Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-06-21
HOW AUNT PRUE "MADE Up"


New Hampshire to take charge of my
fathers household, and to watch over us
motherless youngsters.
Tall and straight, cheeks pink. eyes
blue as dolls, skin so smooth that the
wrinkles were but the ighteSt tracings
of which Time is capable, placid yet de-
termined, quiet yet always occupied do
ing little talking but lots of thinking,
firm in her belief i'll the superiority of
the East and rigdly disappearing of the
ways of the West, steadfast TO church
and God charitable but not wasteful-
there you have Aunt Prue as | remem-
Der her.
She introduced to the town people
number of variations and notifications of
the accepted routine of domestic matters.
Among other innovations she employed
system of New England cooking which
fairly made the good wives, her nelgn-
bors, jealous. Her pumpkin pies-ah,
her pumpkin pies, Her cookies with car
away seeds! Her apple dumplings.
But in particular it was her chicken
pot pie on which she prided herself.
Just in what respect these chicken diff
fered from other chicken pies, just why
cause of the crust. or of the manner
of preparing the fowl nobody, save Aunt
Prue, could explain. She zealously
guarded her secret. She freely resolved
that mt least one New England treasure
should not be surrendered into irreverent
Iowa hands. Time and again she bland
ly permitted Il willy rival-who came os-
tenSbly on an errand-to observe her
make Il chicken pie: and time and again
that same rival hurried homeward hope
full, encouraged, quite exultant, only to
ascertain that. after all. she had learned
absolutely nothing.
Aunt Prue was not a great reader;
usually she discovered something else
to do. However, when she did read she
read conscientiously and thoroughly. De-
casionally she would come across an ar
ticle which she deemed worth preserving.
Such articleS-prOse or poetry-She
clipped, trimmed exactly with her uimble
scissors, and tucked away between the
leaves of book. There they reposed
for future reference, and the dear wOm-
an never rocked at them afterward ul-
less by chance she happened upon them.
BY hundreds these clippings We're scat
tered throughout the books in the house
Sometimes new. more often yellowed by
age, they would futter out when d vol
ume was carelessly opened.
TO this day | do not know why. out
when sister Mary married. Aunt Prue
was strongly prejudiced against our new
relative. She alleged nothing, but she re-
ceived praises of him with ominous
silence-a silence almost accusing she
was civil to him. but her attitude was
one of censure. On the other hand, when
she became great-aunt she fashioned for
grand-niece and granddaughter many
toothsome turnover and gingerbread
boy.
\ day dawned on which Aunt Prue was
taken ill. Her unyielding spirit battled
vigorously, and in secret, with her
weaker flesh. 1t upheld her until, when
finally she went to bed, she rose not
from it.
Since Mary's marriage Aunt Prue had
exhibited toward her a certain primness,
an attitude of mute condemnation. which
spoke more plainly than words Yet as
we stood about the bed, one evening, al
though she smiled on us all impartially,
it was to Mary that she addressed the
feeble movements of her lips. Mary bent
over, compassionately. Whispered Aunt
Prue-a mere ghost of a whisper:
Page a hundred-in-in-"
The sentence never was finished.
1t was known, i'll a vague way, that
Aunt Prue had made a will. Where the
document was, was a question. The at
torney who had drawn it was dead. and
nobody appeared to be possessed of its
contents. or of its resting place. How
ever. considerable valuable property was
involved, and the will must be found.
The message which she had communi-
Gated to Mary gave the searchers a clue.
L
Will III Il book, according to her custom.
And inaSmuch as she had singled out
Mary, in preference to the others, it was
easy to guess in what direction the bulk
of the estate would go.
Forthwith commenced the quest for
page hundred Oh. the host of errant
cuttings, breathing Of Aunt Prue, en-
countered ut every turn of page. The
hunt was conducted systematically. and
after many. many volumes had been in
yeStgated and rejected. at page one huu-
bred of copy. of Longfellow's poems
was brought to light white envelope.
sealed, and marked in Aunt Prue's slant
| ing script. Private
Then and there exploration was closed.
| ana the outcome was announced with
| quiet satisfaction.
| On the next afternoon. in the presence
of the family. amid solemn stiffness, the
envelope was opened in the parlor by
| Judge Lucas. an old and trusted friend
and counselor.
| He removed from the enclosure Il strip
of paper. and methodically unfoGed it.
| Adjusting his glasses with professional
! deliheration. he prepared to read aloud.
/ With the first survey of the sheet he
| started. pPered. nearly smiled. and glanc-
! lug up, scanning the eXpcctant audience,
! he Sravely handed it to father
| The better to see. father bore it to the
window. 1t was Aunt prue's recipe for
her famous chicken pot-pie
The judge. having examined the en-
veloHe to make sure that II embraced
| nothing farther. courteously but hastily
sought the outer air.
Dear Aunt Pruei The precious recipe
| had been her peace offering. Ultimately
the will was unearthed from between
! leaves of her grandmother'S witherad
| hymnal; and although Mary was then
again remembered it was in way
which. while more substantial was by no
means considered more affectionate.-
! What to Eat.