St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-04-21
MR.. M'sWAT AS A COOK.
Notwithstanding Explicit Instruc-
tions He Makes "a Dismal
Failure OF 1t.

into temporary confusion by the sud-
den adjournment, sine die, OF the htch-
en- lady, young woman OF great force
of character, who had learned of q
place where the hours of work were
shorter and the afternoons out longer
and more frequent, and had gone to
fill it.
''.Now, Lobelia,n said Mr.. McSwat. as
they We're preparing to retire for the
night, ''if your headache isn't any bet
ter in the morning don't you hurry
about getting up. can manage the
breakfast"
s1You." exclaimed Mrs. McSwat. with
the contempt that every experienced
housewife feels for the meddlesome
masculine being who seeks to thrust
himself into the affairs of the domestic
cool1-shop. ''1ou! Why, Billiger, you
don't know any more about cooking q
breakfast than an old hen"
ss1'u show you,'' he retorted. "We
have bnckwheat cakes every morning,
don't we? Well, you tell me how to
manage them. and if | don't turn out
as good an article of buciwheat cake as
you ever put into your system III eat
the griddle. What is the first thing
you do?" @s,
swell, if you are bound to try your
hand at it--hut you've got to promise
one thing. VIII you do exactly whatI
tell you?'
"Of course will. What do you take
me for2"
<s.,ssSThen the first thing you do after
you have got your fire all ready is to
prepare the batter. It's in the stone
jar on the kitchen table. There's al
ways some left over after breakfast.
and it leavens the batter for the next
morning Understand thate %
anybody can understand that. Go
on"
'sWen, I've fixed it for tomorrow
morning. All you will have to do will
be to thin it, put in alittle soda, salts
and New Orleans molasses''
''What is the molasses for?"
''To make the cakes brown nicely,
stupid"
'.Don't 'tyou call names, madam. Whist
else?'
Have your griddle on the fire. You'n
find the greaser in the little saucedish
by the batter jar. Don't use too much
grease
How do thin the batter?o
II hadn't forgotten that. You take
a cup of warm water-not hot, remem-
ber-stir in a small teaspoonful Of soda,
about the same quantity of salt, pour 1t
in the batter, stir it slowly minute or
two, add the 1nolasses-that'si in fruit
jar in the pantry-and then bake
trial cake. If it lacks anything you can
tell what it is from the way it tastes,
Can you remember all that?'
Remember all that!" said Mr.. Nc
Swat, with crushing disdain. do you
call that anything to remember ~
"There's one thing more, You'llneed
the cake turner. It's in the drawer OF
the kitchen table. Now do you think
manage. it?"
His only reply was soft snore.
About 80 the next morning Mr.. Bill.
Tiger McSwat might have been seen in
his great act Of getting the breakfast.
He lighted the gas range, hunted up
the griddle, put it over the fire, and ap-
preached the jar of batter.
Rolling up his sleeves he conten-
plated it in silence moment, and then
began business.
The first thing he did, after hunt.
ing up the necessary groceries in the
pantry and greasing the griddle, was
to fill a teacup with water from the
boiler, which, providentially, was still
warm, and stirin a heaping tablespoons
full of soda. ss i
II think that's. the quantity she pre-.
scribed," he said, cheerfnlly. If it
isn't enough I can put in more.
Then he added tablespoonful Of
salt, teaspoonful Of the New Orleans
molasses and poured the mixture into
the batter jar.
He stirred the batter efercely It
foamed up at once and ran out over the
top Of the jar.
'She mixed mp too much of the
blamed stnff," he muttered, stirring it
still more vigorously
BY this time the kitchen was filling
with smoke.
Concluding that the grjddle was hot
enough he hastily lifted the jar, car.
1ied it to the stove and poured y qlan.
tity of the batter out on the smoking
griddle through the spout on the side
of the jar.
There was tremendous sizzle.
t.You bet its hot enough'' he cx-
claimed Now where's the blooming
cake turner?.
He could not find it. .
Never mind, he said. I've seen mig
mother use a caseknife."
When he had secured caseIsnife II
appeared to be high time to turn the
cake. On the upper side it looked dry
and yeIlowish. But the cake stuck.
lie sawed the knife under it with des-
perate haste, however, and finally got
it oyer-in sections d blackened, fraz-
zled, discouraging semblance of q
buckwheat cake.
II don't believe it needs any cooking
on that side," he said, scraping it off
the griddle and slapping it on plate.
This he continued, with fero-
cious grin, lis the trial cake she was
talking about"
He tasted 1t.
axe gods!"
Tt was all he said.
And then Mr.. MeSwat took that jar
- lxa4 ,,1I s 4 4