The Press., 1884-01-03
 THE IDEAL BEEFSTEAK.

THE IDEAL BEEFsTEAK. s.
 Any one can cook beefsteak-in his
 mind. As a matter of fact, 1t requires an
 artist ts do it; and this view is shar. d by
 correspondent, who writes "A member
 of my own family has brought the cooking
 of this article of food to perfection. The first r quirement is not so much tender
 and juicy steak, though this is always de-
 voutly to be desired, but a glowing bed of
 coals, wire gridiron, stout one with good sized wires, double one so that you
 can turn the steak without touching if.
 The steak should be pounded only in ex treme cases, when it is too thick and is
 'strlngy. Attempt nothing else when cook
 ,ng the steak, and have everything ready
 for the table, the roasted potatoes and
 vegetables all being in their respective
 dishes 1n the warmest closet or oven, with
 doors left open little way. From ten
 minutes onwald is needed to cook the
 steak. The time must depend upon the
 size, and you can easily tell by the color
 of the gravy, which runs from the steak
 when gently press with knife, as to its
 condition. If the mas CT of the house likes 1t rare done. when there is suspicious
 brown gravy with the red it will be safe to infer that 1t is done enough for him. If. as IS gen rally the case, the next stage is the favorlte one, remove the steak from the grid ron, the instant the gravy is of light brown. Remove it to g hot platter, pep per and salt 1t to suit your taste, put on small Jumps of butter and then for two brief moments cover 1t with hot plate, the two moments being sufficient to carry 1t to the table. One absolutely essential factor in the preparation of good beefsteak Is that 1t must be served at once. If you can impress 1t upol your cook that he is not to let the steak stand and steam while he Is doing other things, you will be likely to receive your reward for so doing.'
 Ourieux an anecdote told him by the late Henri Didier, who was deputy under the second empire. Didier's father was secre- tary of the ministry of the interior at the time when the duchesse de Berri was ar rest d at Nantes at the end of her attempt to raise the country against Louis Philip and Ill favor of her son, the Comte de Chamford. The traitor Deutz agreed to sell to the government the secret of her hiding place for 500, ,OOO francs, and it was tn" elder Didier's duty to pay the scotin- drel for his dirty work. He took his Son Henri into the office and said "Look we'll now at what passes, and never forget 1t. You will learn what 'ache is, and the method of paying him." Dtutz was then brought into the room where M. Didier was standing behind his desk, on which was placed two packets, each of which contain. 250,0 francs. As Deutz near fd the d-sk, M. Didier made sign for hlm to stop. Then taking pair of tongs he extended the packets one after the oth- nr tho hnr,I In lz AL Not word was spoken. and when the transfer was effected M Didier pointed to the door.
 Speaker Carlisle's agony over the dr. of congressional committees has recall d story of Schuyler Colfax and John Morrissey, when the former was speaker and the latter had just abandoned pugilism for statesmanship. Morrissey en- tered the speakers room one day, when MT. Colfax was working busily at the for nation of committees, and, placing box , box of the best brand of cigars sold, and hope you w'll "ccept it as pr sent from ne ' Co.fax thanked him, and then Nor :issey continued "And now, MT. Speak ,r, want you to do me a favor." Colfax tt onc- put himself on guard "What I " ant, added the other, ''is for you to put ne on the committee which has the least work and holds the fewest meetings." Oh, will, I assure you, I will, with pleasure !' exclaimed the delighted speak 1T, sure, now, of satisfying at least one nan and he put Morrlssey at the tail-end 'f the committee on revolutionary pen ions.
 Judge J. Holt gives the following esti- nate of the notorious Mrs. Surratt "I hink she was the master spirit among hem all. She was woman of unusual lerve and also of unusual intelligence. During that trial her b. havior was firm, Ter ,erve unshaken, and she saw her la ger and the methods of meeting the ,raver evidence. believe that she kept hose men up to their work-that Booth himself was inferior to her in purpose. The mat ria's of the conspiracy were in general common. Mrs. Surrat was the so. ial center of the whole affair. She kept he rendezvous, she gave shelter to the thers, she went out and found board for hem, she drove the carriage out to her avern, where the arms aud accessories lad been hidden within few hours of the rime. I consider her the center of tue 
 pOT cur ;,