St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-01-31
Cooking for a Husband.

SOOhAH6 AoA q - oSoehAN.
| heard of Il young lady the other day
up in Middle Tennessee. The story
told about her did my soul good. For
yeaIs past. as IL matter of form, the
officers of the County Fair have been i'll
the habit of offering premium to the
lady (unmarriedD cooking the best din
ncr. 1t was dead letter. Nobody
had contested for the premium within
the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
This year. however, the young lady of
whom | am speaking determined to
compete for the prize. Her name l
wish could immortalize twas Kate
Janeway.
The fair men set up Il stove for her,
stretched a canvass to shield her from
the sun. and about elevel o'clock of the
last day she went to work.
The matter had been talked about by
every one i'll the neighborhood. and Gu
riosity was on tiptoe. A crowd collect
ed around the place where the stove
was set up early in the morning. and
kept increasing, but when Miss Kate
herself, huxom, handsome girl of
nineteen, daughter of the cx-Mayor of
the town, appeared on the ground. and.
putting on il white apron and rolling
up her sleeves, commenced operations.
oil ,tI..r Ii,,r
Every one was eager to see so novel a
sight.
There was a tree near by which soon
became black with spectators who had
climbed up To get Il better view. The
branches We're finally So burdened that
one 10y one they broke, precipitating
them upon the ground. until only one
man was left in the tree He sat in "A
lofty fork. with ewes riveted on the
scene below. No amount of persuasion
10y those beneath him, envious of his
better view, could induce him to come
dOWn-cven bride of ten dollars
failed. He said he was bound to see or
die.
Meanwhile the dinner preparations
went on apace. The savory smell of
the cooking food seemed to intoxicate
the crowd, which pressed nearer and
nearer. 1t took all the police force on
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 one
Grabbed old widower,) the timers. all
were missing, and so nothing could be
done.
At half-past two the dinner was an
nounced ready. and the Judges. happy
men, seated themselves at the table
the crowd regarding them with i'll dis
guiSed envy. a roast of beef. delicate
~ done. was put steaming upon the ia
bile, then followed corn pudding. whose
delicate aroma fell upon the olfactories
of the excited crowd like breezes of
Araby the hlest : profusion of vcge-
tables, cooked to perfection. followed
next. The Judges ate and ate. praising
the flavor of the food and the skill of
the cock at every mouthful. But when
at last dessert of piping hot apple
dumplings made its appearance. the
forbearance of the crowd was mt an end.
They broke through the ropes with one
accord. and the dumplings disappeared
in trice.
One old fellow, proprietor of a store
and owner of Il big saw mill, proposed
t" the young lady on the spot, but he
WAS quickly collared and led off the
ground by two young aspirants, who
made common cause against the aged
suitor, saw-mill and all.
The young lady was the centre of at
traction ill her town after the cooking
feat. She received twenty-five offers
of marriage in the first week, and her
fame spread through all the country
round. An old bachelor fellow down
Ill Grundy County, with farm so big
that it takes him all day to ride around
it. and cattle on Il hundred hills. heard
of her. and made a pilgrimage all the
way To that town to learn the truth
He got the girl. too, although some of
the young men of the place sued out a
writ OF hdbms corpeaS to prevent her
being carried out of the country. They
were too late.
| This is. | am aware. a rather sad end
ing for so good Il story, but devotion to
the truth compels me to give nothing
but the simple. unvarnisheI reality.
She ought to have married that fell
lew who sat up there i'll the crotch of
the tree S, long, and at such fearful dis
comfort. He wanted her, and he was
poor bilious dyspeptic, whom her
splendid cooking would have soon re-
stored to usefulness and society but
he was poor, All.