THE DIARY OF DELIA ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: “‘Dying!’ ses I.” ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Diary of Delia Being a Veracious Chronicle of the Kitchen with Some Side-lights on the Parlour By ONOTO WATANNA Author of “A Japanese Nightingale,” etc. Illustrated by May Wilson Preston [Illustration] New York Doubleday, Page & Company 1907 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1906, 1907, BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY PUBLISHED, MAY, 1907 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ILLUSTRATIONS “‘Dying!’ ses I.” Frontispiece PAGE “‘Now remimber’ ses Minnie, ‘no gineral housework 22 for you.’” “‘Very well Delia’ ses she. ‘It’s hard on me ... 36 so much trouble.’” “I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I 44 penned the following warning in plane litters and langwidge.” “‘Mr. John’ I exclaimed involuntarararily, ‘are 58 you sun struck. What’s the trubble?’ ses I.” “Mr. Wolley cum crorling frum underneath the 114 ortermobile.” “‘Go away John! Go away!’ ses she, ‘you shan’t 134 open the dure.’” “‘But suppose’ ses he, leening a bit nearer, ‘that 146 the litter was not for you.’” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE DIARY OF DELIA ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE DIARY OF DELIA CHAPTER I I got up at siven. Washed. Dressed. Made me bed. I set the kittle on the gas stove and then furyissly rung the brikfust bell. The famly begun to get up about 9. Mr. John was the first to ate. He guv a look sideways at the appytising eggs befure him and the luvly staming coffee and thin wid a shuv pooshed thim aside. He tuk up his paper and begun to reed ignoaring me and the brikfust as if we wus durt. Me mouth being open I spoke up. “Won’t you be after ating this morning” says I.