Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-10-26

II you could get your own dinner to-
night? You see, I've had to let the serv-
ant go on a holiday for day or two,
ard they want me desperately at the
Woman's Aid and Relief bazaar this even
ing. 1t is the last day. If you thought
you could manage by yourself"
I'll try to survive it," observed Mr..
Meek, good naturally. 81 don't fancy it
will prove fatal"
"Pll get joint and cook it this morn
ing them went ON Mrs. Meek, cheerfully,
land you can have it cold for dinner"
Thank you'll" replied Mr.. Meek You'll
do nothing of the kind fancy l haven't
gone camping out with the Volunteers
every year for nothing. l suspect / can
prepare hot dinner as well as most
women"
Thus it came about that Mrs. Meek
abandoned all idea of preparing Mr..
Meek's dinner for him and betook herself
to the bazaar So it resulted, further
more, that Mr.. Meek left his office about
4 o'clock that afternoon and proceeded
to collect on his way home the necessary
supplies for dainty little dinner.
An alluring display of geese was the
first thing to catch his eye, and he was
Just on the point of securing one of them,
when, by good luck, or more probably
through the natural sagacity of the man,
he recollected that as a rule, you don't
cook geese Just as they are In the mo-
mentary reaction that followed this feat
of memory he bought couple of mutton
chops and three tomatoes.
"Fll have good, old-fashioned, English
dinner" he thought. by Jove!" he ex-
claimed, moment later. I'll have some
oyster soup to begin with, and apple pud-
ding to finish"
He was so tickled with this idea that
he promptly rushed into a green grocer's
and purchased half a peck of their best
eating apples, and then hurried home,
pausing to order some oysters on the
way
BY o'clock he had the fire going
beautifully. By o'clock he was just be-
ginning to enjoy the thing. The toma-
toes were stewed divinely; the potatoes
were boiling to their hearts content, and
the milk for the oyster soup was sim
mering contentedly on the back of the
stove The oysters had not yet arrived.
Dear mel" thought the ambitious gen.
tleman. 81 wish I had thought of it in
time. and I'd have some oyster patties
for a sort of grand finale. Halo, what's
this? BY thunder, if that woman hasn't
left me some cold ham and custard pie
By Jove! for twopence I'd throw the
whole lot out into the back yard"
At half-past he puts the chops in to
broil, 'as in the good old days of yore"-
this poetic allusion to the style of cook
ing being occasioned by one of them acct
dentally dropping into the fire, whence
he rescued it with great presence of mind
by the joint assistance of the poker and
one of the best table napkins.
BY the time the chop was thus res
cued. both it and the table napkin were
fairly well done-to put it mildly. This
difficulty he got over by putting the
erring chop on the window sill to cool,
and the napkin into the fire-to do the
other thing.
This accomplished, and with one chop
gently cooking on the gridiron and the
other cooling on the window sill, he
started to construct the paste for his
apple pudding. This proved most fas-
chatting. He placed large quantity of
flour in small bowl, emptied a jug
of water on top of it, and proceeded to
mold it deity into shape, as he had
often seen his wife do. The flour and
water promptly forsook the bowl and be-
| took themselves to his hands. Then the
milk for the soup began to burn just as
the potatoes boiled dry. He rushed to
the rescue, and left the greater portion
of paste fairly evenly divided between
the handles of the two saucepans and
the poker At this juncture the toma-
| toes started to see if they couldn't sur
pass he milk in burning They succeed
ed. The cat, which was accustomed to a
$3.50 dinner, walked off with the chop on
| the window sill. while the chop on the
fire grew beautifully black on the Down
side So many things were now burn
| ing at the same time that Mr.. Meek
gave up hope of trying to discover Just
which one was burning most
Let the blessed things burn till
they're sick of it" was the extremely
| broad minded way in which he summed
up the situation. With the astuteness
| that characterized him as distinguished
from his fellow men, he gave up all eff
| fort to track the truant paste, and sim
ply popped his apples into the oven to
| i,ake.
It was now about half past 7. and the
| FIRE was getting hotter than anything
else on earth, except, perhaps, Mr.. Meek.
Tie turned all the hampers, opened all
the doors. and took off all the lids. This
| resulted most satisfactorily. The FIRE
began to cool. 1t got, if anything, a lit
tie low. Then it went out. Mr.. Meek
rushed for some fire lighters" and near
~ took his head off on a elothesline.
The gentlest Of natures when aroused
are often the most terrible. BE used up
enough fire. lighter and parafine TO have
igni;ed the Pyramids Of Egypt. He
-tamred and showed, and poked and
anned and shook with rage till even
| the cat-and it had had its dinner-was
lispleased with him, and departed to the
,uter kitchen to try the oysters. which
he dilatory fshmorger had JUS deposit
Il on the table without waiting To par
y with Mr.. Meek.
when. about FIVE minutes later. Mr.
/ Meek discovered that Ihe cat had found