Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-05-21
Che family Circle.
The Arithmetic of Gingerbread.

The Arithmetic OF Gingerbread.
R-u-d--m-e-n-t-s, rudiments, spelled
Katy. B'lieve I'll find out what that
horrid fractions, and she started to look
means this very minute; it's bettr'n these
for the word in the worn old Webster's
Unabridged that papa had banished from
his handsome shelves to the children's
room upstairs.
Poor Katy she had been droning wearl-
ly through the rules for multiplication and
division of fractions all the long afternoon
study hour. 1t was Just the DEAREST part
of the whole book. Case first,-To multi
ply fraction by a whole number. Case
second,-To multiply a whole number by
fraction. vThese were the very worst,
scarcely exceeded by the corresponding
rules for division, and Katy had just about
worn out her brown eyes crying over the
cases in which you multiplied by the num-
orator and divided by the dcnomnator, or
multiplied by the denominator and divided
by the numerator.
1t is Just the hatefulest old study in
school, mamma, said Katy to her mother
who passed through the room and looked
askance at Katy's red eyes,-the very
hardest one to see any use in. cont
suppose III ever in all my life have to
multiply or divide whole number by
fraction; hope not, any way. | despise
halves and quarters of things so awfulty.
Mamma didn't reply. but YEARLY threw
kept in the nursery, with very dark
circles about her eyes, and very pale,
tired face.
Do you believe, Katy, you could 90
down and stir up some ginger cakes for
teap Christine is hurrying with her iron
ing, and Mary must take baby while | go
and sleep off, if possible, this miserable
headache" said Mrs. Richards, only half
opening her weary eyes.
o, yes, mamma, anything is better than
these hateful rudimcnts. | looked that
up Just now in Webster. First begin
nings, ii says; only I think it's hard
enough TO be the last endings; but seeing no
Frightening in her mothers eye, she has
tened to help her down into her own room.
Then with gentle hand she settled the pill
lows comfortably saturated handkerchief
with camphor, closed the shutters, and ran
softly down still another flight of stair.
into the basement kitchen.
Christine, I'm TO make ginger cakes for
tea all my own self. Mamma said so and
she's gone to lie down and sleep off her
headache, and mustn't be disturbed, said
Katy, half afraid that Christine might
hunt up confirmation of the ginger cake
business. 1t was something new, certain
ly, to turn this harum scarum little crea-
ture loose in the pantry to rummage the
spice boxes, and break up the cream in
the cellar in her search for sour milk
But with large families, there are times
when the work crowds fearfully, and the
only way is to press more hands into the
service, not minding always if they are
unskilled ones.
Veil, Mees Katy, please keep tie muss-
ODER dare in tie sink so mooce as you can,
said Christine, evidently not ubilant at
the prospect of cleaning up after little
girls baking; au' don't leaf tie wet spoon
in tie soda, nor drip tie sour milk roun te
clean cellar It's dare in te big jar unter
te window.
Katy got down the gem-irons the first
thing. creased them with Mary's patent
griddle-greaser Ga pine stick plentifully
supplied with cotton rags at one enD;
then climbed up to the shelf where the
book of recipes was kept.
Meeses Vite's soft ginger cake is vat
you wants, Mees Katy, and we takes
double of the receipt said Christine. quot
ing an expression familiar to Yankee
cooks.
That's Just two of everything. know.
and Katy tossed her curls with an air of
conscious greatness.
Two times one cup of molasses, here
bat E,1. I'll
soda.-that's four spoons. My but don't
it foam up beautifully! Two spoons gin
ger in two-thirds of a cup of hot water
no-oh dear! 1t is the soda that ought to
go in the hot water. and-oh, horrors! it's
two times two-thirds of a cup of hot wa
ter. Well, now! If those hateful frac-
tions aren't right here in this gingerbread
Christine, oh, Christine! cried Katy in des-
pair. Come and tell me how much is two
times two-thirds of IL cup! But Christine,
alas had already gone upstairs with her
basket of white, freshly-ironcd clothes
poised on her head.
Two times two-thirds of cup. Why,
it must be more n one cup, and vet it says |
of a cup. lit wasn't for that, I'd 90 and
get two cups and fill them each two-thirds |
full; but it cant be only two times two
thirds of q cup, that's one cup. And the
poor little girl found herself in worse
deeps, even, than ever she had fathomed
in the Rudiments,
Ned came into the kitchen at that mo-
ment. his books flung over his shoulder,
and Katy's face lighted up. She could APP
peal to him. But when she asked him how
much two times two-thirls of cup could |
be, Ned, with all a boys wisdom, gave
answer like this:
Two times two-thirds? Case of multi
plying fraction by n whole number.
Rule: Multiply the numerater of the frac-
ton by the whole number and place the
result over the denomination.
Two times two-thirds are four thirds.
Improper fraction. Reduce to whole or
mixed number, Rule: Divide the numer-
ator by the denomination. Three is in four
once and one-third over. One cup and
one third of a cup.
But it says of a cup, Ned Who'd ever
think that of a cup meant part of two
cupsP argued Katy, in despairing tone
Well i didn't write the receipt-book, Kit,
and besides, that's grammar, not arith-
metic, and I'm not up in grammar. And
Ned, wisely refraining from venturing
beyond his attainments, went up stairs to
put away his books
Who'd ever "a thought of such thing,
Katy to herselfthat Rudiments
would come handy in making ginger
cakesp
The family ate them hot for supper that
night, despite Dr. bio Lewis and all the
laws of health, and pronounced them very
fine cakes indeed What thew lacked in
ginger (you see Katy, in her perplexity
over the hot water, forgot TO double the
ginger) papa made up in praise, and, as
mammals headache was gone, they all
were happy.
Katy was early at school the next morn
ing, and, shying up to the teachers desk,
she said:
Miss johnson, you looked as, if you
thought | was either crazy or stupid the
other day, when l said didn't believe
Rudiments were in anything in the world
You see, meant in anything we do or
make Rut I've come tn foil u0I, thot J,ro