The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-02-24
An Assisted Providence.

Mrs. Richard Burton opened the brown
paper parcel left by the butchers boy
with an instructive shrinking of fastid1-
Gus fnger-tips. She was a very new
housekeeper, and it is hard to accustom
dainty hands to the touch of cold raw
meat.
"a duck" she said. "How extrava-
giant of Richard! And note she went
on taking folded paper out of the crea-
lures half opened bill. What an abom-
Unable hand Richard does write, to be
sure! Mr.. Renwick invited to dinner;
that's Richards political friend. And
he's sure one of my nice little dinners will
fix him.. l suppose that means get
Richard his appointment. Una fancy
salad and nice dessert. Those are easy;
learned all that sort of thing at cook
ing-school. But the duck is feathered
mystery. l don't even know whether to
begin at his head or his tail Dear me,
why couldn't Richard have had him
plucked?"
She sighed deeply, and turned to that
invaluable first aid to young house
keepers-the cookbook.
Poultry" she read, must be scalded
before being plucked."
"Ofcourse," commended Mrs. Burton.
"How stupid of me not to have known"
She drew bucket of hot water, and
grasping the duck firmly by its legs.
plunged it in. Her cherished cookbook,
Mrs. Burton found, was not iufallible.
! The hot water seemed to "set" the
feathers, and they came out, if possible,
less easy then when dry. But she shut
her lips in a straight line and fell upon
the enemy with grim determination and
both hands. At the end of an hour she
viewed the results of her labor with mani
| fest disapproval. There was a great
heap of feathers, enough she said
/ disconsolately, ito stuff young feather
bed" and a painfully small bird, suf-
ficiently plump as to breast, but I'm
naturally skinny as to wings and legs.
But time was pressing. She put the
| duck in the ice-chest, and turned her at
tention to the salad and the dessert. Both
looked very nice and tempting when
finished, especially the latter, which Mrs.
Burton called heavenly pudding"-a
connection of angel cake, whipped cream,
candied fruit, and sugar rose-leaves. Her
spirits rose as she braced herself for the
final tussle with the duck. But all the
bread.crumbs it would hold failed to
swell its meager proportions, and she
dropped an almost hysterical tear on its
decorously folded left wing when she
placed it in the oven.
Every fifteen minutes she opened the
oven door and conscientiously turned
and basted the duck. 1t sizzled cheer
fully, but grew perceptibly smaller, so
that Mrs. Burton dreaded to leave it
while she snatched time for a hasty toilet
| lest, when she returned, it should have
disappeared altogether. But it was still
there when she came back, hurriedly
fastening the ribbons at her waist. Pa
theticalIy shrunken it was, and not at
all tempting.
1t was with mixture of relief and ap-
prehension that she at last heard her
| husbands voice and and another mans
the guests no doubt-in the parlor.
Mr.. Burton on his way to the kitchen,
looked with approving eyes at the dainti-
| ly spread table in the diningroom, and
at the tempting dessert set forth in the
buffers pantry. His face, when he enter
ed the kitchen, wore serene, satisfied
look that Jared unpleasantly on his
wife's mood of gloom.
"Renweck is in first rate humor." he
said. mo end pleased to come"
Indeed" said MIS-. Burton listlessly.
Didn't expect me to send home a
canvasback, eh?" questioned Mr.. Burton,
rubbing his hands joyfully.
Mrs. Burton, on her way to the oven
for the last time, paused and faced her
husband with tragic countenance.
"a canvasback!" she repeated family.
did you say canvasback duck
why certainly, my dear" said her
husband, in high good humor. "It came
little high, to be sure, butts in a good
cause, and we'll never miss the money
when"
He ended his sentence with a prodigi-
Gus wink, and Mrs. Burton groaned
audibly.
my dear, what is the matter" de-
manded Mr.. Burton, taking sudden
alarm. Didn't it Gomez
ooh yes, it came" said Mrs. Burton,
mechanically finishing her journey to the
range and the duck. She opened the
oven door. Would you," she inquired,
like to see it?"
Mr.. Burton joined his wife i'll her in
spection of the contents of the oven.
Great Scott" he said. "Will there be
enough ofit?"
Enough repeated Mrs. Burton.
Enough of that hard, overdoue fowl"
Oh therell be enough and to spare to
settle your political aspirations
"My dear, pleaded Mr.. Burton, sure
ly you did not say 'over-done':'
Il said 'ovcrdone, repeated Mrs.
Burton stonily, land meant overdone.
It's as tough as leather, and as dry as
as one of MIR. Renwick's own political
speeches. l mistook it for just COM
mon, ordinary, everyday duck, and l
cookedit accordingly. And, Richard Bur-
ton, if ever again you ask ME to aid your