The Republican journal., 1881-12-08
MY Experience as Cook.

BY THE AUTHOR OF 'MARRYING A FARMER"
"Confound such trash !" | exclaimed,
as threw down the newspaper ! had
been reading, and took up a medical
work Instead
my saucy sister, Jenny, as she picked up
the offending paper and laid it carefully
IN Its appropriate place.
'Why, here is long story that men
cannot cook"
"And can they y
"What a question OF course they can,
if they will bring their minds down to
such tritiing employments. Can your
hands accomplish anything that mine
cannot ?' and / held up my ten digits,
shaped and colored like her own.
But this Writer-I have read the
story"-she replied, ''makes out her case
from the ignorance Of her hero, not his
incapacity' y
Exactly! but how long would it take
a man OF common sense and the least OBJ
ServatlOn, to learn to prepare a meal
am sure could do so now, and you know
! am seldom in the kitchen, and when
am. my thoughts are always on more i'm
portant matter"
Jennie smiled demurely as she replied
''Perhaps you could; but | must go
there now, for Anna has been called
away to-day, and it is her week to help
mamma, and mine in The chambers SO
have double duty, YOU see = and she went
out, leaving me to wonder why authors
would write and editors publish such un-
reasonable stuff.
My mother was a pattern housekeeper,
and since my fathers death two years
had managed, with the help Of my two
sisters, to do without a servant, for our
family Of four persons. Our home was
situated in a small village, where | was
born, and where | now was practicing
medicine with considerable success.
''This is delicious corn bread, mother. y
| said, at the tea table, helping myself to
second square; "did You make it, OF
did Jenny?"
Jenny made it" she replied, with a
glance Of appreciation at my sister "She
is learning very fast; | shall give her the
pastry when next week comes around"
go, ma there is no use talking about
learning to cook to Edward; he thinks a
knowledge Of that employment comes
naturally to all-boys as we'll as girls
and that he could prepare a meal now, if
be would only bring his mind down to
such a trit1ing occupation"
every likely" was the reply, "and
then make this corn-bread, you relish so
well p
The easiest thing in the world,
mother. First, | would take that square
board moulding board" suggested
Jenny y "no matter for the name, so long
as ] know its use," l replied con that |
should set pan Of meal, and to the meal
should add some liquid to make it moist,
and then roll it out on the board and put
it in the dripper, and into the oven to
bake. There, Miss Jenny what do you
think now :"
Patty cake, patty-cake, bakers man
So will, master, as fast as can
Role it. and prick it, and mark il with T,
And toss it in the oven for Tommy and me,
recited the monkey. But my mother, in
her gentle manner, gave me a verbal re-
cipe, then and there: and being little
nettled at my self important sister,
treasured it tenaciously, determined to
show her, at some future time, that con-
ceit was the most prominent fault in her
character. A few days later, the family
received an invitation to double we'd
ding, Of some cousins, in an adjoining
State. A week was the shortest time in
which the trip could be accomplished.
and | could not think of leaving my pa
tients so long; but my mother and sisters
could go, certainly
"But who will cook for you?" my
mother asked.
edward Cooper, of course !" replied,
IF he cannot cook enough for one to eat,
for one week, have greatly Overrated his
powers"
Mother and Anna objected strongly,
and each insisted upon remaining; but
Jenny-some punishment will overtake
that girl yet declared that it was pre-
posterous for anyone to remain, just to
keep house for me
''Eie thinks he can cook as we'll as any
Of US, and, of course, he knows what he
can do" she said, with droll look at
Anna. Their scruples were overcome at
last, and the next day had the satisfac
tio;l of assisting them into the stage coach,
on their way to the railroad, ten miles
away.
For day or two | enjoyed my solids
ant bachelors hall immensely. There
was no necessity for cooking anything but
meat, potatoes, tea and coffee, and sue
ceeded admirably The steak was rather
dry and tough, from an old or poor ami
NAL, undoubtedly. And my first cup of
tea was decidedly bad. | could not i'm
agine why for put in just the hespecitied
quantity-I was particular to ascertain
the measure of tea and cotfee-and boiled
it all the time my potatoes were baking.
Still it was bitter, dark and astringent,
instead of the fragrant, amber colored
beverage my mother usually placed before
me. But half the quantity was an i'm
provement, and | prided myself on my
economy.
The coffee was better until the third
morning, when | put in stale egg by
mistake but that was no loss as ] told
myself, it would teach lie to be more
examined each one carefully.
One morning, | resolved to have some
fried eggs for breakfast, and the first one
took up, having a suspicious look, to
test it, | shook it near my ear, when
pop went the abominable thing, and ear,
beard and mouth were sprinkled with
the unfragrant liquid. Faugh. | can
smell it yet! But that was not all for
stepping back to reach the hand basin,
trod on Jenny's cat-I wonder if cats are
possessed by an evil spirit land to save
the squallng brute, hurr;edly raised my
foot, and planted it square in the egg
basket, tangled the other in the handle,
and measured five feet and ten inches on
the kitchen floor, to the horror of the
wretched cat, that fled, splitting and
swelling, to the garret, satisfied, no doubt,
with what she had done.
| kicked the basket from my feet, and