The Washington herald., 1909-08-30
WOMAN PROVIDES
TRAIN LUNCHES

From the Boston Herald
A Southern woman. thrown suddenly
on her own resources. with no other
equipment than q knowledge OF cookery.
has found a way TO earn s. a day. She
saw the need, and filed Il. Of good. quick
lunches for the travellers who had a five
minute stop in her town about mealtime.
With the aid or her eight-year-Old son,
she began It, doing the cooking. while he
peddled the viands. Broiled chicken and
hot beaten biscuit-such as you never
get but down South--she began with.
progressing 20 sandwiches. cake, pie, and
tarts. and the fruits Of the season.
'Once a traveller dropped a package
OF paper napkins in my little boys tray"
20 quote the author OF the venture her
self, with a note giving an address
where they could be bought by whole
sale. Though I never saw that man,
am sure he was both a good son and
good husband. Who but a good. consid-
crate man would have thought OF help
ing me out IN that way?
He must have seen that I was doing
the best / could with trays-bleached cot
ton for covering my food. Realizing that
knew nothing OF paper napkins. he
took that way OF helping me out. Since
then I have been sending each article
Of food wrapped IN paper and a pile
Of napkins for the purchasers. OF course.
living out OF the world as we do we
have 10 depend on people who travel for
information about such little inventions.
'Now-and II is eight years since I
began-I employ TWO women 20 help me
cook and three girls 10 take the trays
10 the cars. I get girls because I find
them easier to manage than boys. They
are also neater and more painstaking in
handling the trays They never walk
through the trains, but stand on the
outside and serve the people through the
windows.
MY son is now in college and has the
satisfaction OF knowing. that he earned
the money that is paying his way My
other four children are all girls and all
help me when they are not at school
While my experience has shown me
the necessity OF training every girl so
that she viii have a means Of earning
her living II thrown on her own re-
sources. / ara not bit sure that I would
have been able TO make more money or
do better by my children had I had
some regular training. Ny being able to
cook was about the best accomplishment
that I could have had IN my circum-
stances.
In preparing the lunches my first
object is 10 have the tray and all that
goes on il spotlessly clean. The next
point is TO have each article cooked as
deliciously as I know how 10 do it. 1t
took me some time 70 hit on the best
sellers. but since I caught on to the
public taste I haven't found It so very
hard TO cater acceptably.
mo; can't say that find the lowest
priced articles 10 sell better than others.
Fried chicken and homemade cakes and
pies Of various sorts. Coffee IS much
more popular about mealtlme than tea.
and tea more popular in the afternoon
than the mornings. I did try other
drinks, but found little demand for either
lemonade or chocolate.
Yes; I often serve hot food. Indeed.
my effort is always TO have special
things hot. AS my home Is only about
200 yards away from the station. it is
not so difficult under ordinary conditions.
but when it rains or is cold for our part
Of the world It is not so easy.
you mustn't think that I have had
what the boys call a waikover to sue
cess. It has been work all the time, and
IS TO this day. To keep your own cook
ing up 10 the standard Is not easy OF
Itself, and that OF others Is even harder
20 manage There is not a detail that
do not either do myself or inspect be-
fore a tray leaves my house. From the
dressing OF the maids TO putting the
little nosegays on the corner Of each tray
hold myself responsible.
THE nosegays? Oh. ! put them there
because it gives a bit OF color to the
tray and adds to the fresh and dainty
appearance Of Il. They are made Of the
flowers from my garden and in the win
ter Of a sprig Of autumn leaves or q
bunch Of geranfums from my flower pit.
have been told that my success was
largely due to the daintiness Of my trays
and the general attractiveress OF the
maids who offered them to the travellers.
1T appears 10 me that my work Is
one al which other women might MAKE
money They. Of course. must be sit
uated so that their lunches will be timely
and not too near a city ot town where
food can be bought conveniently. Their
next care must be good cooking and
absolute cleanliness in the manner OF
serving It. AS TO selecting popular arti-
cles OF diet, my experience teaches that
that is a problem each person must solve
for herself"
A good many summer gowns OF priH-