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Aunt Mary's Morning Visitor

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 20, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 34.

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Aunt Mary's Morning Visitor

By Mrs. Edith E. Bruce

MRS. EDITH E. BRUCE
“Good morning, Aunt Mary. Pardon me for coming so early in the morning, but I’m so worried about little Willie; he was so sick all night, and this morning he can not sit up at all. Dear me! what am I ever to do with my children? It seems that some of them are ill all the time, while yours seem always to be well. I have come to see if you can tell me what to do.”
“Well, that’s too bad, Sister Brown,” said Aunt Mary, sympathetically; “come in, and sit down; and if I can help you in any way, I shall be glad to do so.”
Mrs. Brown dropped into the easy-chair that Aunt Mary offered her, and glanced around the tidy though plain little room. Again she made comparison. Here was Aunt Mary at nine o’clock in the morning, with her hair combed neatly, a clean print dress and apron on, and a fresh white collar. A blush came to her cheek as she noted her own untidiness; but then Willie had nearly worn her out all night, and everything seemed to go wrong.
“How dreadful,” said Aunt Mary, “tell me all about Willie’s illness. How long has he been sick? and what seems to be the matter?”
“O, he has not been sick long,” said Mrs. Brown; he went to school yesterday, and ate a hearty supper last night; but about ten o’clock he was taken sick, and it did seem as if the little fellow would die.”
“How dreadful,” said Aunt Mary. “What did the dear little fellow eat? His stomach is not very strong, is it? You will have to be careful about his diet.”
“That is just the question, Aunt Mary,” said Mrs. Brown, “what shall I cook? and how shall I cook it? I am simply desperate over the food question. You know my husband is not in the truth, and I have not been very long; and while I know that I should cook differently, I have not been taught, and I am afraid that if I venture new methods, I shall make a failure, and not please my husband. You asked me what I had for supper. I had just the usual bill of fare,—fried potatoes, hot biscuit and butter, strawberry jam, pickles, molasses cake, and coffee. That was very simple, you see, but I suppose Willie did eat too many biscuit with jam. Of course the children do not drink coffee nor eat much meat, but what shall I cook that will be healthful?”
Aunt Mary looked thoughtful. It had been in her mind for some time to try to do something for Mrs. Brown, and also for her other young sisters in the church to help them in their cooking and housekeeping; but she realized that it was a delicate subject, and she hardly knew how to get at it. Now she recognized this request as her opportunity, so she said: “I shall be so glad to help you! The same perplexities that now confront you, I have passed through, and all that I have been able to get through experience and otherwise I shall be only too glad to give to you. It will give me great pleasure to talk things over with you, and see what we can do. It may be, too, that you know of others whom we could help at the same time.”
“O how good, Aunt Mary! Yes, indeed, I do know several of my neighbors who are anxious to learn how to cook hygienically.”
“They shall have all I know,” said Aunt Mary, cheerfully, “but at present let us see what can be done for Willie’s immediate relief; and then, if you desire, we will arrange for a definite study in what I consider to be one of the most important subjects for women to pursue.”
“Without a doubt Willie’s sickness was due to having his little stomach overloaded with rich, heavy food. If he must eat at night, his lunch should be very simple,—fresh or stewed fruit with plain bread and butter would be sufficient. The thing for you to do now, is to give his stomach complete rest for a few hours. When you go home, give him a hot foot bath and some fomentations to his stomach to relieve the soreness and irritation caused by the retching. But first of all give him a good warm enema, give him sips of warm water, and then let him remain quietly in bed all day, and I am sure he will be much better. And now, my dear, when he has recovered from this attack, he will be hungry again, and then you must use caution. At first just give him some warm gruel. I would suggest gluten, but I know we can not always get this. A very nice gruel can be made from rice. In preparing all grains we should be careful that they are well cooked. Wash your rice thoroughly, put one-half cup in a quart of water, and boil slowly for one hour. Put through a sieve, and add a little salt and a tablespoonful of cream to a half-pint of the gruel to give it a good flavor, and I am sure you will find it very palatable. One thing more, be sure to serve it hot. Nothing is more distasteful than a lukewarm gruel, or any other lukewarm food, for that matter, that should be hot.”
“How thankful I am, Aunt Mary, for your kind suggestions, and I will gladly do all you have told me. Now I must hurry back, but first tell me when we are going to meet to learn how to do things right? I am so anxious to begin!”
“How would next Thursday afternoon do? If you will come here, and bring as many of your neighbors as you can, we will begin in earnest. We will call it our ‘Good Housekeeping and Cooking Club.’ Be sure to bring your notebooks.”
Mrs. Brown grasped Aunt Mary’s hand as she arose to go, and thanked her again for the kindly interest she had manifested in her. She went away with a new resolve in her heart that she would be a better housekeeper in the future, and for the present would put in practise all that Aunt Mary had told her.
Mussoorie, India.