Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-17

why don't you tell him all thatP'
asked Fannie.
"Why, if were to hint that his
mothers cooking might not be the
best known on earth we should
quarrel" said Penelope. ALREADY
am so sick of that continual repetition
of homemade bread that | want to
shrek when l hear it. tried to make
batch, and Bridget tried to make
another; the result was not encourag-
ing"
81 don't know what you are to do,
Penelope" sighed Fannie.
Resist tyranny from the first" said
Persis.
81 know what you ought to do, said
Fleda. ''Ask his mother down. Let
her cook for you month. She'll do
it. She'll just know how her poor boy
suffers from want of proper nourish-
ment. She'll come and you will see. u
81 don't know but what you are
right" said Penelope. my sister-in.
law knows all her ways now and is ole
enough to be left in charge and Ma
Chapone just adores Laurence. Per
haps | can learn how to do all those
greasy things and make four kinds OF
hot bread every day. I'd do anything
to make Laurence happy"
Remember. put it into your head, .
said Fleda. ''lf am rather young yet
and don't like Mrs. Hateman's lectures
and do read fairy tales 1 have an
original idea or two now and then"
And shortly after the three girls tied
on their bonnets and went home and
Mrs. Laurence Chapone sat down to
write letter to her mother-in-law.
"Your mother is here" said Pene.
lope one afternoon as her husband
entered the dining-room. "She is
out in the kitchen getting you up one
of her dinners. | wrote, dear, and
asked her to come and teach me her
WAYS"
you are an angel" said Laurence.
"Dear mother, what a perfect wo-
man she is! And if you can approach
her in cooking"
Then he rushed out into the kitchen,
where, amidst the steak and smell OF
frying shone his mothers round and
rosy face.
Were just dishing the pot-roast.
DEAR" said she, "and it's beautifully
larded with the pork. And you shall
have apple fritters to-day. There
wasn't quite time for apple dumplings.
Wheat bread and biscuit, Indian and
rye, all turned out we'll. And I've just
tossed up cheese pudding and got
the chocolate right. Biddy is as smart
as can be to learn"
with an Elegant cook like yourself
to the fore it's pleasure, marm," said
Biddy. 81 haven't seen such lashings
since | come from Ballybofay."
And SO, with smiles and pleasant
talk, the four weeks visit and the
meals his mother cooked began.
1t occurred to Penelope sometimes
that they principally lived on butter,
lard drippings, and sweet oil. The
very soup was covered with little
globules of fat. The Miss of the frying
pan awoke her at dawn. There were
jars of 'oily cooks''-vulgarly called
doughnuts-On the shelves.
Before she went to bed Mrs. Chapone
cheered her son with chocolate of the
richest sort and Welsh rare bit or with
lobster salad and coffee with beaten
eggs.
Penelope took her lessons patiently
and lived in a world of smoke and
frizzle, devoted the hours she had
spent over her muslins to beating
eggs or stirring plum buildings, adopt
ing cooking aprons permanently, and
was never free from headache.
Laurence also complained of his
head, but his devoted wife never hint
ed that a whole mince pie after fried
scallops galore for breakfast might be
the cause of it.
eve haven seen anything of Pene-
lope for an age" said Cousin Persis
one day. Cant you run over, FledaP
you have nothing to do"
'Oh, as to nothing to do" said
Fleda-"But I'll CO." And she went.
When she reached PeneIope's fiat
the door was ajar and she entered un-
announced. There was no one in the
parlor, but from the dining-room she
heard Penelopes voice:
"Can't you eat anything, dearP"
"a little weak tea and slice of dry
toast-no BUTTER" replied another
voice-that of Laurence-but never
had it been so lugubrious.
sBut Laurence, dear, [ can cook
everything in your mothers style now,"
said Penelope. Won't you have a few
frittersP"
''Frittersi" cried Laurence, with an
expression of disgust.
"And there is still mince pie, can
heat it at once" said Penelope.
Don't mention mince pie," said
Laurence. MY dear, this is excel
lent"
''And for dinnerP" said Penelope.
Some plain boiled mutton, stale
bakers bread. and some oranges"
said Laurence.
Fleda smothered a laugh as she
made her appearance in the dining
room.
Laurence was very yellow. His nose
was red and there were pimples at the
corners of his mouth. Penelope's skin
was little rougA and her eyes not as
bright as usual
''How do you do, Laurence?" Fleda
said.
''Not WELL" said Laurence.
"Nor l." said Penelope.
1--WE are both bilious" said Laurence;
"but we are in the doctors hands and
shall get over it no doubt. Good-by,
dear; don't go into that hot kitchen to-
dav; Bridget can quite manage our
plain dinner. Remember-no sweets
nor fats-none of those greasy messes.
We must diet"
"Well?" said Fleda looking at her
cousin.
Il took your advice, DEAR" said
Penelope, land Ma Chapone has been
cooking for US for month, and so kind,
so sweet she has been, and | have