Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-04-27
Kitchen Aprons Have Known.

Kitchen Aprons Have Known.
(By Quincy Germaine.).
Once upon q time my grandmother
had Q cook. "a cook, II you please!
not five or six per monthly Her name
WAS Maggie. She had come In her some
what indefinitely remote youth, and she
stayed until she acquired pension. But
of these things was told; my memory
OF her holds only one detail. It Is Of
the slippery, creaseless, greaseless, albeit
hideous thing In which she enveloped
herself. Whether nowadays It would 60
by the name Of bungalow apron" ! am
not sure, since these latter can be made
to cover 30 many purposes. Possibly 1t
may have been "tire," but that Is i'm
material. recall only its glory and It's
majesty. II was Maggie's Imperial robe
of Office and she wore it like q queen.
The kitchen where she reigned was
sunny, with cross. currents of air playing
from east to west and causing the NOTES
to dance along the darkly polished floor.
There was pump, too, and an enor-
nous range, rocking chair, and Mag
gle. Always there was Maggie. And
always in my memories of the cookie
box, the beanpot, the piles of dougbnuts,
the ''yards Of pies," is the picture Of
Maggie in the atrocity she wore. For 1t
was the color OF the beanpot, of the
molasses, of the brown sugar, of the
Bristol brick. According to its age and
length Of service only did its color
change. Not all the cookies in Christen-
to my sensibilities In those days. Time
has not softened the recollection even
now.
At about the same time my great-aunt
had Bridget. She was as spare of form
as Maggie was ample. Her covering
was gray, picked out with white, like an
elephants hide sprinkled with dust.
Requiescant in pacei I loved you both,
but oh, how I did hate your aprons!
Then followed the period, before /
was tall enough to reach the sink with
out the aid of box or stool, when ! en-
dured the misery of strings tied about
my neck, while baggy covering cut for
adult proportions impeded my every
move. If the strings didn't come un-
tied, the thing usually tripped me when
I descended from my stool. II ! didn't
thereby cause barn-door tear, probably
1 did jerk the gathers from the binding.
For my mothers aprons were nearly all
gathered upon belt. They were check
cred, blue, pink, black, although one
that has come down to me has little
interlocking rings. All of them, how
ever, only covered ones lap, after one
grew up to them, that Is. They kept
my mother and visiting aunts immacu.
late. Alb, where are the cooks of yester.
day?-as Francois Villon might have
said and didn't.
Fifteen years ago, when the oldest
cousin was married, she was deluged
with the sleeveless, neckless overall that
Is 90 common now. Likewise were many
exquisite white linen "gowns," With
long prim sleeves and squsre-cut necks,
just the thing to set off the charm of q
happy bride. These gowns had 9
stripglike belt and fastened with two
buttons in the back. Oh, exquisite be-
yond compare! Cool, clean and prac-
teal!
But have yon ever tried to dress a
chicken In one of themp I don't mean
the question literally, for no real chicken
could survive the ordeal of yellow
scrawny neck against the modishness of
white linen cut to fit. I mean "dress"
in the good oldfashioned sense,-pluck-
ing, scooping out, scrubbing, drawing
and all. you city housewives will not
realize the tragedy until your butcher
fails you. If he already has, I do not
need to eiucidate.)
I caught my cousin that way, once.
And when I laughed she sat right down
and cried. am fond Of that cousin and
meant her no hurt, but her apron did
look like Roman holiday.
Wherefore in my own kitchen plain
white linen Is taboo, although for dining
room purposes 1t is compulsory. The
other garments I inherited come forth
only upon demand,-and no one does
demand them, when they see what
offer as alternative.
Chintz is my solution for the horrors
of the past, and the perplexities of the
present. If can establish q cult upon
this theory the future will be more beau.
tiful, at least. The slippery surface of
my chintz aprons rivals anything Maggie
or Bridget wore. The lowered, vari.
colored patterns make mockery of the
that the checkered coverings
never did achieve. No white linen
washes better than does chintz, which
has the added virtue of not growing
dingier whenever 1t comes out of the
machine or tub.
Remember what l say when next you
90 to town. Wisteria, roses and honey
suckle look better than polka dots and
rings. Deny 1t If you dare! 1t takes no
more to make an Apron Beautiful than
In any other style. 1t takes no more,
and miraculously 1t costs a little less.
Try it and see whether I am right or
wrong. (Hsven't you some ancient hor-
ror that you never thought about till
now? Bring it out and look at itD
You've doubtless heard the adage,
CLOTHES make the man," perhaps have
applied 1t to yourself,-in your leisure
hours. Garry 1t further, preferably on
/ bleak, rainy day. Instead of q drsb,
Indefinite, sleezy rag, shake out riot of
'hrysanthemums when you start to
work. Pink or yellow or red, 1t makes
10 difference In that respect, though
hey'll be most satisfactory If they riot
N black, or black and white. Some.
hing of their joy goes into the beating
II the cake, something of the color gets
INTO your own soul, and soon beyond a
loubt you'll hum fox.trot as you come
nd 60.