The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-27
A MATTER
OF BREAD.
By CARROLL WATSON RANKIN.


The Martins. father and son, were
in partnership. Mr.. Martin, a vision
airy person with no practical expert
ence, mismanaged the Singleton end
of the business, where noisy sawmills
cut mighty northern Michigan logs
into lumber. Robert ran the office in
Bayport, the nearest shipping point.
Owing to a curious lack of judgment,
both men proved round pegs in
square holes.
When the once considerable Martin
property had dwindled to two idle
mills, hopelessly remote from avail
able timber, and a few acres OF
stumpage that nobody wanted Tor
farming purposes, Mr.. Martin died.
Before this the older Martins had
lived in Singleton. Robert and his
young wife had dwelt in Bayport,
twenty miles distant. Now Robert
sold all that was portable of the Shin
gleton property, and, with many mis-
givings, decided to move his mother
to Bayport.
you'll never agree in the wide
world" said Robert, divulging his
plan to his wife. Both you and
mother are irst-class of your kind;
but you're not the same kind"
"I'm not perfect said Petrina,
modestly. "And you know, Bob, I've
always prided myself on my adapta-
bility. If you'll just keep me bols-
tered with timely bits of information,
I'll have things just the way your
mother likes them. I'm going to
pose as a model daughter-in-law."
wouldn't it be safer and a whole
lot easier to be just yourself? I'm
sorry that the business"
Cheer up, deary; things might be
worse, and so far your mother and
have agreed beautifully"
Sat a distance" demurred Robert.
"You'ye never lived together. But
until I've discovered exactly how poor
we are, one roof is all we can afford"
sc..Ill make it big enough" assured
Petrina, comfortingly.
Mrs. Martin, senior, was squarely
and solidly built. She made one
think of a substantial business block
constructed for utility only. She
swept on Friday, baked beans on
Thursday, washed on Monday, wound
her clock at 9 every Saturday night,
and bought six new p~illow-cases every
January.
Mrs. Martin, junior, sent her wash
ing out, swept only when the house
demanded sweeping, and at irregular
intervals bought beans ready-baked
from a .woman's exchange. Yet
Petrina made Robert comfortable, her
household expenses were not exces-
siye, and, moreover, she trimmed her
own hats and made her own Shirt
waists. 20 ~
Petrina knew that Mrs. Martin had
baked bread every Wednesday and
Saturday for thirty years-and had
grown gray worrying over what to
do with the surplus. Petrina had
purchased a loaf at a time, as she
needed it, from a breadmaking neigh
Dor.
Instead of confessing, however,
that her bread was acquired in this
easy manner, young Mrs. Martin, feel
ing certain that the knowledge would
shock Roberts mother, folishly at
tempted to conceal it. She colored
guiltily when the older woman
praised the loaf; yet, having failed
at the proper moment to disclose the
truth, Petrina felt obliged thereafter
to smuggle bread in at the back door.
AS the week wore on, the culprit
realized that it would never do to
serve a perfectly fresh loaf every
second day, since that would certainly
rouse suspicion; so she purchased
stale loaves and ate them %unhappily.
When they were good only for toast,
she was moved to further effort.
Robert" she confded one morn
ing. "I'm afraid I'll have to live up
to my reputation for breadmaking.
But I COUNT attempt to set bread
with your mother looking on.
Couldn't you take her sightseeing for
a few hours. II the coast were clear
until / o'clock, the worst of the agony
would be over. I'll use compressed
yeast - they say that rises quickly.
But I never could handle sticky
things gracefully-she'd detetct my
inexperience at once"
why not get mother to show you
howe"
And let her discover that I. mar
ried her son without knowing how to
make bread? I wish to keep her ad.
miration and respect. Take her to
the Indian Museum by the Elmwood
trolley-it's the slowest. Please help
me out, Bob"
So Robert yielded. The coast clear
Petrina set her bread. Now bread
dough, as everybody knows, is the
most untrustworthy stuff in the cul'
mary kingdom. Occasionally ever ar
experienced cook encounters a batch
-