The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-04-14


she? Sucha capital idea! What do you
think? We are each of us to get up
dinner" cried Kate Farley, looking in.
Come and hear about it only l stipu-
late that mine shall be last"
81 protest." said Lawrence, as they
Joined the group, "against the practice
of any such mysteries, Wilder and me ex-
Guided"
THAT'S right" chimed in Wilder, the
young millionaire, who had been added
to the party for the sake Of equipoise
Mr. Wilder" said Cousin Fanny,
sepulchrally, "somc day when you are
cast away on desert island, and your
wife cannot even make johnny-cake-"
"Does that desert island mean matri-
mony?" asked Louise, slyly, of Cousin
Fanny.
"And when cast away nit" said Mrs.
Hounslow, els it that the cook and the
house-maids have struck hands and
struck work."
Well, if this is to be-" said Lawrence,
"you will at any rate intersperse pud-
dings with picnics, roasts with rides,
marmalades with moonlight-are there
any more alliteratives, Miss Louise?"
AS much" said his mother, I" as you
can intersperse in a weeks gale"
It's ridiculous" said Flora, turning
away now with young Wilder. q wish
there wasn't any such thing as kitchen"
"And yet" said Mrs. Hounslow, look
ing after her reflectively, 81 should
think she would have genius for coo'-
cry; she has cooks build-the typical
cooks"
Lawrence's eyes were blazing, but his
mother went calmly on. Well, it's an
experiment, said she. "We shall have
to suffer for it--n0uS GutreS What a
whipped cream, and sugar in the mayon-
naise-but Floras will be good"
Good enough" said Cousin Fanny,
with sniff. ANY glutton must cook"
The storm setting in Justify, there was
a fine season for the amateur cooks, who
were going about with culinary literature
next day, like nuns with their missals,
Lawrence said. Enchanted into book
worms, we are to eat our way through
these Volumes" he said.
The first dinner was of course an alb
surb failure, being Hates; but they made
so merry over it that it seemed, as Kate
declared, better than if it had been good.
Louise replaced it on the following day
by one as exquisite as any little French
dinner, so perfectly prepared and so per-
fectly served that Lawrence looked with
an amazed respect at the little being in
his mothers place, whose genius had or
dered it all, and who was as composed
as if she had merely threaded her needle.
The next day it was Miss Furlong's turn;
and certainly more bewitching picture
of a cook than she made, with her hair
tied under the prettiest of caps, her soft
arms bare with all their dimples, and
her white apron wrapping her from head
to foot, could hardly be drawn
Mrs. Hounslow," said young Wilder,
81 never knew jollier idea than this
sitting in judgment on pretty caps and
choice dishes"
" A fine way to be stayed with fiagons
and comforted with apples" said Law
renee.
"Well," said his mother, "there are
Flora's and some others in reserve; and
after them what do you say to dinner
by Cousin Fanny?"
would be peppery," said Lawrence,
for the estimable lady had not yet come
down.
And tart" said Mr.. Wilder.
"And well seasoned" said Lawrence
again.
pastry short and bread crusty," said
Mr.. Wilder.
"For shame" exclaimed Louise and
Kate. Gas if any crumb of 1t would not
be dish fit for the gods"
but why should this affair be so one
sided?" asked Mr.. Wilder.
True enough. Men command high
wages as cooks" said Lawrence Why
should we let such IL chance go by? l
have made up my mind: if these young
ladies are to be sequestrated, for one
shall join the sequestration. Miss Fur
long, put on paper cap and serve
with you to-day. Wilder, set your cap
for tomorrow and Miss Maria Not a
word to the griffin. Here she comes
You see we are waiting for you, Cousin
Fanny and Hebe is up.bearer. They
also serve who only stand and wait. ."
And so they all went out to breakfast.
If the cook had assisted Louise the
least in the world it was owing to the
young lady's witcheries. But Miss Fur
long had no witchery for cooks, and the
assistance vouchsafcd her came in the
whitening manner of science toward ig-
norance, and was scorned. And although
she and Lawrence began the play in the
greatest spirits, long ere anything APP
proacted completion Miss Furlong had
become so heated, so flushed and frowzy,
so greasy and floury, so smirched as to
her dainty dress, and so smeared as to
her lovely face, that the occasion grew
melancholy. Then the water boiled
away, the fire got too low, afterward got
too strong; she burned her arms and
scalded her fingers; she grew excited,
stamped her feet, became furious when
sauce ran over, and capped the climax
by slapping the cook in the face, who
went to Mrs. Hounslow in great fury
and gave warning AS one revelation
after another of this sort of sweetness
and light unrolled itself Lawrence
looked at the beauty with wider and
wider eyes, and at last escaped, with the
cook, from the Disseminating vision An
hour after the time dinner was served,
and Miss Furlonp rather red and bloWsv