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Mary Frances Cook Book

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<h2>CHAPTER XXVI</h2> <div class='chaptertitle'>MOTHER'S SURPRISE</div> <div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i176a.jpg" width-obs="115" height-obs="288" alt=""A secret?"" title="" /></div> <div class='cap'>AFTER one last look, Mary Frances, hearing the sound of carriage wheels, ran to answer the door before the bell rang; but Billy was there, too, and they opened the door together.</div> <p>"Oh, Mother!" cried Mary Frances; "you dear, darling Mother! What a 'cry-baby' I am!" (as the tears rolled down her cheeks, and Mother kissed her and Billy and Father again and again) "What a 'cry-baby!'"</p> <p>"Which she is not!" declared Billy. "Tell Mother,—Mary Frances, I can't wait for you to tell your secret!"</p> <p>"A secret?" smiled Mother. "A secret, Mary Frances?"</p> <p>"Oh, how good something smells!" said Mother. "It makes me hungry."</p> <p>"Come right out, then," said Mary Frances, bowing, "Dinner is Served."</p> <div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i176b.jpg" width-obs="483" height-obs="234" alt=""You dear, darling Mother!"" title="" /></div> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</SPAN></span></p> <p>"Here?" asked her mother. "I im-ag-ined we'd go over to Aunt Maria's."</p> <p>"No, Mother, dear," laughed Mary Frances, happily; "it's the 'surprise' for you." And they went into the dining-room.</p> <p>"Wh—wh—why! how did this happen?" asked Mother. "Where did this feast come from?"</p> <p>Everybody laughed and talked at the same time.</p> <p>"Mary Frances is guilty," laughed Billy; and Mary Frances "owned up."</p> <p>"Mother," said she, bringing her worn and somewhat soiled little cook book and putting it in her Mother's lap, "I've made everything! I've gone 'all through' my book! I got dinner to-night!—that's your surprise."</p> <div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i177a.jpg" width-obs="116" height-obs="239" alt=""How did this happen?"" title="" /></div> <p>"My own dear, lovely child!" said Mother. "You dear, precious baby-woman!" And taking Mary Frances in her lap, she hugged and kissed her again and again.</p> <div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i177b.jpg" width-obs="339" height-obs="201" alt=""I've made everything!"" title="" /></div> <div class='center'><b>*            *            *            *            *            *            *</b></div> <p>"I'm awfully sorry I couldn't exactly explain about you—you dear Kitchen People," whispered Mary Frances, going out to bid them good-night. "If it<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</SPAN></span> hadn't been for you, I never, never could have done it,—my dear, dear, friends."</p> <p>"You'll not need us soon again," said Tea Kettle, sadly. "We're sorry—yet we're glad that your mother will take our place as teacher now."</p> <p>"Will you help me when I do need you?" asked Mary Frances.</p> <p>"When you do," they promised, and she threw them a kiss.</p> <p>"Good-night, little Miss," they cried; and when she turned round again, they looked just like any or-din-ary kitchen utensils.</p> <p>For a minute she felt very lonely; then, remembering, she said gladly, "But they promised!"</p> <div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i178a.jpg" width-obs="114" height-obs="340" alt="Pots and pans" title="" /></div> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i178b.jpg" width-obs="539" height-obs="394" alt=""Oh, Mother!" cried Mary Frances." title="" /></div> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div class='tnote'><h3>Transcriber's Notes:</h3> <p>Obvious punctuation errors repaired.</p> <p><SPAN href="#Page_vii">Page vii</SPAN>, "Buscuits" changed to "Biscuits" (Baking Powder Biscuits)</p> </div> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />

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