The Mary Frances Cook Book Part 4

Instead, "When does Aunt Maria come?" she asked. "Does she come to-night?"

"She's coming right over," answered her brother.

"Oh, oh!" thought Mary Frances, "I must warn the Kitchen People."

"Brother," she began, nervously, "you stay with Mother--I want to take these things down."

But Brother was already sitting quietly near Mother, and Mary Frances hurried softly downstairs.

"The poor dears! The poor dears!" she kept whispering all the way down.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Milk Toast! the only think I could eat! why--who made it?"]

CHAPTER IV

MARY FRANCES WARNS THE KITCHEN FOLKS

TO the kitchen door she ran, and was about to rush out, when she thought she heard voices--thin, little voices they were--so she peeped out, for the door was ajar,--and this is what she saw:

Toaster Man, all tired out, was leaning back in a chair, snoring softly; but all the other Kitchen People were wide awake. It was Tea Kettle that was speaking:

"So, he put the eight feathers in a pan, and cooked them----"

"Who did?" asked Sauce Pan.

"The Jack Rabbit--and then he ate their fringe all off, and gave the bones to the cat. Then he bragged--he bragged that he'd eaten eight whole chickens at once."

"Is that all?" asked Sauce Pan.

"Yes," said Tea Kettle.

"Humph!" said Sauce Pan. "Was that his recipe for Fried Chicken?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: Then he bragged]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Toaster Man all tired out.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: "A Little Cap and Ap.r.o.n!" cried Mary Frances.]

"My, I'd love to hear more about the Jack Rabbit," thought Mary Frances, "but I must warn them about Aunt Maria"; and she hurried out into the kitchen.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"Listen!" she whispered, with upraised finger. "Listen!--Mother is going away, and Aunt Maria's coming over to keep house. Don't ever say a word--she'll never understand you, and she'll scrub and scour you till you ache, poor things!--she'll do that anyway, but don't talk before her. I hurried down to warn you--I was so afraid you might."

"Never fear," spoke up Tea Kettle; "we never, never talk before 'grown-ups'--we can't help them. I forgot to tell you--if you speak about us to anyone, we can never, never speak again."

"Oh," said Mary Frances, "it's a secret! I'm so glad you told me--I came so near telling Mother about Toaster Man--I might have, only----"

Then the door-bell rang.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "She'll scrub and scour you till you ache, poor things!"]

CHAPTER V

AUNT MARIA

"FOR the land's sakes!" cried Aunt Maria. "For the land's sakes! Where in the world has that child been? Look at those hands! Have you been playing in the coal?"

"I put coal on the fire," said Mary Frances.

"I guess I'll take a look at that fire, myself," Aunt Maria continued, as she started toward the kitchen.

Just then, she caught sight of the tray which Mary Frances had brought downstairs.

"Milk Toast," she sniffed. "Who sent that in?"

"I--I made it," Mary Frances began.

There was one tiny piece left. Aunt Maria looked at it hard.

"It's wonderful," she said, "wonderful; who showed you how?"

"Who showed you how?" she demanded, as Mary Frances stood silent.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Who showed you how?"]

"N-no-body,--at least, no real person. I read about how to make it in my cook book."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "N-no-body."]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

"_Your_ cook book--you mean your _mother's_ cook book."

"No," said Mary Frances, "I mean my cook book Mother's been making for me. I'll show it to you," and she ran to get it. "See!--in Mother's writing--'Mary Frances' First Cook Book!'"

"Well," said Aunt Maria, "you may turn out of some account, after all.

It's about time to call for a ref-or-ma-tion."