Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-08-30

ment. Harry drew up formidable
looking document. He and Belle signe
first; underneath the children wrote j
regular order, and one of them gleefull
put the pen between the baby's chubb
fingers and guided them to make hi
mark.
Then we reduced the regular routin
of work to perfect system, and every da.
Cousin Belle was to devote her spare TIM
to learning some one new thing
Monday morning came. The hous'
was in perfect order Belle says cheerily
"well, Kitty, what is the juvenile pupi
to learn today
"What would you like :"
If could only make such bread a:
you used to have at your house. 1t wa
the very poetry of food. Mine is sour
or it won't rise, or something is the mat
ter with it half the time, 50 that it ism
fit to cat"
Belle" said ! profoundly, "haven''
you learned from Tyndall, and Huxley,
and Maria Mitchell, and the Popular
.Scicmce MoathIy, that making bread is a
chemical process, and that every chemlc-
al process is governed by certain fixed, un-
chaugeable laws -
Belle looked little bewildered; then
smiling archly, said:
IL haven't devoted much time to chem
istry for the last ten years"
"Ycs, that's the trouble" said | i,
hasn't been chemistry, but something
else beginning with &C. viz: chance.
Now. given your ingredients, combined
in a certain manner. and as an absolute
result your bread is just as sure TO rise as
the sun to rise in the east. You can
keep it down unless you pu; milestone
on it. | suppose, Belle, you have wasted
some food in your experiments -
".Some if you could see the bread and
pies and cakes have thrown away you
would be borrifed. sometimes think
we shall come to want as punishment.
"Well, we won't waste any more. In
six lessons you can learn to make as
good bread as anybody, or you are not
the bright woman think you are. So
this week we will make bread every day.
Of course we cannot eat it all, but what
we don't want We will give to the poor.
And so every day sat by the table
and gave Belle instructions, while the
pretty hands, which even hard work could
not deface, moulded the loaves which
came out of the oven snowy white within,
delicate brown without-the sweet and
odorous staff of life. Saturday left her
to her own devices, and don't believe
she blushed more when Harry proposed
to her than when he gave her the highest
praise u man can offer" That is just as
good as my mothers" Poor Harry
What digestion he must have had to
begin with, and what b,te noir "my
mothers bread" is to many a young
housekeeper !,
SO here was one great trouble disposed
of. Like many other troubles in life, it
needed only to be grappled with, and it
disappeared.
But how, in the meantime, did it fare
with the order of the house:
Disorder is chronic trouble; some
times needs sharp alternative to break
it up.
Tuesday afternoon l saw something in
the parlor which made me sit down and
think a little. The result was 3 note,
thus:
Dear Hary-Will you come down
TO the house as soon as ycu can conven-
iently In great haste, KITTY"
Down came Harry at pace like the
lope of California horse. Breathless he
rushed in.
Is Belle sick =
mo" | replied; "but come into the
parlor moment
Now that he was here, confess that
was little afraid Of the result. Men
have so much amour propre, and do so
hate to be made ridiculous, that i felt as
if | had drawn the elephant in a rattle
and didn't know what to do with it.
Harry" said ], severely, "do you re-
member our contract, and the duty Of
parents to set a good example :"
could see glimmer Of suspicion in
his face. Then | made a desperate
plunge.
Look over on the sofa. only sent
for you to hang up your overcoat."
Pause, awful to me, while Harry vi
brated between anger and merriment.
Finally, good fellow that he was, he sat
back in his chair and laughed heartily.
kitty, I'll pay you for this, if live.
The idea of getting a man home from his
office to hang up his covercoat What
will you bet that you don't catch me
again.
Bet. You are demoralizing: have
lived in New York, and seen Jerome
Park; have been in Saratoga, and
heard about the races, but l have never
made a bet. However, Just to make up
with you, Harry, I'll bet the price Of that
new china set which Belle looked at so
lovingly the other day"
Very well" said Harry, but you
see if she gets it."
After this it was source of much 81
lent amusement to Belle and myself to
see Harry every morning sauntering care
lessly around the room, as if he had nc
object whatever; but slyly looking Out
of the corners of his eyes to see if any
thing Of his was astray. and then pounc.
ing upon the offending article, like the
eagle upon his prey. ! lost my bet.
And now descended we, at one fell
swoop. from aesthetics to-potatoes.