The Old Kitchen Door 105 



The heavy oak sill was worn in the mid- 

 dle until its upper surface was beautifully 

 curved, and to keep the rain out, when the 

 wind was south, a canvas sand-bag was rolled 

 against it. A stormy-day amusement was to 

 pull this away on the sly, and sail tiny paper 

 boats in the puddle that soon formed on the 

 kitchen floor. There was mischief in those 

 days. 



Kitchens and food are of course insepara- 

 bly connected, and what hunting-ground for 

 boys equal to the closets where the cakes 

 were kept ? I do not know that the matter 

 was ever openly discussed, but as I look back 

 it seems as if it was an understood thing 

 that, when our cunning succeeded in outwit- 

 ting auntie, we could help ourselves to jum- 

 bles. Once I became a hero in this line of 

 discovery, and we had a picnic behind the 

 lilacs; but, alas! only too soon we were 

 pleading for essence of peppermint. Over- 

 eating is possible, even in our teens. 



Recent raids in modern kitchen precin&s 

 are never successful. Of late I always put 

 my hand in the wrong crock, and find pickles 

 where I sought preserves. I never fail, 

 now, to take a slice of a reserved cake, or 



