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MAY 24, 1007
The Commoner.
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' Just Thonghts
This department fs in receipt of a
request from a young friend who
lives in Perry, Oklahoma. He
writes:
"Please don't laugh at me in ridi
cule, hut in the May 10 issu6" of
The Commoner in your. 'Just
Thoughts' you spoke of crawdad
tails being. good eating. I am a boy
of sixteen, and if there is anything
I love to do it is to eat. One day,
during the absence of my mother,
I prepared and served some frogs'
legs to the boys. Now I wish you
to tell me how you prepared the
narrative of Mr. Crawdad for eat
ing purposes. Our Oklahoma ponds
are alive with them, and if there
is anything savory about their caudal
appendages please tell me how to
prepare them. By the way, we are
especially fond of sassafras tea and
are sorry when mother says
'enough.' "
We are awfully afraid that a boy
whose "taster" is equal to liking
sassafras tea is not going to appre
ciate the delights of the crawdad
diet. It has been,so many years since
the writer prepared crawdads for
eating purposes that he fears he has
forgotten. But the formula "was
something like this: First" catch
your crawdads, selecting the ones
of average size. After mercifully
killing the crawdad by shoving a
knife blade through its head, ampu
tate the tail At the point where it
joins the hody. After carefully
washing and rinsing the tail through
a couple of waters, drop into a ket
tle of boiling water which is slight
ly salty and boil for three or four
minutes. Remove from the water
and as soon as cool enough to handle
without blistering the fingers, re
move the shell. Drop the white meat
Into a skillet containing enough
boiling grease to float the crawdad
tail and skim out in about thirty
seconds. If this is the right way
thecrawdad tall will come -out of
the grease curled up like the shrimp
meat you buy at the fancy grocers.
This done, any bgy will know how to
perform the rest of the operation.
Epicures say that the best way Is
to drop the live crawdad into boil
ingvwater, just as-lobsters are boiled.
This is cruel, and no boy with half
& heart will do it
Wonder if this young- Oklahoma
friend knows how to cook a wild
duck when he is out on a hunting
trip? The formula is good for
chickens, plover, snipe, or any other
edible bird that is not too bigr Be
fore starting on the hunting trip put
an onion in one pdcket and an apple
in another. Also some salt and pep
per. Then get your duck. When
you get so hungry you think you
just can't wait any longer for some
thing to eat, prepare the duck. Dig
a hole in the ground big enough to
bury about three ducks the size of
the one you have, and build, a fire
in it. The idea is to prepare a good
bed of coals. Clean the duck thor
oughly, bu you need not remove
all of the feathers. Rub the salt
and pepper inside of the bird and
then put in the apple and the onion
Close up the bird and then put it
inside of a big ball of stiff clay that
has been well kneaded. The mud
walls should be about two inches
thick. Then put the big ball of
mud in the bed of coals, covering it
up well and adding more fire on top.
When the duck Is cooked the mud
walls will have cracked and the sav
ory steam arising will tell you that J
the meal is ready. Pull the ball of
baked mud from the fire, break It
open and take out the duck. The
skin and feathers will come off with
the clay. The apple and onion in
side of the duck will have given an'
indescribable flavor to the flesh.
Pish may bo prepared the rame way,
omitting the apple and onion.
A young lady friend in Fort Smith,
Arkansas, who says she enjoys read
ing The Commoner every week, and
especially the "Whether CommSn or
Not" department, seems to have
grasped in a measure one of the
dangerous tendencies of the times.
She submits the following:
There was" a poor fellow one time
Who-had spent his very last dime,
And tp get him a meal
He attempted to steal,
And was giyen three years for his
crimje.
A stockbroker couldn't refrain
From "taking" two millions in grain.
'Twas easy, Indeed,
The jury agreed,
To see that the man was insane.
commencement, anxl aa he listens ho
wonders if the gray hairs are really
showing very plainly over his tem
ples, and if ho looks as old to the
little girl ajj his own father did to
him long years ago just about grad
uating time.
My, my! How the years do fly.
Only yesterday she came homo from
kindergarten her face lighted up with
joy and her littlo hands grasping the
first littlo picture she made under
the Instructions of the pationt young
woman who presided over the de
partment. Only yesterday she was
making paper chains and sorting out
colored beads. Only yesterday she
Tvas cutting out paper dolls. And
now she is fluttering around in an
agony of joyous anticipation, watch
ing the finishing up of her graduating
gown.
A little girl no longer, but a young
woman almost. A young woman
looking into tho future with joyful
expectancy, seeing great duties to
be performed, great wrongs to right.
We used to write "funny jokes"
about tho "sweet girl graduate."
But that was before Old FatherTime
had ripped off a few years and
brought ono of them to our own
household. The point of view makes
all the difference in tho world,
doesn't it?
The Cost of a Piano
fchould not bo reckoned entirely unon whnt vnn
IpnytOBotlt, A veryJmportnnt factor, o tho yearn
iiiifln, jji wimtyuu pay uj Kccpitin ortior, it rid moro
Important Mill is tho length of crvico and tho
dcKrco of satisfaction it gives you.
GABLER PIANOS
Wo" have heard, during the last
eight or ten years, a great deal
about tho "kings of finance." Now
isn't it about time to pay a few
tributes to the "queens of finance, '
three millions of wffom are perform
ing" financial stunts every week in
the year that wduld make Gates and
Rockefeller and Morean and all tho
rest of the "kings" look like three"!
plugged dimes in comparison. The
-queen or nnanco" is tne wife of an
average worklngman who draws the
average pay-of h'is craft. She has
an average of about $10 a week
with which to work, and with this
she pays rent, provides plenty of
nourishing food for the family of
from three to six people, dresses
herself and tho children shoes,
clothing, hats, underwear, stockings,
etc. pays the doctor's bills, gives
a little to the unfortunate about her,
provides amusement for the little
ones and puts by a few pennies now
and then for
n
rainy day,"
Wouldn't you like to see Mr. Rockn
feller or Mr. Morgan providing for
their families, and doing it fairly
well, on $10 a week? Wouldn't it
make them exercise their business
acumen to the limit to have things
come out even? The average Amer
ican housewife is the best financier in
the world, and don't you forget it
when you go to talking about busi
ness managers.
Let's see, it was year before last,
wasn't it or was it the year before
that when mamma took the little
girl in short dresses by the hand and
walked with, her to the schoolhouse
to be jwith her during 'the first lew
minutes of the first day of scEool?
Really, now, it dqes not seem as if
it were over three or four years ago,
at most. And now when the father
returns home in the evening he finds
the sitting room cluttered up with
white dress goods and paper pat
terns, long strips of lace, lace me
dallions, Insertion, ribbon, and all
that sort pf thing things that the
average man knows very little about
in the raw state. For the last two
weeks all he has heard at the sup-,
per table was talk about class par
ties and class plays, and class day
exercises, and thesis, and oration,
and graduating dress. He just has
to sit there and listen while mamma
and the little kindergarten girl of
yesterday talk about preparation's for
Answers to Correspondents
"Dermatologist":- -Some complex
ions are improved by a moderate ap
plication of soap and water.
"Superstitious" Of course wo be
lieve In signs. We know ono that
costs us at least a dime every time we
pass it with the missus.
"Queen of Diamonds" We can
not help you. We never play cards
because it's too hard work.
"Spuds" It strikes us that pota
toes planfed in the full moon would
be awfully hard to cultivate and dig.
How would you get there?
"Uneasy" We tried lard and red
precipitate when we felt the symp
toms you describe.
"Cook" We like our pies open
faced. "Fannie" Wo-will answer your
question when you- tell us why an
apple turnover is always better than
an apple pie made from tho same
batch of materials.
"Hamlet" Do we believe in
ghosts? We certainly do. If we did
not see one walk about 4 o'clock
every Saturday we would bo in bad
shape over Sunday.
"Friendly" Her name is Lottie,
but she seldom hears it.
"Susanno" Sew the bias pfeces
to the gore, tucking tne ruffles easily
over tho appjique and letting the
bishop sleeves droop gracefully from
the neckyoke. Maybe it is from the
singletree they ought to droop. We
always get mixed on these things.
Modern Definitions
Congress A place where they
make appropriations of money wrung
from the people.
Federal Judiciary Men who have
usurped the congressional function of
lawmaking.
Traitor A, man who objects to
being robbed by special Interests.
Undesirable Citizen One who
does not-think your way.
Brain Leaks , - -
The man who "Ays' high" usually
falls hard.
Flattery puts fat in the head, not
on the bones
A real hungry man looks with sus
picion on a chafing dish.
When a man says: "Now tell me
exactly what you think' he means
that he wants you tell him just what
he thinks.
Tho traveling evangelist has one
advantage over the local preachers.
He doesn't have to stay and reap
tho criticism of his words and
methods. ' "
PATENTS
8CODRISD OK 1TJ5K
KKTUKNJ-I).
Irren wnnrl n In Tl-ntMII Tllir.iA nni.
Hook, jind Wat of InronUnrw Wanted, sontfreo.
EVAJSS, WH.UISNS ,fc CO., Wfuhltigton.D.O
PUZZ
THE PUZZLE THUT
PUZZLES THE PEOPLE.
A dollur'g -worth ofnnnjwtnent for'a dime.
Bond lOcin Stamps to
PUZZ PUZZLE CO.. Cheit. Hill, Phlla., P.
whllo neither tho highest nor tho lovvont prices, nro
unsurpruMCrt by any Instrument mndoln America
or ISuropo in tho cr,vJco and saltefuctlon -they glvo
for each dollar . oxpondod. Tho "OAHLKIt
"Vf '1 JH ni'noiw, and tho no-lewi-famou
"GAHLKIt WOllKMANSlIU"' makes that
tono permanent through Rcnoratlori aftor rrenuraUon
of use. A OaUIer Is cheapest UKOAUH1S BEST.
Investigate.
Ernest Gabler & Bro.
ESTABLISHED 1854.
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500 Whltlock Ave, Bronx Borough, N, Y. City,
OPPORTUNITIES
ALONG A NEW LINE
Today tho grot opportunities in
farming, in cattle raising, In
timher and in commefefal lines
are in the country and in the
towns along tho Pacific Coast
extension, of the
CHICAGO,
Milwaukee & St. Paul
RAILWAY
-
It has heen a long time since.
, .... .
a transcontinental railroad has
been built. It -will probably- be' .
a longer time, after the comple-" -tion
of this one, before another
one is built. It is worth your
while to investigate these open
ings. This can best be done-by
a personal visit. Such a trip is
made inexpensive by the low
rates via this railway to North
Dakota, South Dakota, Montana,
Idaho and Washington. If you
are Interested, write for infor
mation, asking specific ques
tions. A letter and a descrip
tive book and map will be sent
, by return mail.
' "." "
V.'L'TSTABH,
General' "Western Agent. ;v
Omaha, Neb,
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