e piles of graham
and milk crackers, seven in a pile. What an amazing number of folk
order graham or milk crackers in a cafe! It seems unbelievable to one
who has always looked upon a place furnishing eatables outside a home
as a chance to order somewhat indigestible food prepared entirely
differently from what any home could accomplish. Yet I know it to be a
fact that people seat themselves at a table or a counter in a more or
less stylish cafe and order things like prunes or rhubarb and graham
or milk crackers, and perhaps top off, if they forget themselves so
far, with a shredded-wheat biscuit.

It is bad enough if a man feels called upon to act that way before 2
P.M. When he puts in an order for such after 6 in the evening--then
indeed it is a case for tears. I would get the blues wondering
whatever could ail adult humanity that it ordered shredded-wheat
biscuits after dark.

Just above the counter holding the bread and crackers was the counter
on which were placed the filled orders for the waiters to whisk away.
It was but a step from there to my ice box. The orders it was my
business to fill were for blackberries, blueberries, prunes, sliced
oranges, rhubarb, grapefruit, whole oranges, apples, sliced peaches
and bananas, muskmelons, and four kinds of cheese. These pretty well
filled the upper half of the ice chest, together with the finished
salads I kept ahead, say three of each, lettuce and tomato, hearts of
lettuce, plain lettuce, and sliced tomatoes.

In the lower half stood the pitchers of orange and grape juice, jams
and jellies for omelettes to be made down the line, olives, celery,
lettuce, cucumbers, a small tub of oranges and a large bowl of sliced
lemons. The lemons, lemons, lemons I had daily to slice to complete
the ice-tea orders! The next pantry-girl job I fill will be in winter
when there is no demand for ice tea. I had also to keep on hand a bowl
of American cheese cut the proper size to accompany pie, and together
with toast and soft-boiled eggs and crackers and a crock of French
dressing set in ice. Such was my kingdom, and I ruled it alone.

During slack hours it was easy, too easy. In rush hours you had to
keep your head. Six waiters might breeze by in a line not one second
apart, each calling an order, "Half a cantaloupe!" "Two orders of
buttered toast!" "Combination salad!" (that meant romaine and lettuce
leaves, shredded celery, sliced cucumbers, quartered tomatoes, green
pepper, water