Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-11-28

sponsible, for she sat on the taate, her
chops ornamented with pastry, calmly
contemplating dish which she had over.
turned in her critical investigation of the
pumpkin pies.
Every one of the four-and-twenty bore
conclusive evidence of her personal sur
vey, for they were jumbled and messed
together almost beyond recognition.
Overcome by this awful catastrophe
Miss Melinda sat down and wept, while
jeff pitched the cat out of the window.
''Every pic ruined; no others in the
house, and tomorrow Thanksgiving"
she moaned. ,
"Come don't take it so hard, DEAR" said
jeff. soothingly.
"But there's my brothers. family all
COMM and the parsons folks, and what
ever would they say to Thanksgivin'
dinner without pumpkins pies, and what
would they say to such housekeepin'
"Why, what would theyl"
Everything bad and mean, of course"
answered Miss Melinda, whose social
studies during a thirty-4-e years. resi-
dence in village had shown her tho usual
drift of public opinion on occasions like
this.
JEFF. said nothing, but laid his hand on
hers with a tender gesture, then hastily
withdrew it as Remington Hall came walk
ing in.
Very tearfully and with many pauses foc
breath she related the story of her mis-
fortune to Hall, evidently expecting an out
burst Of sympathy from him. But she was
disappointed
On her most tender point-the question
of domestic demand and supply-he was
cold and unsympathetic.
"What are few pies more or lessl" he
asked airily.
"a few' There's twenty-rour less" she
answered Indignantly.
"Well, even So that's nothing to get
excited over. It's not necessary to have
pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. 1 always
thought that an absurd CUSTOM" he said,
thinking it best to make light of the loss,
the Importance of which he could not
comprehend.
Miss Melinda arose. white with rage
"You think that's an absurd custom, do
you!" she blazed. '"Then let me tell you l
don't think so. If you'd spark of pity
for me you'd set about gettin' some others"
then a sudden idea coming to her-"or
what's better-makin' EN- yourself. Many
a man can cook tirst-rate-come, Mr.. Hall
and Mr.. Blake, let's see how you'll help
nae out of this bad mess. Go to work and
make twenty-four more pumpkin pies, an
the man who makes the best I'll marry
Thanksgivin' mornin', surer' Then she
fled from the room to have good cry by
| herself upstairs.
Do ,ta ~ 1tAA t., =.
amazement.
Remington Hall was the first to recover.
Course me if I'll dirty my cuffs making
| pies" he muttered angrily, and stallSed out
! of the house.
Left alone JEFF. rolled up his sleeves with
| q resolute air.
"I'll make those pies" he said, "even if
| they amt fit to eat She won't dream o.
breaking one afore dinner, an by that time
Wen be married, 'cordin to agreement, an
| she won't know what she's eatin', or how
things taste"
He cleared the kitchen by shoveling up
! the broken pies on the dust-pan and pitch
| ing them after the cat and then he set to
| work in earnest
| Fortunately there was plenty OF stewed
| pumpkin in the pantry, and after putting
| this into the largest pan he could find, be
| began to empty the contents of the differ
| ent spice boxes into the mixture. The
ulOluSScS Jug Was dlSO ONcf bllu
with reckless disregard for quantities
| JEFF. poured in all the milk he could fad,
and put in every egg he could lay his
| hands on.
II guess that's enough stuff for twenty
four pies" he said YEARLY, then turned his
attention to the paste.
| jeff uncle was a baker In the neighhor-
| ing village, and as he had often watched
the mysteries Of pastry-Inaking there, this
| part of his task came easy, and he soon
had the requisite number of pies in the
| oven.
AZ that moment the clock struck 2.
Great Cesarl' said JEFF, 'past dime
time an that poor soul hasn't had bite
since breakfast!'
He hunted around till he found the tea
caddy, from which he took generous
handful and threw it into the teapot, snd
after filling up the latter with cold water
| put il on the stove.
Ten minutes later armed with a cup of,
| tea and a soup-plate of cookies he marched
up stairs and raped on Miss Melinda's
| door.
No answer came, so thinking she must
| be asleep-as indeed she was-Jeff. placed
| the tea and cookies close to the door-right
where she would be most likely to step in
| to them-and returned to the pies.
An hour later. when Miss Melinda came
| Gown to the kitchen her eyes were glad
| dened by the sight of four-and-twenty
! pumpkin pies which jeff. was jealousy
| guarding from any further investigations
| of the cat.
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