Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-11-25
THE MINISTER'S PIE.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.

Look here, Sally!"
Mrs. Deacon Farrell brushed the -four
from her hands, casting meanwhile a
com placent eye over the Well-filled
kitchen table, with its generous array OF
unbaked pies and cakes, the plump tur-
key stuffed and trnssed ready for the
morrow's baking, and the big chicken
pie to which her skillful fingers had Just
PIT the finishing touches, as she re-
p, ated rather more decidedly:
Lock here. Sallyi There's enough
CHICKEN lets, with the giblets-that I
never put in my own pie, because the
deacon don't relish 'em-ter make
Thanksgiving pie for the minister's
folks. 'Twon't need ter be very large,n
she added, in reply to Sally's doubtful
look. stOnly the minister and his wife
AM you can bake it in that smallest
yaller dish.
Now, I'm goin' upstairs ter look
over them rug-rags, an you make it an
bake it right off. so't / can send it over
by the deacon. He's got ter go out to
the Corner this afternoon. an can take
it along as well as not"
She hustled out If the door, but the
next moment, seized perhaps with a
sudden pang of cOmpunction, she put
her head in again, to say, warningly:
Be sure you put in good parcel of
gravy; that'll keep it from bein' dry, if
tits half giblets."
Yes'm." answered sally, briskly;
and catching up the rolling-pin she
brought it down with an emphasis upon
a lump of dough on the mold-board.
As the stairway door closed behind
her mistress, Sally dropped the rolling
pin, and a look of perplexity crept over
her dull face, making it ten times more
stolid than usual, while she repeated, in
ludicrous bewilderment:
'tGibletsl What, in all creation, if
anybody can tell me, does she mean by
thempn
Involuntarily she took step forward,
but checked herself as quickly, while
cunning smile replaced the look of per-
plexity, and she muttered triumph
antly:
81 guess amt a-agoin' ter confess my
ignorance ter the deacon's wife, an hear
her say, as she always does, Two terms
to the 'cademy, Sally, an not know
thatr No. ma'am! not while there's
dictionary in the houser'
So, softly creeping into the adjoining
sitting-room, Sally hastily opened the
big dictionary on the deacon's writing
desk, and began her search Tor the mys-
teriOuS word
"G-i-b-here 'tisI" and she read aloud
to herself, with an air of triumph, the
following definition:
Those parts of fowl that are re-
moved before cooking-the heart, giz-
zard, liver, etc."
That's it!-sheart, gizzard, liver,
and so FORTH" she repeated, joyfully,
and she retraced her steps to the kitchen,
and began, with great alacrity, to fill,
according to directions, the minister's
pie; keeping up, meanwhile, running
fire of comment for her own special
benefit.
Six gizzardsl Well, that is rather
Steep as Dan Watson would say. But
guess the deacon's wife knows; if she
don't, 'taint none o my business. Six
hearts! Them's small, and tuck into
the corners handy. Six livers! Seems
ter me they don't fill up much, "and she
glanced, with perplexed air, at a pile
of denuded chicken-b bones that formed
her only resource.
Now, 1 wonder" with sudden In
spiration' "what that and so forth
meantp Here's hearts. gizzards and
iivers,' plenty of 'em, but no sand SO
forth and the pie amt more'n two
thirds full yet. 1t must mean," and
she cast bewildered look at the half
filed pie, " the chickens legs. Inever
knew nobody ter put 'em in pie. but
that must be what it means, an they'll
just fill up"
b No sooner thought than done. In
went the three pairs of stout yellow legs
upon which their unfortunate owners
had strutted so proudly only a day be-
fore; on went the well-rolled dough,
covering them from sight, and into the
oven went the minister's pie, just as the
mistress OF the house re-entered her
kitchen, and with an apDrnving glance
at the. snowy pastry, remarked en-
couragingly:
THAT pie lookszreal meat, Sally.