The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-12-25
BY ELISA ARMSTRONG BENGoUGH.

entire year. Fudge and angels food are
not very filing for a hungry man"
Fudge and angels food-the idea! ]
decided on a menu of six courses, and
spent ten days in looking up the recipes
for it and studying them. Unfortunately,
the exertion made me so tired that be-
came mentally upset and was apt to con-
fuse a recipe for Italian cream with one
for creamed lobster, and they are very.
very different. However, when New
Years day really came and Harry said
that he must spend the greater part OF it
at the office going over his accounts l felt
that success was sure.
"By the way, haven't you a good cook!
And didn't you let her help and advise
your"
"She wanted to, but told her that she
needed holiday and must take it while
got the dinner. She then confessed that
she didn't want to go out because her
beau was coming to see her and would be
offended if she was out l told her that
made no difference; that what you did
on New Years day you did the year round
and if she did not work on that day she
would doubtless be married to a million
aire and living life of luxurious idleness
within six months.
"Humph. Did she 60 them"
"She did. Then / set to work, and,
oh, how / did work, but somehow nothing
was-well, quite like the pictures in the
household magazines. The odor of things
burning, too, became so strong that the
man from next door-a perfect stranger
came oveF to see if the house was on fire
and if he.could be of any USE"
''Well, luckily, you could air the whole
place thoroughly before Harry came
home"
IL did. By noon / had cooked enough
to feed a regment-dinner was to be at
three-but somehow it did not seem very
appetizing, so decided to have only four
courses; that was a more economical din
ner for young couple anyhow. When
Harry arrived, promptly at three, / was
all ready and trying to look as if l felt
cool and hide the two burned and one
cut finger. l had decided that three
courses were enough for anybody save a
glutton, by that time"
"Wel, l am sure that everything wac
very nice"
"It-well, it was not quite perfect; !
had forgotten to stuff the chickens and
l had put salt in the cranberries instead
OF sugar, but that was mere detail, for
the table looked lovely with all my best
linen, embroideries, silver, glass and
china on it. As wanted to surprise him
thoroughly, did not tell him that had
cooked it myself meant to tell him that
at the very last"
GAS sort of postscript to the dessert.
How NIGEL"
"M'hm. Well, though he had said he
was wildly hungry, he did not eat-just
played with things. He kept starting to
speak, too, and then shutting his mouth
tight without saying word. Something
was wrong with the coffee, though l had
put in twice as much as the cook book
said. As he set down his cup, well, rather
more forcefully than was quite necessary,
he said: We'll, dear, it is New Years
day, and 1 have resolved not 10 lose my
temper for an entire year, but / must
say one thing: the girl who cooked that
dinner must be dismissed before to-mor.
rows sun is up. A woman who would
give a hungry man underdone chicken,
overdone potatoes and asbestos pie, would
be capable of numbering us in our beds.'"
ooh, well, you need never tell him that
you cooked that dinner"
II didn't tell him, but he undertook
to discharge the cook, and she did,"