ON THE PANTRY SHELF

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 28 January 1939, Page 12

ON THE PANTRY SHELF

I There was great excitement amongst the inhabitants of the pantry shelves, for the sugar bowl had lost its cover, and was standing on the shelf looking most annoyed. The butter dish looked at him and said, “I really think you should try to find your cover: you look so old standing there without it.” “I had my cover when I went to sleep last night.” the sugar bowl snapped. “Someone must have taken it off my head while I was asleep. I don't know where it is, so what can I do?” The teapot, who was the haughtiest member of the very exclusive covered set in the pantry, looked down its spout, and remarked, “You don't look quite the thing without your cover: you look remarkably like one of the uncovered set. And there are flies buzzing round inside your head.” This was only too true; the sugar bowl could feel the nasty pests crawling over his lumps of sugar, but he couldn’t very well do anything about it. “Yes,” added the honey-pot. “Apart from the fact that the flies are spoiling the sugar lumps, you must remember " lhat we of the covered set have our - position to maintain in the pantry, and f if the uncovered spt saw us speaking * to you they would probably expect us 5 to converse with them as well. The' r / are really quite impossible people.” I “Oh, dear,” sighed the sugar basin, - “I do wish I had my cover.” 3 The cream jug. which always stood > near the teapot and sugar basin, though, of course, it wasn’t recognised as bej longing to the same set, looked sytnc pathetically at the sugar basin, and i, moved a little neaner. Finally it vene tured to speak. “You still look very t handsome without your cover,” it said, s “and I think you’ll find that you’ll get e used to being without a lid. And, at p any rate, the maid will soon be here t to brush away the flies.” p The sugar bowi looked in some surd prise at the cream jug, for the uncovi ered dishes in the pantry were seldom a presumptuous enough to speak to their s more elegant neighbours. However, e being at some disadvantage without its t cover, the bowl answered less haughtily _ than it otherwise would have. n “I suppose I will get used to going r without a cover, but it is very uncomfortable for me. as I have been used to 0 wearing one all my life. You and the s other uncovered dishes seem to get e along quite well, and now that I look at o you, you seem to be remarkably well y cared for.” u “Oh, I am.” said the cream jug. “All c of us uncovered dishes are very well j looked after, and washed and polished n every day, far more frequently than e you covered dishes, you know.” “As a matter of fact, the pride of the covered dishes is quite stupid,” it added. “It's all very well to have a cover,

but when you do you're not very well looked after. It's really absurd to be r.o high and mighty when you're not even dusted inside, let alone washed and polished. Take the honey-pot. for instance. I’ve known it to stand for days with a sticky mess of honey inside, and the same applies to the marmalade jar. and even to the butter dish. But all my companions are as . well washed and polished as I am myself.” And the cream jug looked proudly, and not without good reason, at its glowing , white coat. The sugar bowl looked thoughtful. , All this was quite true, it knew. Why, it was itself washed and polished only once a week. “I hadn't thought about that before,” it said, “but I quite see your point. I, myself, am cleaned only weekly.” The cream jug looked at the teapot, [ which had turned its haughtly nose ; even higher in the air than usual. “The tea pot looks very proud,” it 6aid to : the sugar bowl, “but I know quite well < it is often left overnight on the shelf, • without being cleaned.” The sugar basin remained in conver--1 sation with the cream jug for quite a ’ time, then it excused itself, and went ? i across to the teapot “I do wish you r j would make an effort to find your lid. | You look so out of place,” the teapot - said. “I saw you talking to the cream jug just now, I suppose you feel more 1 at home with the uncovered dishes . now than you do with your own ■; people.” The sugar bowl ignored the malice I in the teapot's voice and replied, “Yes, ' | the cream jug is very polished, and | most interesting to talk to. Besides, ’ it is so very well groomed. Do you 1 know it is washed and polished every 1 day, and often two or three times dur- ? ing the day.” “I am washed every day,” the teapot said, though somewhat meekly, “But often you are left overnight wilh--1 out being washed, you know,” the sugar r bowl said, and the teapot had to agree, g “I think that the uncovered dishes, and not the covered dishes, should really consider themselves the most i arsitocratic people in the pantry,” the sugar bowl added, “and It is high time that we were a little more neigh--0 hourly.” t Just then the maid came into the pant try with the lid of the sugar bowl in i her hand. She brushed away the flies buzzing round the sugar, and put on 1 the cover. 1 “I am so glad you have your cover •1 again,” the cream jug said, and soon ii all the covered and uncovered dishes were chattering together quite happily e as though they had always been friends. - And from that day onwards they ■, always were friends.