HASHIMURA TOGO.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 11

HASHIMURA TOGO.

(Being the Letten of a. Japanese. Boy-of-afl-Work Confessing lia Struggles with American Housekeeping.) (As Becorded by Wallace Irwin.) To Editor Good Housekcep, appetising Magazine which makes photographs oi food and other amusements. Dear Sir,—l am a Japanese Schoolboy employed as a servant girl, but I.am not doing so this week, thank you, I am such a continual office-seeker around Employ-ment-Bureaus that. Hon. Boss'say, "Back again!" whenever he sees mo arriving. I shall tell you what happened last. i Mrs.- S. W. Swingle,: gentlemanly lady of .red-haired beauty, say tactfully,- "I will .'employ., you at great risk. Please arrive to'my home to-night.". . • . ■ There I wont. This i>. W. Swingle lady reside with her husband and children .respectively, at Railroad View, N:J. Her , : Mr. Swingle, to which sho is- married, is-a time-table as well as. a husband/ • His ■ soul , is full of trains. .He arrive homo at 6.13 and require dinner at ff.of. 'Ho -goto bed at 11.04, arid demand breakfast at-7.22'.50 he can catch. 8:12 train.' ■" ' - . . '■ ' "When I got- on this job I dishcovered thatiny tranquillity was going, to be very scarce. ,: I must.-greet 'milkinan at dawnlight aid continue' rny' domestic Ecienco until exhausted.,,; .' -■ ■ - -.Mrs. S. 'W. Swingle, witlTeweethearted expression, say .that -busy , folks is. most happy." If; this is truthful 1 should prefer to' bo; slightly miserable ,on Sunday and .Thursday afternoons. Yet I remain stationary' in. employment until; Monday, when sorrow arrive wrapped up in a Paper Bag. I shall tell you how was. . v At.hour of-2.44 Mrs.-S. W. Swingle orrivo to ' kitchen ' with cutting-expression peculiar to scissors. ■ "Togo, why for do you prepare such bad food?" she decry with angry rage. "There is no. uplift in ,-your biscuits. Your beef is'boiled.until it lose all-,orig-inality.,.'-Mr.' S.'-.W. Swingle, who is far from strong, say .your-coffee is .the same. And so forth.' Yoii must learn to discontinue, this. If we cannot , fare better fou must farewell." ' ■ My >soiil feel punctured, by this conversation. It seem Very brutal for me to go: loosei again when jobs is so infrequent to obtain. • - ■ . ' \ ■ While thusly I was thinking I , find on tip-shelf of pantry one slight ■ brown book. ' It was wrote by a Kitchen Pro-fessor-and bore thisremarkable/tiMe:' ■ That lady retreat away respectfully. I watch this.cookery by alarm clock to Bee it shall not.be' too long. -Hon. Book say. "When bag are stuffed. with meat, cook 25 minutes.' When stuffed with vegetables, cook twenty minute." • I'figure this arithmetic' vdth load-pencil.- That bag was , stuffed with both- meat and vegetables, therefore ,; liO plus 25; equals 45. That, bag must cook 45 complete minutes to be sifficiently. delicious. At end'of 14 minutes- V take slight peek to oven. 0 sakes! Yqu would not kno.w Hon.- Bag for. himself, he was eo ewole. He contain- more.uplift than one quart yeast. -He was 60 baloonical in -enape, that I fear- he. might.float upward-con-taining meat. and .v.egotables; Therefor* I'prick him. slightly with' fork. .<.'■. .Popp!!! ; ..-- : -- ■■■■■■■;■■ . i : .-. . Grand;explode arrive. lam ehot by outrush of: stewed : steam "'.wiieh '.jump out ; amidst .delicious flavour. .Hon. 'Bag flop- back .exhausted: , " No more puff ;np for.'hvm.' ■Eβ droop!>a.midst them in eat 'and l .vegetables > like ■ a ■ wet: ; sail■•• in a. shipwreck.---1. close: o'viin. ly.' /HonV -Book; say >-nothing abo.ut-' this auerry/.-behaviour, of. food;.'-. Mayb.e.'■ that will-.irap'rovoi'its :nourishing.qjialities.V. , - :-After.-it- had; ( been ; some oonditioa' I -.was enabled. tb.l.enjoy :the;;per-, fume-df'this, aroma. -Each: foiod ,when':it. ooblc- 'make: some' odor- of: smblli. -Apple pie /smell ■' like some joyful hunger of schooldays. Koast beef smell liko powerful nprjatite of athlete; But paper bag smell like fire, among newspapers. I notice this. ... While this food was r,oasting, liook out of window and observo Hon. Eobert JactBon', near'neighbour, approach-and make knock , to door. ' .'■•■• ' "Mrs. Madame," ho. report when that Swingle lady corao to door, "I announce your house is afire." - - "How you know?" requesh she with a pale voice. ■ ■ ' ■ "Because I smelt burnt wall-paper distinctually'." - loud 6cream by Mrs. S. W. Swingle. They rosh to cellar. Nothing was burning there—not even the furnace. They trot to roof. Nothing was smoking there —not even the chiinbley. "It must be Uncle Oliver burning autnmn leaves," explains Hon. Jackson. How could he know it was my cooking do emejt? ■ . . When nextly I peek into oven I observe Hon. Bag afire round the edges. Otherrrise he was cooking nicely. I put him out with, slight splosh of water. He look quite contented swimming around in midst of juices containing vegetables. 17 more minutes remain to cook him. Night, approach. I notice by alarm clock that time. have, now elapsed for Hon. - Paper Bag to be completely cooked. So I .take him out on platter. He look somewhat quaint..' Paper bag 3is like spinach'; they seem most beautiful when raw; .It .was alarmed for , to see how Hon. Bag had shrunk away. He seemed insufficient for. healthful family of , four persons/ Next timo I mnst cook two. However, it was necessary to make most of what was.'so I rolled Hon. Bag out" lengthwiso'- like a omelet. Then I Burr'ound him'rath meat and vegetables in diagram of beautiful art.. "Togo!"/holla Mrs.S. W. Swindle, exploding into kitchen, suddenly like ; gun. 'Togo; what have you been cooking to make, my'house smelllike a fire insurance?" She cough in Eoprano. : . "I have'baked you a paper-bag," I report with, words containing smiles." I point to.plate where'it , was. "' . "Paper what?" she howell. ' "Bag." I repartee.-' She walk to , , platter and poke Hon. Bag irreveraatly with fork. ; She make scorn with her nose. ' Then she open kitchen door and urgd me to it with enraged broomstick. - -' •' '', •■'■ ' : "I give you your choice," she say horsely. "Either you can go at once or depart immediately." .' . . ■■'" • I shall not wait that .long!" ,; I collapse with cruel expression pecnliar to eagles. If you discharge me I shall obtain mean revenge.'" I' shall quit." : '~ Thusly speaking, I promenade forth wto unemployment. I am still there, coping you are the same, . ■ ■ ' • .'■ Yours truly,. Hashimura Togo. ■