The Newtown bee., 1892-03-18

hucksterers; she sent down East to Moth CT Baker for all the famous family reef pes; she wrestled ill speech and in prae- tice with that awful Hulda; she expert mented long and patiently she blistered her pretty face and burned her little hands over that kitchen range-yes, a slow, constant martyrdom that consci- entious wife willingly endured for years in her enthusiastic determination to do her duty by Lute. Doughnuts, chicken pies, boiled dinners, layer cakes, soda
 biscuits, fapjacks, fish balls, baked beans, squash pies, corned beef hash, dried ap-
 pie sauce, currant wine, succotash, brown
 bread-how valorously Elm toiled over
 them, only to be rewarded with some
 cruel reminder of how smother" used to
 do these things! It was terrible; tedi-
 ous marty rdom.
 Late-mind you-Lute was not wilful-
 ly cruel; no, he was simply and irremed-
 iably needless idiot of a man, just as
 every married man is, for spell at least.
 But it broke Ems heart all the same.
 Lute's mother came to visit them when
 their first child was born, and she lifted
 great deal of trouble off the patient
 wife. Old Miss Baker always liked Elm;
 had told the minister three years ago that
 Elm would make Lute a good Christian
 wife. They named the boy Moses, after
 the old judge who was dead, and old Miss
 Baker said he should have his granpa's
 watch when he got to be 2l. Old Miss
 Baker always stuck by Elm; maybe she
 remembered how the old judge had talk
 ed once on time about his mothers cooking. For all married men are, as I have said, idiotically cruel about that sort of thing. Yes, old Miss Baker brac- ed Elm up wonderful; brought lot of dried catnip out West with her for the baby; taught Elm how to make salt-ris- : ing bread; told her about stewing things and broiling and roasting things; show ed her how to tell the real Yankee cod fish from the ecounterfeit-oh. she just did Elm lots of good, did old Miss Baker, The rewards of virtue may be slow in coming, but they are sure to come. Em's
 three boys-the three bouncing boys that came to Em and Lute-those three boys !, waxed fat and grewup boisterous, bla- tant appreciators of their mothers cook ing. The way those boys did eat moth- CTS doughnuts And mothers pie-wow. Other boys-the neighbors' boys-came
 round regularly in troops, battalions'
 armies and, like consuming fire, licked
 up the wholesome viauds which Ems nd iE,r lit boys enthusiastic playmates. And all those boys-there must have been mil
 lion of 'em-were living, breathing, vo-
 ciferous testimonials to the unapproach- able excellence of Ems cooking. Lute got into politics and they elected n him to the Legislature. After the cam r paign, needing rest, he took it into his ? head to run down East to see his mother; o he had not been back home for eight . years. He took little Moses with him. Q They were gone about three weeks. o Gran ma Baker had made great prepar-
 ations for them; had cooked up enough 9 pies to last them all Winter, and four g plump, beheaded, we'll plucked, yellow
 legg"d bullets hung stiff and solemn like 2 in the chill pantry off the kitchen. await ing the last succulent scene of all. n Lute and the little bcy got there late of a an evening. The dear old lady was so i glad to see them: the love that beamed r from her kindly eyes we'll nigh melted e the glass in her silver bowed specs. The
 table was spread in the diniug room; the n sheet iron stove sighed till it seemed like n to crack with the heat-of that hard wood o fire.
 It ''Why. Lute, you ain't eatin' enough to e keep fly alive,1 remonstrated old Miss
 Baker when her son declined a second V doughnut; ''and what ails the child? ?'
 she continued; ha'nt he got no appetite? i? $ Why, when you was his age, Lute, seem- h ed as if I couldn't cook doughnuts fast
 enough for you!"
 Il Lute explained that both he and his V little boy had eaten pretty heartily on l the train that day. But all the time of d their visit there, poor old Grandma Bak- s CT wondered and worried because they t didn't eat enough-seemed to her as if I western folks hadn't the right kind of ap- a petite. Even the plump bullets, served 2 only in style that had made Miss Baker l famed throughout those discriminating 2 parts-even those bullets failed to awak- en the expected and proper enthusiasm e in the visitors.
 X Home again in Chicago, Lute drew his 2 chair up to the table with an eloquent = sigh of relief. As for little Moses, he = clamored his delight.
 ''Chicken pie!' he cried, gleefully, and then he added soulful 'swow.'' as his t eager eyes fell upon plateful of hot, ex- l uberant. voluptuous doughnuts. t ''Yes, we are glad to get back" said g Lute.
 s'But am afraid suggested Elm, tim = idly,'that Gran mas cooking has spoiled 5 you.''
 Little Moses (bless him ) hoN led an indignant, wrathful remonstrance. l "Gran ma can't cook worth a cent!'' said he.
 Elm expected Lute to be dreadfully ! shocked, but h: wasn't.
 II wouldn't let her know it for all the world,'' remarked Lute, ''but mother has lost her grip on cooking. At any rate, her cooking isn't what it used to be; it
 has changed"
 Then Elm came bravely to the rescue.
 "No, Lute." says she. and she meant it,
 ''your mothers cooking hasn't changed, but you have. The man has grown away from the boy, and the tastes, the