I received this from Beverly McGuire.

The famous author Alexander Dumas met with his housekeeper and cook every Monday to discuss the household accounts and to see what needed to be purchased for the upcoming week. One Monday, while they were discussing food, the cook noted that she needed a can of shortening.

Dumas, in haste, checked off the wrong column on the order form, and accidentally purchased 10 cans for 10 weeks instead of one can for one week.

On the following Monday when they checked the food supply, the cook said, “One can of shortening in use and nine in reserve.” The following Monday, she reported, “One can of shortening in use and 19 in reserve.” A week later, there were 29 cans of shortening in reserve.

It was about this time that Dumas wrote his famous novel ….

“The Count of Mounting Crisco”