The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-11-19
A DOMESTIC EXPERIMENT..
Tho Wonderful Oil Stove, and How II
Worked for Mr.. Bee.

A DOMESTIC EXPERIMENT..
Tho Wonderful Oil Stove, and How 1t
Worked for Mr.. Bee.
They are advertised far and near, of
all kinds and styles, of single wick, of
many wicks, with ovens and without
ovens, labor-saving, coal-saving, and
above all else, temper-saving; but the
advertisers always forgot to add that
sometimes, Just by way of variety, and
in very cowardly way, when every
one is out of the room, they belch forth
as much smoke as an average soft-eoaI
factory.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bee, progressive
couple, seeing a wonderful oil stove''
advertisement, decided to try one for
use in their country cottage, and chose
an excellent article, about two feet
high, with three wicks, a top with COW
ers, and good-sized oven-in short,
with everything necessary for cook
ing
What a time there was to get that oil
stove into the country. 1t had to be
packed and sent down on the train; and
Mr.. Bee went to the city just to come
back on the train with it, to be sure
that it arrived in perfect condition, and
Mrs. Bee, and all the little Bees, were
on the platform to welcome it. Then it
was carefully taken home in the carry
all, and set up in the kitchen, where
the all-absorbing first trial took place.
And it burned equal to the highest ex-
pectations, clear, bright, without a
flicker and odorless. And such bread
as it would bake, and now it would
broil stake! There never was its
peer.
So the summer went on, in peace and
comfort-for while. But after time
that oil stove began to reveal its true
nature. 1t didn't burn well, and SCENT
ed the house with the keen odor of kerr
osene. Said Mr.. Bee: "The stove needs
cleaning. The draught is partially
stopped and the burner clogged," So
they took it to pieces, and Mrs. Bee
scrubbed and secured it until it was as
bright as new, and it was put together
again. For a few days it did much bet
ter; then again began to get fractious.
For half an hour at time it could hardly
be induced to give any flame at all; then
it would mount higher and higher. and
send up three long banners of smoke
Then, at other times, it would vary the
entertainment by swapping and crack
ing like bunch Of small powder crack
ers.
At length it became utterly unbeara-
BILE in its freakiness, and the crisis
came. 1t was Saturday morning, that
morning of all in the week when
things should go straight but seldom
do, and affairs were progressing with a
smoothness and regularity that made
Mrs. Bee happy. The bread and pies
were baked and standing on the table
to cool; the vegetables and meat for
dinner were ready and awaiting their
turn, and the oil stove was burning
charmingly. 1t neither fickered nor
smoked and gave enough heat and not
too much.
Now, why any one should be cruel
enough to take that time on Saturday
morning to call is hard to tell, but true
it is that some one knocked and Mrs.
Bee went to the door, after casting a
glance around the kitchen and satisfy.
ing herself that all would be we'll till
her return. There was Mrs. Doolittle
! come for a chat on the weeks gossip.
So they sat on the veranda-that being
the coolest place-and We're soon deep
in many condolences.
But in about ten minutes there rose
wild hubbub and commotion in the
kitchen, and an instant later out rushed
| little Bobby Bee, black from head to
feet, and shouting at the top of his
voice, "Oh, mamma, mamma, the stoves
on fire!' Sure enough the stove was
blazing. How iron can burn I'm sure
kon't know; but that whole stove was
one whole mass of fire. The covers
were blazing, the doors were blazing;
the oven was blazing, and each flame
and point of flame terminated in a
stream of thick, black, oily, heavy
smoke that did not quietly sail away
out OF the open windows and doors,
but settled upon and stuck to every.
thing and penetrated to the most re-
mote corners of the house.
When at last the fire was put out,
after much burning of fingers, they all
looked at each other and around the
room. They were black; shiny, greasy
black. The floor was black; the walls
| and table were black; the bread and
pies were pasted with black, and every
part of the house was found on inspec-
tion to be specified and snooched with
black; and Bobby Bee, depressed by the
| unusual density of the atmosphere,
moral as well as aerial, setup wall that
adequately expressed the feelings OF
that hive full of Bees.
The wonderful oil stove now stands
in the shed in ignominious disgrace,
and if any one should chance to want
an oil stove for experimental or othe,
purposes, that one is obtainable on ap.
plication to the Beehive for a very
small sum. Providence Journal.
Irresistible.
She had formerly been servant, and
one of the yonng ladies of the family
i Il. u - L ! 4