Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-06-23
sg1omth's GnlMnl1.
THE ARITHMETIC OF GINGER
BREAD.

"R-u-d-i-m -e-n-t-s, rudiments. SPELL
ed Katy. "B'lieve I'll find out what
that means this very minute it's bet
tern these horrid fractions" and she
started to look 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
YEARLY through the rules for mukpli-
cation and division of fractions all the
long afternoon study-hour. Cease First
TO multiply a fraction by whole
number. Case Second-To multiply
whole number by fraction" These
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 numerator and
divided by the denominator, or multi
piled by the denominator and divided
by the numerator.
at 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. l don't
suppose I'll ever in all my life have to
multiply or divide whole number by a
fraction hope not, any way. | despise
halves and quarters of things so aw-
fully"
Mamma didn't reply, but YEARLY
threw herself down on the little bed that
was kept in the Dursery, with very dark
circles about her eyes, and pale, tired
face.
"Do you believe, Katy, you could 60
down and stir up some ginger cakes for
tea Christine is hurrying with her IRON
ing, and Mary must take baby while I
60 and sleep of, if possible, this miser-
able headache said Mrs. Richards,
only half opening her weary eyelids.
80 yes, mamma, anything is better
than these hateful rudiments. | looked
that up just now in Webster. First be
ginnings,' it says; only l think it's hard
enough to be the last endings ;" but see-
ing no frightening in her mothers eye
she fastened to help her down into hel
room. Then with gentle hand she set
tied the pillows comfortably, saturated g
handkerchief with camphor, closed the
shutters, and ran softly down still
another fight of steps into the basemen
kitchen.
christine, I'm to make ginger cakes
for tea, all my own self. Mamma sale
so, and she's gone to lie down and sleeI
off her headache, and mustn't be dis
turbed," said Katy, half afraid tina
Christine might hunt up confirmation O.
the gingerbread business. 1t was some
thing new, certainly, to turn this harum
scarum little creature loose in the pan
: try to rummage the spice boxes, ant
break up the cream in the cellar in he
search for sour milk. But, with larg
families, there are times when the worl
, crowds teartuIIy, and the only way is t.
, press more hands into the service, no
minding always if they are unskille
ones.
"Vell Mees Katy, please keep tie mus
, ODER dare in tie sink as mooch as 20
kim" said Christine, evidently not jubi
: liant at the prospect of cleaning up afte
| a little girls baking; "an' don't lea
= te wet spoon in tie soda, nor drip te sou
milk 'roun te clean cellar. It's dar
r in te big jar unter te window"
= Katy got down the gem-irons for th
r first thing. creased them with Mary
3 patent griddle-greaser "a pine stick pier
: tifully supplied with cotton rags at or
n end) then climbed up to the shelf whel
e the book of recipes was kept
y "'Meeses Vite's soft ginger.cake'
y vat you wants, Mees Katy, an we tax,
double of the receipt said Christir
quoting an expression familiar to Yal
kee cooks.
"That's just two of everything.
> KNOX," and Katy tossed her curls vii
an air of conscious greatness.
1.-TWO times one cup of molasses-
: here goes that. Two times two spoo
fuls of soda-that's four spoons. Ny
: but doesn't it foam up beautifully T1
spoons ginger in two-thirds of a cup
- hot water-no-oh, dear 1t is the so,
e that ought to 60 in the hot water, and
-, oh, horrors it's ta0o times taoo-thir
of cup of hot water. Well, now
> those hateful fractions aren't right he
:, in this gingerbread ! Christine, o Chr
:. tine cried Katy in despair. Come a
tell me how much is two times two thir
g of cup!'' But Christine. alas
:: already gone upstairs, with her basl
! of white, freshly ironed clothes pois
on her head.
= 1.-Two times two-thirds of a cup. WI
y it must be more'n one cup. and yet
says of a cup If 'twasn't for that,
he 60 and get two cups and fill them ca
n two-thirds full but it can't be only t
RS times two-thirds of cup-that's {
Il 81