Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-11-09
COOKING A DINNER.

How a Tennessee Girl Created q Sensation.
Memphis Correspondent Of tho Oourisr- Iournal.l
heard Of young lady the other day up In
Middle Fenuessee who, as river men soy, mas
taken another chute, The story told about
her did my soul good, and for the comfort OF
other halt-starved dyspeptlcs like myself,
whose tardy eustenaton IL effected by means
Of fried chicken, sOgry blscuits, Rreasy hash
and soleleathor fritters, I'll relate It. For
years past as a mere matter OF form-some-
thing handed down from remote Antiquity
the officers Of the county fair held 10 the
neighbOrhood where this young lady lived
have been In the habit Of offering premium
to the lady (unmarrled) cooking the best
dinner. II was a dead letter. Nobody had
contested for the premium within the memory
of the oldest inha6itant. This year however,
the young lady Of whom am speaking de-
tormlned to compete for the prize. Her name
i wish could lmmortallZe Twas Kate
Janaway. The fair mon set up . stove for
hOr, stretched canvas 10 shield her from
the sun, and about II o'clock OF the last day
she went TO work. The matter had been
talked about by every one 10 the neighbor-
hood and curiosity was on tip-toe. A crowd
| collected around the place where tho stove
was set up early In tho morning, and Kept
| increasing, but when Miss Kate herself, n
| buXOm, handsome girl Of nineteen, daughter
Of the eX.mayOr OF the town, appeared on
| the ground, and, putting on white apron
aud rolling up her sleeves commenced OPP
CREATIONS, all other attractions were nothing.
| Every one was eager TO sec so novel sight.
There was tree near by which soon be-
| came black with spectators who had climbed
up to get better view. The branches were,
/ finally, so buTdened that one by one they
broke, preclpltating those upon them to the
ground, hutil only one man was left In the
| tree. He sat In alofty fork, with eyes rlveted
/ on the scene below. No amount Of persua-
sion by those beneath, enylous of his better
view, could induce him to come down-eyon
/ a brlbe Of 80 failed. He said he was bound
| TO see or die. Meanwhile the dinner prepa-
ratlOns went on lpaco. The savOTy smell OF
the cooking food seemed to intoxlcalc the
| crowd, which pressed nearer. Il took all
| the police force on the grounds to keep or
der. The time arrived for the trOttlng-
match, announced as the sport of the day,
/ but the amphitheatrc was empty, The Judges
/ with the exception OF one Grabbed old
wldOwer) tho timers, oil were missing, and
| so nothing could DO done. At $50 the din
ner was announced ready, and the Judges,
happy men, seated themselves at the table
the crowd regarding them with illdisguised
envy. A roast Of beef, dClicately done, was
put Eteaming hot upon the table, then fol.
lowed cOrn.pudding, whose delicate aroma
fell upon the olfactOrles Of the excited crowd,
| like broeEes OF Araby the blesi;" a IFOfusiou
Of vegetables cooked to perfection followed
next. The judges ate aud ate, pTalsfnIg the
\ havOr OF the food nnu the skill OF the coon
at every mouthful. But when q dessert oil
piping hot apple-dumplings made It's appear
anco the foTbearanco OF the crowd was at ~
end. They broke through the ropes into the
ring with one accord, end the dumpllngi
disappeared In trice,
Que old fellow, proprietor Of q store anC
owner Of big saw-mill, proposed TO tht
young lady on the spot, but he was quickly
cOllared aud led OF the grounds by TIVE
younger asplrants, who made common caus,
against the aged sultOr, saw-mill and oil
That young lady was the centre Of attraction
IN her town after the cooking feat. She ~
cclved twenty-five Offers Of marriage the frs
week, and her fame spread through all tn
country round. An old bachelor fellow dow
In Grundy county, with farm so big that
takes him all day to ride around Ii, and cattl
on a hundred hills, heard OF her, and made
pilgrimage all the way to that town To lear
the truth. He got the girl, too, althOug
some Of the young men Of the place sued gu
q writ Of hdbedS corpus to prevent her beln
caHIcd out Of tho county. They were TO
late
This Is, l am aware, q rather sad ending ia
so good a story, but devotion to the trut
compels me TO give nothing but thu simple
unvarnlshod reality.
She ought to have married that fellow VIII
got up thorc In the crotch Of the tree so long
and at such fearful discomfort. He wante
her, aud he was poor, bilious dyspcptl,
whom her splendid cooking would soon hay
restored TO usefulness and society, but he wa
poor. All