"Is 'Old Puff-away' ready?" asked Sauce Pan of Coffee Pot.
[Illustration: "I can scarcely wait till I'm needed"]
"If you mean Tea Kettle, Saucy," answered Coffee Pot excitedly, "I hope so, for I can scarcely wait till I'm needed."
Tea Kettle gave two extra puffs of steam, but otherwise took no notice.
"How do you know you'll be used?" Sauce Pan asked of Coffee Pot, nudging Pie Plate who was near him.
"I come next in the book--and, besides, I'm always used for breakfast." Coffee Pot was beginning to get angry.
"Bet we have eggs,--eggs, and toast, and--_tea_! Yes, I bet it's _tea_ for B. this morning."
Sauce Pan kept on saying, "Tea for B." so long that Coffee Pot began to cry:
"Eggs and toast and tea, That doesn't mean me. Coffee is better-- Though not wetter-- For breakfast Than tea, tea, tea."
"Tee-hee--Tee-hee--Tee-hee!" giggled Sauce Pan, pointing to Coffee Pot tan-ta-liz-ing-ly, who began to cry in earnest.
[Illustration: "Tee-hee--Tee-hee!" giggled Sauce Pan.]
"Why, what's the matter with Coffee Pot?" Mary Frances asked when she came in. "Is it possible Aunt Maria forgot to dry you last night?"
Nobody said anything--and Sauce Pan hastily ran toward the stove.
"Wait," called Mary Frances, "wait a minute until I can look in my book----"
"Oh, I can say it without any book--we all know our own tricks," boasted Sauce Pan.
"All right," said Mary Frances, "say it--that will save time."
"B'iled eggs--excuse me!--boiled eggs," he corrected, seeing Mary Frances' stern face.
3. Place where the water will keep hot 6 to 10 minutes. A quicker method is to boil eggs very gently 3 or 4 minutes.
"Why!" exclaimed Mary Frances, "I thought you dropped the eggs into boiling water for three minutes or more, 'accordin'--that's what Nora said. I asked her what 'accordin' meant, and she said 'accordin' to the tastes of them that eats them--soft or hard."
"I was speaking of the best way," declared Sauce Pan glancing loftily at Mary Frances. "There is no end of ways to do it, but this is the scientific way to cook eggs so that they will be soft, but cooked all the way through and easily digested--not liquid inside a hard, white coat. In other Words--Ahem! the al-bu-men (white of egg) cooks much better at a lower than a higher temperature."