, 1889-08-27
QUEENS CHEESE.

at is curious what mistakes they
make in history" said old Grandfather
Blackmore. Now this that is in your
book here about her majesty's cheese,
isn't true at all-that is, the general part
of it is true enough, but there's a mis-
take in particulars"
"And what was her majesty's cheese?'
asked Grandfather Blackmore's daugh-
ter-in-law-a Connecticut woman with
Yankee ancestors as far back as there
were any Yankees.
"Did you never heal of itT' cried
Grandfather Blackmore. "Well in
deedl Then I'll tell it you, though to be
sure you could read it yourself. 1t was
a cheese made in the year Al, in the vii
lage of Pinnard, Somersetshire, to pre-
sent to her majesty Queen Victoria, then
a young woman, and very much ad-
mired by her subjects.
1.-THE Pinnard ladies were all agog
about her, and to show their loyalty
they made up their minds to make one
of their famous cheeses, for almost every
county in England has a particular
cheese of its own, and Somersetshire
was not behindhand. So the wives
of all the well-to-do folk-gentlemen
farmers we call them-met together and
held a council, and 1877 subscribers were
called for, each to offer one meals milk
of her best COW for the making of the
cheese. And the 1877 ladies subscribed.
And a great vat was made with the
royal arms carved upon it and many
other things beside, and on the ami
versary of the queens coronation fifty
of them were to meet at Mr.. Nash's-
George Nash he was, and a fine man,
and a hearty-and all the offerings of
milk were to be received by them. 1t
would make twenty hogsheads, they
said, and it did, and it took them from
@ in the morning to 6 in the evening to
turn it to curd, and the largest and
finest and loveliest cheese it madel And
when it was ripened it was taken to
Buckingham palace and presented to her
majesty, who thanked them very gra-
ciously, and afterward sent the village a
present, though what it was 1 this min
ute forget. But about the cheese l am
so certain that l can point out a little
mistake. Now this book says that there
were 1877 messes of milk in the queens
cheese, and I can tell you there were
only 1885,"
"Why, how can you know, Father
Blackmore?" cried his daughter-in-law.
"Ill tell you" said the old man. "In
Pinnard, Somersetshire, there was a
widow lady, by name Mrs. L~utwoyche.
She had good blood in her veins, inc 1
could tell you all about it only you Yam
KEGS don't care for that sort of thing; but
she had very little money and only one
cow pretty creature, to be sure, but
giving very little milk. However, she
was one of the best folk of the place, and
and it would never do not to nave her
name on the list. So in it went. One of
the 1877 names that were put down for
the milk to make the queens cheese of
was Mrs. Sophy Lutwoyche. She vas
all alone in the world, poor lady, but for
her daughter Charlotte. They had a lit
tie house, and n little garden, and a little
servant, and the little COW l told you of,
and Charlotte was the prettiest little crea-
turel She had English blue eyes and her
skin was like cream, and l fell in love
with her the minute 1 saw her. 1 was
not a Somersetshire man, l came from
Devonshire, and Devonshire lassies are
called beauties. But Charlotte cut them
all out, and l followed her about as if l
had nothing else to do. The Widow Lut-
woyche didn't favor me much. She
thought me not quite high enough for
Charlotte, though l was to ave money.
But l did what l advise all men to do
when they want the daughter. l courted
the mother, and by the time the subscrip-
ton paper was taken about / was init
mate enough to be at the cottage at tea
time, and to know'that Mrs. Lutwoyche
was to have he honor of being one of
the ladies who was to go to Mrs. Nash's
dairy to make the curd. Their only
trouble was how to get the milk and
themselves over at . o'clock in the morn
ing without troubling the neighbors, for
everything that could be hired was hired
already. There was to be Notification on
the Nash place all day long, and butter
prints with the queens portrait on had
been made, and jelly molds like crowns,
and wreaths of flowers were to be hung
everywhere, for it was June and flowers
were plenty. 1t was to be a great merry
making indeed. Well, 1 had a chance to
do the widow a real favor at last, and 1
promised her that l would bring a vehicle
in which she could sit neatly dressed
with Charlotte beside her, and in which
the can could go, and that 1 myself would
drive, and / could stay through the day
and take them home again--that is, if
they'd do me the honor to permit me.
"She was well pleased, and 1 got my
FIRST hit of raal favor from her that dav