Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

Page 30 text:

2(5 THE BEANKSOME SLOGAN. COACHED IN DOMESTIC SCIENCE BY M. A. A. Henry S. Redmond walked into his clnb and,, with the judgment of one who knows, selected a large leather chair, and complacently began to enjoy life. There was nothing remarkable in this. I had seen him do it many times, with the slight difference that on other occasions he glanced around to see whom his companions were. He had been away for two months, and I had not heard from him in half as long, so I was not a little chagrined at this show of utter disregard. I won ' t speak till he does, I thought, and resumed my magazine, secretly watching him from behind my iscreen. Why, hello, Tom ; it ' s months since I ' ve seen you, said he, rising and coming towards me. I came back last night. Thought I ' d see you here. How are you ? You are about the most ungrateful dog I know. You prowl around a whole month without letting a soul know where 3 ' OU are. I couldn ' t even find out here. N ow, own up, what scheme have you been floating lately ? Sit down and I ' ll tell you. After I finished up a little business affair in Winnipeg I thouglit I ' d go home for a week or so and see everybody. They were glad to see me, Tom. He smiled a little reminiscently, I thought, so with an audible effort I suppressed a yawn and waited for him to continue. Suddenly he brightened up. The fact is, I ' ve been taking quite an interest in Domestic Science. I think it is a training that every mother ' s davighter should have. Why, man, does not the prosperity of the nation depend on its citizens, and surely the health and happi- ness of the citizens depends on the home life. It is a glorious train- ing. I see that in Denmark a girl has to have a certificate showing that she has had a course in Household Science and Economics before she can marry. That is what we ought to ha ve here, with the cost of living soaring as it is now. With this burst of eloquence Harry subsided rather shamefacedly, but volunteered his services in coaeliing me, saying he had studied under an excellent instructor. One of tlie girls has just come home from a Domestic Science Institute. Slie thought when slie came home that what she did not know would be scarcely worth the paper it was written on. I didn ' t know her well, but our mothers were good friends. Of course her mother wanted to display her culinary accomplishments, and a little impromptu dinner was arranged for the evening after I got home.

Page 29 text:

THE BRANKSOME SLOGAN. 25 of the pistol and clang of the bell, the screen was raised and the horses went off like a flash. Red Wing appeared calm and collected. He was holding Wild Fire back with all his strength lest she might weary before the struggle. Tally Ho was following closely, and at her heels was Bally Brae. In a minute Tally Ho was in the lead. A cry went up. When about half way around the track Bally Brae shot for- ward like an arrow, and, in a cloud of dust, reached Tally Ho and rushed ahead. A great shout rose among the spectators. It looks as if Bally Brae is going to leave the others behind her ' said one man. Rubbish ! You don ' t know what Wild Fire ' s made of ! ex- claimed another angrily. But it certainly looked as if Bally Brae was to be the winner and Tally Ho a close ©econd. They little reckoned on the make-up of Wild Fire. Her temper was rising, and her rider, unable to restrain her, loosened rein and let her go, uttering, soothingly, Steady, old girl, steady. On, on she went! A mighty roar came from the crowd, which, too excited to remain sitting, rose and waved her on to victory. Tally Ho attempted to trip Wild Fire, but she fell to the ground with her rider beneath. It was now between Bally Brae and Wild Fire. Bally Brae, at the approach of her rival, at once pricked up her ears and rushed on. Her speed must soon lessen. She cannot keep it up, thought Red Wing. I must now give my horse looser rein. Digging his spurs into her, she shot up into the air. Faster, faster they went, a cloud of dust following them. Clatter, clatter sounded their hoofs upon the ground. They had now but one- third of the course to cover. Bally Brae ' s speed had not lessened. Wild Fire seemed like a thing possessed. With her head erect and quiver- ing nostrils, she advanced, inch by inch, step by step, until, with a mighty bound, she rushed in front of her opponent, and did not stop until pulled up at the goal — the victor.

Page 31 text:

THE BRAXKSOME SLOGAN. 37 An expansive grin and then, Tt was hard on the poor girl, I thought ' Humph! You seem to be deeply concerned about her now. You should not have gone if you felt that way about it ' said I, aloud. To myself I remarked, This accounts for your interest in domestic science. ' ' What I said, however, did not have the slightest effect of reproof, for Harry went on talking as serenely as if no interruption had occurred. We had four courses that I remember emphatically. The bouillon tasted as if it had ginger in it, and I didn ' t venture farther than the first spoonful. B} the time the meat course came I was hungry. It was spring lamb, browned potatoes and peas, with trimmings that I can ' t recall now. The meat looked very fine. Evelyn ' s father made an encouraging remark, then cut off two or three slices. I began to look forward to mine with fear and trembling. The fourth slice was a delicate pink, the fifth old rose, and the sixth (the one I should get) was still more impossible. I hoped the potatoes were done, and even went so far as to think peas were always good. As I had calculated, the sixth slice fell to my lot, a generous-sized potato and some peas. I saw a nice brown spot on the potato, and so I ate in its immediate vicinity — but no farther. The peas tasted like sawdust as nearly as I could imagine. The salad course found me genuinely ravenous, but not knowing what was in store for us I dared not anticipate. It looked tempting. They certainly teach you how to make things look attractive at that institute. I recognized its distinguishing flavor, and my mind reverted to childhood and the olive oil bottle. My mother said it was beautiful Mayonnaise. Happily I remembered my long ' short story, ' and the scheme worked well. I digressed occasionally, and by the time I concluded it was time for the next course. It was an ice, and it was supreme. I felt as if I could have repeated it ad infinitum had 1 been pressed. There are special instructions given on the way to pack freezers at the Institute. You use one part salt to two parts ice for a smoioth mixture, for instance, ice cream. Let me see, is that right? Anyway, it is very important. Evelyn said when she was packing it she mistook a bag of sugar for tlie salt bag, and had used half of it before discovering the mistake. The cofi ' ee was good, too. Evelyn ' s mother apologized for its not .laving been made scientifically, but I thought I was rather glad about that.