Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-06-27

VIII XIII her. she ISM strong enough, and
besides she don't know how. o, dear, If l
could get up and take hold myself; 1 can't
bo reconcled TO lying here when there's so
much to dor
To soOthe his wife, Mr. Whitaker prom
ised to try once more, and finally drove
into the yard in triumph, seated on small
hair trunk. The owner of the trunk, an
actual "girl," in propria persona, band
box in hand, sitting in state on the seat be-
hind him.
The new girls name was Luna, "palo
Luna" Ned called her. She was tall and
bony, wore her hair cut short in the neck,
and reioiced in bass voice that was per-
petual surprise to the family. Luna soon
developed ways that, if not "dark" were
decidedly uncomfortable. Ned always de-
clned pie after he once saw Luna, as she
cut each piece, draw the knife blade through
her mouth to "cleanse" 1t. No matter
what she had previously been doing, she
stirred Mrs. Whitaker's beef tea with her
Finger without going through the ceremo-
ny of washing her hands, and tasted II
freely with the spoon soon offered to the
invalid. She told Susan that she
liked TO make bread, "it takes the CRIME
off your hands so nice" Under her adj
ministration, the appetites of the Whita-
kers dwindled alarmingly. Susan, who
saw the most of Luna's cooking, lived en-
tirely on crackers.
When Mrs. Whitaker heard that Luna
prepared the potatoes for dinner in the
wash hand basin, and put the best tea
knives soaking in the bottom of the pan
while she did the other dishes, tea knives,
whose glossy handles were Mrs. Whita-
ker's rrde,-her indignation knew no
bounds.
~ won't have her in the house another
minute l cant sleep till she's out of it
The idea My best tea knives I've been
so particular never even to damp the ham
dies, and put hem away in tissue paper,
and now they are ruined Do get her out
of the house before she spoils everything
in it and poisons us ALL"
Luna went. Susan cleaned up the house,
aud prayed, whatever other calamity might
be in store for them, they might at least be
spared another girl. Susan was much bet
ter now. Her mothers illness had taken
her out of herself, and obliged her 10 make
some exertion. She went into housework
with will, equally surprised and pleased
to find herself really good for something.
Ned helped her all he could, and novel
were some of the experiments of what
Ned called the ''new girls"
One day Susan decided TO have baked
beans for dinner. She put something like
two quarts boiling. BY and by, looking
in the pot, she was dismayed by finding it
full Of beans to the very brim. She took
out nearly half, but still the beans contin-
ued 10 swell beyond her widest forebod-
ings. Ned came into dinner 10 find an i'm
mense dish of baked beans crowning the
dinner table, while several pans of the
same agreeable edibles in various stages OF
doneness, were standing around the kitcii-
| en-.
! "Whe-ew!'' exclaimed Ned. you're a
good provider, Sue, but seems to me you
are rather OVERRIDING this bean business |
ieel about beans as the old lady's hired
man did about liver. He liked it well
enough for fifty or sixty days, but didn't
care about il for steady diet"
Don't laugh, Ned" said poor Sue. look
ing anxious and exhausted. "rve had a
really dreadful time with the things. |
positively believe three beans would have
been enough"
Susan usually had very good success
with her bread, but one day there arose an
nforescen complication. The sponge had
soured in the night.
Ned" she said, "did you ever notice
h ow much soda mother uses when the
sponge is sour? I'm sure don't know"
"Nor |. / guess she just stirs II in till il
tastes all right"
She put in large teaspoonful OF soda.
Then she and Ned both tasted and smelled
it.
'"Tan't right yet" said Ned, with an air
of wisdom and experience. Dab in some
more.''
In went another spoonful. Another test.
ing by the cooks.
at tastes smaity," said Sue. 81 believe
shall put in another spoonful"
After getting in four spooniuls, they con-
cluded it would do
The bread came out of the oven "A deer
yellow brown in color, and exhaling an
overpowering odor of soda. Sue made bis
cults for tea, and the pigs reveled in new
bread for supper that night. Ned, being
implicated, swore solemn secrecy; and as
he used triumpbantly TO observe, "itdidn't
kill the pigs, either
But Susan's experiences were not all 80
disastrous. Mrs. Whitaker was quite as
tonished to see how woll things went on
She began to think Susan was natural
cook. Daughters of such notable house
keepers as Mrs. Whitaker are apt to be
"natural cooks" Order and method is
the rule of the house, and they adopt in
stinctively, mothers way of doing things
A certa in deftness and skill is hereditary
with them. Perhaps if Susan had, as she
sometimes wish ed in the old dreamy days,
been an authoress, her proudest triumphs
would have given her no deeper thrill OF
pleasure than when her father said:
"Susan, this is really capital squash
pie. If your mother don't look out, you
will beat her yet. Just give me another
piece"
One day Ned astonished Sue with bona
tide compliment.
''Suc, you're growing handsome" said
he.
She thought Ned was making fun OF her,
thereby, for once, doing him an injustice
for there Is no surer cosmetic and beauti-
fer than homework, when not carried to
excess. No amount Of dumb-bells, flesh
brushes, constitutional walks and drives,
can give the energy, the brisk circulation
and cheerful tone to body and mind that
comes from the vigorous and varied exer-
else OF housework. She flew briskly