How the Lady-Help Taught Girls to Cook and Be Useful

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HOW TO BUILD A FIRE. 13 head. The savages were delighted, and asked the lord what he could do ? Nothing, he replied; so they set him to work to gather reeds and grasses, and to bring them to the basket-maker, whom, for his skill in basket-making and many other pretty things, they made king of the island,...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HOW TO BUILD A FIRE. 13 head. The savages were delighted, and asked the lord what he could do ? Nothing, he replied; so they set him to work to gather reeds and grasses, and to bring them to the basket-maker, whom, for his skill in basket-making and many other pretty things, they made king of the island, and the useless lord was compelled to be a slave. Now see the good of being useful. The ignorant are always slaves. But then he didn't black the grate, nor clean the saucepans, nor make a fire, said one cherry-cheeked girl, and my mamma wouldn't like me to do that. Very well, then, you had better go home. I can give you no cookery lesson. The grate is not so badly cleaned, perhaps Miss Severn might give up that point ? For once, yes; but the fire must be made and kindled, and the saucepans made fit to cook in. They smell now of metal and resin. The cleaning of the grate being conceded, the little rebel at once offered to build the fire, throwing in a bundle of wood, a piece of paper, and quickly setting a match to it before Miss Severn saw what she was doing. Then Miss Severn quickly took off the wood, but the paper burned out. Not so, said Miss Severn; ten of these little sticks, if they are dry (as they are), are 'sufficient. The cinders, if there are any, should be put in first, and then coal to the top bar but one? little nobbly pieces of coal, not lumps. Then the dry paper and sticks, five one way and five crossed on them?not close together? now on the top of these place coal not larger than walnuts, now light the paper; the burning sticks will cause the coal underneath to kindle as well as on the top, and as soon as the coal is caught there will be a flame, and a kettle of water will soon boil if placed beside, not on it. But ...