. was noted house
wife, and Polly inherited the gift in
full measure. 1t was with little heart
beat that she now watched her mothers
critical survey, and the nod with which
it concluded. IS
g First-rate, dear; I never saw bet
ter. And what lot of them Some
are to send away, I suppose 2" E .
" Oh yes, indeed; it would take us a
month to eat them all. See, mother,
these are the ones [ picked out for our
seIves--for tomorrow and Sunday, you
know. And he others are for different
folks-Old Kate, and uncle Nat, and
the Burgers, and so on. Don't you
think was lucky in my loaf Of cake %
. Indeed you were, and it's trying
cake, too. Suppose you frost a couple
of the loaves for tomorrow evening,
and put the others away in the tin. You
must be sure and wrap them up well.
Did you ask anybody to come in the
evening besides the Watson's and jim? "
g No ma'am-that is-yes," began
Polly, flushing and fustered, &C I mean
[ didn't ask, but when Phil Ralston
was here in the summer, he said he
should drop in if he could, and | told
him we'd be happy to see him" ...s
"Oh, well, replied Mrs. P, too in
tent upon the pies to detect the weak
points of this lucid explanation, that
was so long ago that very likely he's
forgot all about it. But Phil is always
welcome anyhow"
Polly said nothing. In her secret
soul she did not really believe Phil had
forgotten.
How distinctly aforementioned about
that promise. All through that vaca-
ton so vaguely alluded to " as in the
summer" they had been together, Phil
and she, gardening at a rate of a mig
nionette seed to twenty minutes con
versation-" botanizing;" Heaven save
The mark Polly hardly knew the diff
ference between q pistll and q pistol