登陆注册
5253000000010

第10章

"Isn't that cake in the skillet almost done?"

"Mose done, Mas'r George," said Aunt Chloe, lifting the lid and peeping in,--"browning beautiful--a real lovely brown.

Ah! let me alone for dat. Missis let Sally try to make some cake, t' other day, jes to _larn_ her, she said. `O, go way, Missis,' said I; `it really hurts my feelin's, now, to see good vittles spilt dat ar way! Cake ris all to one side--no shape at all; no more than my shoe; go way!"

And with this final expression of contempt for Sally's greenness, Aunt Chloe whipped the cover off the bake-kettle, and disclosed to view a neatly-baked pound-cake, of which no city confectioner need to have been ashamed. This being evidently the central point of the entertainment, Aunt Chloe began now to bustle about earnestly in the supper department.

"Here you, Mose and Pete! get out de way, you niggers! Get away, Mericky, honey,--mammy'll give her baby some fin, by and by.

Now, Mas'r George, you jest take off dem books, and set down now with my old man, and I'll take up de sausages, and have de first griddle full of cakes on your plates in less dan no time."

"They wanted me to come to supper in the house," said George; "but I knew what was what too well for that, Aunt Chloe."

"So you did--so you did, honey," said Aunt Chloe, heaping the smoking batter-cakes on his plate; "you know'd your old aunty'd keep the best for you. O, let you alone for dat! Go way!"

And, with that, aunty gave George a nudge with her finger, designed to be immensely facetious, and turned again to her griddle with great briskness.

"Now for the cake," said Mas'r George, when the activity of the griddle department had somewhat subsided; and, with that, the youngster flourished a large knife over the article in question.

"La bless you, Mas'r George!" said Aunt Chloe, with earnestness, catching his arm, "you wouldn't be for cuttin' it wid dat ar great heavy knife! Smash all down--spile all de pretty rise of it. Here, I've got a thin old knife, I keeps sharp a purpose.

Dar now, see! comes apart light as a feather! Now eat away--you won't get anything to beat dat ar."

"Tom Lincon says," said George, speaking with his mouth full, "that their Jinny is a better cook than you."

"Dem Lincons an't much count, no way!" said Aunt Chloe, contemptuously; "I mean, set along side _our_ folks. They 's 'spectable folks enough in a kinder plain way; but, as to gettin' up anything in style, they don't begin to have a notion on 't.

Set Mas'r Lincon, now, alongside Mas'r Shelby! Good Lor! and Missis Lincon,--can she kinder sweep it into a room like my missis,--so kinder splendid, yer know! O, go way! don't tell me nothin' of dem Lincons!"--and Aunt Chloe tossed her head as one who hoped she did know something of the world.

"Well, though, I've heard you say," said George, "that Jinny was a pretty fair cook."

"So I did," said Aunt Chloe,--"I may say dat. Good, plain, common cookin', Jinny'll do;--make a good pone o' bread,--bile her taters _far_,--her corn cakes isn't extra, not extra now, Jinny's corn cakes isn't, but then they's far,--but, Lor, come to de higher branches, and what _can_ she do? Why, she makes pies--sartin she does; but what kinder crust? Can she make your real flecky paste, as melts in your mouth, and lies all up like a puff? Now, I went over thar when Miss Mary was gwine to be married, and Jinny she jest showed me de weddin' pies. Jinny and I is good friends, ye know. I never said nothin'; but go 'long, Mas'r George! Why, I shouldn't sleep a wink for a week, if I had a batch of pies like dem ar. Why, dey wan't no 'count 't all."

"I suppose Jinny thought they were ever so nice," said George.

"Thought so!--didn't she? Thar she was, showing em, as innocent--ye see, it's jest here, Jinny _don't know_. Lor, the family an't nothing! She can't be spected to know! 'Ta'nt no fault o' hem. Ah, Mas'r George, you doesn't know half 'your privileges in yer family and bringin' up!" Here Aunt Chloe sighed, and rolled up her eyes with emotion.

"I'm sure, Aunt Chloe, I understand I my pie and pudding privileges," said George. "Ask Tom Lincon if I don't crow over him, every time I meet him."

Aunt Chloe sat back in her chair, and indulged in a hearty guffaw of laughter, at this witticism of young Mas'r's, laughing till the tears rolled down her black, shining cheeks, and varying the exercise with playfully slapping and poking Mas'r Georgey, and telling him to go way, and that he was a case--that he was fit to kill her, and that he sartin would kill her, one of these days; and, between each of these sanguinary predictions, going off into a laugh, each longer and stronger than the other, till George really began to think that he was a very dangerously witty fellow, and that it became him to be careful how he talked "as funny as he could."

"And so ye telled Tom, did ye? O, Lor! what young uns will be up ter!

Ye crowed over Tom? O, Lor! Mas'r George, if ye wouldn't make a hornbug laugh!"

"Yes," said George, "I says to him, `Tom, you ought to see some of Aunt Chloe's pies; they're the right sort,' says I."

"Pity, now, Tom couldn't," said Aunt Chloe, on whose benevolent heart the idea of Tom's benighted condition seemed to make a strong impression. "Ye oughter just ask him here to dinner, some o' these times, Mas'r George," she added; "it would look quite pretty of ye. Ye know, Mas'r George, ye oughtenter feel 'bove nobody, on 'count yer privileges, 'cause all our privileges is gi'n to us; we ought al'ays to 'member that," said Aunt Chloe, looking quite serious.

"Well, I mean to ask Tom here, some day next week," said George;

"and you do your prettiest, Aunt Chloe, and we'll make him stare.

Won't we make him eat so he won't get over it for a fortnight?"

"Yes, yes--sartin," said Aunt Chloe, delighted;

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 鲜妻有点甜:大亨的私宠

    鲜妻有点甜:大亨的私宠

    一场艳照门,她从云端跌入泥沼,男友背叛,母亲病死,她更被舅舅亲手送到陌生男人床上;那一夜,她以为人生从此崩塌,却阴差阳错地睡了以纨绔闻名海城的景二少,且一次就中标;未婚先孕,她低调闪婚!婆婆刁难,兄嫂蔑视,为了肚子里的孩子她一一忍下,谁知一朝变故,有孕是假,她从人人欣羡的少夫人变成了骗婚骗财的恶女人!“景邵梵,麻烦签个字。”一纸离婚协议书,她与这个男人,再无干系。直到那天,她为别的男人披上嫁衣,他忽然闯入婚礼现场……时君兮才明白,有些人,注定天涯海角都躲不掉。
  • Close Quarters
  • 乐府传声

    乐府传声

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 背后的眼睛

    背后的眼睛

    事情发生以后,刘小水躺在看守所里反复地想着事情的前后经过。他现在有的是时间进行思考。他总是觉得吴大川的死与这事有着直接的关系。刘小水听到那一阵刺耳的警笛声时正坐在餐桌前喝最后一口牛奶,也就是说他的早餐正进行到最后阶段。当他听到那警笛由远而近一直到自己家的门前停下来时,他一时竟呆在那里不知所措,而嘴里的最后一口牛奶竟然忘记下咽,顺着他的那阔大的嘴角流下来,一直滴到他那件蓝色的圣雪绒羊毛衫上。他妻子秦芳看着他那个样子,有点吃惊地问:“小水,你怎么了?”这时脑海中一片空白的刘小水的意识里才有了颜色。
  • 洞真太上紫度炎光神元变经

    洞真太上紫度炎光神元变经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Frivolous Cupid

    Frivolous Cupid

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 良臣谏章奏本(中华千年文萃)

    良臣谏章奏本(中华千年文萃)

    中华文明博大精深,源远流长:从商到周,从春秋战国到秦汉两晋,再从十六国到南北朝,从隋唐到宋元明清……一位帝王就是一部演义;一个朝代就是一部历史。迄今为止,已经有五千年的文明历史了。在五千年的岁月里,既有正直强国的明君,也有荒淫误国的昏君,既有贤臣良将,也有奸臣小人。于是,在纵横捭阖的政坛上,演绎了一场场正义与邪恶的笔锋之战。
  • 宦妃当道

    宦妃当道

    斗兽场上,她被关在笼中,亲眼看着稚子被丢在虎口之下,昔日情意绵绵的郎君转眼变成了食子的饿狼;怀中拥着她最亲最爱的胞姐;睥睨的看着她,低声说道:“你的孩子我不想要……”心头滴血,利刃锥心;踏血重生,她势要改天……再睁眼,回到十二岁的时候,眼前那张忧心忡忡的嘴脸让她恶心,一张张虚假的面孔令她生厌,可她再不是以前的秦羽蜜;虚与委蛇,只为让所有欠她之人自食恶果。情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 痘疹心法要诀

    痘疹心法要诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 我的轻修真物语

    我的轻修真物语

    一个喜欢的二次元宅男,凭借一块神秘的怀表来到了修真的世界。现代少年穿越到修真世界后该如何书写一场热血的修真故事?这是关于他的修真物语。