Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-01-01

y tion?'
Il did, and | can safely
say that l will never give him another
surprise as long as | live. You see, he
had resolved not to lose his temper or
complain about anything about the house
for the entire year. | was so pleased that
l wanted to do something awfully nice
in return. Finally, | decided to become
a model housekeeper, and, by way of
showing the depth of my resolve, | decid-
ed to cook his New Years dinner my
self"
Him, perhaps it was as well that he
did resolve to keep his temper for an
entire year. Fudge and angels food are
not very filling for a hungry man."
Fudge and angels food-thc idea! |
decided on a menu of six courses, and
spent ten days in looking up the recipes
for it and studying them. Unfortunately,
the e~xertion 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 Olnce going over HIS dccounts L LelV
that success was suNe."
by the way, haven't you a good cook?
And didn't you let her help and advise
you?"
"She wanted to, but | told her that she
needed a holiday and must take it while
l got the dinner. She then confessed that
she didn't want to 60 out because her
beau was coming to see her and would be
| offended if she was out. | 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 a life o. luxurious idleness
within six months"
"Humph. Did she 30 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 Sc strong that the
man from next door-a perfect stranger
came over 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"
"I did. By noon | had cooked enough
three-but somehow it did not seem very
appetizing, so | decided to have only four
courses; that was a more economical din
ner for a young couple anyhow. When
Harry arrived, promptly at three, l was
all ready and trying to look as if | felt
cool and hide the two burned and one
cut finger. / had decided that three
courses were enough for anybody save a
%glutton, by that time"
"Well, l am sure that everything was
very nice"
"It-well, it was not quite perfect; i
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 l wanted to surprise him
thoroughly, I did not tell him that | had
cooked it myself meant to tell him that
at the very last"
Gas a 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 a word. Something
was wrong with the coffee, though / 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 I have resolved not to 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 q hungry man underdone chicken,
overdone potatoes and asbestos pie, would
be capable Of numbering us in our beds!'"
"Oh, well, you need never tell him that
you cooked that dinner"
IL didn't tell him, but he undertook
to discharge the cook, and she did"