Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1891 — MRS. DRYDEN’S COOK-BOOK. [ARTICLE]

MRS. DRYDEN’S COOK-BOOK.

And How it Helped One Woman to Obtain Revenge. There comes a time in the life of every woll-regulated woman when she feels u strong desire to write u cook-book. Usually she is dissuaded by friends, and her mind turned into another channel, but oftentimes the desire is irresistible, and friends and relatives can only stand hy and wntcli the peculiar mania run its course. It is this that makes the cookbooks issued in the United States exceed in numbers that of all othor books combined. Wo have not time to-day to speculate as to whether or not there is any connection between this immense number of cook-books and the general prevalence of dyspepsia among Americans —it must suffice on this occasion to give a short but exact ncooufit of the experience of Mrs. Wolcott Dryden, of Ithaca, this State, with a cook-book, as made public in the curious suit of Dryden vs. Keith, now interesting the Tompkins County courts.

About a year ago Mrs. Dryden was miitteu with a desire to write a cookbook. Kind friends did all they could for her, but to no purpose. It was thought that a change of scene might do her good, and slnj was sent, to visit relatives in Rome and Utica, and afterward her husband took her for long rides in the country, frequently driving as far as Marathon, Venice, or Delphi, or to Virgil, Soipio, or Romulus, but when she returned home she invariably retired to the kitchen and taking out her pen, ink and paper, a teacup, throe sizes of spoons, und a quart measure, she would begin work on her book. Tho upshot of it was that the book wan finished in March and issued from the press in May. it was called “ Mrs. Dryden’s Family Cook-Book.” Before we go further w« should say that Mrs. Dryden is an excellent cook, probably the best in Ithaca. Her book was neatly bound in green oilcloth and was about an Inch thick, lu it were reeipos, all of which, Mrs. Dryden explained in the preface, she Imd tested personally, for broad-puffs, popovers, angel's food, pound cuko, floating island, gooseberry catsup, puff paste, minute pudding, bununa pie, citron preserves, orange marmalade, Chantilly custard, mock turtlo soup, blane-mange, wheat gems, Fronoh waffles, soda biscuit, caper sauce, codfish balls, almond macaroons, Martha Washington omelet, ten-minute buns, whipped cream am! many other things which It would tax our space two heavily to name. Ihe price of the hook was sl, and it immediately began to have a largo sale, not only in Itliaoa and Tompkins County, but in Palmyra, Athens, Carthage, I’liursulin. Corinth, Attiou, Memphis, Mneedon, l’homlola and other neighboring towns distributed by tho educated hand of u forgotten classical scholar, Mrs Dryden was elated nml planned on tin- best sealskin cloak in Ithaca for this winter. ■ The trouble comes at the moment of greatest prosperity. There lives in Ithaoa a certain Mrs. Balestier Keith. Several years ago tills lady bad a disagreement with Mrs. Dryden about tho propel color for the now church curpot. Mrs. Dryden triumphod in the matter, but Mrs. Keith had not forgotten. She saw hei chance for revenge. Now, it happens that Mr. Dryden Isa remarkably thin mini.badly troubled with dyspepsia,.though It cannot, of course, lie in any wuy traced to his wife's admirable cooking. But, it looks suspicious. He is six feet tall und weighs 115 pounds. He also looks sickly. Now what did the vindictive Mrs. Keith do but have an engraving made from Mr. Dryden’s most recent photograph, get 10,000 pictures printed from it and scatter them broadcast all over that classical neighborhood, with this printing on the back of each: “Mr. Walcott Dryden, husband of the an|iioi of Mrs. Dryden’s Family Cook Hook. A tree is known by its fruit!” Ami every person who got, one ol these received by the next mail a prospectus of “ Tho Pftrumtsus Cook-Book. By Mrs. Balostior Kjeith. With un engraving on stool of .Mr. Keith.” W hich engraving was of ft birgi mini weighing upward of GOO pounds,, being un accurate plot tiro of Mr, Keith but tailing, of course, to disclose tin fact that ids flesh is due to u regimen of fifteen glasses of beer u day for twenty years. The natural result followed. Tht Greeks and Romans of Contrul Now York stoiiped buying Mrs. Dryden’s cook-book and began purchasing Mrs. Keith’s. There wus only one thing for Mrs. Dryden to do—sue Mrs. Keith sor f heavy Jam ages. This she hns done nml the ease is now on trial. Mrs. Keith's de-ft-nee is that she hus confined herseit strictly to the truth. Mrs. Dryden charges libel ami mulicious persecution. The cuko is being watehod with great interest. — [New York Tribune.