* * Oh, goody ! ' * exclaimed Brownie, as she read
the note over Mildred ^s shoulder. **The very
best fun of parties is getting ready for them,
and I know Miss Betty will have something nice
for us to do. * ^
**What do you suppose Miss Betty wants me
to do r ^ asked Jack, curiously. * * I just believe
it *s a joke, and she really means to get me to
make cake, or some other kind of giri^s cook-
ing. I don^t believe I *11 go till lunch-time. ' '
106
STEAWBEERY TIME 107
**0h, it *s an invitation!^' said Brownie, much
shocked. **You have to go! And it's Miss
Betty, too!''
Jack laughed. **Well, all right," he said.
**Miss Betty is such fun that perhaps I won't
mind. ' '
^'Take your clean apron, Jack," said Mildred,
teasingly.
* ' Pshaw ! ' ' sniffed Jack, with a lordly air.
Miss Betty's house was just across the lawn;
when they reached it, she met them at the door
and told the girls to go right in and get their
aprons on. **Now, Jack," she said, dimpling,
* * I 'm afraid I 've brought you over under false
pretenses, for I really don't want you to cook at
all. I only hope you won't be too disappointed'!
But the weeding man who takes care of the gar-
den has not come to-day, and I want some straw-
berries. Would you mind picking some for
me?"
Jack's sober face lighted. ** Why, I 'd love to
do it! That 's what I call a man's work. Miss
Betty. How many do you want!"
* * Well, I want two kinds ; first about a quart
of ordinary ones, and the rest the very biggest
in the garden; here are two baskets for them,
and you may pick in one as you go along, and in
108 THE FUN OF COOKING
the other lay the big berries on the freshest,
prettiest strawberry leaves you can find. I
want eight berries apiece for us — ^let me see —
eight times four — '* but Jack was off before she
finished.
* * Now, girls, ' ^ Miss Betty said, as she tied on
her own apron, *'we will go right out to the
kitchen and begin. But first. Brownie, can you
lay the table for us T '
* * Cer-tain-ly I can,'* said Brownie, proudly.
**You can just tell me what you are going to
have to eat, and show me where you keep things,
and I can do it all alone. ' '
So Miss Betty gave her a pretty square lunch -
cloth to put oomerwise on the round table, and
showed her where she kept the napkins and sil-
ver and china. * * We are going to have creamed
chicken, and iced cocoa, and salad, and straw-
berry shortcakes,*' she said.
**Hot plates for the chicken,'* murmured
Brownie, counting out four, * * and cold plates for
salad ; tall glasses for cocoa ; hot or cold plates
for shortcake. Miss Betty?"
* * Just warm, I think. I '11 help you carry all
these out to the kitchen so they will be ready
when we want them. And are you sure you do
not want me to help you put on the silver I"
STEAWBEERY TIME 109
But Brownie shook her head, and went on talk-
ing to herself as she arranged the forks :
* ' Never use knives except to cut up meat with ;
so forks for creamed chicken, and forks for
salad, both on the right, because everybody is
right-handed; and the chicken fork farthest
away, because that comes first, and the salad
fork next the plate, because that comes after.
Shall I put on a fork or a spoon for the short-
cake! '^
' ' We shall need both, but I think we will lay
those right on the plates when we put them on
the table. Here are the finger-bowls; we will
put them on these small, pretty plates with a lit-
tle doily under each bowl; and to-day we will
stand them at the top of the place, not directly in
front. ^'
'* Mother always puts the fruit plate and
finger-bowl right down in the middle of the
front,** said Brownie, doubtfully; **not at the
top.**
Page 25
Presented as published in 1915. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
* * Oh, goody ! ' * exclaimed Brownie, as she read
the note over Mildred ^s shoulder. **The very
best fun of parties is getting ready for them,
and I know Miss Betty will have something nice
for us to do. * ^
**What do you suppose Miss Betty wants me
to do r ^ asked Jack, curiously. * * I just believe
it *s a joke, and she really means to get me to
make cake, or some other kind of giri^s cook-
ing. I don^t believe I *11 go till lunch-time. ' '
106
STEAWBEERY TIME 107
**0h, it *s an invitation!^' said Brownie, much
shocked. **You have to go! And it's Miss
Betty, too!''
Jack laughed. **Well, all right," he said.
**Miss Betty is such fun that perhaps I won't
mind. ' '
^'Take your clean apron, Jack," said Mildred,
teasingly.
* ' Pshaw ! ' ' sniffed Jack, with a lordly air.
Miss Betty's house was just across the lawn;
when they reached it, she met them at the door
and told the girls to go right in and get their
aprons on. **Now, Jack," she said, dimpling,
* * I 'm afraid I 've brought you over under false
pretenses, for I really don't want you to cook at
all. I only hope you won't be too disappointed'!
But the weeding man who takes care of the gar-
den has not come to-day, and I want some straw-
berries. Would you mind picking some for
me?"
Jack's sober face lighted. ** Why, I 'd love to
do it! That 's what I call a man's work. Miss
Betty. How many do you want!"
* * Well, I want two kinds ; first about a quart
of ordinary ones, and the rest the very biggest
in the garden; here are two baskets for them,
and you may pick in one as you go along, and in
108 THE FUN OF COOKING
the other lay the big berries on the freshest,
prettiest strawberry leaves you can find. I
want eight berries apiece for us — ^let me see —
eight times four — '* but Jack was off before she
finished.
* * Now, girls, ' ^ Miss Betty said, as she tied on
her own apron, *'we will go right out to the
kitchen and begin. But first. Brownie, can you
lay the table for us T '
* * Cer-tain-ly I can,'* said Brownie, proudly.
**You can just tell me what you are going to
have to eat, and show me where you keep things,
and I can do it all alone. ' '
So Miss Betty gave her a pretty square lunch -
cloth to put oomerwise on the round table, and
showed her where she kept the napkins and sil-
ver and china. * * We are going to have creamed
chicken, and iced cocoa, and salad, and straw-
berry shortcakes,*' she said.
**Hot plates for the chicken,'* murmured
Brownie, counting out four, * * and cold plates for
salad ; tall glasses for cocoa ; hot or cold plates
for shortcake. Miss Betty?"
* * Just warm, I think. I '11 help you carry all
these out to the kitchen so they will be ready
when we want them. And are you sure you do
not want me to help you put on the silver I"
STEAWBEERY TIME 109
But Brownie shook her head, and went on talk-
ing to herself as she arranged the forks :
* ' Never use knives except to cut up meat with ;
so forks for creamed chicken, and forks for
salad, both on the right, because everybody is
right-handed; and the chicken fork farthest
away, because that comes first, and the salad
fork next the plate, because that comes after.
Shall I put on a fork or a spoon for the short-
cake! '^
' ' We shall need both, but I think we will lay
those right on the plates when we put them on
the table. Here are the finger-bowls; we will
put them on these small, pretty plates with a lit-
tle doily under each bowl; and to-day we will
stand them at the top of the place, not directly in
front. ^'
'* Mother always puts the fruit plate and
finger-bowl right down in the middle of the
front,** said Brownie, doubtfully; **not at the
top.**