The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-05-03

would be all right. But he. was relieved
when she mentioned Jessie. He went to
the window at once, TO watch for some one
passing, by whom he could send word;
but, as no one came, he was obliged to
have little Trot 90 for the nearest ~neighbor
to stay with Katie while lie went after
jess.
He found that young lady willing to
come and take cafe Of her sister; but a
look the deacon did not quite understand,
or like, flashed into her face when the bee
was mentioned.
81 don't know. john" she said ''wheth-
er | can cook to suit you. You know that
| am rather particular about what | have
to work with, and my way may not be a
way you'd like
Now the deacon prided himself on
keeping a well-furnished store-room and
good kitchen garden, SO he smiled rather
complacently, and replied that if she was
obliged to prepare a different dinner to what
she would do at home, for lack of material
W WIN Will, lit 1Otilo UG odlicutd Will
whatever she did prepare.
1t was not until afterward that he under
stood the mischicvous look in her eyes as she
said: "You maker me that promise do your
He answered, Certainly" readily
enough, thinking, meanwhile, of the ex-
cellent dinners he had helped to eat that
Jessie had prepared.
The dinner. bell at the farm house rang
out cheerilY at a quarter of twelve next
day, and the deacon, with a satisfied look
at the amount of work accomplished,
threw down his rake, and, with his men,
started for the barn. Then he left them
to see to their teams, while he hurried to
katie's room. She was considerably bet
ter, and he was feeling very glad and CRATE
fnl. AS he fingered with her, Jessie's
voice suddenly called him to show the
men to the dining-room.
1t was very pleasant and cool in the
shaded room, suspiciously so; but the dea-
con never noticed that. He ed tue way
to the table, and when all were seated,
bowed his head reyerently; but the bless
ing lie was about to ask died away on his
lips, as his downward glance fell ON the
dish in front Of him, on which WAS taste
fully spread the pork-steak he had bought
the night before, and which, the deacon
was Mortified TO see, was still raw. Farther
down III the table was a dish Of early
potatoes, scraped and washed ready to
cook, kept in countenance by plates Of I'M
baked biscuit, dishes Of raw green peas,
unbaked pies, etc.
The deacon gave one hasty glance at
Jessie, but beyond a grave, anxious look
IN her eyes, her face expressed nothing of
her feelings as she said: II have done
as you asked me, John; got as good a din
ner as | could for your friends With the
material there was here. If it does not
suit you, please remember [ am not used
to providing my " wood, as Katie is,
and this is the best l could do without
For a moment the deacon was tempted
to forget that he was a deacon and swear;
but before he had time to speak, Ralph
Brooks, a handsome young farmer, whose
opinion the deacon valued very highly,
said:
you are fairly beat, deacon. You'd
better give up" And as the deacon
glanced sheepishlg around at the men,
and saw they were all beginning to smile
broadly, he said:
81 reckon I'll nave to, Ralph, and-and
i do give up"
Then he joined in the laugh That fol-
lowed.
Before the room was quiet again, Mr.
Brooks, pushing back his chair, said:
Boys, Ipropose that we get some wood
for Miss Jessie to cook this dinner with
And the cheerful way in which they ac-
cepted the proposition made the deacon
ashamed of his momentary anger.
When, an hour and a half later, they
again seated themselves at the table, be
was honest enough to acknowledge to Jes-
sic before them all that the lesson had
been needed, and he would try to profit
by it.
He did profit by it; for when, a couple
of months later, Mrs. Lee was first able to
walk out into the yard, the deacon, with
pardonable pride, took her to see a large
new woodshed, we'll stocked with hard
wood and kindling, and told her as. they
stood there Of the way Jessie got dinner
for hina, and how sorry he was that the
woodshed had not been built years before.
A mile or so from the deacon's there is a
cosy little house where Jessie cooks din
ners for Mr.. Brooks, and to his credit be
it said, she has never been obliged to try
the same experiment with him that she
did with her brother-in-law. From the
way that Deacon Lee laughs with her and
her husband about the way she taught
him to keep a supply of wood IN hand. it
is safe 10 say he has forgiven her for the
icsson.-Seleefsd.
ono of Many Testimonials.
cLAnKsBono. n. j., Dec. 81, ISIS.