The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-08

Dere amt none OBJ dat, either" said
Mandy.
mo puddingl' said Miss Lucy, sup
pressing her anger and chagrin at such
an unexpected occurrence
You locked up de fiouah and de brandy
an l couldn't make no puddin' widout
dem gradients" she replied.
And so the dinner ended with the first
course and the coffee, and the old beau
looked on with deep concern, probably
wondering il after all he had missed any
thing in the housekeeping line by not
marrying Miss Lucy.
What Miss Lucy did to Mandy when she
got her In the kitchen isn't on record,
but In popular parlance, it was "a
plenty which left Mandy the only alter
native in saying:
well, amt live with no white folks
for years what lock up de groceries from
de niggers, an 1 can't cook right less
/ has all de condiments close at hand
for seasoning and making things good.''
The next day Miss Lucy wrote out her
menus and carried them to the pantry,
checking off systematically everything
that was needed, and with the assurance
that everything was given out for the
three meals that day, she started out to
her bridge club In the afternoon, quite
satisfied.
AS she reached the front door Mandy's
stentorian tones called her back, saying:
Miss Lucy. you done forgot to give me
de vinegar"
Miss Lucy pulled off her gloves, threw
her furs back, opened her bag and found
her purse. Within her purse she found
the key to her top bureau drawer She
went upstairs to her room, unlocked the
door, walked In, unlocked the top bureau
drawer, took out her key basket, drew
forth her bunch of keys and finally found
the one that opened the pantry. Down.
stairs she went, again unlocked the PAN
try, had Mandy bring forth the vinegar
jug, measured out a cupful, shut it.
locked up the pantry again, went upstairs,
replaced the bunch of keys, locked the
top bureau drawer, powdered her nose,
arranged her hat. locked her door, went
downstairs, opened her bag, found her
purse, put her top bureau drawer key in
1t, drew on her gloves and made another
start for her bridge club. arriving fully
Is minutes late, much to the disgust Of
her hostess.
She invited a friend to go home to din
ner with her after the club, and when
they arrived and were comfortably seat
ed at the table that evening, what should
happen but when Mandy was asked
where the celery soup was, she blandly
replied:
"You didn't glib out no celery, and how
could 1 make soup out OBJ nothin?
The friend this time happened to be
feminine and not masculine, as on the
evening before. and consequently was not
SO gracious perhaps in her attitude to-
ward the young houselSeeper
IT wondered whe nyou talked SO much
to be one of the group to whom the young
housekeeper had boosted of her Intentions
of locking up supplies. "how you would
find it would work.
The dinner was got through somehow
or other. and the next morning, disguised
and worn out with the old-fashioned ideas
she had gathered from her grandmother,
Miss Lucy said to Mandy:
Just take the keys and use whatever
you please. Only do try to be economical.
Mandy, az you know we are just going
to housekeeping and we don't want our
bills to be so large that well have to
break up SOON"
And Mandy, delighted that the expert
ment was a failure. grinned and said:
II has de reputation OBJ being de
economicalest cook In dis town OBJ Bir-
mingham. and fore de Lawd. I'll take
kere OBJ yore things jest like dey was
mine. Don you worry. chile.