Middletown transcript., 1896-11-28
tContributed.)
AUNT CHARLOITE,S COOK BOOK.

i
! We may live without poetry, music and ar
| We may live without conscience, and liv
without heart;
Wemay live without friends: we may liv
without books;
! But civilized man cannot live without cooks
Now the man who wrote that, if mai
did write it, knew thing or two l ca'cu
late for the cooks certainly do play an i'm
portant part on the stage of life, But Their
are cooks and there are cooks, some of then
not being fit for any man, civilized o.
heathen. Now I hold that cooking is Al
much of profession as lawing or doctor
ing. and woman can no more keep house
and cook without learning how than she
can diagnose fever case or give point in
law, and dare say if there was more atter'
ton given to cookin' there would not be SC
much need for doctors and lawyers, for il
| is true that nine times out of ten the cloud
that darkens the skies of the newly mar
ried is the young wife's ignorance and in
experience in domestic affairs, and though
few may be so unkind as to say SO. many a
mans business failure could be traced to
the pantry, the kitchen range and back
door leaks. No matter how sgeet and am.
liable wife may be, her amiability will not
compensate for sour bread, muddy coffee
or burnt meat, and any man that has that
kind of food for steady diet and does not
fail or 60 to the bad is certainly worthy of
honorable mention when heroes are
crowned, for 1 can't imagine anything m ore
disheartening and saddening than sour
bread.
Now somebody is wondering what went
wrong with "AuntCharlotte' Thanksgiv
ing dinner that she's so hard on the cooks
But it is not that, the dinner was all right.
I've only got in one of my refectin' moods
and all on account of that old cook book
don't often refer to it nowadays. You
see after nigh on to fifty years experience
it gets to be almost second nature to put
the right things together in the right guam
titles.
suppose it was the Thanksgiving feeling
abroad in The land that made me sorter in
stinctively look up my old cook book just
at this particular time. and as turned its
pages oyer it seemed to me my whole life
came up before me, and somehow the old
book seems sacred. 1t is a real faded worn
old book, with lots of loose leaves, and the
handwritings, for it is an autograph cook
book with an occasional clipping from
paper pasted in it, show great variety
-, ind opd 1arraa IF fono;oc
I remember when the pages were all
white and fair,-remember the day I
bought it, at old "Uncle Bobby" Watkins
store on the corner, years and years ago.
There was a great deal about cooking and
many other things I did not know then,
and as my fancy goes back, find that in
nearly all the many happening of my life
this little old book played a very important
part. And as ran over some of its con-
tents the thought came to me why not give
some of the young housekeepers the bene-
fit OF my years of experience, for with all
that is printed and told. there is still room
for practical helps. such as only those who
have gone over the same ground can give.
to make selections, when 10! my eyes fell
upon page that made m e forget all else in
the picture it brought to mind, and there
came such mist before my eyes and such
an aching in my heart, that cookery recipes
seem sort O out of place, for after all there
is so much more in life than good victuals,
and as I've been writing about cooks, good
and bad, wonder ifsome of us sometimes
do not put too much stress on physical
food, forgetting that the body is after all
only q perishing thing of clay. and the
spirit, the soul made in the image of God,
is the immortal man.
How plain it all comes before me now,
the scene In the old farm house kitchen on
midsummer day. 1 was doing the Sat
urday's baking, making pies. etc, and there
stood before me achubby faced boy, wait
ing for little turnover that was always |
made for him, to get done. The cook book |
took his eye I can see its merry twinkle |
now as he drew up his chair and having |
found pen and ink began to write, saying |
"I'll give you a receipt, mother, that's
something like 1 was busy with my
work, and gave no heed to him, he was al
ways full of pranks, and not until days af-
tsrward came upon his contribution to my
collection of receipts. And there it lies be-
fore me now, in his boyish, childish hand!
All me! I'd give all have in the world to
have him back again as pure and good as
he was that day when he wrote this little
recipe.
TO MAKE APPLE PIES.
(cHEAP.)
Make out your doe and roll it with a
.olling pin about yards wide and long
then spread carefully lover wheel barrow
with sides and fore Board and wheel it un-
The apple tree and shake the apples in then
wheel it on the stove. Don't have the fire
too hot for fear it will scortch. 1t does not
reed any sugar or spice.
There is another scene, in the after years,
N far away city of the west, that comes
% my mind just now. A fair sweet girl,
With pretty little note book and pencil in
,and is ask; rg Mary Ann,the colored cook,
o tell her just how she makes the rolls,
he mullins and pies for 'he" says they are
ust like those his mother in the east
makes. The day is set for the marriage,
md she's trying to learn from her fathers
I'D servant how to make dainty dishes to
please her husbands palate.
had a glimpse at that little book, just
,ne glimpse years later. 1t looked all tear ,
tained, but maybe that was my fancy. She
aid 81 used to think Mary Ann hadn't
old me right when I'd try and fail, and I'd
20 and ask again what e lse she put in to