New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-24


the broad shelf Of the dresser. counting them OH
on the fingers of her brown wooen glove. AS
she reached the end she turned toward her
hostess who was balancing pie on her ielt
hand while she trimmed the outer crust with
her deft pastry knife
Twelve there an ten herew she cried. with
little gasp. "Achilly twenty-five. an now many
in the oven? That's what I'd like to know
-Four"
AN four an twenty-five are twenty-six' an
what's that you say? Ten more in the pantry!
What under the canopy are you gon 10 90 WIN
thirty-six mince pies? You don't callate 10 eat
'em all do you? IF you do. you'll have misery
In your stummick that you'll never get over an
AZ your time Of life l don't know as you'd De
desarvin O. anybodys sympathy. Thrty-sx
mince pies an only you an Northumberland
TO eat 'em, Mehitabel Strong, amt you little
upset in your head?'
Mehitabel shifted contemptuously for answer
THAT crustl grow mouldy eff you're layin' on
keepin' them pies all winter. l always SAID II
was well TO have mncemeat handy, but crust
is O. thing that wants to be tossed up ircsh.
made two dozen mnce an dozen punkin last
Saturday, but, bless you, there's consid raoie
call fer my pies. Josh always has weakness
fer EN- an then there's the boys an the girls
but you. single
you needn't be a-castin' my singleness in my
face Mary Ann Spear. 1t was o my own
choosin' Ef I'd wanted 10. I might have been
maxim two dozen mince pies this very minute
fer Jushuay Spear-but didn't want TO. There's
some folks seem - think that ef womans an
old maid she was from the beginnin' o time;
they don't take the question o chloe into their
rackonin l don't hold much with the doctrine
of election ceptin 1t is in love affairs. an theh
II has its uses guess there's lots o old maids
whove given the go-by TO other wlniheh
husbands when as said an done. An some OF
rs are a deal happier to be alone with our cats
than ef there was trackn In an out OF
our ktchns.
Mrs Smear looked uncomfortably about her
The smooth shiny boards Of the floor CLEANED
with a spotlessness which she never could hope
IN attain in her home, scrub as she would. A
resentful red burned in her plump face
"Left-overs amt to be despsed' she re-
turned with an attempt at philosophy. ProNi-
dence amt ben so bountiful in creatin men as
wimmen In these parts. so we all can't look TO
be first The world would soon come to an end,
I guess. ef wimmen took it into their heads 70
say no when they asked. jes' because the
man had ben given the go-by by some one else
Bless YOU men fall in love an out ag in amazih
ouck-they don't ever die o that complaint
They've got TO have their difunt fancies same
as child has to have lot o diseases a
mother feels deal safer WREN her boy has had
the hull OF 'em young; she amt always in dread
that he'll ketch 'em late in life. when they'll go
so much harder. Last loves good as fust
love any time, an it's more endurin." She
tossed her head to emphasize her words She
was glad, however to dismiss the subject De-
init her Of wisdom. her
rivals vantage-ground was not a pleasing
thought.
I'm not sayin' you're not contented." she went
on after a moment; you've all the air of it, an
it's well to have that sperit. But when 1t comes
to slavin as you be now, jes' to satisfy your own
cravin an'-an-a cats. Why l sh'd think it
wouldn't pay. FL was you l wouldn't roll out
Die-crust till l ready to drop jes cause it's
| a Thanksgivn custom to have pies in ones pam
| try. woman kin make pies, but, bless you, she
| can't appreciate EN- like man does. Fer tuckin
away pies no one kin come a man-less'n 1t
is boy-an l don't know but boyd beat him
there. though tia be pretty close runnin'. We
don't eat in the same sperit man does; most Of
US jes nmble at food. So it does seem
waste O time an good material to see you maxim
pies thatll never be appreciated by proper
jedge."
"Who says they won't be appreciated? You
needn't think because you are married that there
amt another in the world. l hadn't meant
let on, but I don know as It's wuth while
keepin' It secret. think on the hull I'd like you
TO know that my pastrys goin' where 1t will be
appreciated. I'm only carlatin' keepn
half-dozen pies-an' the smallest at that; the
rest / m goin' to send away"
Send away-thirty O them,-where? To the
Poynters?"
well. no; the Poynters girs-mdde- aged
girls-an l don't know they have the true
sperit fer mince pies. You said yourself that
woman didn't know much bout pies 'cept it is
the crust. an there's few Of us that can't abide
the leathery stuff some wmmen do turn out"
Mrs. Spear idgeted uneasy in her chair.
speeches. for the moment; then her curiosity
triumphed over certain feelings Of Indignation.
But Mehitabel." she cried weakly thirty
pies, Do tell where they're goin'; the minister"
mo, he's one Of the fortunate ones; he's got
wife, She kin tend to he own bakin' she's
taken a course O lessons in Practical Cookin'.'
Now, ! never larned the b Of 1t when it comes
to that but ef the minister my husband-an'
/ thank the Lord he ain't-he wouldn't be sech
thin hungry lookn specimen. 'Taint what you'd
eXackly call loss o appetite with him; l think
it's practical cookn myself. l wish you could
a-seen how he made way with my gingerbread
when he was here last week, he ate nine slices.
I counted en- though purtended not to see. An
he at the last. kinder apologzing: Miss Me-
hitabel, that gingerbread carries me back to my
boyhood days. It's jes' like the kind my mother
used to make. l wish you'd give Mrs. North the
recipy' told him I'd be glad ef I could, but it's
one O. them jedgmint recipys an she wouldn't be
able to do nothin' with 1t. He SEE he didn't know
but sech fare would reconcile most men to the
ills of life. You preacl. the gospil o good
cookin. anyway, an. seq he feelin'ly, thought,
1t amt one to be despised But amt gon' 10
send him a pie this time. You'll have to guess
ag'in. an 90 on guessln', an at the end be told.
Then thirty pies is goin 10 the county Jail.
You needn't look so sprized t amt nctEin' moo
to send pies there, though it's the fust time I've
ever done 1t alone. 1t jes' mothers way. an