The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-15
am UNEXPECTED WEAKNESS
"A Cooking School Young Lady's Rash I'm,
tlNrtnlSInD.

dcrtaking.
For several years Bessie Norris had
been very much "in Society"
And every day this season she was in
it, too, from the moment she settled
herself i'll the saddle and started on her
kentucky mare, for morning trot
through the park, until the Norris car
rage. rolling homeward long after mid
night, bore her from the very latest
dance she had cards for-dcliciously
drow sy and perfectly happy.
es, she still went out Il great deal.
But since her return from the country.
in the autumn, she seemed to take her
pleasures more moderately, and to look
once i'll awhile upon the serious side of
life.
Sometimes she actually refused invi-
tations, when she had more than two
or three for the same evening. and late
ly she had been in the habit of spend
ing two hours IL day ina select cooking
school-thougli her personal appear
ancc prccludcd any hope of her ever
becoming "a good plain cook"
What use she expected to make of the
knowledge she acquired there is not
material: none of her friends believed
it was to be solely ornamental.
Bessie rather prided herself upon her
new requirement and grew very critical
in the matter of entrees and hors
d'muvcrs: but she really went too far
when she dropped Il sighting remark
expressive of grave historical doubts ms
to the quality of the old-fashioned New
England dinner.
This little speech brought MIR. Norris
to his feet.
"A mass of coarse-food, unslsillfully
cooked" he exclaimed; you have Il
good memory, my dear little girl, but
it breaks down when you try to go back
to thirty years before you were born
Why, I'd give a-almost anything to sit
down to such meal as my granmother
used to set out for u.s.
'Iou Minh you would" said the
young person easily; but you wouldn't
care for that sort of thing now. People
were not SO particular then, and as
long as they had enough, the rest didn't
matter"
Mr.. Norris met this statement with
quiet scorn, and an offer to give Bessie
n very handsome present if she could
cook satisfactory dinner after any
school, ancient or modern; American
IrcHcIl, ltdll;tn, or Iclcctlc.
Bessie quickly accepted his offer and
commenced elaborate preparations
She took entire charge of the kitchen.
and sent the happy cook off on vaca-
ton.
When the day came the dinner came
also. And it was IL dinner that must
have made the shade of Mr.. Norris
grandmother green with envy From
the moment when the turkey lay i'm n
brown study, at the head of the table,
until the coffee shonc like gigantic
rubies in the diminutivc silver spoons
there was not a single failure. Every
dish won the championship in it's class,
hands down.
Bessie remained in the kitchen until
the final course, and then the servant
said she had gone to her room.
Tell her to come down at once; we
want to congratulate her." said Mr..
Norris, glowing with patcrnal pride
and the good dinner.
The servant left the dining room but
returned n moment later.
"AIiss BESSIE has gone to bed sir"
rs any thing the matter; what did
she say when you gave her my mes
sagc?" asked Mr.. Norris.
''Shc said sir. that any fool with a
cdst-iroM back can cool1r Harry Ro-
maine, in Jury.