Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-12-08
THE MINISTER'S PIE.

''Look here, Sallyw
Mrs. Deacon Farrell brushed the flour
from her hands, casting meanwhile q
cOmplacent eye over the well-filled
kitchen table, with its generous array
of unbaked pies and cakes, the plump
turkey stuffed and trussed ready for
the morrow's baking, and the big
chicken pie. to which her skillful fin
gers had just put the finishing touches,
as she repeated rather more decidedly
"Look here, Sally! There's enough
chicken left, with the giblets-that 1
never put in my own pie because the
deacon don't relish 'em-ter make a
Thanksgiving pie for the minister's
folks. 'Twon't need ter be very large"
she added, in reply to Sally's doubtful
look; "only the minister and his wife
and you can bake it in that smallest
yaller dish"
"Now, I'm going up stairs to look
over them rug-rags, an you make it an
bake it right off, soft can send it over
by the deacon. He's got ter go out to
Corner this afternoon, an can take it
along as we'll as not"
She hustled out of 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 a good parcel of
gravy; that'll keep it from bein' dry, if
it's 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 upon the mould
board.
AS the stairway-door closed behind
her mistress, Sally dropped the rolling
pin, and a look of perplexity crept
over her dull face, while she repeated,
in ludicrous bewilderment--
"Giblets? What, in all creation, if
anybody can tell me- does she mean
by them ?"
Involuntarily she took step for
ward, but checked herself as quickly,
while a cunning smile replaced the
look of perplexity, and she muttered
triumphantly-
II guess [ amt a-goin' ter confess
my ignorance to the deacon's wife, an
hear her say, sas she always does,
two terms to the 'cademy, Sally,
an not know that = No ma'am not
while there's dictionary in the
house"
So,softly creeping intothe adjoining sit
ting-room, Sally hastily opened the big
dictionary on the deacon's writing desk
and began her search for the mysteri-
Gus word.
"G-i-b-here tits !'' and she read
aloud to herself, with an air of triumph,
the following definition:
"Those parts of a fowl that are re-
moved before cooking-the heart, giz-
zard, liver, etc."
"1hat's itl-'heart, it gizzard, liver,
and so forth " she repeated, joyfully,
as she retraced her steps to the
kitchen, and began, with great alacrity,
to fill, according to directions, the
ministers pie; keeping up meanwhile,
running fire OF comment for her own
special benefit.
"Six gizzards Well, that is rather
steep as Dan Watson would say. But
[ guess the deacon's wife knows: if she
don't faint none O. my business. Six
hearts Them's small, and tuck into
the corners handy. Six ivers !Seem's s
ter me they don't fill up much" and
she glanced with a perplexed air at a
pile of denuded chicken-bones that
! formed her only resource.
''Now I wonder" with sudden in
spiration, "what that and so forth
meanal Here's --'hearts, gizzards and
livers,' plenty OF 'em, but no 'and 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. I never
knew nobody to put 'em in pie, but
that must be what it means, an they'll
just fllu
No sooner thought than done In
went the three pairs Of stout yellow legs
upon which their unfortunate owners
had strutted so proudly on the day be-
fore. On went the well-rolled dough,
covering them from sight, and in the
oven went the ministers pie, just as
the mistress of the house re-entered heT
kitchen, and with an approving glance
at the snowy pastry, remarked encour-
agingly.
''That pie looks real neat, Sally.
shouldn't wonder if in time you came
Ito be quite a cook"
1t was Thanksgiving morning, and
Miss Patience Pringle stooa at the
minister's back door. To be sure i
was rather early for callers, but Miss
Patience was, as she often boasted
zone of the kind that never stood OF
ceremony" Indeed, she didn't con
siderer it necessary even to knock be
fore she entered the door, although sh,
was thoughtful enough in opening it tt