Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-12-18
PURELY FEMININE.
THINGS THAT ARE SURE TO PLEASE ALL
TIE LADIES'
AUNr KITTY FROM VIRGINIA.


orad persou, knoWn 70 her patrons as
Amt Kitty. She is a cook, from VIZ
SiDia originally, aud ia the Underwater
6isfriet of her native State is famous as
culinary genius About ten years ago
4be oId lady came up here to visit some
Nortbern relatives, and before she
~esiized &c was launched in an Original
and profitable business. by her COM
k5ros vii aod wisdom Aunt Kitty has
solved the problem OF how people u
modest means can entertain handsomely
At q minimum Of expense.
1t an came about from her oHerIhg 70
lend hand one evening In serving uin-
ner for the family ia which her niece
worked as cook. The result or her as
distance was q descent upon the Altcheh
nv the mistress, who inquired enthusi-
astieallv for the author of that perfect
meal The Virginia genius revealed
her identity, and for conSld-
Grafton Of s. contracted 10 come
next day aud prepare luncheon
for party the lady was giving. one
came ana cooked aud conquered, anu
when the guests begged their hostess 70
teu where such a chef could be procured
sbe related her experience Of the even
inc preylous and temporary arrange
nept for that day. StraightWay SIX
dlferept women begged to engage Kitty
for various dates, and two ouereu ner
biyb wages and steady employment
She cbeerfully agreed 70 hire out Tor
siDgle meals, but declined 70 consider
stesav work that might interfere with
her return South.
yVithin three weeks her fame had
snread and IL soon became impossible
~ An an the orders she received. For
dinners. luncheOns, teas and breakfasts,
her services were in growing demand.
She established the reputation Of being
not only A rare cook and caterer, but a
really remarkable saver or time, anxiety
80 money. With the increase OF her
professional engagements, Aunt Kitty
worked out a very clever system OF op-
erations. Three days before an enter
IMMINENT took place she conferred Win
the hostess regarding the menu, 90
tained the number Of guests expected,
and was informed of 3 limit within
which 10 hold the expenses. From that
moment her employers responsibilities
ceased, as far as food for the feast was
concerned.
The morning OF the luncheon Kitty
appeared with the wide, easy smile,
blue apron, and smart turban that never
failed to secure her a welcome from the
resident cook. All she required was
clear fire aud clean utensils. She
fetched every scrap OF her own market
ing. butter, sugar, In fact, the smallest
detsiI Of seasoning, in order TO be iade-
pendent of local supplies. From the
Blue Point oysters 70 the creole coffee,
she furnished everything, and no mat
Ter how many courses were served each
one was sure 10 be triumph in its way.
The meal over, the visiting cook gath
cred I'D her belongings and made
prompt exit, hurrying away to I'LL an
order for dinner elsewhere. A few days
later she sent in carefully itemized bills
for each and every purchase, so that her
employer could tell to penny exactly
what her entertainment had cost.
thaS been q number Of years since
Aunt Kitty became thrs~ enSnared In
bOs1nGss ~5bK ati5ns here, and since
then she has prOspered wonderfully
well. She earns on an average Of from
500 to $40 a week, as it is a slack day for
trade when she fails to have
two engagements every twenty
four hours. In spite OF her
success she has never raised
her price, and continues to so for IS Q
meal Just the same. While many Of her
patrons are wealthy and keep fairly
coed cooks, the majority are persons of
limited means who live IN apartments
and cannot afford skilled servants. To
them she has proved a perfect boon.
Women with restricted resources are
familiar with the wretched worry aud
really hard work any sort of entertain
ing entails. IL means personal visits TO
the markets, bargaining with cOufeC-
tioners, and then ag0niZing prayer IN
til the last dish is served. With an in
competent maid q dinner Is mere a mat
ter OF luck than anything else. She
may not ruin it, but the chances are
against such a result, aud many
Hospitality inclined families dare not
venture more than an informal family
reppast. In these cases Kitty is a rare
treasure She will serve a ten-dollar
dinnea with as much exquisite care as a
repast costing seven times that money
She is thoroughly posted as 70 the pos
slbiities Of the market, knows exactly
h"~r % III e-4N "e- u o~e-~tN'' -~' NeSiA
prices at her finger tips, is a genius az
giving estimates, and can tell to within
faction what each course viii cost
One Of her chief recommendations to
her employers is her economy, for with
her willy tongue she is match for
butcher, befer and caEdleStick maker
combidW a. The most amusing thing
about . is her chronic uncertainty.
She has Eved ccntentedly and grown
rich On NV York these last ten years,
but no matter who goes TO her or when
they require her services, she always
engages with the proviSo, "Ef I don't
ftake er-nOtiOn 'tWix' now aud then ter
light out fur ole Flrginnia."