Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-12-20
COOKING FOR n HUsB.r.rD.


heard Of young lady the other day up
In Middle Tennessee. The story told about
her did my soul good, For years past, as
n mere matter of form, the officers of the
County Fair had been in the habit Of offer
ing premium to the lady (unmarried)
cooking the best dinner. II was dead
letter. Nobody Lad contested for the pre-
MUM within the memory of the oldest in
habitant. This year, however, the young
lady of whom I am speaking determined
to compete for the prize. Her name-I wish
/ could immortalize twas Kate Janaway.
The fair men set up stove for her, stretch
ed IA canvas to shield her from the sun, and
about eleven o'clock of the last day she
went to work. The matter had been talk
ed about by every one In the neighbor-
hood, and curiosity was on tiptoe. y crowd
collected around the place where the stove
was set up early in the morning, and kept
increasing, but when Miss Kate herself, n
buxom, handsome girl of nineteen, daugh-
ter of the ex-Mayor Of the town, appeared
on the ground, and, putting on white
apron and rolling up her sleeves, com-
menced operations, all other attractions
were nothing. Every one 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 better view.
The branches were finally so burdened that
one by one they broke, precipitating those
upon them to the ground, until only one
man was left in the tree. lie sat in lofty
&, ,,.ftI 1, ri nj hplnW
No amount of persuasion by those beneath
him, envious of his better view, could in
duce him to come down-even bribe of
ten dollars failed. He said he was bound
tu see or die. Meanwhile the dinner prep
arations went on apace. The savory smell
of the cooking food seemed to intoxcate
the crowd, which pressed nearer and near
grounds to keep order. The time arrived
for the trottiug match, announced as the
sport of the day, but tho amphitheater was
empty. The judges with the exception of
one grabbed old widower,, the timers, all
were missing, and so nothing could be
done. At half-pas. two the dinner was an
nounced ready, and the judges, happy men,
seated themselves at the table-the crowd
regarding them with ill-disguised envy.
a roast of beef, delicatey done, was put
steaming upon the table, then followed
corn pudding, whose delicate aroma fell
upon the olfactories of the excited crowd
like breezes of Araby the blest = a pro-
fusion of vegetables, cooked to perfection,
followed next. The judges ate and ate,
,i ia, 9 . nd lao Cls
of the cook at every moulhful. But when
at last a desert of piping hot apple-dump-
lings made its appearance, the forbearance
of the crowd was at an end. They broke
through the ropes into the ring with one
accord, and the dumplings disappeared in
Il trice.
One old fellow, proprietor of u store and
owner ofa big suw-mill, proposed to the
young lady on the spot, but he was quick
ly collared and led oil the ground by two
| younger aspirants, who made common
| cause against the aged Suitor, saw-mill and
all. That young lady was the center of at
| traction in her town afIer the cooking fea-
| She received twenty-five offers of marriage
the III 4 wec., and her fame spread through
| an lllt country lOullhs an 'l'i b'NliN4'-
fellow down in Grundy County, with Il
farm so big that it takes him all day to ride
around it, and cattle on a hundred hills,
heard Of her, and made pilgrimage all the
way to that town to learn the truth. ilf
got the girl, too, although scmc OF the
young men of the place sued out writ o
hdbedS corpus to prevent her being carried
out of the county. They were too late.
This is. am aware, rather sad ending
for so good story, but devotion to the
truth compels me to give nothing but the
simple, unvarnished reality.
She ought to have married that fellow
who sat up there in the crotch Of the tree
so long, aud at such fearful discomfort
He wanted her, and lie was poor, bilious
dyspeptic, whom her splendid cookin!
would have soon restored TO usefulnes
and society; but hc was poor. Ah'-Lou
isriNc courier.