The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-15
standard ilnIon /

as I. myself, had often wished for even a
.oolk or sniff at some of the rich golden
looking pies that came out of the oven in
the little back kitchen at my girlhood's
home. So when we went to housekeep-
ing. dt was in the fal.) almost the first
thing eatab.e that Timothy sent nome
from the market was a great big pump
kin. l rolled II into the storeroom after
tussle with It for nearly ten minutes,
and then sat down to breathe, thinking
what a pity we had to pay rent for a
home to live In when this big yellow
pumpkin shell might serve our purpose
so well to set up housekeeping In. l sat
and thought ABOUT 1t so iong-holding my
poor, tired hands-that l really fancied
l began to feel like the traditional wife
OF Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" who
was so cruelty imprisoned by her liege
loil for safe keeping. Oh! but 1t was a
terribly huge specimen--a perfect Jum-
bo-more than we could eat in a whole
month OF thirty-one days IL we had
pumpkin every day for dinner, and a
good sized section in between meas.
got Timothy to chop 1t open that night
with the axe, and 1t took some good,
stout Bows, even for his strong arms.
''Well, / didn't know that was the
Nay--you-open them.' he painted, as at
last. after an Intellectual struggle to hold
Itself together, 1t succumbed to the Wig
orous blows Of the newly sharpened axe,
and lay In hl.ves upon the kitchen floor.
my mother, I'm sure, used to take
take--the pitcher knife"
Maybe your mother didn't choose a
pumpkin as big as a washtub," l an
swered.
II picked out a nice large one, so 1t
would last good while-I like pumpkin
pie, you know, sis" meekly replied the
pumpkin chopper.
We cut up small portion Of 1t that
evening" Timothy helping me, so as to
show me Gust how mother did" / had
never made a pumpkin pie. but / felt
sure 1t was easy to do. as I had often
seen Norah, the cook at home, rolling
the paste and making pretty little seal
ltps round the edges of the tins.
went to bed wishing 1t was morning, SO
could go to work, and / dreamed Tim
othy and mis- mother were playing base
ball with pumpkins, and using the axe
for a ball cub. After breakfast, next
morning, j hurried into the kitchen, put
on my baking apron, and proceeded to
begin the delightful task. do not speak
ironically when I say delightful" task
for 4 was eager to test my skill, and
prove to that ple-loving Timothy that
could make as good pumpkin pies as
mother used tol"
| concluded that wouldn't make more
than three at first. / found my recipe
for the crust that Nora gave me, and
went to work.
After mixing that sufficiently I paused
and again read over tho recipe-"Line
your tin with the paste-put in the ap-
p.es"-thls happened to be apples, but or
course pumpkin was made the same
season to taste, cover with the paste,
and bake 1 lined the three pies put in
the little pieces OF pumpkin all nice and
even, put on some sugar. and then
stopped again-"What else did Nora put
In pies? OH water; I've seen her put
water In apple ples;" / thought, too, a
piece of butter wouldn't hurt It any. /
had heard her say, "An' sure the butther
VIII season up most anything" | couldn't
think OF anything else to put In, unless
II was salt and pepper, and feeling some
what doubtful about these omitted
them, and hastened to crown the pie with
the top crust. took pains that al the
little scallops should be even, and the
little tree ! made H. the middle with n
knife wasn't as graceful as Nora's rel
fingers used to fashion them+-but the TO- |
lage was much mure luxuriant.
put the three sister pies in the oven
and they might with perfect conslsten- |
cy, have been labeled respectively |
Faith" Hope" and Charity" for |
surrey they each wore benign express. |
sion-and two of these virtues had been |
called into requlstlon many times since |
! first set my eyes upon that big, yellow |
pumpkin being dumped from the grocer's |
cart at our back door.
The Charity" however, came along |
later when we came to eat tAei. 1 |
opened the oven door every five min
utes to see how near done they were, I'm |
spite of which they did bake at last, and |
| brought them forth from their iron |
prison and set them In row on the
Kitchen table and stood back to admire
them as an experimental piece of my
own handiwork. As / looked Il flushed
across my mind that somehow they
didn't look just like pumpkin pies ought
to look; Ought to be yellower," | said
to myself Must be they put something
-egg-or something-on top-klnd Of GUS
tard, maybe" But how to do IT, | didn't
know and hadn't any recipe book, and
l wouldn't ask my neighbors, so | de-
cided to walt TIL Timothy came home,
and ask him, Maybe he'd know. As soon
as heard his step at the door. | few to
tell him OF my success
They're all done, and they're baauti-
ful, only ] haven't put the top on yet"
was my greeting as he opened the door.
And don't you know how your mother
used to do it-and don't they"
why, what are you talking about
Dolly asked Timothy, as soon as he
could.
why, come and see-ples-my pies
Amt they nice? II | only know how they
put the yellow top on"
mi |
gan to laugh, and then tried not to. "a
guess for this once wen try them as they /,
are-never mind the top But didn't you
Know, dear, that folks don't put top
crust on pumpkin pies? You've got too y
mcch top, instead OF not enough but we
can eat them al the same, guess New.
er mind. Mistakes viii happen TO the
best OF cooks
wasn't exactly satisfied, hut said I,
nothing, and sat down to the tahle with
my enthusiasm somewhat abated We
got through with the steak ana potatoes .
etc. and then | cut the pie ana brought y
piece OF 1t to Timothy | thought il
seemed funny, as | peered between the .
crusts but concluded further remarks :
from me might be hetter unsaid, IA
only seemed to expose my Ignorance. :
Timothy looked at II rather susplciously. ,
/ thought. then balanced a dainty morsei ,,
on his fork and tasted 1t, He swallowed ,,
II by also taking big drink OF coffee
to hep Il along. But instead OF taking
any more, he put down his fork ana /,
looked acr'oss the table at me, with MS
face drawn-in spite of hlm--into smile. ,
Dolly. how did YOU make this ple?" ,
'How?" asked; why. put the pump ,
kin and covered Il up. and tucked In
all snug around the edgeiust as any ,
body would"
Didn't you stew lt?''
What the pie? No. OF course notr' ,
replied. Indignantly thinking he was Z
quizzlrg me.
'0h, dear; ! didn't know YOU had to- h
sobbed. just as the laugh across the +
table broke out uncontroEahly, but It
ceased as the tears rolled down my
checks
''well, poor little gir.." he said you h
didn't know, did you? IN have mother
come down here for visit and show Il,
you how; then we'll have some pes,
Won't We. Do.ly?" +
J loved Tlmothy's mother. so | was /
cad to have her come. She had hardly
been In fha. hnnna a. Aa,., rtN... 49,. I