Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-01-26

over The cat ran under some bushes.
Henrik lost track of him. Then =
"Was that anything the darn crit
ter had stolen, parson? Anything of
yours? Before Henrik could answer
the other had spied the cat, or rather
the cats eyes, and made for him.
mad scramble, kissing sound,
wailing sound, and then Peter Han
son stood there with the hapless
chicken in his hands.
Nov, amt that just too bad. l
am afraid the rascal has spoiled the
whole thing, Mr.. Woodwork. May
give him this one and buy you an
other? / will get real good one;
sure will. l am SO sorry that old
cat spoiled this. But l will go and
buy one for you tomorrow"
If there was the slightest little bit
of twinkle in the honest eyes of the
good neighbor, Henrik did not see it.
He was too shaken and stirred up to
see much of anything. mo, no. he
mumbled you really must not do
that. II = don't think the cat
has hurt it much. 1t is alright. 1t
was my fault. Good evening""
Henrik sat on the back porch, the
poor, innocent chicken in a heap at
his feet, until he had seen Peter
Hanson light his lamp and sit down
with his newspaper. Then, and only
then, did he go back into the garden
and = finish.
Katie gained knowledge. She knew
it and Henrik knew it and told
her. Again and again she added to
the list of things which she knew she
could do and do well. She meant to
make good. She certainly would do
it. Why should not an intelligent
young woman like herself be able to
master the art of cooking and house
keeping if she went at it with will?
And Katie did that. One difficult
thing after another was included in
her list" Better and better luck
she had.
One afternoon Henrik was away
from home; Katie decided to try ''the
cake" again. Very careful she would
be- Very careful she was. Not one
grain or one drop too much or too
little of anything. Everything was
measured very, very accurately. The
batter was something lovely to look
at; smooth, just right, in every re-
spect Katie put her cake into the
oven.
Katie knew well that the first time
she tried the cake, she had not had
the oven hot enough. This time it
was hot, very hot. In fact, it was
so hot that. ten minutes after Katie
had put her cake-batter in the oven,
blue smoke started rolling out
around the door. Mortified, Katie
snapped the door open. At first she
could not see a thing for smoke.
Then she saw The cake was COM
pletely black, black as could be. With
one great big sob Katie lifted out her
cake, loosened it from the pan and
dropped it into the fire. There. That
was that. Then she went out and sat
down on the back steps and cried.
Katie did, not think that anyone
would see her here. Else she wouldn't
have gone out here to cry. But some
one did see her. In small, white
house right behind the ministers
garden, lived lonely old woman
named Birgitte. She had lived there
all alone for many, many years. AS
long as she could, she had gone out
to work for others. Cooking had been
her specially cooking and baking;
and many were the times when she
had been called upon to do the cook.
ing when people had company and
the hostess wanted to have free
. hands to do what she liked, to en-.
> terrain her guests. But now Birgitte
could not go anywhere. She was sc
5 troubled with rheumatism she could
hardly walk.
4 Birgitte sat by her window knit
ting. She saw Katie. She knew
t something was wrong. Slowly, pain
e fully, she limped out to the fence
n between the two gardens. Mrs
e Woodwork, Mrs. Woodwork" she
t called softly. Startled, Katie looked
n up. She rose and was about to ruI
into the house. Mrs. Woodwork,
e the old woman called again, ever 81
k softly. And then Katie went dOwr
:. the steps, across the garden, over t.
# where the other stood, her kind, OLE
t face all anxiety. In a few minutes
time Katie had poured into that kind
d understanding heart all her trouble
e And then Birgitte's old, wrinkle'
:. face became all Smiles. OF course
!. she did not enjoy seeing the yOuni
d woman's grief; but she smiled be
e cause she knew that here was som
v kind of trouble that she, Birgitte
y. was able to remedy. Indeed she ha'
e reason for smiling.
t. For while the two talked YER
It earnestly together. Then, with he
n. own two hands, Katie actually pulle
n that fence down. She almost LITE
e the old woman over the wrecke
is fence. almost carried her to the house
ID up the steps, into the living room
ID and let her down in great, big arm