St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-07-19
Youths Department.
A GOOD RULE.

years old was very different from most
| little girls of that age IN thinking my
| Judgment sometimes better than that
of nv mother. This error was the cause
of a great deal of modification to me
once, and through it ] learned lesson
which have never forgotten.
Mother was. an excellent cook, and
was very proud of the high reputation
her table had acquired. The food she
prepared was always wholesome; her
cake light, and her pie-crust fi"ky. Her
plainest buildings were pronounced de-
Iicious, and housekeepers never ate her
minneapolis without asking her for the
recipe In fact everything that came out
of her oven was good, and failure
seemed impossible, no matter how hur-
riedly she put the ingredients of her
dishes together. We lived in q large
oId-fashioned house in the country, and
as my father was very hospitable man
and our house was on the high road be-
tween two large towns, we frequently
had company over night. And no one
ever left without paying mother
compliment on her cookery.
One evening in May, just as mother
had lighted the lamp and seated herself
to do some mending, father came in
with tall, good-looking, elderly man.
whom he introduced as Mr.. Styles, a
manufacturer from the neighboring
town of Brockton. Of course, mother
began to busy herself at once in prepar-
ing supper for the stranger, and soon
had the table spread with a repast which
was eft for king" as the saying goes.
MIR. STYLES did ample justice to it. In
fact, he ate so much that he thought it
nessary to make some sort of an apol-
ogy.
ton of these good things, Mrs. Barr
| he said, as he rose from the table. 81
don't know when I have enjoyed meal
more"
Mother looked very much pleased,
and when he went on to say that he
had heard frequently of her skill in
cooking. her face became fairly
radiant.
81 wish you would tell me what
dishes you particularly fancy, Mr..
Styles, that may make them for your
breakfast" she said. II thoroughly
enjoy giving people what they like
best.''
Il don't believe you could make any
thing that Iwculd not like, Mrs. Barr, "
said our guest, gallantly, ''but | think
| should particularly enjoy some corn
bread. haven't tasted any that suit
ed me since left home,. twenty years
ago."
81 have always had good luck with my
corn-bread, though don'tmake it very
often. MIR. Barr and the children pre-
fer -four"
''Thank you," said MIR. Styles. 81
shall look forward to treat. y
just before going to bed heard
| mother tell my eldest brother that he
must get up early the next morning
4 and make fire in the brick furnace.
knew what that meant; she had evil
! IDENTITY determined that the corn-bread
should be even better than usual; for
the brick oven was used only on rare
occasions when she was anxious that
things should be particularly well
baked.
'sHow much trouble mother is tax
ing" / thought as went upstairs,
sand nobody but Mr.. Styles to eat the
i corn-bread a ter it is made
The brick oven was in q she'd which
opened out of the kitchen, and when |
came down the next morning found
| mother hard at work in there.
s'You should have been up long be.
fore this, Jenny" she said, reproVingly.
II need your help this morning. Come,
make haste and set the table now. But
first, run down cellar, and get me four
eggs for the corn bread
-Four eggs" repeated. ''Why,
thought you never put in more than
two.
sThis is an extra OCCASION said
mother. ''Run along, and don't worry
me with questions.
AS I passed through the kitchen on
nv way to the cellar, saw Dash and
Hero. Joe's two big dogs, standing in
the open doorway, looking Wistfully al
| a pile of bones on the kitchen table
They wagged their tails and barked as
I spoke to them, and called to mother
to know if / couldn't give them the
bones.
"Gracious, MOP she answered. g
want those bones for soup. I've go
something else for the dogs, but
haven't time to feed them now. They
will have to wait until after breakfast.
When I had set the table, and
skinned the milk, went to carry il
the breakfast. Mother was on hel
knees taking the dishes from the oven.
and on the floor by her side were twt
baking-pans exactly alike containing !
loaf of corn-bread.
Here she said, pushing one of tn
pans toward me. s'put that on tn
breakfast table, and this pushing for
ward the other, Sin the kitcheD
As carried the two pans away 4
struck me that the corn-hread in the oil