Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1905-05-04

own amusement. Dolly was caprici-
! Gus. Repeatedly she changed the din
ner hour, and defeating me a. every
turn, appointed a dinner hour to suit
herself. She despised me for my lack
of experience. The mere eager | be-
came, the more stolidly Indifferent
she. Spitefully she burned my fingers.
Dolly was never cozy. Her tea kettle
never sang like Jewels tea kettle
She objected to my dining functions.
She had no sympathy whatever with
the sentiment OF birthdays and their
attendant festivities. Whenever |
snatched from her malicious embrace
the charred remains of what prom
ised so well until intrusted to her vim
dictive care, she gloated over my fail
Ure and consequent distress. Dolly
and l invariably failed on our bread.
If the bread was sour, then spitefully
she baked it to perfection. At other
times she incinerated it, or she floated
it over the sides of the pan-anything
to reflect upon my efficiency. Dolly
and fought bitterly for many months
and l now and then victorious, but
seldom.
Dolly was emphatically opposed to
my literary pursuits. If, after giving
her a task to perform, l took up my
book for few moments of mental re-
freshment, she1blazed up in the live
Hest manner. When she suspected l
had my pen in hand, then she did her
worst. l recall an experience with
her when we cooked prunes. After
placing the prunes over the fire in my
bright new saucepan l invoked the
muse in an adjoining room. Douy
had doubtless noted the room. Dolly
had doubtless noted the preoccupied
expression Of my eyes as | consigned
the new saucepan and it's contents to
her care. No sooner was my back
turned than she and the clock and the
prunes entered into a conspiracy, the
details of which are too narrowing to
relate. The prunes expanded, the
clock hands raced around the dial, the
fire famed itself into a fury-and
smoke, cinders and ruin were the
combined result. Daring Dolly to foil
me thus, | prepared the second in
stalment of fruit. and in my sole re-
naming Stewpan placed the cOnSign-
ment to her care. Again, as soon as
my back was turned, Dolly steamed
up more fercely than ever and the
fragrance of parched fruit called me
from the land of dreams to the land
not to be tolerated, and the third N
voice of prunes was placed in my pre-
serving kettle, the one with the sa
cred porcelain lining. The details are
not pleasant to remember, much less
to relate, for again Dolly emphasized
her disapproyal of my literary procliv-
tiles. Dolly mutinied once too often.
This was many years ago.
Since Dolly's day domestic science
has invaded the culinary realm. The
Fire King is a gas range, and he is
development from Dolly's failures. He
represents progress, and he aims to-
ward the solution of the servant prob
lem. He challenges the intelligence
OF the expert. Brain has driven Out
Drawn, and calmly superior to the
perplexities of the past, he extends
his hand to the domestic scientist
with the silent assurance that he will
make rough paths smooth. He is in
sympathy with the technic of cook
cry. He understands high sounding
and scientific terms. He knows about |
proteids and carbohydrates, and he |
knows bacteria and a thousand things |
unheard of in Jewels time. He is a
invader in the realm of |
feminine inefficlency. How 'ol' black |
nanny" would scott.
The kitchen has changed, too. The |
domain of the Fire King is no thor !
oughfare. The children find no re-
sponsive smile on his face, no glow
that reflects in their own faces. He
is no inspiration to the story telling
that was a feature of Jewels reign in
the evening when the work of the
day was done. Even the bread and
the pies and the cookies are no long
er made as they were in Jewels day.
When did the Fire King ever achieve
a gingerbread man: Whoever called
him the altar of home? How "ol'
black NANNY" would scott. What
would she do without the home Senti-
ment of which her kitchen stove was
4 regular inspirer! There is but lit
lie sentiment in science. and it is
from the well of sentiment that the
ak on civilization is drawn-Haryot