Evening star., 1908-02-03
CHAPTER III.
Too MANY Cooks.

Nate Scudder again. I'd been out in the
sloop with parcel of boarders-they
were beginning to get thicker at the Old
Home now. same the mosquitoes-and
on my wAy home I met Nate driving
down the Neck road. He was in the
carryall and l hailed him as he come
abreast of me.
Hello. Nate | says. Taking the air
are you:''
He pulled up his horse-it didn't take
hard pull-and. while the critter leaned
up against the shafts and took a nap
Nate talked to me- II appeared that
thered been more or less trouble down
his way. Huldy Ann and Lord James
hadn't agreed any too we'll
You see. says Nate taking calico
handkerchief out of his hat and swabbine
his bald head with it, Its that valet fell
! ler-he's too stuck-up to live.
| wa mt going to fight with him on that
point. so ne went ahead with his yarn.
Gle come parading out to the barn.
says Nate. land give out that he'd been
appointed cook in Hubby AIMS place.
Well, she'd been sort of laying herself
out. as you might say. to please them
!. two up at the house-giving EN- spider
bread and dried apple pie for breakfast.
be chucked overheard that way. So she
got sort of sarcastic. That Opper man.
he
His names Hopper / says.
.'He don't call il SO. then
That's all right. Him and ] had a
spelling match here t'other day and Hop
per 1t is I says.
well then. this Hopper feller he
lorded it round. asking where the double
biler was. and complaining that he
couldn't cook steak without a charcoal
fire. and SO on. Hubby took him down, l
tell YOU.
charcoal your granny. says She
I've fried more steak than you've got
hairs on your head. and a plain wood
fire always done me- she says.
''He cooked that steak and say. I'll
bet the iron-jawed man I see once at a
dime show up to Boston couldn't have got
away with it. Tough. Why. the pesky
idiot never pounded it bit. How do you
expect to get tender steak If you dVl't
pound it? Haw. haw,
When he got through laughing he went
on TO say that him and Huldy had de-
cded to go over to her sisters at Ostable
for a visit.
We've been intending to go for good
while. he says. "And now we can do it
without its costing much. Pay for the
house goes whether were there or not,
and the railroad farrell be more than
made up by the saving in our own grub.
! m peaceable feller. anyhow" says he,
''and there'd be no peace while Hubby
and that Britisher was together
Case of too many cooks spelling the
soup. hey?' says l.
Soup he says. We'll you wait a lit
lie spell. Ii they amt chasing around
after new cook inside of week I'm a
Jonah. that's S all
He was right Couple of days later
heard from Emmie 7. that the Twins had
hired Hannah Jane Purvis to do the cook
ing for EN-. Hannah James late la
mented had been cook on Banks boat
when he was young. so l suppose she
cal'lated she'd inherited the knack. But
l had my doubts.
| was getting real chummy with the
Heavenlies by this time. one afternoon
| walked up to the Scudder place to see
EN-. They sprawled out the
piazza chairs with their feet on the rail
ing and they hailed me as friendly as If
was rich as they was. instead Of being
poorer than Jobs turkey. l noticed Lord
James tiptoeing around In the paTlor. SO
l naturally mentioned him.
''Your valet man. here. / says. .'he
want quite to the shippers taste as
cook, hey?"
They both laughed. Van BrlInt with his
big good-natured "Ha. ha." and Hartley
with that quiet chuckle of his
James. said Van. lis slitterng
cess in the wardrobe. but he dislkes to
hide his talents under a kitchen bushel."
James said Hartley. appears to APP
ply the same methods to trousers and
steak.
Presses both of 'em. don't heo' / says.
thinking of Scudders yarn
"F'lat as board" says Van. BE
sides which. this is supposed to be Il
pleasure cruise for Martin and me. and
James with the cheerful dignity
of an undertaken. He's too complex: we
yearn for simplicity and rest.
/ grinned. Well you've got the sim
plicity with Hannah. amt you?' asked.
II amt saying nothing about the rest"
Both Of 'em sroaned. ] knew Hannah
Jane Purvis. and she had the name of
talking the hinges off barn door.
Lord says Van. Lets change the
subject. BY the way. Martin. it's odd
that Agnes hasn't written
Hartley was setting out toward the
front of the porch. where the sun could
get at him. Now he shifted back into
the shadow of the vines.
''Is it time for d letter to reach here?''
he asked.
why, yes. ! should think So She was
to reach New York on the first and sail
OH that day. She would proba bly, write
on the steamer. 1t was d fast boat. and.
allowing that the letter came back i'm
mcdiatel well. l don't know that it is
time yet.
He began to whistle | gathered that
twas the Page girl he was talking about.
The valet had told about her going on a
trip to Europe. But ii struck me that
for engaged man. Van Brunt was the
easiest in his mind of anybody ever l see.
I We never Dt'H thSISeu Dul
Judging by them I've known who was
he'd ought TO be shooting kilograms to
Europe faster than you could shake 'cm
out of a pepper box.
Neither of EN- spoke for minute.
Then Hartley asked, quiet. us usual.
Have you written her. Nano'
'Oh. yes: dropped line the other day.
telling her We were safe and duly housed
and so on. Whooped up the joys of the
natural and begged her TO go thou and
do likewise Which she would like to do
probabl but which also--if | know her
highly respected mamma-she won't"
Where did YOU address your letter."
Hartley asks. after a little.
She'll get il all right-always provided
she hasn't already organized IA settlement
colony of small IIooligans in the Liver
pool slums But there. Let's forget
morals and matrimony. Heigho, Won
der what's doing in the street" Not that
| care red.
They seemed to have forgot me alto
getber. But / was interested in their
talk all the same. and I've tried to put
1t down just as ! heard ii. Twas queer
talk but they was queer folks. and | was
learning how the big bugs done their
courting. From what I'd heard so far /
liked the Wellmouth way full as we'll
The front gate clicked Van Brtint
looked up. Great Scott" says he. its
the DlIoacSraph.
Twas Hannah Jane Purvis coming
home from the next house with a dish
pan full of peas. Hannah was a kind of
scant- patterned. critter without much
canvas on her poles and her sleeves most
generally rolleu up. Sine had brindled
hair clewed back so tight off her fore