Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-05-25
PRAISED THE COOK.
The Major Explains Why He Has No Praise
for Culinary Artists.

The Major Explains why He Has No Praise
for Culinary Artists.
Nov, major, you must not praise
the cook in her hearing" Mrs Max
said: "You will only spoil her and
make her demand an increase of
wages"
mot much" the major replied EN-.
phatically. Il had little experience
in that matter which taught me a les
son. 1t was before we were married,
my dear, and before / resigned. Our
regiment was with Gen. Howard,
chasing the Nez Perces Indians across
the mountains in Montana and Idaho.
One of our lieutenants had been sta
toned at the Presidio in San Fran
cisco, and the mess made arrange.
ments with him to bring Chi
nese cook. My, how that cook could
cool1 The beggar brought along in
some mysterious manner the most un-
expected things. l remember one day
we'd had a venison roast the day be-
fore-that adorable celestial gave US a
venison stew with picked walnuts.
All the officers in the mess appreciated
this; but bless me! how they jumped
on me when I said to the cook: Plenty
good stew, Chung, plenty good All
said / was fool
Major! How could they?" said Mrs.
Max
''Oh, that's only mess-room talk.
Everybody calls rybody fool at a
mess dinner. Well, as / was saying,
all the boys said Chung would strike
for higher wages, get impudent OF
naughty, and leave if we praised him.
So they laid out scheme. Whenever
he brought in a particularly good
dish we were to turn up our
noses and make mean remarks.
That would keep Chung in a
promote harmony and discipline. The
next day he gave us some mountain
quail roasted IN envelopes of bacon
and, really my dear, wish your cook
could roast quail like that. The boys
all said 'ugh!' or 'pish!' or 'tushT and
the last one threatened to throw the
dish away. Chung regarded that with
calm exterior, but after dinner he ap-
peared swaddled in every one of his
jackets, and bade us good-by. We
were nearly frightened to death, and
asked what allied him.
I" You no like my cooking, me nc
cook, !" that heather answered.
''We assured him we would try and
stand it, and he grinned and said we
could stand it for just ten 'daIla' more
per lunar month. Of course, we felt
silly, but there was nothing to do but
pay it to him. That made seventy dol.
lars month. They were the biggest
lot of fool officers / ever saw, for they
insisted on their scheme One day
Chung brought in tenderloin OF
mule"
''Mule? Major!"
Eyes; we were down in the bad lands
then, hundreds of miles from any set.
tlement, and mule was pretty good.
You never happened to eat a young
mule, | suppose? OF course not. Well,
he had seasoned the mule with a kino
of little pepper he had found, and il
was immense. Then those fool boys
went through the same idiotic per-
formance. The last one the dish was
passed to turned up his nose to his eye.
brows and said: oh. blazesn"
''Major!'
ST was not the man, my dear. Chung
had watched the proceedings to the
have quoted was made Chung turned
on his heel, and he, too, said"
''Major!"
mo, not major but the word you
object to. After dinner he appeared
again, all dressed up in his Sunday
clothes, and bade us good-by. We re.
monstrated, but it did not work. We
threatened and he pretended not tc
understand. Finally we asked him how
much. ''One hundred dollar month";
answered Chung, with never a ghost OF
a smile.
1--WE paid it. Since then I've believed
"A little praise to the cook, judicially
administered, approaches G in domes.
tic economy"
I'm sure" Mrs. Max remarked, after
a thoughtful observation of her finger
nails, which are very pretty, Pm sure
/ don't see why you didn't advertise
for another cook. IN. Y. Advertiser