Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-11-02

Aunt Anna Gives q Cooking Lesson.
(By Ruth Fargo.)
eff you'd had q donation party-and
II was prunes-what would you make,
Aunt Anna?"
The pretty flower face OF Jerry Dents
young wife peeped In at the kitchen
screen, and her laughing voice flung the
question straight at her elderly neigh.
Dor, folding clean tea towels by the
kitchen table.
"My soull how you startled me, Doro-
thea Dent. Ny wits had gone clean out
to nowheres a-woolgathering, guess |;
an didn't sense any body bein' around.
But come right in-don't stand there
waitin', child. Come Income inl'
81 can't" giggled the little girl.wife.
"You've hooked the acreen inside."
"Pshaw, II I ain'tr' Aunt Anna At
wood made quick movement. "There
now-come in! Idon't know jes' what
I hook that screen for. Matter OF habit,
guess, since Lucy's twins have been
here 30 much. They're too little to be
let run yet while, and we don't dast
leave door unlocked, or they're outn
away, goodness sakes where toll Livin'
in the country go, with all outdoor to
play In, they amt afraid o. nothin', an
one time We found 'em settin' "a content
as two kittens right on the street car
track. :. Now what was II you
asked, Dorothea? Once I get started
tslkin' about the twins, 80 Pa says,
ripple along like q perpetual phono-
graph; all anybody else needs to do is
put In the punctuation"
The elderly woman chuckled, little,
pleasant, throaty sound, like low waters
ripping around stone.
"Oh, prunes it was. I remember
now"
ga pound Of prunes," opined Doro-
thea; land what am / to do with themP"
"Prune pudding"
Aunt Annals decision came as swift as
the dropping of tropical dusk.
"Prune-puddingp Why-why-a
sort of plum pudding?-like Thanks
giving-or Christmasp"
"No,'" laughed Aunt Anna. 'No,
dear heart, no; nothing 80 difficult as
that-not by jugful, as Jonas would
say. Suthin' enough sight easier; and
suthin' you can have every day for
week, and not get tired Of. Good for
your stomichs, too."
"Well, then, / want to know how to
make IL. You don't mind ex-
planning, do you, Aunt AnnaP You're
sure Pm not going to be bother?"
"Bother, not at all, my dear. II
there's one thing above another I'd
ruther do, it's give cooking lesson. !
was cut out for a cook. If hadn't been
born so soon, prob'ly I'd be teaching in
a cooking school this mint"
"If you hadn't found Uncle Jonas
and married him, just as you did," gig
gled the girl.
"Of course-of course" admitted the
elderly woman calmly, "Jonas might
have been real upsetting; men often are
We women jes' have to take care of 'em,
and look after 'em, somehow or other,
and do the cookin' for 'em, and mend
their socks-and shirts-and-"
Aunt Anna paused. Her eyes went
wandering dreamily out OF the window.
"Did Jerry ever try to 'batch'-you
being home to your mother'sp' she
meditatively asked.
"Twice." The answer was rueful.
"Jerry just hasn't the knack."
"No man I ever knew had" asserted
Aunt Anna, mildly. II guess cookin'
sort o. amt their Sphere so to speak.
Nor washing dishes. Nor reddin' up
the house. Nor mendin'-nor hothin'
like that. Them things don't seem to
come natur'l to men.folk. No, they
DON'T"
Aunt Anna placidly put away the
folded tea towels.
"Jes' look In that lower, right-han'
drawer where you be, my dear; and take
out that oilcloth covered cook book.
I've got that prune pudding recipe writ
down on the back fyleaf. learned II
out to Lucy's last summer. Yes,
that's 1t. Course I could tell 1t of, but
likely as not I'd leave out suthin' as
ought to 60 In. don't when I'm doin'
IL, but tellin' Is different. A sight DIFF.
ferent. As different as ducks and dump.
lings."
"This is it, isn't il, Aunt Anna9"
The young wife held up the open
cook book.
"That's it," observed Aunt Anna with
direct brevity. "Resd what 1t says"
Dor0thea read:
1.-TWO cups dried pruues; cook, re-
move stones, sweeten slightly, and re-
turn to kettle.
Two tablespoons oornstsrch dissolved
in two tablespoons cold water, and add
ed to the beaten yolks Of two eggs.
Beat the two egg-whites to fluff, and
add one tablespoon sugar.
To the kettle of hot prunes add one
cup warm water, also add the egg yolks
with the dissolved cornstarcb, stir we'll.