Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1901-05-17
NY MICROBIAN DINNER
by CATHERINE LOulSE SMITH.

'N'F'''''ft h'Nh iS NV a
look, "if You could get your own dinner
tonight. want TO go to meeting OF
the Suffrage club and the maid IL GO
ing out"
Now, II has always seemed to me
that the more man asserts his indie
pendence the better. felt pretty
doubtful about that dinncs but |
wasn't going TO let Maria know | had
any qualms. | remembered, too, had
managed well at bachelor housekecp-
Ing for few weeks, | had everything
convenient; never made the beds be-
cause II was so well to let them air
thoroughly, and because | believed in
consolidation and that In union there
IL strength | did not wash my dishes,
but let them collect and the dry before
my mother returned put them In tub
and turned the hose on them.
The success of this venture embold.
ened me to try again, but for reasons
best known to my own soul | did not
tell Maria. | simply said could man
age and would really enjoy the novel
performance of getting my own dinner
and that It would by no means prove
fatal. | resolved two things firmly
that l should have good dinner ire
spective Of the germ theory, microbes
and bacllli and that the dinner should
be at O'Clock promptly. This not hav.
Ing meals on time | felt, was all non
sense, and while Maria was away was
surely the time to indulge In microbes,
for she feared them 10 she had given
me n restricted diet. That day | left
the office ut I o'clock. | had been think
Ing at intervals during the day what
should have for that dinner. even
meditated cOrned beef, cabbage, mince
pie and doughnuts. All of them would
make myself after left the office.
procured on the way home the
necessary supplies. An alluring dis
play met my eyes. went Into the
market and purchased n nice plate
piece of corned beef. | was about to
tell the butcher | would carry It with
me for my o o'clock dinner when the
assured me that the corned beef had
to boil number OF hours to be done.
In the reaction which followed this an.
nouncemcnt | remembered "thnt he
could send II for the next day; | had
meant that all along" and | hastily
| purchased some oysters and lamb
chops. 81 will have oyster soup for
the first course" said to myself, "and
chops and tomatoes for the second. II
that won't be good, don't know what
will"
1t was 8 o'clock when | got home.
1t was 80 lonely without Maria that !
thought | had better start the dinner
at once; besides, wanted that meal
at y O'Clock sharp. Maria had about
bothered the life out of me by not
having meals on time. lighted
the burners on the gas stove. and
| decided to make biscuit, mince pie
and doughnuts besides cooking the
oysters and the meat. by 63O | WAS
| just enjoying the thing. had the milk
for the oysters cOntcntedly boiling on
one Of the burners, and the others Ind
| been blazing for some time, all ready
for use when wanted. Tho first thing
! did was to find a cookbook.
| ran down the index through pump
| Mn, lfiIOH, 'HITDl, CuStHIu, Unll i HOt
TO mlnce pie. This | read carefully.
| Then | sadly closed the book. Mnce
| pie required cold meat, apples and n
thousand other things and could not
be made In nm imprOmptu mnnner,
and at q ! must have that dinner.
felt distressed but there were still the
doughnuts. was just In the midst
| Of Iiqgnynpit,ty ~ xynItIh tnEn NJ lunat
a good two hours TO make doughnuts
when, by thunder. didn't that milk
boil over! felt like going through the
whole litany. ! rushed to the stove,
seized my clean handkerchief and had
| Just made up my mind that the milk
| must be done enough for the oysters
when ! discovered the handkerchief
was done also.
The crlsis being past, | decided TO
make my biscuit. ! thought this time
! would not consult the cookbook. for
II was getting along toward q, and II
took too long to hunt up recipes
put great deal Of -four In small
bowl, dumped In some wntcr. and pro
ceeded to mold II all into shape AZ
had seen Maria often do. In the
Interim I talked TO myself.
~ know all about this" ! said with
pride, you Just stir until II gets the
consistency Of cream, put In n pinch
OF salt and favor to tnstc. Thnfs
what they always say. have read II
hundreds Of times. cant fail.
shall just slap them Into tin pan and
put them In the oven" ! felt ] was
succeeding no well that | actually be-
gan to hum. when suddenly II occurred
10 me 10 wonder II one creased the
tIns "WbeD In doubt don't grease"
/ said TO myself. and | quickly deco.
rated the pans with dabs ~ dough.
Five minutes later | had u sickenlng
feeling. for Maria had never told me
about the oven. | felt sure. however,
that, being man, | would understand
any such mechanical cOntriynnce M
gas stove | wondered what under
the sun possessed the inventor OF a
gas stove 10 put the oven down near
the floor. | am rather n pOrtly man.
and getting down on my knees 20
look into that old oven wasn't an easy
thing. turned on the gas and went
for the match. When | came back
and crawled on my hands and knees
to light the jet-great heayensl-an
explosion occurred that sent me hall
across the room. In the middle Of II
all I heard that Internal milk boiling
over again.
The greatest OF natures, wher
aroused, sometimes become terrible.
felt murderous. | also felt desper
ate. gradually approached TINT over
again assumed the attitude OF prayer
and NAT tbnuo hIanuita I'm with "a alam