The record-union., 1893-11-11
HIS FAVoRIrB DISH
A Patient Wife Who Was Equal to the
Occasion.

A Patient Wife Who Was Equal to the
Occasion.
Zachariah Hodgson was not naturally
an iIl-natured man. 1T was want OF re-
Election more than corrupt or ungener-
GUS heart that led him TO consider his
wife in the light of an inferior being and
to treat her more like q slave than an
equal. If he met with anything abroad
to ruffle his temper, his wife was sure to
suffer when he came home. His meals
were always ill-cooked, and whatever the
poor woman did 10 please him was sure
to have a contrary effect. She bore his
ill-humor in silence for long time, but,
finding it increasing, she adopted
method of reproving him which had the
happiest result.
One day as Zachariah was going to his
daily vocation after breakfast he pur-
chased a large goldfish and sent it home,
with directions to his wife to have it
cooked for dinner. AS no particular
mode of cooking was described, the good
woman we'll knew that, whether she
boiled it or fried it or made it into a stew,
her husband would scold her when he
came home. But she resolved to please
him for once, if possible, and therefore
cooked portions of it in several ways. She
also. with some difficulty. procured a frog
from brook at the back of the house and
put it into the pot
LII uu0 IllII0 u0E uuSDduu Cdu10 uOIiiGs
Some covered dishes were placed on the
table, and with frowning, fault-finding
look, the moody man commenced the
conversations:
We'll, wife. did you get the fish 1
bought?"
Yes, my dear"
81 should like to know how you have
cooked it. l will bet anything you have
spoiled it for my eating. Taking off the
cover. | thought SO! Why in the
world did you fry it? [ would as lief
eat a boiled frog"
why, my dear, thought you liked it
best fried"
"You did not think any such thing.
You knew better. l never liked fried
fish. Why didn't you boil it ?''
MY dear. the last time we had fish
you know l boiled it, and you said you
liked it better fried. L did it merely to
please you; but l boiled some also.' So
saying she lifted a cover, and 10! the
shoulders of the cod, nicely boiled, were
neatly deposited on a dish sight
which would have made an epicure re-
joice, but which now only added to the
ill-nature of her husband.
"A pretty dish this ~ exclaimed he.
"Boiled fish chips and porridge If you
had not been one of the most stupid
of womankind, you would have made it
into stew"
Ills Jdll6uG WIl6 Will SulllG Iulul6ul-
ately placed before him tureen contain
ing an excellent stew.
"My DEAR" said she, 81 was resolved
to please you. There is your favorite
dish"
''Favorite dish, indeed" grumbled the
discounted husband. ~ dare say it is an
unpalatable, wishy-washy mass. [ would
rather have a boiled frog than the whole
of it''
This was common expression of his,
and had been anticipated by his wife,
who, as soon as the preference was ex-
pressed. uncovered a large dish at her
husbands right arm; and there was a
bullfrog of pretentious dimensions and
pugnacious aspect stretched out at full
length Zachariah sprang from his chair,
not little startled at the unexpected ap-
partition.
MY DEAR" said his wife, in kind, en-
treating manner. II hope you will be
able to make a dinner at last"
Zachariah could not stand this. His
surly mood was overcome, and he burst
into hearty laugh. He acknowledged
his wife was right. and declared that she
should not again have reason to complain
of him, and kept his word.-Christian at
Work.