Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-10-09
What the deuce brough,

in tears-what woman would notP-
which speedily brought Geordie to re
pentance. He assured her he was really
glad to see her back; he promised any
num5erof char-womcn and laundresses
new table-linen and new crockery, il
she would only leave off weeping
which was manifestly upsetting to hi'
nerves and made him feel the brute he
was, and finally the shower passed
over under the pledge of a new silb
and new hymn and psalm book, articles
that she had long coverted.
Mindful of the fruits of victory, she
Immediately began tour of inspection
and enumeration of damages, while
her husband stood meeklv by. pocket
book in hand. and noted her demands.
Meantime strange odor peWaded the
kitchen and saluted her noStrils. Va
rious inquiries failed to reveal any
cause therefor. Geordie thought il
might be a new brand of tobacco he
was smoking, for Donald, down at the
shop, had gotten out of twist and sent
up paper of Cavendish instead. Sud
denly she threw open the cupboard
door, when stood revealed the forgot
ten dishes of half-cooked, but now de-
caying, mouldy, and fermenting rice!
George McTavish! what the world
does this meanP" exclaimed his spouse
between wonderment and anger, &C
companied by warning sniff.
"Hum - all -- oh - the dickens.
Hang it all, Sadie, | was making scme
rice-soup the other day, and the grocer
made mistake and put up new
kind of rice-the South American
think they call it-and it"
"Why, George! thought you knew
better than that! You put too much in
the pot-that was the trouble"
No, | did not! 1t was a new kind
South American, Brazilian, or some
thing of that sort"
Nonsense, George McTavish, Don't
tell me! You just used too much
that's all. You can't deceive me with
your humbug. You know and ! know
that you used too much rice Why,
you did not even have the sense to
wash it, and the dirt sticks out all
OVERT
"Confound it, Sadie! Do you think
| don't know how to make rice-soupp'
"That | do! and, what is more,
know you don'tr'
But | tell you it was a new kind
Fudge! Tell me nothing. Have
not | got eyes? You got too much;
that is all there is about it! And if
you say any more, I'll tell the story
where it will do the most good. Your
old cronies would be only too glad to
get hold of the story to pay YOU off for
old scores, after all the boasting you
have done. You a cook-a man that
can toast poor little trout on bit of
bark, or roasts n potato in the ashes,
and calls that cookingr' and her nose
assumed an angle of forty-iive, calcu-
lated to express alike contempt and
disdain.
This was too much. Geordie came
over to my quarters for consolation,
acknowledging himself beaten at every
turn. The joke was good one, but it
must be reserved for his own telling.
And so | was sworn to secrecy, while
he declared he would vet convince
Mistress 5. that she was in the wrong
and he did
A month or so later Mistress Sadie
her lord that if he would
provide the rice, she would undertake
a soup that would prove satisfactory,
adding, with spice of Mother Eve,
''And FL show you how to make it,
George, so that you won't get caught
in nasty scrape, like that last again"
"All right, Sadie! Live and learn,
you know; and really that did appear
to be bad fluke of mine" And off he
went to the grocer, where a pound of
rice was got and deposited in the capa-
cious recesses of his coat; then another
of like dimensions, and placed
in the opposite pocket. Back he came.
and marching into the kitchen one
package was delivered into his wife's
hands, with: Nov show me how you
do it, Sadie" "
She tore open one corner of the |
package, after the manner of her sex,
shook little into a tea-cup, washed it,
drained, and emptied into the pot
"Poohr' said her spouse: II don't |
see any thing strange about that. You |
wash the rice, which don't matter in |
the least anyway, and use quite bit |
more than did" And as she turned !
to place the package in the cupboard,
he whipped out its fellow, that was
already opened, and poured the entire
into the kettle, then retired to
the garden to await developments.
In time loud scream, proceeding |
from the kitchen, announced the sue
,ess of the plot. He rushed back to
ind his wife standing before the fire,
with uplifted hands, amazed and help
ess. watching the rice pouring over
he top of the pot and travelling over
he stove in all directions. ''0h George !
-George-the ricen' she exclaimed, as
,he sank into a chair. Geordie prompt
" seized the offending utensil, and
sent it flying where it had gone once
before under like circumstances, and
hen turning to his wife, with a
much abused air, said: There now,
sadie hope you will believe me anoth-
,r time. told you it was a new kind
If ricem
For three years Geordie kept the secret
we'll. But one evening before an assem-
)led company he told the story as here
narrated. When he begun, Sadie" was
1uzzled- there was no joke so far as
he knew But when he told how he
,laced the extra pound in the poi and
he result it wrought, She burst into
auphter and shr.eked: MAY | aever!
The fool | was-l believed him. It'd
piIS