Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-14

had Hamilton been under ire. Brain.
ard had combated this story for the
honor Of Summerton, but one day he
too. learned that Hamilton had pic.
ture of my cousin May. That silenced
him. But the mention of plum pudding
caused the grumblers to recant, Mick
McTwyny going so far as to borrow a
pipe of tobacco from Phil. Our gusta.
tory anticipatons were marred only by
Hamilton's statement that the pudding
would be made entirely from army ra.
tons.
"Where will he get the raisins?" ask.
ed one family man.
"And the suet?" said another.
"And the tavoringT suggested q
third.
Docs the quartermaster issue pud.
ding bags!" another wanted to know.
Nevertheless the pudding was an alb.
solute success. The flour came from
the commissary stock; finely chopped
fat pork, well soaked, answered for
suet; dried apples. partly boiled and
then candied in boiling strip made
from sugar, took the place of raisins.
The sauce looked as If it were only
sirup of sugar, some Of which had been
carameled TO give it special flavor and
color. There rose from the sauce, how.
ever. an odor which caused Mick Nc.
Twyny to utter an ecstatic "Whoor.
roo" and Cloyne to ask:
rs brandy an army ration, PHILIP
Yes" said Hamilton-"that Is, it's
hospital ration. and got half pint
from the hospital steward by promis.
ing a small pudding in exchange-fot
the sick. you know"
There's just one thing l want to
ask" mumbled an ex-truck driver
through mouthful Of hot pudding.
Does the governm ent issue pudding
bags?"
1.-THE quartermaster issues cotton
drawers" Phil replied, land you II
learn. If you choose to ask, that he
charged two new pairs to my personal
clothing account this morning. The
buildings were boiled In the legs of
them"
BE hivin." said Mick McTwyny,
with an approving shoulder slap that
nearly knocked our enterprising com.
missary sergeant into the cooks fire,
the likes of yez niyer was born, and
the rust money the paymaster gives
me yez shall git that drunk wild me
that yez went know yer mout' from q
hole in the ground"
Thanks, sergeant" said Hamilton,
rubbing his shoulder. II assure YOU
that you're the first man who ever was
houghtful enough to make me SO hand.
some an Offer"
But grander feast was enjoyed one
cool evening after Phil had announced
late in the afternoon that there would
be pancakes for supper and asked that
each man would take knife and fork as
well as plate when he went for rations.
Hamilton had found some soda and
cream of tartar in the village. lie
made the batter in half barrel, and
his griddles We're an odd collection of
frying pans. plow shares. flattened sides
OF camp kettles the bottoms of which
had rusted or burned through, a stove
lid and some till plates. AS we hur-
blew supper call we saw all these irons
on glowing mass Of Goals and the
COOK lifting large cakes from them
with wooden turner made from a
barrel stave, while Phil himself, with
huge bit Of fat pork on q stick In one
hand and great cup in the other, was
greasing the pan and pouring more bat
IA MIN
aud spoonful of sugar on each plate
Hamilton said that if we would be
patient and stand around as we ate
each could get fresh cake every two
or three minutes.
"Ah!' "Um! "Myw ooh" "Gollyr,
"Gosh"' were some of the expressions
that went up around that fire while the
men began their supper, some using
spoons instead of knives and forks.
Oftcnest heard, however, was, This
reminds me of home" or Doesn't II re-
mind you Of home" Had / ever be-
fore been asked to name our national
dish l would have hesitated between
pie and pork and beans, but since
that great evening have believed that
In a competitive contest the pancake
would receive more votes than beans
ana pie combined, besides being pre-
eminent among eatables as 1.-THE tie
that binds" "a touch of nature" and
more of that sort of thing AS we ate
those cakes everybody began to talk
OF home. Even big Pat Callahan be-
came so absorbed In home reminis-
cences that he forgot to curse the gov
eminent for not giving us butter to eat
on our cakes.
But nobody, no matter how full Of
home memories, stopped eating that he
might talk. The first issue disappeared
from the plates in a minute, and two
or three men who apparently hadn't
any homes to think of returned so fire.
quently for more that we agreed to
form a circle, each man to receive n
cake and some sugar as he passed the
cooks table. 1t was an odd spectacle,
apparently, to men of other compa-
hies-that company Of about so men
marching slowly in a circle and eating
as they walked. But we were not at
all concerned about our appearance
Just them. We were having a private
cake walk in which each and every
man took the cake" Our officers
heard OF II from their servants. and |
the captain came down to look Oh.
wont you try one, captain?" asked |
a mil tr.N