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Once there was a little Cook who had eyes as dark as black currants; cheeks as pink as his best frosting; and skin as white as the finest pastry flour.
As for his hair, it was exactly the colour of brown sugar, and you know what a pleasing colour that is. He wore a snowy cap and apron, and always had a long wooden spoon hanging from his belt.
He was the very best Cook that ever lived, for he never cooked anything that was not good. Jam, and little round plum cakes with pink and white frosting, and kisses, and lemon pie, and strawberry ice-cream, and little three-cornered raspberry tarts, and oranges cut into baskets and filled with whipped cream—oh, there was no end to the good things this little Cook would make!
He made spice-cake, too; and what do you think? One day when he was making spice-cake, he happened to look out of the window and saw, walking by, a little Fairy, as pretty as a pink rose. She was a cook, too, and she had on a cap and an apron exactly like his! The little Cook ran to the door, and called out,“Pretty little Fairy, won’t you come in?”
The little Fairy said, “I thank you, kind sir.” Then she came in and sat down.
The little Cook had dinner all ready, and he brought her some turtle soup, in a little china bowl all painted with butterflies; three oyster patties, the best you ever saw; a fat little quail on toast, with mashed potatoes and gravy; a mince turnover and a lemon tart; a glass of orange jelly; a saucer of ice-cream; and some macaroons!
When the little Fairy had eaten all these dainties, the little Cook asked her, “Can you cook as well as I cooked this dinner?”
“Just as well, but no better.” answered the Fairy.
“Was there anything that could have been cooked better?” he asked.
“Yes; the piece of toast under the quail was darker on one side than on the other.” she answered.
“You are right,” said the little Cook, “but only a wonderful cook would have noticed such a fine point. If we worked together, we could make the most delicious dainties in the world. Will you marry me?”
“That I will, with all my heart,” said the little Fairy, “but where can we find a preacher?”
Just at that moment, who should come into the room but the village preacher, to buy a three-cornered raspberry tart!
“You shall have the tart for nothing,” said the little Cook, “if you will marry us.”
“I will marry you very gladly,” said the preacher, “But where is the wedding ring?”
The little Cook turned round and round and round three times, thinking what he could do. For he had no ring, and he did not know where he could get one. But after the third turn,his eyes fell upon the dough that he had been making for the spice-cake. Then he knew what to do.
He made a little ball of dough and patted it flat. Then he took the little Fairy’s finger and poked it right through the middle of the dough. Last of all he dropped the dough into a pan of hot fat.
When it was done, it was such a beautiful nut-brown colour that the little Fairy cried out, “Why, it looks just like a dough nut!”
As soon as it had cooled, the little Cook put it upon the Fairy’s finger, which, of course, it fitted perfectly. Then the preacher married them. After the wedding was over, they filled the preacher’s hat with raspberry tarts, buns, and spice-cake;and that was a very good day for the village preacher.
The little Cook and the little Fairy lived together happily ever afterwards, both stirring the soup at the same time, and never quarreling. They often made beautiful brown doughnuts, with little round holes in them, to remind them of their wedding day.
And that is the way doughnuts came to be made.
(Laura E. Richards )
currants : a small berry-like fruit
tarts : round treats with filling in the
oyster : a kind of shellfis
preacher : someone who reads from the Bible in church
quarrelling : arguing
A) Answer the following questions.
1) What did the cook look like?
2) What did the cook make for the fairies’ dinner?
3) How did the fairy prove that she was a good cook?
4) How did the cook get a wedding ring?
5) What is your favourite part of this story? Why?
B) Similes—Complete the following similes using your own creativity.
These are phrases that compare two things using like or as. There are two similes in the first paragraph of the story. The first is “cheeks as pink as hi best frosting”, and the second is “skin as white as the finest astry flour”.
1) His stomach was as big as __________________________________.
2) Mary’s hair was like ______________________________________.
3) Dad’s car was as _________________ as ______________________.
4) The night was like a _______________________________________.
5) The stars were as ________________ as _______________________.
6) The dog’s tongue was as _________________ as ________________.
C) Choose your favourite simile and draw a picture of it.