,note3 ,images of the original pages are available through the ,google ,books ,library ,project4 ,see http3_/_/www4google4com_/books8idz,n,v,b ,a,q,a,a,i,a,a,j ,illustration3 ,book ,cover ,,living ,,on ,a ,,little by ,,caroline ,,french ,,benton ,author of ,a ,little ,cook ,book for a ,little ,girl1 ,margaret's ,saturday ,mornings1 etc ,illustration ,boston 99 ,dana ,estes ,company 99 ,publishers ,copyright1 #aijh ,by ,dana ,estes ,company ,to all those housekeepers1 young and old1 who are engaged in the delightful task of making one dollar do the work of two ,thanks are due the editor of ,good ,housekeeping for permission to reprint the greater part of this book from that magazine4 ,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,at the ,very ,beginning--,dividing the ,income #aa ,,ii4 ,saving for ,staples--,the ,kitchen--,buying--,linen #bh ,,iii4 ,arranging the ,meals--,cooking-,dresses--,the ,table--,the ,dinner #dh ,,iv4 ,soups and ,meats #fh ,v4 ,vegetables1 ,salads1 ,desserts #ij ,,vi4 ,breakfast1 ,luncheon1 ,supper--,odds and ,ends #aaj ,,vii4 ,the ,emergency ,closet--,winter ,preserves--,cake #abi ,,viii4 ,the ,game of ,menus #adh ,,ix4 ,two ,dinner ,parties #afe ,x4 ,reducing ,expenses #ahc ,,xi4 ,luncheons for a ,little #bja ,,xii4 ,in the ,country #bba ,,xiii4 ,midsummer ,housekeeping--,the ,end of the ,holiday #bde ,,chapter ,i ,at the ,very ,beginning--,dividing the ,income ,mrs4 ,thorne laid down the letter she was reading and looked across the table to her husband1 who1 as he was industriously engaged in buttering a muffin1 paid scant attention to her for the moment4 ,presently1 however1 as he became aware of something portentous in the air1 he looked up and inquired3 ,my dear1 you alarm me4 ,what's the matter8 ,has the bank suspended and are you considering how best to break the news to me1 or has ,dolly eloped with the ice-man8 ,his wife did not relax her important expression as she replied1 ,dolly's engaged4 ,engaged6 ,mr4 ,thorne assumed an overwhelming surprise4 ,you don't say so6 ,now who in the world can she possibly be engaged to8 ,mrs4 ,thorne regarded him with scorn4 ,just as though you did not know perfectly well6 ,who could she possibly be engaged to but ,fred ,mason8 ,i told you a month ago she was certain to be4 ,so you did1 was the soothing reply1 but ,i strive to please1 and ,i thought from your manner that you hoped to astonish me with the news4 ,so she's really and truly engaged4 ,well1 ,i'm glad of it4 ,fred's a good fellow in spite of the fact that he has arranged to be a brother-in-law to me when he knows that ,i hate brothers-in-law2 and ,dolly's a great girl4 ,dolly's a dear1 and ,i only hope he's half good enough for her4 ,but that is only part of the news in the letter4 ,her husband took another muffin and looked interested4 ,she wants to come and spend a year with us2 if we can take her1 father and mother will go abroad4 ,her idea is to learn how to keep house4 ,listen to what she says3 ',dearest ,mary3-- ',i don't suppose you will be exactly amazed when ,i tell you that ,fred and ,i are engaged1 for when ,i wrote you last ,i realized that you must know what was in the air4 ,and ,i don't suppose ,i need say that we are the two happiest people in the world and that ,fred is the dearest--' ,skip all that1 pleaded ,mr4 ,thorne4 ,well1 ,i will2 but she goes on to say that the firm ,fred is with has offered him a better salary than he has now1 provided he will go to ,south ,america for a year and really learn the business4 ,i'll begin there3 ',that means that we can get married as soon as he comes back1 for then he will have as much as eighteen hundred a year1 certainly4 ,but even so1 with rents so high and food going up daily as the papers say it is1 ,i am sure we shall find it not too easy to make both ends meet1 especially as ,i strongly suspect that years in an expensive apartment hotel do not exactly fit one for living on a little4 ',all this brings me to the point of my letter1 which is3 won't you please let me come and live with you for a year and learn how to manage8 ,that would be a cool proposition1 ,i am aware1 but for certain mitigating circumstances which ,i hasten to mention4 ',you said in your last letter that ,delia was leaving you to be married2 ,i suppose by now she is only a memory4 ,you also said that you dreaded getting a new somebody in her place because you were confident that ,fate had in store for you a high-priced1 high-spirited and extravagant person who would smash your things and possibly order you out of the kitchen1 not to mention putting whole loaves of bread in the garbage pail daily4 ,now if that remorseless being has not yet arrived1 won't you consider me in the light of an applicant for a place as general housework maid in her stead8 ,i'll do anything and everything4 ,i'll take the place of a butler1 a cook1 a house-maid1 a waitress1 anything you can mention except a laundress1 and you can order me around all you like and ,i'll never1 never answer back4 ,my aprons shall be clean1 my hair tidy and my kitchen immaculate4 ,i won't ask for a latch-key1 and for only occasional afternoons out in cases of great emergency1 such as matinees or afternoon teas and such things4 ,and ,i'll solemnly promise not to have a single follower4 ',it won't cost any more for you to board me than it would a second edition of ,delia1 and what you save on wages you can turn in toward the dishes ,i break and the ingredients ,i waste in my apprenticeship4 ,please1 please let me come6 ,and send a telegram1 for this suspense is wearing me to a thread4 ',fred sends you his love and says he will be perfectly easy in his mind about me if ,i am with you while he is away4 ,and he thinks it such a good idea for me to learn to cook6 ',affectionately yours1 ',dolly4 ',p4 ,s4 ,isn't it too perfectly dreadful that he has to go away at all6 ,i'm just in despair4' ,mrs4 ,thorne laid down the letter and looked eagerly at her husband4 ,he was smiling broadly4 ,let her come1 he said as he rose from his chair4 ,poor1 heart-broken young thing1 it would be cruel to refuse her4 ,let her divert herself cooking up messes2 if we can't eat them we can always invite company1 who can't refuse4 ,i'll send her a telegram as ,i go down town1 and congratulate and condole with her1 and incidentally include the invitation she wants4 ,so for a week preparations for the coming of the new maid absorbed her sister's attention4 ,delia had been a treasure1 and there was little cleaning up to follow her departure1 but on general principles the pantry shelves were scrubbed and some new saucepans purchased to replace the burned ones bestowed on the ash-man2 the dish-towels were done up with extra attention to their folds1 and the kitchen window had a fresh curtain4 ,dolly arrived presently2 rather a pensive ,dolly too1 for ,fred had just sailed and life for the next year seemed scarcely worth living4 ,but after she had unpacked and settled herself in her pretty room her spirits revived1 and she was able to look forward to her stay at her sister's with some degree of resignation1 if not enjoyment4 ,when the work was all out of the way the very next morning she produced a blank book and pencil4 ,now sit down close by me1 she began importantly1 and let us begin this very minute with my lessons4 ,you see1 ,i am going to do this thing in a really systematic fashion4 ,you had to learn as you went along1 ,i remember1 and ,i dare say you made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of time2 my plan is to take everything up in order and to write down all you teach me1 and then ,i shall have it ready to use at a moment's notice4 ,i have got a nice ruled book1 and ,fred and ,i talked over some things1 and he put down some columns for me to fill out4 ,see--first comes ,income2 then ,food2 then ,rent2 then ,fuel1 and ,clothes1 and so on4 ,mary1 you have no idea what a practical mind he has6 ,so you see we can take up these things and get some sort of view as to what it will cost us to live2 then we shall know where we are4 ,later on1 in the book1 ,i will write down other things1 such as suggestions on ,how to ,save ,money1 and things like that1 you see4 ,her sister regarded her admiringly4 ,my dear1 ,i didn't give you credit for so much forethought4 ,how ,i wish ,i had had anybody to start me right6 ,when ,i think of my struggles and of what a time it took me to learn how to manage on a small income ,i wonder ,i have survived4 ,i did make such blunders1 and then ,i cried1--,i cried bucketfuls of tears1 and most of them at least could have been saved for other and important occasions if only ,i had been taught more practically4 ,i do think it is too difficult for a girl who has always lived on a liberal income1 and never had to think twice about expenses1 to suddenly have to get along on a tiny amount of money all by herself4 ,i certainly will promise to save you some of my mistakes4 ,i really scarcely know where to begin1 said ,dolly1 as she brushed back her hair1 but perhaps we had better give my book a title2 ,i shall call it ',living on a ,little4' ,then the first question to settle is this3 ',what is a little8' and that has about a hundred possible answers4 ,you can easily see that to a couple brought up 'in marble halls1 with servants and serfs to command1' five thousand a year might seem a pittance1 while other people would cheerfully begin housekeeping on five hundred dollars and think it plenty2 it all depends on the point of view1 of course4 ,but this is the way ,i reason about an income3 to live with any real comfort on whatever is to you a little1 you must be a good manager2 when you have arrived at that desirable point1 the actual amount of your income does not matter so much as you would think1 because1 you see1 you know how to get out of it all that there is there1 and it is enough for your needs4 ,do you remember that friend of mother's1 ,mrs4 ,grant1 who had that perfect palace of a house and an income of fifty thousand dollars a year8 ,well1 ,i have never forgotten that one day ,i heard her say that for the first six years of her married life she and her husband lived on a salary of six hundred dollars1 'and1' she said in the most complacent way1 ',i could do it again1 too1 if ,i had to6' ,you see1 she was a good manager and she realized it4 ,she had learned just how much to buy at a time1 and where to buy it1 and what to pay for it1 and how to make a small amount of money do as much as twice that4 ,now ,i have been married only six years1 but ,i have learned a lot in that time1 because we have had to move from one place to another and our income has varied so much2 then you know all one winter ,dick was ill and we had nothing to live on but what we had saved1 and so we had to be very1 very careful4 ,i really feel that ,i have mastered the problem of living on a little4 ,then ,i'll begin my book with the result of your experience in a nutshell1 or in an epigram1 or something1 please1 if you can put it that way4 ,i don't believe ,i can do that2 but here is the main part of it3 ,keep down your table expenses4 ,you see1 even if you wear your old clothes and pay a lower rent than you have been accustomed to pay1 and walk instead of riding1 you still must eat1 and you must have nourishing1 appetizing food1 or you will have doctor's bills which will terrify and impoverish you4 ,unless you can set a good table for a small sum of money1 you are lost on a narrow income1 and if you know how to accomplish that economic feat1 you are safe4 ,so that is my first great rule for living on a little3 ,learn how to have a generous table for a small sum of money4 ,you will find you have to study the food question with a will1 too1 if you mean to master it in a year so you can work out its problems easily forward and backward1 as you must4 ,you see you begin by learning to manage with a fixed allowance2 then how to buy in places that are not necessarily the best ones1 but the best for you2 how to cut down expenses when you have been extravagant or have to entertain1 and how to lay in supplies when you have a surplus of money on hand2 what to get in quantities and what to get in small amounts2 what to do with the left-overs1 and how to eke out one thing with another so as to have enough when you are short4 ,it is as difficult to be that kind of a housekeeper as to be a great whist player or a concert artist6 ,it is easy enough to make a little money go a long way if you are a clever manager1 and fatally easy1 too1 to drop a little here and there till you are actually bankrupt1 if you don't understand just how to live4 ,so put your mind on the food question1 my dear4 ,then tell me what to put down under ,food2 that seems to be the next item after ,income2 that ,i put down as #a1hjj1 though of course that is only a sort of average1 because we are not positively certain just what we shall really have1 but it will be about that4 ,now what will it cost us a year for our table8 ,we will put down just what ,dick and ,i spend--about a dollar a day2 you can feed a maid or a sister on that1 too1 so ,i am sure it is enough4 ,it certainly does not seem so1 ,dolly murmured1 but she obediently set down ,food1 #cfe4 ,then here is my second question3 ',which is the cheaper place to live in1 the city or the country1 when you have only a small sum to put into rent1 and such things8' ,mrs4 ,thorne considered4 ,the fact is ,i cannot say with any certainty1 though we have tried both places4 ,we found the balance was pretty even4 ,suppose you live in the country2 there rent would be less than here4 ,we pay forty dollars a month for this small apartment1 and we paid twenty-five for a whole house there2 but to offset that1 ,dick's commutation ticket used up the difference4 ,of course if your home and your husband's business were both in the one country place1 that would be saved and you would be ahead2 but ,i am supposing the business to be in the city4 ,then in the country we had to burn a great deal of coal in the furnace and the kitchen range1 and that was a decided item1 while here we do not have to consider that at all4 ,in the country we had to hire our walks cleaned1 and here we do not4 ,there ,i simply had to have a maid1 because ,i could not do all the work of a whole house1 and here ,i can do without perfectly well if ,i like4 ,really1 you see things were about the same in those ways1 so we will waive the question for the present and get at it later by degrees according to your own needs4 ,then what shall ,i put down under ,rent8 ,shall ,i say #dj a month and put down nothing for fuel8 ,that would be right in both city and country you see1 the rent here more and the fuel less1 and there just the reverse4 ,yes1 ,i think that will be fair4 ,so that item went down3 ,rent and ,fuel1 #dhj4 ,wages come next4 ,do we settle the servant question here and now1 offhand8 ,i've always understood that was a life-work1 and you might even go to another world no wiser on the subject than when you came into this one4 ,it is a great subject1 certainly2 anybody who has had an average experience can testify to that4 ,i scarcely know where to begin to tell you what to do4 ,but let us see4 ,suppose you decide to keep a servant1 at least at first4 ,for general housework in the city you will have to pay #e4jj a week1 and you will be lucky if you get any one who will do your washing for that2 probably you will have to pay #e4jj and put the laundry work out2 at least that is what your maid will ask4 ,well1 she won't get it1 then1 said ,dolly decidedly4 ,she may as well understand first as last that two people who have not much money to spend cannot pay five dollars a week and still put out the washing4 ,it's perfectly absurd to expect it4 ,she shook her head indignantly at the imaginary maid who was supposed to have made the preposterous suggestion4 ,let us give up having her at all1 smiled her sister4 ,perhaps1 instead of taking a competent person1 you can get a newly landed ,finn or ,german who will consent to wash and iron1 cook and clean1 all for #d4jj a week2 you really cannot do much better than that4 ,then you must teach her everything1 of course1 and do all the dainty cooking yourself1 beside4 ,you must also allow a good deal for her food2 she will be accustomed to eat a great deal and of a substantial sort4 ,i don't like the idea of an untrained maid1 at all1 said ,dolly rebelliously4 ,it is nice to have somebody1 though1 especially at first1 because no bride likes to cook in her new clothes1 above all at dinner time4 ,still1 many a clever girl does do all her work and still manages to be always rested and fresh and prettily dressed2 it's a miracle how she does it1 but you must learn the secret if you have to dispense with the maid1 my dear1 or risk seeing romance vanish6 ,well1 you know how6 ,i'm convinced ,dick thinks you a perfect ,queen of ,beauty and a ,madame ,recamier of cleverness and a female chef and everything else that is desirable in a wife1 all rolled up in one prize package4 ,well1 if he does1--and let us hope he may6--remember how long ,i've been in the business of learning how to manage4 ,you must try and get to the point without wasting the time ,i have put on my lessons4 ,but to go back to that perennially interesting question1 ,concerning ,servants2 put down #bjj under ,service4 ,it really ought to be a little more than that at #d4jj a week1 but as your ,finn will certainly never stay a whole year at a time1 you will probably do your own work for some weeks at least1 and so save her wages4 ,i have about decided not to have either a ,finn or a ,german or anybody else4 ,i think ,i'll do my own work and have a woman in to wash and iron and clean by the day2 that will save something1 won't it8 ,yes2 but in town1 at least1 you will have to pay #a4ej a day1 besides car-fare and meals2 that is pretty expensive for you4 ,well1 why can't ,i have a woman just to clean1 say a day1 or even half a day at a time1 and put out my washing8 ,laundry work is dreadfully expensive4 ,you must pay1 at the very lowest1 fifty cents a dozen1 and more for all the fine things1 such as white petticoats and shirt-waists4 ,i don't believe you can afford it4 ,why not try this way8 ,send out all your washing except the finest things and have it returned rough-dry2 that is a rather cheap way of doing1 if you send a whole wash2 then have a woman one day to iron and give you perhaps an hour or more of cleaning1 too4 ,there is an economical and a practical plan1 to my thinking1 but very likely you may not find it the best one for you to follow4 ,for that particular one1 you must experiment and study conditions for yourself in the place you live in2 what would do for me here might not suit you at all elsewhere4 ,but anyway1 we will put down #bjj for service1 for ,i doubt if it will be less than that amount1 no matter how you manage4 ,and the next item ,i suppose should be ,clothes4 ,yes1 it ought to be1 but here is a difficulty4 ,the first year you are married the sum will fall way below the average1 for your two trousseaux will supply your needs4 ,suppose this time you put down #aej1 just to have something to go by2 it will be at least double that1 possibly1 after awhile4 ,now if you will add up what you have there you can tell what you will have for the most important item of all1 ,incidentals1 which we have left for the last4 ,dolly added in silence for a moment1 and then read3 ,income #a1hjj ,food #cfe ,rent and ,fuel #dhj ,service #bjj ,clothes #aej ------ ,total #a1aie ,or1 say #a1bjj2 that1 subtracted from what ,i hope will be our income1 #a1hjj1 leaves #fjj for ,incidentals4 ,and that is very much like a skeleton in the closet4 ,incidentals1 my dear ,dolly1 are the very worst foe of all young housekeepers4 ,i wish ,i could impress upon you from the very first to watch that column4 ,it must cover everything we have not put down1 and the name of them is ,legion4 ,doctor's bills1 dentist's bills1 church1 books1 magazines1 car-fares1 entertaining1 pocket money of every sort1 gas bills1--unless you can get those out of your table allowance1 as possibly you can1 and perhaps you can not1--and vacations1 and amusements1 and two things that ought to come first of all1 and you must never1 never forget or treat lightly--life insurance and the savings bank account4 ,really1 ,mary1 you frighten me6 ,you may well think of these things seriously at least1 because they need that sort of consideration4 ,six hundred dollars is very little for all those items1 and yet it must cover them4 ,life insurance is a necessity2 don't ever think you can dispense with that1 but keep your premiums paid up if you have to live on bread and water to do it4 ,and the savings bank2 into that must--must1 ,dolly--go a small sum every single month4 ,nothing makes one feel so at peace with all the world as to know that there is a small but growing sum laid by for the rainy day which is absolutely sure to come just when you can least endure it4 ,think what it means to have something to fall back on in a great emergency6 ,it is so fatally easy to forget about that and all these other things which devour that sum under ,incidentals1 and then1 behold1 the end of ,july finds one with the next ,december's money all spent6 ,candy and flowers and theatre tickets and other nice but unnecessary things will behave in just exactly that way2 they will simply devour ,incidentals4 ,well1 ,i'll try and keep a stern and watchful eye on the column1 said ,dolly1 and when ,fred's salary is raised we will go on living at exactly the same rate as before and spend all the new margin on luxuries2 ,i do love luxuries6 ,they certainly are pleasant1 but if you want a mind at ease1 keep your attention firmly fixed on your account in the savings bank4 ,that in the long run gives greater satisfaction than candy or violets1 though ,i don't dispute that they have their place1 too4 ,but cheer up6 ,housekeeping always gets simpler the farther you get along1 and the day will come when you won't know that you are economizing1 it will be so easy and natural and pleasant4 ,dolly sighed heavily as she added ,incidentals on to her other items and made her column under ,income come out neatly1 #a1hjj received1 and #a1hjj spent4 ,i hope you will hurry up and teach me everything as fast as possible1 she said4 ,it does seem rather impossible to me1 after all1 and ,i started off this morning so sure that ,i could do it offhand6 ,i feel exactly as though ,i had a lesson to learn made up of a mixture of ,sanscrit and ,german philosophy and trigonometry1 and all the rest of the most dreadful things you can think of4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,saving for ,staples--,the ,kitchen--,buying--,linen ,the very next day the two lady-maids went seriously to work on their problem of living on a little4 ,they arranged for a woman to come one day in the week and wash1 do a little cleaning for perhaps an hour while the wash was drying1 and then iron the heavy things2 the next morning the sisters were to finish up the light and dainty things left over1 the napkins1 pretty waists1 handkerchiefs1 and odds and ends2 these would take only an hour or two after the regular routine of bed-making1 dusting1 and brushing up the hardwood floors was out of the way1 and this in their small1 convenient apartment was no great task4 ,after everything was in order1 they sat down with books and pencils to lay out a sort of campaign for the winter4 ,i said we would allow ourselves about seven dollars a week for food1 ,mrs4 ,thorne began4 ,please notice that ,i said about4 ,it is really impossible to be absolutely exact with you1 because you are not sure just where you are going to live4 ,if you are in the country proper1 or possibly even in a suburb1 you will find food somewhat less than in the city2 milk1 eggs1 and vegetables are almost always cheaper there than they are here4 ,then1 too1 prices differ in different places1 sometimes without any apparent reason4 ,so we won't be absolutely bound down to seven dollars a week2 sometimes we will spend only six1 and once in awhile we may go a little over our allowance1 though ,i plan never to do that4 ,now out of this dollar a day we must buy meat1 vegetables1 groceries1 milk1 butter1 and eggs1 so you see we shall have to be very careful indeed and very saving1 especially as we must have a little margin every week to put in some staple4 ,one week we will lay in half a barrel of potatoes1 if we find some that are cheap just then2 another1 we will buy olive oil1 or fruit for preserving1 or flour1 or something for our emergency closet2 all these things must be taken into account1 you see1 if we are not going to get into deep water financially4 ,just fancy6 ,we might spend our dollar a day right along1 and some morning wake up to find ourselves flourless1 sugarless1 coffeeless1 and no money in our purse but the one dollar for the one day6 ,no1 the only safe way is to put in staples as we go along1 and so never get out of everything at once4 ,you see that tin bank on the kitchen mantel3 every day when ,i come back from market ,i put in that all the pennies and nickels ,i have left2 then some days1 when ,i have spent only about fifty cents down-town1 because we had so much in the house in the way of left-overs that ,i did not need to get much of anything1 ,i put in all of the dollar that ,i have left1--perhaps forty cents or so4 ,you can see that ,i always have enough for our needs right there without drawing on our future4 ,and then besides staples there is entertaining to save for4 ,half the fun of keeping house is having one's friends in to a meal now and then4 ,i just love to give dinner-parties4 ,but ,i thought we allowed for that1 said ,dolly1 turning over the leaves of her book4 ,you certainly said ,entertaining came under ,incidentals2 see1 here it is in black and white4 ,so ,i did1 but by that ,i meant really serious entertaining1 which comes only once in awhile1 such as a big family dinner at ,christmas1 with a fourteen-pound turkey or some similar extravagance4 ,if we undertook any such affair as that ,i should unhesitatingly take out its cost from ,incidentals1 because otherwise we should be on short rations ourselves for far too long a time to be comfortable1 in order to make things come out even2 but now ,i am speaking of little dinners and luncheons when we have four people at a time4 ,those ,i hope to get out of our regular allowance2 that is what ,i want a good margin for4 ,and we can do it all1 too2 even with meat and vegetables at the frightful price they have reached to-day1 it's quite possible1 if you know how to manage4 ,other people do it1 and we can1 too4 ',what man has done1' you know4 ,dolly groaned4 ,i'm perfectly sure ,i had better cable to ,fred to-day that ,i have decided we can never be married at all1 she declared1 dismally4 ,the longer ,i think about the matter the more certain ,i am that seven dollars a week is nothing1 absolutely nothing4 ,why1 the last winter we kept house mother went off for a week1 and ,i did the ordering2 and ,i remember the meat bill alone for father1 ,cousin ,marion1 myself1 and three maids was twenty-eight dollars4 ,father did not say anything when it came in1 and did not seem surprised1 and ,i would not have thought that there was anything strange about it except for a remark mother made when she came back and looked over the accounts4 ',well1' she said1 ',i do hope you won't marry a poor man2 if you do1 ,i'm sorry for him in advance6' ,from which ,i argued that poor people did not spend twenty-eight dollars a week on meat1--not as a general thing6 ,i suppose you had sweetbreads for luncheon once or twice8 asked ,mary1 smiling4 ,dolly nodded4 ,certainly4 ,we had sweetbreads several times1 and quail1 and broiled chickens1 too2 and for breakfast we had little ,french chops1 and such things2 and for dinner we had capons and guinea-hens and legs of spring lamb4 ,all the delicacies of the season were ours for the telephoning4 ,so you see ,i don't know the first thing about living on a little4 ,i should say not1 said her sister1 emphatically4 ,if ever there was an ignoramus1 you are one1 my dear4 ,but then1 ,i did not know any more than you when ,i was married1 and behold me now6 ,and ,i'll make you into an expert1 too1 before this year of servitude is over1 or ,i'm no prophet4 ,and as we had better lose no time over it1 we will begin the lessons this very minute4 ,come out in the kitchen and take a careful view of its contents4 ,i'm proud of my kitchen6 ,dolly did not wonder1 when she looked around the room and noticed what her sister pointed out4 ,it was small1 but very attractive4 ,the walls were painted cream color and the floor was covered with a blue and white oilcloth4 ,the woodwork was the exact color of the walls4 ,around the room1 six feet from the floor1 ran a shelf set out with nests of blue and white bowls and cheap but effective plates and cups and saucers to match1 all meant to use in cooking4 ,under the edge of the shelf1 over the table1 hooks were driven1 and from these hung spoons and egg-beaters and the little things needed in stirring up dishes4 ,the table itself was covered with blue and white enamel cloth4 ,the sink was painted white1 and the dish-towels were of crash marked off in blue squares4 ,the open cupboard door showed shiny tins and blue and white saucepans1 and some delightful contrivances in the way of cream-whippers and mayonnaise-droppers and moulds4 ,everything was not only spotless but charmingly pretty to look at4 ,do you remember a book we had when we were small1 called ',we ,girls1' ,i think it was1 in which the family decided to let their maid go and do their own work8 ,they had a basement kitchen and an up-stairs dining-room1 and the problem was how to manage4 ,they solved it by doing the work up-stairs in the dining-room1 behind a screen4 ,the cooking-stove was brilliant and ornamental with polish4 ,the carpeted floor--carpeted1 mind you--never had a speck of flour or grease on it4 ,the cooking was done as if by magic1 and they called their workroom a 'ladies' kitchen4' ,that story made an undying impression on me when ,i was sixteen4 ,i thought if ,fate would only grant me the boon of doing my own work in a palatial kitchen like that1 ,i should have no further requests to make4 ,and ,i've never forgotten the idea behind the story4 ,my kitchen simply must be an attractive room1 bright and cheerful1 with the 'rocking-chair and the white curtain and red geranium in the window1' which newspaper articles tell us nowadays are essential to make a maid contented2 you know the kind of thing ,i mean6 ,well1 since ,i mean to be a maid a good deal of my life1 my kitchen too must be charmingly pretty4 ,and ,i have not spared expense to make it so1 either1 for ,i regard all my blue bowls and labor-saving utensils as investments2 they make my work easier1 and that is everything when one has other things in the world to do besides cook4 ,but don't you have to keep supplying these things over and over8 ,your first outlay does not by any means cover the whole thing2 you have to replace all the time4 ,oh1 no1 for when ,i do my own work things last forever2 ,i don't smash bowls and cups and burn the bottoms out of saucepans1 as a maid does4 ,and even when ,i have a maid1 ,i find these things pay1 for she will not break pretty things half as fast as she will ugly cracked and burned ones2 those she does not bother handling with care4 ,and then ,i watch the ten-cent counters and other places1 and pick up blue and white ware when ,i find something very cheap2 so it does not cost as much to keep stocked up as you would think4 ,but now ,i want to show you my stoves4 ,i have three of them--think of that6 ,i don't see a single one1 said ,dolly1 looking around in amazement4 ,that is because this is an apartment and not a house1 and we cook by gas4 ,but instead of having a range1 as most people do1 ,i got the landlord to just give me a three-holed stove standing on little low legs1 connected with the gas-pipe with this flexible tube1 which ,i can take off when ,i am not using it4 ,when ,i want the stove1 ,i first reach under this cooking-table and pull out this lower table1--an invention of my own2 ,i'm thinking of patenting it4 ,i got a small pine kitchen table1 exactly like the larger one1 and had six inches cut off the legs and rollers put on2 you see it slips in and out easily under the regular table4 ,then ,i had the top covered with zinc1 so nothing would set it on fire4 ,under this1 on the floor1 stands my gas-stove4 ,i pull out the small table1 set this stove on it1 attach the tube to the gas-jet1 and cook4 ,the upper table holds all my extra dishes1 you see1 and ,i take them off when ,i want them on the gas4 ,i have a splendid sheet-iron oven ,i use to bake things quickly2 that ,i keep out by the refrigerator1 because it is bulky1 but it is light and easy to handle1 so ,i don't mind lifting it in and out4 ,then when ,i have finished cooking ,i unfasten the gas pipe and let it hang down by the wall2 ,i lift off my stove and put that on the floor1 push my zinc table under my ordinary one1 and there ,i am1 all done and orderly4 ,in a little kitchen like this ,i have to manage space4 ,of course if you have a good-sized apartment or a house you can have a regular gas-range1 as other people do2 but ,i am explaining how to manage if you have a tiny kitchen1 such as many of us cliff-dwellers have to cook in4 ,but in any case1 have a zinc-topped table2 you lift off a hot pot from the stove and set it down there and neither burn nor crock anything1 and that is a real blessing when you have to do your own cleaning-up4 ,doesn't your gas cost you a great deal each month8 ,i remember hearing somewhere that it was expensive to cook with it4 ,it is not expensive for us1 because ,i use it carefully4 ,of course if you have a maid who turns on four burners at once1 and runs them for hours1 you will have a frightful bill4 ,but see these saucepans2 three of them1 and triangular in shape1 so that when they are put together they make what looks like one good-sized round one4 ,you can fill all three with vegetables or other things1 and cook them at once on one burner4 ,that's one great saving1 to begin with4 ,but even so1 when you cook soup or corned beef1 or such things1 which take hours and hours1 you must use lots of gas1 in spite of yourself4 ,ah1 that is where another great economy comes in4 ,look at my fireless stove6 ,from a corner she drew out a covered wooden box and raised the lid4 ,it was lined with asbestos pads1 some fitted close to the sides1 others ready to tuck in here and there1 or put over the top beneath the lid4 ,now1 she said1 triumphantly1 you behold the eighth wonder of the world6 ,i want to make soup1 let us say1 or a slow-cooking rice-pudding1 or a stew4 ,i put any one of them on the gas-stove and let them boil for fifteen or twenty minutes1 depending on the size of the materials4 ,a small pudding will need less time and soup more1--say twenty or twenty-five4 ,then ,i take it off1 cover it tightly1 put the dish or pot in the box and tuck it up carefully1 shut down the cover1 and set the box away4 ,when ,i want it1 six or eight hours later on1 ,i open the box1 and behold1 my soup or my pudding is done to a turn and not a cent's worth of fuel used4 ,they'd have burned you for witchcraft a century ago1 said ,dolly1 gazing awestruck at the miraculous box4 ,so they would have--cheerfully1 ,mary replied4 ,but wait a minute2 ,i forgot to tell you that it also freezes ice-cream4 ,that fairy story1 my dear1 ,i distinctly decline to believe4 ,it's a fact1 nevertheless4 ,the way to do it is this3 ,i make what is called by the initiated1 a mousse2 that is1 ,i boil a cup of sugar and a cup of water to a thread1 pour it slowly over the stiff whites of three eggs1 just as you make boiled icing1 and when ,i have beaten it till it is cold ,i fold in half a pint of whipped cream and flavor it4 ,then ,i put the whole in a little covered pail and set that in a larger pail4 ,to admit a somewhat embarrassing truth1 they are merely lard-pails which ,i save for this purpose4 ,i put cracked ice and salt between the two1 cover both1 and set them in the box4 ,as the pads retain cold as well as they do heat1 the ice does not melt1 and the mousse gradually freezes itself4 ,unlike ice-cream1 you must never stir it any way2 so that if ,i put the mousse away at noon ,i take it out for dinner a perfect frozen mould1 which both metaphorically and literally melts in your mouth4 ,do have it every day1 begged ,dolly1 with fervor4 ,we will have it semi-occasionally1 laughed her sister4 ,cream1 whites of eggs1 and flavoring all cost money2 but still we do and will have it at convenient periods4 ,that is one of the things ,i keep a bank for2 you will be surprised when you see how much ,i accumulate there from week to week4 ,i certainly shall be surprised if it turns out there is anything at all in it1 declared the skeptical pupil1 who had yet to learn economy4 ,now see my third stove2 no well-regulated family can manage without three4 ,this thing that looks like a big square tin cracker-box is what is called an ,aladdin oven4 ,perhaps you think ,i do not need it2 but wait a minute4 ,suppose you want to have baked beans-- ,fred simply adores baked beans1 ,dolly murmured1 parenthetically1 hanging on her sister's words4 ,you can't afford to bake them in the gas-oven1 because it takes a whole day or night2 and of course you can't well bake things in the fireless stove4 ,at least1 you cannot make them crisp and brown there1 though you can cook them in it4 ,so you put this stove on the zinc table1 light the ,rochester burner which is attached to a lamp underneath1 and then let it go on and bake for you without any attention4 ,it will bake the beans a beautiful and artistic brown1 and the kerosene in the lamp will cost you about two cents4 ,now are not my stoves worth their weight in gold8 ,and if you are too poor to buy them1 one of their greatest attractions is you can make two of them yourself4 ,take a wooden pail with a cover1 and make hay-pads for your fireless stove1 and get a real tin cracker-box and put a lamp under it for the ,aladdin oven1 and you will have good substitutes for both these4 ,well1 they are truly wonderful1 said ,dolly1 with conviction1 and far be it from me to throw cold water4 ,but suppose ,i live in a country village where there is no gas and where the kitchen is unheated4 ,i don't see but that ,i shall have to have a real old-fashioned stove1 and burn plain coal or wood in it1 to heat the kitchen1 nevertheless4 ,yes1 of course you will2 these stoves do not heat the kitchen at all1--which1 by the way1 is a merit in city eyes4 ,but you can have a regular stove for winter1 and for summer a kerosene-stove1 which is really as good as a gas-range1 because it is made with a flame which does not smoke or black things up1 and it has an oven lifting on and off exactly like this one on the gas-stove4 ,that will save fuel and work and keep the house cool at the same time4 ,but ,i certainly would have a fireless stove in any case1 because you often want to cook things all night and still not keep the fire going4 ,oatmeal1 for one thing1 is far better cooked in this than on top of a stove2 you let it simmer from eight at night till seven the next morning1 and you will take it out in a sort of jelly which is delicious and very digestible4 ,the ,aladdin oven you can have or not1 as you find you need it2 perhaps in the country you might get on without it1 but in town ,i find it a necessity4 ,the stoves must have cost a good deal1 mused ,dolly4 ,did you buy them out of ,incidentals8 ,yes1 ,i did4 ,i consider all utensils for my work necessities1 and when ,i cannot buy them out of the margin in my tin bank ,i deliberately take the money out of the general fund2 but in this case you can even things up by saving on ,fuel1 so it is all the same in the long run1 you see4 ,but now look at this pail2 this is my bread-mixer4 ,you don't tell me that you make your own bread6 ,why1 ,i supposed of course you bought that in the city4 ,isn't it a nuisance to have to make it8 ,simply child's play with this4 ,in the evening ,i put in the flour and milk and water and yeast1 according to the directions1 exactly so much of each2 then ,i turn the handle and beat them up for five minutes1 cover the pail1 and set it away in a nice cozy place1 and in the morning ,i beat it all up again for three minutes in the same way1 and put it in my pans to rise4 ,afterwards ,i bake it in my gas-oven4 ,in summer ,i mix it up in the morning and bake it the same day1 because1 of course1 it rises more quickly in warm weather4 ,do you really save much by making it yourself8 ,because unless you do1 ,i think ,i'll buy mine2 ,i am sure ,i would rather4 ,i should say you did save6 ,why1 baker's bread would cost at least five cents a day1 getting only one loaf1 and that is nearly a dollar and a half a month1 and a good deal more than a bag of flour would cost1 which would last twice as long at least4 ,flour is expensive to buy by the bag1 too2 if ,i could ,i should always get a barrel at a time1 and save a bagful by doing so1 but ,i have no place to put a barrel1 and when we are alone it lasts too long1 and in a steam-heated apartment it possibly might spoil4 ,but if you live in the country1 buy this by the quantity4 ,don't you always buy things by the quantity8 ,i thought all careful housekeepers made a point of doing that4 ,that depends4 ,if ,i have a maid ,i seldom do1 because experience has taught me that1 generally speaking1 the more she has to 'do' with1 the more she uses up and wastes1 and it is natural enough that she should do just that way4 ,so ,i find the best way is never to have too much on hand4 ,i get a few pounds of sugar1 only one box of gelatine1 half a cake of chocolate1 and so on4 ,i know there is a theory that by buying at wholesale you save a good deal1 and so you do1 on paper4 ,actually1 with a maid1 ,i believe you use enough to even the account4 ,you know the ,french1 whom ,i always try and copy as far as possible1 since they are such wonderful managers1 buy only in tiny quantities1 such as we should be ashamed to ask for in our shops4 ,i am perfectly sure if it were cheaper to buy in quantities they would do that way4 ,but of course there are exceptions to this rule2 when ,i do my own work1 at least1 ,i frequently do buy a good deal at a time4 ,tea and coffee ,i get in small quantities1 because they do not improve by keeping2 canned vegetables we use rather seldom1 and ,i get those only by the half-dozen4 ,still ,i save a little there1 because a half-dozen of this and that gives a discount on the whole dozen or dozens that they come to4 ,butter ,i buy by rule3 a pound a week for each person1 when ,i have a maid2 when we are alone ,i frequently manage to use a little less4 ,sometimes1 too1 ,i get a pound of good cooking-butter and help out with that a little4 ,i make it a point to read the market reports in the papers and get an idea of what is cheapest at the moment4 ,sometimes things will fluctuate from week to week in the most curious way1 and you can find real bargains in fruit or some particular vegetable4 ,for instance1 when ,i read that a ship has come in loaded with dates or lemons or pineapples or ,bermuda onions1 ,i wait a few days till they are distributed1 and then ,i ask for them1 and invariably the price has dropped below normal4 ,so ,i do not lay down any hard and fast rule about buying1 but ,i just do as seems best from time to time4 ,there are certain things ,i should do if ,i had more room1 such as buy flour1 as ,i told you1 and sugar as well1 by the barrel4 ,i cannot do that in a small apartment4 ,in the country ,i should put in winter vegetables each fall2 that1 too1 ,i cannot do here1 but ,i try and make it up in other ways4 ,could you not do with a maid as the ,southerners do with their colored people1 and give out stores every morning8 ,perhaps some women might1 but1 honestly1 ,i have not the moral courage to do so4 ,when everybody does it1 as in the ,south1 it is accepted as a perfectly proper thing to do4 ,here it would be thought mean and small1 and a maid would think herself under suspicion of possible theft1 and ,i am sure she would take herself off at the first moment4 ,no1 it would not do to try such a thing here1 ,i am sure4 ,but with other things besides groceries which you must have1 table-linen and bed-linen and towels1 how do you do about buying those things8 ,do you lay in a supply every year at a regular time1 or get them as you go along8 ,linen is one of the things it is difficult to get when you have a small income1 and when your housekeeping allowance does not permit any margin larger than just enough for staples4 ,i have to do as best ,i can here1 too4 ,of course the linen ,i had when ,i was married still exists1 but most of it is too fine for us to use every day4 ,costly tablecloths and napkins wear out when they are in constant use1 and if ,i get rid of mine rapidly ,i shall never be able to replace them2 so1 though ,i have so much1 ,i am about on a level with the woman who has none4 ,don't make the mistake ,i made1 ,dolly1 and buy your linen all of the loveliest quality4 ,i know it is a temptation1 when a father who does not mind what things cost is paying the bills4 ,it is not wise in your future circumstances to have too much beautiful linen and too little that is good also1 but plainer and heavier4 ,get an abundance of small tablecloths and lunch squares1 and napkins of medium size1 and good strong towels1 and sensible sheets and pillow-cases of cotton4 ,i know linen sheets and pillow-cases with monograms on them are delightful to have1 but then in a short time you must buy1 buy1 buy1 as you find these are not what you need in your particular surroundings1 and with a laundress who possibly stoops to use soda in her washing once in awhile when she thinks you won't find her out4 ,as to replacing these things1 ,i get a dozen napkins or towels or a tablecloth when ,i have the money and when they are cheap2 that is all ,i can tell you about it4 ,i do not buy them at regular intervals1 because ,i cannot do that way4 ,i believe1 of course1 in putting in just so much linen every year and so never getting short1 only ,i can't do it4 ,i suppose all your things need replacing at times4 ,when chair coverings wear out1 and carpets1 and your china set breaks to bits gradually till it disappears1 do you fly to ,incidentals1 or what8 ,oh1 ,i do as ,i told you before2 ,i manage as best ,i can4 ,you learn to cover your own furniture in time1 not elegantly1 but well enough4 ,you paint or stain your floors when your carpets wear out1 and put down rugs1 not always ,oriental rugs1 either1 but occasionally artistic--and luckily fashionable--rag-carpet rugs made in beautiful colors1 dyed just the way you want them1 in olive-greens or dull orange or old blue2 they are really beautiful1 and ,i mean to have plenty of them as my wedding supply of good rugs gradually goes4 ,as for china1 ,i take care of what ,i have1 you may be sure1 and once in awhile ,i put ,christmas money or birthday money from home into a set of plates for salad or dessert2 or ,i save up and buy a whole set of platters and vegetable dishes and plates for a main course4 ,even if ,i were rich ,i should never care for a whole dinner-service that matched4 ,i like different kinds of plates for different courses1 though they ought to harmonize4 ,then as tumblers and such small things vanish1 ,i cut down my table expenses for a week and buy them with my savings1 unless my tin bank is full at the time4 ,i will not break into ,incidentals unless ,i must4 ,no1 ,i should expect you to serve water in tin mugs before you would touch that sacred sum4 ,well1 perhaps ,i might do that way2 ,i'm glad you suggested it4 ,is that the end of the lesson for the day8 ,what have you written down8 ',have a pretty kitchen1' read ,dolly4 ',have a zinc table and three stoves2 make your own bread2 buy some things by quantity and don't buy others so2 have linen not too nice for hard usage2 get dishes as you can1 when they break2 and don't buy anything with money out of ,incidentals4 ,very good indeed1 especially the last warning1 laughed ,mary4 ,now the class is dismissed1 for it is too lovely to stay indoors another minute1 and we will go to market and then down-town4 ,by the way1 one of the joys in having no maid is that you can turn the key in your door and walk off any minute you please and leave no anxieties behind you4 ,you know the dishes are washed and put away1 there is nothing left in the oven to burn1 and no mistakes to be made by anybody2 and you come home when you please4 ,i just love to do my own work6 ,what a desirable state of mind to be in1 ,dolly replied4 ,let us hope ,i'll attain that same lofty height by the time my 'prentice year is up4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,arranging the ,meals--,cooking-,dresses--,the ,table--,the ,dinner ,now that you know all about your working-tools in the kitchen and pantry1 ,i think it is time you should begin to take them in hand1 said ,mrs4 ,thorne1 the next morning4 ,don't you remember how ,squeers used to teach his boys first to spell 'bot-tin-ney1' and then go and weed the garden to prove that the lesson had been learned8 ,that's my principle1 exactly4 ,so now as to to-day's work2 ,i have been thinking it over and ,i believe we must study the routine of the meals theoretically and go on to illustrate by getting them practically4 ,but where to begin--that is the trouble2 ,i'm such a novice in teaching that ,i am bewildered what to take up first4 ,bread-making1 ,i suppose1 said ,dolly1 with regret4 ,oh1 no1 indeed1 not for a long time yet4 ,first1 the theory1 you know4 ,well1 while you are thinking about it ,i will just occupy the time with asking some questions4 ,one of them is this3 do you always look as neat and trim when you do your work1 or is this costume a sort of stage-dress for my benefit8 ,my dear1 ,i can proudly say ,i always look just as ,i do now1 and ,i'll tell you why4 ,when ,i first had to do my own work1 years ago1 ,i put on a short skirt and shirt-waist1 with an apron over all2 that1 ,i supposed1 was just the proper thing4 ,then ,i rolled up my sleeves1 took off my stock or collar1 and hung it on a nail in the kitchen1 and did my dishes or cooked4 ,when the door-bell rang ,i put on my collar and unrolled my sleeves and took off my apron1 and answered it4 ,it was not long before ,i discovered that my sleeves were perpetually mussed1 and ,i had temporarily lost my self-respect by dispensing with a collar4 ,then1 too1 in spite of all ,i could do1 the dish-water would sometimes splash over and the lower part of my dress would get greasy4 ,i spoiled two good tailor-skirts that way4 ,and worst of all1 when ,dick came home1 all ,i could do by way of dressing to meet him was to put on another fresh shirt-waist and a clean apron1 because ,i knew that after dinner ,i should wash the dishes4 ,the consequence was that ,i never wore my pretty frocks at all1 and my husband knew me only as a cook2 sometimes a cook who sat with him in the parlor1 but a cook1 nevertheless1 and one who did not change her dress after the dishes were done for the night1 and so had to run when callers came for the evening4 ,after a few weeks of that sort of thing ,i made up my mind it would never do4 ,i must be a 'lady help1' even though there was no one to help but ,dick4 ,so ,i changed my plans of work and got some especial gowns1 and ,i have kept to a sort of uniform like this ever since1 to my infinite satisfaction4 ,if you look me over carefully you may discover the points ,i had in mind when ,i planned it4 ,dolly looked4 ,i see1 she said1 slowly4 ,elbow sleeves1 to keep from rolling them up2 and a little square ,dutch neck just below the collar line1 so you won't have to wear a collar2 and a short1 full skirt1 just off the floor2 and the color1 my dear1--and here you show your feminine vanity1--a most becoming blue6 ,i hope so1 said ,mary1 not at all abashed4 ,i like to have becoming clothes1 even in the kitchen4 ,but you did not say a word of the material2 all my working things are ginghams or some sort of wash goods4 ,then they are all in one piece1 and trimmed with plain bias bands edged with a fold of white1 or some similar contrivance4 ,i put an apron on when ,i do kitchen work and try and keep the dresses clean as long as ,i can1 and when they are soiled put them right in the tub1 and they take no time to do up4 ,and1 by the way1 they are not all this pretty color4 ,i have still more serviceable ones of dark navy blue1 and others of striped gray and white1 like a nurse's dress2 but ,i am thankful to say they are all pretty and all becoming1 and far neater in every way than my shirt-waist and skirt used to be4 ,do you wear the same thing summer and winter8 ,no2 in summer ,i have thin things1 lawns and dimities and organdies1 but they are all made like this4 ,even my dress-up summer things are apt to be1 too1 because ,i like the fashion and it never 'goes out1' as other fashions do4 ,but you don't wear this uniform at dinner4 ,at least you change every afternoon now to a more or less dress-up frock4 ,is that for my benefit8 ,do you wear these gowns when you are alone8 ,no1 never4 ,i always put on a fresh and pretty gown after my lunch dishes are put away and my dinner all ready but heating it up or doing the last necessary cooking4 ,then ,i spend the afternoon like a lady of leisure4 ,at dinner-time ,i put a mammoth long-sleeved apron on and go out in the kitchen and finish up as ,i am2 ,i take off my apron before the dinner is served1 too4 ,if ,i have to carry out plates and wait1 as of course ,i do when we are alone1 then ,i have a really pretty little white apron ,i slip on2 but ,i will look as nice as ,i can at my own dinner-table4 ,and spill the greasy dish-water around the edge of the dress1 as you did before8 ,never again2 ,i learned my lesson at that time4 ,no1 my dresses clear the ground all around2 that had to be so1 to my regret1 because ,i love a long gown for dinner1 but ,i will not pin up a train at the back with a safety-pin1 as so many do1 nor will ,i wear things soiled4 ,i have them just a tiny bit off the floor1 and put on the big apron4 ,as to the dish-water1 ,dolly1 to let you into an awful secret which would make our ,new ,england grandmother turn in her grave1 ,i never do any dishes at night2 that is part of the lesson ,i told you ,i had mastered4 ,i just clear the table1 scrape the things and pile them in the big dish-pan1 with some very hot water and a little soap powder1 and there they repose till morning4 ,i tidy the kitchen and dining-room in about three minutes1 and that is all ,i do4 ,then ,i take off my apron and go into the parlor1 rested and ready to spend the evening with my husband4 ,do you never set the breakfast-table at night8 ,no2 it does not take any time to do it in the morning1 and1 as ,i tell you1 ,i will not do a single unnecessary thing at night4 ,then ,i have more important things to think of2 books to read and friends to see and a husband to entertain4 ,i am in earnest1 ,dolly4 ,that is all a part of learning how to manage to keep a home as well as a house4 ,i certainly shall never learn enough to marry on1 ,i see that4 ,but tell me more while we are on this subject4 ,how do you have such a pretty table all the time and still economize in everything1 including time and strength8 ,i should think it would take both money and labor to keep up as you do4 ,to speak with seriousness still1 then1 ,i am convinced most girls make a great mistake when1 after having had pretty things all their lives1 they marry on a small income and one by one give up their dainty little ways of doing4 ,sometimes they put everything on the table at once at dinner2 sometimes they have a tablecloth that has seen better days2 sometimes they dispense with a fern-dish1 or stop cleaning the silver4 ,i call it all bad management4 ,one can keep up the traditions of niceness just as easily as to dispense with them1 and to my mind it is false economy to let down4 ,if you must have plain food1 it tastes better1 and ,i believe it nourishes you more1 if it is set out attractively4 ,no1 ,dolly1 never give up using your pretty dishes and doilies1 and keep your silver and glass bright1 and learn to do it so easily that it is a matter of course1 and it will never be the last straw that reduces you to nervous prostration1 as some women believe4 ,ugly things1 soiled and broken things1 and careless living1 are far more likely to wear out your nerves than trifles such as ,i am telling you to attend to4 ,but as to details1 ,mary4 ,take your breakfast and lunch-table2 there are those doilies1 always clean and white1 and your pretty blue and white china4 ,how about the laundress's bills and the cost of the dishes8 ,there is no economy1 to my thinking1 greater than is found in using doilies1 to begin with4 ,i put them on as you see1 always1 for two meals4 ,when one gets mussed or gets a spot on it ,i wash it out when ,i do my dishes2 ,i have an iron on and press it as soon as it dries1 right here in the kitchen1 and it is ready for next time4 ,when they all need a regular boiling1 ,i put a set in the weekly wash1 and the laundress does them in far less time than she would a tablecloth4 ,for dinner of course ,i do use a cloth1 but having it on only once a day it lasts a week1 and there is but one in the wash instead of two or three1 as there would be otherwise4 ,if a spot comes on this ,i rub it out in a hand-basin and stretch the cloth out smoothly on the table and leave it to dry2 then if it is rough1 ,i put on an iron for a moment4 ,of course ,i should not use a soiled cloth under any circumstances4 ,and the china8 ,that is just cheap blue and white ,japanese stuff that ,i have picked up a piece at a time1 sometimes at the ten-cent stores2 it would chip in the hands of some maids1 ,i suppose1 but ,i am careful of it4 ,if ,i had a maid who broke things ,i would get other and heavier kinds of blue and white2 there are plenty that are cheap and pretty4 ,i love blue and white for breakfast and luncheon4 ,and how often do you clean the silver8 ,i wash it every day in very hot soapsuds and dry it quickly2 that keeps it bright a long time4 ,then usually ,i polish it all once a week1 some rainy afternoon when ,i am not pressed for time4 ,well1 this is all a revelation to me4 ,i supposed people who 'did their own work1' as we say1 had to have everything very plain1 and1 to be honest1 very uncomfortable4 ,i supposed they put on a dinner-cloth in the morning and kept the table set most of the day1 and saved steps by having on all the food at once at each meal4 ,i hate that way of living1 too4 ,but how do you do about waiting on the table8 ,do you keep jumping up and down all the time8 ,certainly not1 my dear--perish the thought6 ,when you lay your table put on the bread1 the butter balls1 if you use them1 the jelly1 if you are to have any1 and fill the glasses4 ,put on the sideboard the salad1 the dressing1 the plates and crackers2 put the dessert there1 too1 with its plates1 and the coffee-cups and spoons4 ,have ready there also extra bread and butter1 if necessary1 and fill the water-pitcher before the meal is served4 ,then take up all the dinner1 and put the vegetables in the covered dishes in the warming-oven1 and the meat ready there also on the platter2 leave nothing to do after you sit down that you can do beforehand4 ,in changing the courses you can set the soiled plates on the sideboard1 to save leaving the room1 provided you have the next course there2 or1 if you like1 you can have a low two-shelved serving-table on casters close by your side at the table4 ,you can put the plates on this if you can easily reach them1 as you can if you have a small round table for two1 and if your next course is on one of the two shelves1 instead of on the sideboard1 you may be able to produce it from there and put it right on and not get up at all2 that is a very easy way of doing4 ,you use a coffee machine1 ,i see2 do you like it better than the old way of making the coffee in the kitchen8 ,without a maid ,i certainly do4 ,i light this before dinner1 and when we are ready it is there1 ready for us1 and ,i do not have to go out for it4 ,single-handed housekeeping has its ways of doing of which people never dream who have always had maids to wait on them4 ,i think that all sounds simple enough4 ,it is simple1 and yet it is nice1 and things go smoothly4 ,now1 next ,i want to say some things about having dinner at night1 for that is one of my hobbies4 ,i believe it is by far the easiest way to manage when one is to be the cook as well as the lady of the house4 ,most people don't think so1 ,i fancy4 ,well1 but they have not tried it1 perhaps4 ,it is a tradition in many places1 especially in the country1 to have dinner at noon and supper at night1 on the ground that supper is the easy meal to get and clear away1 but ,i maintain that it makes one work all day4 ,now listen3 ,suppose you are to have dinner at noon4 ,after breakfast you must hurry and do up the dishes and get the house in order2 go to market as early as possible1 in order that the food may come home in good season2 come back1 make dessert1 lay the dinner-table1 and as soon as your orders arrive1 clean the vegetables1 put the meat on to cook1 and generally prepare the meal4 ,if it is ready by half-past twelve or one o'clock you have been busy every single moment since you got up4 ,then after dinner there are all the dishes to wash and put away and the supper to begin1 unless that you have done in the morning with the other things4 ,by three o'clock you have finished1 but you are all tired out1 if you are a normal woman of average strength4 ,now see how different the matter is with dinner at night4 ,after breakfast you wash and put away the dishes from the night before with the breakfast dishes2 then you do up the housework and examine the refrigerator4 ,as you have only a light meal to get for noon1 you will ordinarily find something there which you can have2 or you can decide to get something simple and prepare it just before lunch4 ,next you go down-town and market in a leisurely manner1 because you are not in a desperate rush to get the things home4 ,when you return you prepare the dinner2 put the soup-meat and bones in the fireless stove to cook1 or make a milk soup to reheat2 make the dessert and set it away2 stir up salad-dressing2 bake a cake1 or do any such light cooking4 ,when the grocery boy comes and the butcher's boy1 you prepare the vegetables for dinner and do whatever you have to to the meat2 perhaps put it in the fireless stove1 if it is a stew1 or chop it if it is to be any sort of mince4 ,then you have luncheon2 scrambled eggs1 or devilled sardines1 or any light dish1 with tea4 ,afterwards you wash and put away these dishes1 and then your afternoon is before you2 it cannot be later than two o'clock at the worst4 ,you sew1 or go out1 or rest in any way you like1 and at five or half-past1 at the earliest1 you put the final touches to the dinner and lay the table4 ,afterwards1 as ,i have said1 you pile the dishes in the dish-pan in a nice1 tidy way1 and your day's work is done4 ,that seems to me the easiest sort of housekeeping4 ,however1 ,i don't mean to dogmatize4 ,this is merely my own idea1 and if you don't agree with me1 but later on you can manage better some other way1 do so1 and accept my blessing4 ,certainly ,i shall4 ,but as ,i now see the case1 ,i shall do just as you do and continue to have dinner at night to the end of the chapter4 ,you might have added to your other reasons for having it than the one we were taught at school1 that it is most hygienic to have the heavy meal when work is over4 ,that is true2 ,i did not think of it1 but there is that in its favor as well as the ease and comfort of it4 ,but now to go on to other things about dinners4 ,why do you begin with dinners8 ,i should think you would take up breakfast first and then luncheons4 ,for one thing1 dinner is the principal meal of the day and therefore the most important2 for another1 as the two lighter meals are largely made up of left-overs from dinner1 you must begin with that or you will not have anything for the other two4 ,oh1 yes1 of course4 ,go on1 then1 with the lesson4 ,the first rule for dinners is this3 ,always have your food in courses4 ,you would be surprised to find that plenty of poor people--poor but respectable1 like ourselves--would dispute this1 but ,i assure you they would4 ,they have an idea that with a small income you should have one large1 substantial course of meat and vegetables1 with perhaps a solid pudding or pie to follow1 and eliminate all frills and fashions of service4 ,to them the plan of a three-course dinner every day is a wild vagary1 not to be considered by people living on a little2 but really it is the truest economy4 ,look at the ,french2 ,i have to point to them over and over1 even if you tire of hearing about them4 ,they can make a tiny bit of money go farther than an ,american would dream possible1 and they always have their dinners in courses4 ,you may be perfectly positive that there is good1 solid reason back of that fact1 for unless they saved money by it they would not do so4 ,you will see how it is if you think a moment1 too4 ,if you give a hungry family1 or even a lone hungry man1 a plate of strong1 substantial soup1 the edge of his appetite is blunted1 and when the meat course appears1 instead of demanding two helpings1 one will probably suffice4 ,now as meat is your most expensive item of housekeeping1 you can easily see what an advantage that is4 ,soups are very wholesome1 and1 if you will kindly overlook the slang1 decidedly 'filling at the price4' ,you will save materially1 your family will have stronger digestions and better health1 and no one will suspect your economic motive4 ,then after the soup1 of course you have your substantial course2 and here comes in my second rule3 ,remember that you cannot have any expensive meats4 ,give up all your preconceived ideas of what is 'proper' for dinner4 ,you cannot have the proper thing2 instead you must have the cheap thing4 ,roasts1 steaks1 and chickens are not for you4 ,in their place you must have all sorts of queer things1 which you would naturally call luncheon or supper dishes4 ,it seems strange and unpleasant1 doesn't it8 ,but that is the way it has to be if you are to be a good manager4 ,however1 here is a grain of comfort for you3 men seldom pay much attention to details2 to them1 meat is meat1 and if it is good and there is plenty of it1 it does not much matter from what part of the animal it is cut nor how much it costs a pound4 ,so a ,hamburg steak or a stew or a meat pie is all right1 provided only that it is appetizing and nourishing4 ,and as ,i said1 the costly things you simply cannot have4 ,do you really mean we are never to have a roast8 ,oh1 once in awhile you may have one1 for ,sunday dinner or for company2 but for steady diet you are to have simpler things4 ,and here comes in my third rule1 no less important than the other two3 ,never use up the meat from one day's dinner for breakfast or luncheon1 but always save it for dinner the second day4 ,that seems absurd and impossible1 ,i know1 for sometimes there is nothing worth mentioning left over2 but listen3 ,suppose you get three pounds of lamb stew one day1 which is too much for a single meal2 you cook it all1 take out the large bones and put them over for soup1 and serve half the meat for dinner4 ,the second night you have the other half in a meat pie1 with any gravy you do not need you put in the stock-pot4 ,now1 incidentally1 let me say that sometimes lamb is expensive1 so do not rush madly off when you market and invest largely in it because ,i said it was cheap4 ,always watch the price and buy only when things are low in price4 ,you see this is the way ,i plan3 ,i make a point of buying enough meat for two dinners at one time1 because one large purchase costs less and goes farther than two smaller ones4 ,you can buy a pound and a half of chopped beef and make two meals of it for less than you can buy one pound one day and a second pound the next1 and that is what you would do1 practically1 if you bought each day4 ,but ,i am sure ,fred would not like ,hamburg steak twice running1 ,mary4 ,he need not have it4 ,i buy the two days' supply at once1 say the steak on ,monday2 ,i serve half that night in one fashion2 ,tuesday night ,i have something quite different1 perhaps veal2 ,wednesday night we have the rest of the steak in another way from the way we had it ,monday night1 and ,thursday night we finish up the veal1 also in a different way from the ,tuesday night style4 ,that gives variety1 and a man cannot keep count of these things in spite of his alleged mathematical mind1 so it works perfectly4 ,suppose you don't get enough for two nights1 or the man eats more than you expected he would and you are short1 what do you do then8 ,i manage1 my dear4 ,if ,i have a good deal of meat left over from the first day's dinner ,i have perhaps ,english rissoles2 or ,i have a nice dish of baked hash2 or a cottage loaf2 or ,i have a meat pie4 ,if ,i run short and have only a little meat1 as you suggest1 ,i have a souffl1 which takes only a cup of chopped meat for a good-sized dishful4 ,i'll give you the rule for that4 ,or1 ,i have croquettes2 they are one of the queer dishes apparently out of place at dinner1 but they are good and make a change1 and when you have only a little meat they are invaluable4 ,you see what ,i mean4 ,plan to get enough meat for two dinners at once1 and if you are short on the second night1 have a little dish of left-overs1 disguised4 ,but do you think croquettes would be enough dinner for a hungry man8 ,i have an idea they would be considered as a sort of appetizer only4 ,of course they would not be enough2 what an idea6 ,you have forgotten soup4 ,always have a course of distinctly heavy soup when you are to have a light meal1 and vice versa4 ,with corned beef you can have a thin stock1 clear2 but with croquettes have a rich1 substantial bean soup or split pea pure1 and have solid vegetables with the meat and a good dessert4 ,all those things may be cheap and not bring up your bills at all1 and still you can keep down that dreadful item we housekeepers all must struggle with1--meat4 ,and do you have fish on ,fridays8 ,yes1 ,i have fish occasionally1 for a change1 but ,i am careful to buy that which has little waste4 ,large1 whole fishes for baking are expensive1 for the head and tail have to come off1 you see4 ,i get codfish steaks or sometimes a little halibut2 neither of those has any waste at all4 ,or1 if there were a river near by1 or a lake1 ,i should find out what they caught there and buy that4 ,one day ,i have the fish as it comes from market1 baked or fried1 or otherwise prepared2 the next day ,i have the remains scalloped with crumbs and baked4 ,sometimes ,i have them in cream sauce1 baked in the same way4 ,once in awhile ,i get a can of salmon in the place of fresh fish and use it in exactly the same way2 and when the exchequer gets very low indeed1 ,i take salt codfish and freshen it and cream and bake it1 and invariably ,dick compliments me on the extremely good halibut ,i have6 ,absurd6 ,but to go on3 tell me about the vegetables and salads and desserts that you have4 ,i can't do it all at once1 my dear2 you are so energetic6 ,we will take a special lesson on each of those important things as we come to them4 ,just now ,i am laying down principles1 you see1 and ,i was speaking of courses at dinner when you diverted me with your questions1 just as a pupil when she is not prepared does to a teacher4 ,but perhaps you have my idea1 and ,i can stop here4 ,yes1 ,i think ,i understand4 ,have a heavy soup when you have a light course to follow2 have a light soup with a heavy meat2 have vegetables with the meat and dessert last2 is that all8 ,often ,i have meat and vegetables first and then salad next2 always in summer1 ,i think4 ,it is the best way in hot weather4 ,but have three courses1--that is the economic point ,i am striving for1--and have coffee last1 if you can4 ,men love coffee for dinner1 and if it is black and only a little is taken1 it is considered a digestive2 and1 like other things1 it helps out4 ,think of the dishes you are piling up for me to wash in the morning1 ,mary6 ,not at all4 ,only a poor cook ever has piles of dishes to wash up4 ,wash up all your cooking utensils as you go along4 ,when you have finished with anything1 even a bowl or spoon1 take it to the sink1 wash1 wipe1 and put it away2 it takes no more steps to do it then than it will later4 ,after dinner at night there should be only the few dishes actually in use on the table2 if1 possibly1 you cannot manage to wash up your broiler or frying-pan because you use them at the last minute1 and also because they are too greasy to handle in your nice gown1 put these in a special dish-pan all by themselves1 with hot water and washing-powder1 and stand this out of the way till morning2 so much is allowable4 ,is that all for to-day8 ,dolly inquired1 seeing her sister preparing to do some cooking4 ,yes1 that is all1 and though you may not think it amounts to much1 you will see more in the lesson when you come to keep house than you do now4 ,if you always are neat and look attractive1 if you always serve a delightful course dinner for a minimum sum1 and have a pretty table1 you will be far on your way toward being the perfect housewife4 ,i wish ,i were at the end now1 murmured ,dolly4 ,then you would lose half the fun of life1 my dear4 ,the interest of your studies grows the farther you get along1 as ,i have told you before4 ,long before you know it all you will be sighing for more worlds to conquer4 ,dolly looked unconvinced1 but her sister laughed at her sober face4 ,mark my words1 before you are a finished housekeeper you will love your work6 ,,chapter ,,iv ,soups and ,meats ,when ,i came to look over what you said about soups and meats the other day1 ,dolly complained at the next lesson1 ,i found it was all glittering generalities4 ,i didn't have a thing written down under soups but 'beans' and 'split peas1' and as to meats1 it was mostly don'ts or left-overs4 ,now1 before you go off on anything else1 suppose you tell me a lot more about these things4 ,so ,i will4 ,perhaps ,i did generalize a bit1 but ,i do not always realize that you do not know how to use a cook-book yet2 if you did you could look up all these things for yourself4 ,to begin with soups1 then1 like 'all ,gaul1' they are divided into three parts4' ,there are soups made with vegetables and water and nothing else2 soups made with a foundation of meat and bones2 and milk-and-vegetable soups4 ,the first kind is the cheapest1 and we will start there4 ,there are any number of good things to make these soups of1 principally beans1--black1 white1 red1 and ,lima beans1 all dried4 ,you must soak them1 cook them slowly in another water1 season well with a slice of onion1 salt1 and pepper1 and put them1 when they are soft and pulpy1 through the sieve4 ,what is called a pure sieve is the best1 because it is made in such a way that it presses the vegetables through itself4 ,then you must thicken the soup with a little bit of butter melted and rubbed with flour2 this is not because it is not thickened with the vegetables already1 but because the water will separate from the rest if no extra thickening is used4 ,you can have the soup rather thin to make it just right after it is thickened4 ,black bean soup is the best kind2 this really needs a bone of some sort cooked with it1 a ham bone if you have it4 ,then it takes lots of seasoning1 a pinch of mustard1 a thin slice or two of lemon1 and last a little chopped hard-boiled egg on top at serving2 but it pays for the slight trouble of making it because it is so good2 have it often in winter4 ,white bean soups also need a good deal of seasoning1 and a bone is good in them1 but not really necessary4 ,left-over baked beans make a good brown soup1 and dried ,lima beans are excellent2 alternate these1 and make each one by rule1 for each has some little touch of seasoning which makes it have a taste of its own4 ,any cook-book will tell you how1 because all of them are so simple to put together4 ,besides these there is one more thick soup1 split pea pure1 which you must have too4 ,you can buy the peas in packages1 but you can also get them in bulk1 and that is the cheaper way4 ,you soak and cook them exactly as you do the beans1 and serve them with croutons on top2 croutons are tiny squares of bread browned in the oven1--not fried in fat1 as some people make them2 those are very greasy4 ,you can also make pures of any fresh vegetable1 carrots1 or garden peas1 or a mixture of several kinds of vegetables2 cook them with onion and salt and pepper and bits of celery or parsley1 and put them through the sieve and thicken them4 ,all of them are improved by adding a little milk1 but they will do as they are if you have none to spare4 ,do you put a bone in pures8 ,if ,i happen to have one ,i do1 but not otherwise2 ,i never buy a bone for such a soup4 ,remember that these thick soups go with the dinners with the light meat course1 because they are so substantial4 ,now we will go on to the next kind4 ,the stock soups are made with water1 bones1 meat1 and vegetables4 ,some housekeepers keep a stock pot on the back of the range and put in it any odds and ends they happen to have1 adding more water and seasoning from time to time4 ,when they want a soup1 they pour off enough of the stock1 strain and clarify it1 and either use it as it is or put in something like tomato or potato4 ,this is all very well if you have a range which goes day and night1 and if you are careful to completely empty the pot twice a week in winter and three times a week in summer and scrub it out thoroughly and start an entirely fresh lot of bones and meat2 otherwise the whole will have a sour taste4 ,i think a better way is to start a soup on the fire and cook it all night in the tireless stove2 start it over again in the morning1 and cook it half a day more1 and then cool and use it4 ,do you mean you pour off the soup1 and it is all right just as it is8 ,no1 indeed2 you first put what bones and meat and vegetables you have in cold water and slowly bring them to the boiling point and skim well4 ,then you must simmer and simmer on the stove or in the tireless box4 ,when it is done you cool it1 take off the white cake of fat on top and save it for frying purposes2 heat the soup again and clarify it by stirring in a washed and broken up egg-shell and a little of the white4 ,when this has boiled with the soup for two minutes1 the whole will clear4 ,then you strain it and divide it2 half you can have one night with tapioca or barley or minced vegetables1 and the other half another night with perhaps tomato in it4 ,do you buy bones and things for stock soup8 ,no1 because ,i use what ,i have4 ,i don't think it is necessary to buy things for it2 but one thing ,i do2 ,i keep a little kitchen bouquet in the house4 ,it comes in a small bottle on purpose1 and it flavors the soup and at the same time colors it brown2 that is really necessary1 making soup out of odd things1 for too often it has little color4 ,milk soups come next1 and those are always nice2 cream of celery or cream of corn are among the best things we can have4 ,unfortunately1 if you have to buy your milk1 they are rather expensive2 however1 ,i will tell you how to make them in case you have an extra pint to use up at any time4 ,you take about a cupful of any vegetable and cook it in a pint of water till it is pulpy1 adding a little onion1 salt1 and pepper2 then you put it through the sieve1 and add a pint of milk1 or1 rather1 add as much milk as you have water1 for often you can use only half a pint of each4 ,then you thicken it slightly1 cook it up once1 strain1 and serve4 ,you can use left-overs of any sort for this1--the outer leaves of lettuce1 a little spinach1 a few cooked beets1 or minced carrot1 or a mixture of any different thing you happen to have in the refrigerator4 ,i often make this soup in the morning and just heat it up for dinner1 to save time2 or1 ,i get the vegetables ready and add the milk at night4 ,now that is the end of the soup lesson2 it is too easy to spend more time over4 ,but ,i can think of ever and ever so many more soups you have not so much as mentioned1 said ,dolly1 indignant at having her thirst for information treated in this summary manner4 ,you have not spoken of oyster soup or clam chowder1 or tomato bisque1 or potato soup1 or-- ,mary put her hands over her ears4 ,i won't listen1 she said4 ,i am not compiling a cook-book1 as ,i keep on telling you over and over4 ,i am only laying down general instructions1 and after you get those fixed in your mind you can go on by yourself and have no trouble at all4 ,i am in such a hurry to get on to meats1 to tell the truth1 that ,i feel like skipping everything to get to that1 because to my mind it is the most important of all the subjects we have to learn about4 ,it is where most housekeepers come to grief1 if they do4 ,i consider that a girl who wants to really live on a little cannot know too much about meat2 she must simply have the whole subject at her finger-ends4 ,remember what ,i told you in your last lesson1 that you cannot have regular dinner meat at all1 but instead must have plain and cheap dishes of all sorts and kinds4 ,now we will begin with beef1 because that is really our staple2 it is good and nourishing and has no waste about it4 ,also it does not vary much in price in the different seasons of the year2 it is a plain1 substantial1 dependable sort of meat4 ,though we cannot have regular roasting-roasts1 we may have pot-roasts4 ,to make those you buy a sort of square piece from the round4 ,do not let the butcher persuade you to get a long1 thin piece2 insist on a chunk4 ,sear this all over by pressing it down in a hot frying-pan1 first on one side and then on the other2 this makes a covering that keeps in the juices4 ,then simmer it a long1 long time in a deep covered dish2 a casserole1 or a crock1 or some such thing4 ,when it is half-done put in salt and pepper1 chopped onions1 and plenty of finely minced vegetables1 and keep on cooking till it is tender and the juice is pretty well absorbed4 ,you can cook it in the tireless stove all day1 or keep it shut up in the oven of the range1 or let it cook slowly on the back of it2 but it must cook very slowly and a long1 long time4 ,this is all good solid meat1 and a four-pound piece will easily make three meals1 with perhaps something over for croquettes4 ,beef stew is just this same sort of thing2 beef cut in finger lengths1 and cooked with vegetables till very soft4 ,serve that with the gravy thickened4 ,chopped beef you can have in a dozen ways4 ,buy cheap beef and put it through your own meat-chopper1 to be quite sure it is perfectly clean4 ,sometimes ,i get three pounds at once1 and make up two pounds into beef loaf1 mixing it with a cup of bread crumbs1 an egg1 salt1 and pepper1 and a little bit of salt pork4 ,i put it in a bread tin and bake it two hours1 basting it well with melted butter and water mixed1 and serve it hot1 with either a brown gravy or a tomato sauce4 ,that is a dish good enough for a king4 ,for the second dinner you slice what is left1 and heat this in the gravy or tomato2 or1 have brown gravy with the loaf and thick tomato with the slices4 ,the other pound ,i make into a steak4 ,now real porter-house steak is far too costly for you and me1 but ,i recommend this substitute2 you will be surprised to see how exactly it looks like a porter-house and how good it tastes4 ,copy the shape and size of the real thing1 and flatten out the chopped meat and make it into a long piece1 larger at one end than the other4 ,have the butcher give you some strips of suet and press one down through the middle1 to represent the bone2 put the other one all around the steak to look like the edge of fat4 ,then put this into a hot1 dry frying-pan and cook it1 turning it only once and dusting with salt and pepper as you do so4 ,do not overcook it1 as it should be pink inside4 ,take it up on a hot platter1 put a little butter on top and parsley around the edge1 and1 behold1 a perfectly gorgeous porter-house6 ,when ,i am going to make a beef loaf1 and do not intend to have this steak1 however1 ,i get only two pounds and a half of the meat1 and the extra half-pound ,i make up into little balls and fry4 ,at the same time ,i fry thick rounds of banana and put one on each ball when ,i take them up2 this is a very good combination4 ,or1 ,dolly1 if you will never betray me1 ,i will tell you a horrid secret4 ,twice a year1 when the equinoctial storm rages and ,i am positively certain no one can go out or come in that evening1 ,i make up a plain little steak without suet of the extra half-pound1 and all around the edge ,i put--fried onions6 ,i don't wonder you said it was a horrid secret4 ,i don't think ,i shall ever sink to that low level2 fried onions are not romantic4 ,still1 put it down1 equinoctial and all1 my dear1 for ,fred probably will approve the dish in spite of your prejudice4 ,and now one thing more about steak3 did you ever hear of a flank steak8 ,never in my life4 ,that is the answer most women would make to the question1 ,i fancy2 yet1 strange to say1 many epicures think this one of the best dishes of beef there is4 ,you get the butcher to cut you one1 and hang it till it is tender4 ,then broil it1 sprinkle with salt and pepper1 and dot with butter mixed with chopped parsley2 if you have any doubts about its being tender1 score it all over with a sharp knife and lay it in a little oil and vinegar mixed for half an hour or more before you cook it4 ,you will really find it a delicious piece of meat1 and you will have enough over for a second dinner1 at least4 ,do you ever have corned beef8 ,once in awhile4 ,when we have it1 ,i cook it till it is very tender and serve it as it is the first night2 then ,i put it back in the water it was cooked in1 to keep it from drying out1 and the second time ,i have it ,i cut it up in even cubes and cream them and put them in a baking-dish with crumbs and butter on top1 and brown it in the oven4 ,it is difficult to use up corned beef1 for it is not good sliced and warmed over1 as most meats are4 ,sometimes we have it cold1 with a hot soup and vegetables2 or ,i have a dish of hash put in a mould and baked4 ,i turn this out and surround it with a ring of minced carrots and turnips2 that does very well indeed4 ,the stock ,i make into bean soup4 ,veal ,i find a most useful meat1 for there is so little waste about it1 like beef4 ,when ,i have a roast ,i get the breast and stuff it and it is just as good as the higher priced roasts4 ,i get the cheap cut from the leg too1 and have a stew with dumplings in it1 or a meat pie2 if ,i have any over ,i sometimes mix it with egg1 gravy1 and crumbs and make a loaf of it4 ,or ,i mince it1 add chopped hard-boiled eggs1 and serve it that way4 ,then there is veal stew cooked with tomatoes2 to make that1 cut up the meat1 add a slice of onion and a small cup of tomato1 with a tablespoonful of rice or barley1 and simmer them all till they are almost solid4 ,this is very nourishing and good4 ,veal cutlet is expensive1 but half a pound goes a long way if you have it cut in small bits and pound them out1 and bread and fry them4 ,then there is veal loaf2 that is a delightful dish4 ,get the cheapest veal you can buy and chop it2 add a little chopped salt pork1 bread crumbs1 seasoning1 some celery if you have any1 or chopped nuts1 and bake it as you did the beef loaf2 that will make at least two dinners4 ,in summer you can have that for dinner1 cold4 ,and also for summer1 do not forget to have veal and ham pie4 ,you get about a pound of veal1 a slice of ham1 and a veal knuckle bone1 and simmer them all together till the meat drops apart2 put this in layers in a deep baking-dish1 and add seasoning4 ,boil down the stock to a cupful1 strain it1 add a level teaspoonful of gelatine dissolved in cold water1 and pour it all over the meat2 put on a thin crust and bake it4 ,set it away to get ice-cold1 and you will have a pie with the meat set in a delicious aspic jelly4 ,wasn't that the ',weal and hammer' of the ,boffins8 ,it was indeed1 and worthy of immortalization1 too4 ,and now as to a second dinner off one of these firsts4 ,one of the perfectly improper dinner dishes you will want to have is croquettes4 ,you can make them of any sort of meat1 but they are particularly nice of veal4 ,learn to make good croquettes1 ,dolly4 ,so few amateur cooks can do it1 and it is the easiest thing in the world to do if only you will remember a few simple things4 ,i'll write the rule down2 ,i love croquettes4 ,chop your meat evenly1 to begin with2 then make the white sauce with double the usual quantity of flour4 ,instead of using one cup of milk1 one tablespoonful of butter1 and one of flour1 you must take two of flour2 that is the first thing to emphasize4 ,you mix this with the meat and seasoning and cook it till it is a smooth paste2 spread it out thickly in a platter and let it get perfectly cold before you take another step4 ,i leave mine an hour1 at the very least4 ,then cut it up into small pieces and roll them under your hand and square the ends2 dip each one in finely sifted bread crumbs--have them well sifted1 ,dolly4 ,next dip in half-beaten egg yolk1 then in crumbs again1 and then dry them thoroughly before you go any farther4 ,i usually make the paste after breakfast and set it away1 bread the croquettes after lunch and set them away again4 ,then just before dinner ,i fry them1 two at a time1 in the wire basket in deep fat4 ,i keep them in only enough to brown the crumbs2 then ,i put them in the oven on paper to drain1 leaving the door open4 ,that way you make delicious croquettes1 pale golden brown outside and creamy inside and with a soup-- ,a good thick pure1 interrupted ,dolly4 ,yes1 and vegetables1 you will have a substantial meal4 ,now for pork4 ,i do hope you are going to see that you get that from a reliable man1 and have it once in awhile1 especially in winter1 for it is to my mind neither indigestible nor unwholesome for a change1 and it is such an inexpensive meat that it saves you ever so much4 ,you can see for yourself that two pork chops1 with all the other things you are to have for dinner1 will be plenty of meat for two people1 and so cheap6 ,pork tenderloins ,i think are the greatest economy4 ,try getting two of them and opening them lengthwise1 filling them with bread-crumb stuffing1 and roasting them with nice brown gravy2 you will be perfectly surprised to see how good they are4 ,there will be enough meat left over for a second dinner1 either croquettes or scallop or something else4 ,and there is this other way of cooking them3 tell the butcher to ,french them for you2 that is1 to cut them into rounds and pound each one out into a little cake4 ,cook these in the frying-pan till they are a pale brown2 arrange them on a hot platter1 and put an edge of mashed potato around4 ,one good-sized tenderloin will make a dinner4 ,as to mutton1 you can get what are called steaks of that2 really they are chops from the top of the leg1 round1 with a bone in the middle4 ,those you can simmer a little1 as they are inclined to be tough1 and then fry them2 or broil them and have peas with them4 ,and there is mutton stew1 and scrag of mutton--a part of the neck1--and minced mutton made up into collops with ,worcestershire sauce1 and mutton stewed with barley into a thick ,scotch broth and served like a stew2 all those are cheap4 ,as to roasts1 once in a long time you can get a small leg of mutton and parboil it1 to save roasting it all the time in the oven1 and so shrinking it more or less4 ,brown it at the last1 however1 and serve it with peas and mint jelly4 ,for the second dinner there will be plenty to slice with the gravy1 and enough still to offer again1 perhaps disguised as a curry4 ,of course the stock in which the meat was boiled must make a soup4 ,tomatoes would go well with mutton1 and after the bone was free1 that could go in bean soup4 ,as to lamb1 ,i spoke of having stew of that1 the cheap parts such as the neck1 of course2 and occasionally the forequarter for parties4 ,we will experiment with that later on1 so ,i am going to skip it now4 ,yes1 do2 ,i want to talk about chicken4 ,are we never1 never to have that8 ,i think you are dreadfully severe4 ,mary smiled4 ,well1 as a concession1 ,i will say that you can have it once in a long1 long time1 provided you conscientiously make up beforehand for the extravagance by going in for a regular diet of cheap things4 ,when you do indulge1 buy a large fowl1 because that goes farther for the price4 ,stew it till it is tender1 and serve it in sections4 ,cut the breast in four pieces1 and lay two away2 cut the second joints lengthwise1 take out the bone and lay half the meat away with the breast4 ,cook some boiled rice1 to put around your platter2 have plenty of gravy1 and the first four pieces will do very well for two people4 ,for the second dinner1 brown the corresponding four pieces1 and serve these with sweet potatoes4 ,the third night1 open the drumsticks1 take out the bones1 fill the centres with stuffing1 and brown these4 ,serve them on toast1 like birds2 you might well pretend that is what they are1 too4 ,you will still have the bits on the wings1 neck and back for a nice luncheon dish or for croquettes2 and the liver1 gizzard1 and heart should go into an omelette4 ,after all1 a fowl is not too expensive for two people provided they will make three meals of it2 not too expensive for an occasional change1 that is4 ,it would be too much for daily consumption4 ,it would do provided the fowl was not too tough1 corrected ,dolly4 ,it is tolerably sure to be tough1 but long cooking corrects that4 ,try this sometimes3 instead of simmering it1 cut it up and fry each piece a little2 as you do so1 put them in a kettle and add a very little water4 ,when all are in see that the water just covers them2 put a cover on and put this away in the tireless stove1 or simmer it very slowly on the back of the range for four or five hours4 ,it will come out brown and tender4 ,and put all left-over gravy and bones in the stock pot1 ,dolly muttered to herself as she wrote this down4 ,now1 before ,i forget it1 tell me why the drumsticks are to be served 'on toast8' ,i see ,i have that expression down over and over4 ,are you so awfully fond of toast as all that8 ,toast1 my dear child1 is the way of making a small dish larger4 ,when things are scanty it conceals the fact as nothing else does4 ,don't you know how often the cook-books say1 'serve with sippets of toast8' ,now you mention it1 ,i do seem to recall the phrase1 though ,i thought it said 'snippets' of toast4 ,i supposed they were a sort of garnish1 like parsley4 ,they are a garnish1 but at the same time they are one of the small economies of cooking4 ,they get rid of bits of bread1 and at the same time give an air to a dish while they help eke it out4 ,and now for the left-overs of meat4 ,i have spoken of some of those as we have gone along1 but there are heaps and heaps more4 ,if you have a good deal of meat left over you can have ,english rissoles1 for one thing2 generally you make them out of beef1 but not necessarily4 ,you chop the meat1 mix it with gravy and a raw egg to bind it1 add a few crumbs and some seasoning1 and roll the whole into balls4 ,dip each one in flour and fry it in a wire basket4 ,beef olives are thin slices of beef with a spoonful of crumbs put on each slice1 and these rolled over once and pinned in place with a tiny wooden skewer--in other words1 a wooden toothpick4 ,any other meat can be used in the same way4 ,mutton can be served a la marquise2 that is1 mince it1 mix it with boiled rice and curry-powder and a tiny bit of onion1 and a raw egg to bind it all2 make into balls and fry them4 ,sliced mutton is nice dipped in ,french dressing and broiled4 ,cottage loaf is good1 especially for an extra busy day4 ,for that1 line a dish with mashed potato1 put the minced and seasoned meat in the centre and cover with more potato2 bake this and turn out in a mould4 ,tomato sauce goes well with this dish by way of gravy4 ,baked hash is just minced meat mixed with gravy1 pressed into a mould and baked in the oven till it will turn out4 ,when you have only a little meat left over and can make none of these dishes1 try souffl2 ,i have never found anything so good to help out4 ,you chop the meat till you have a cupful2 or1 if there is less1 measure everything else in the same proportion4 ,with a cupful take as much white sauce1 a little minced onion and parsley1 salt and pepper1 and put it all on the fire with two beaten egg yolks4 ,cook this three minutes2 take it off and cool it1 and fold in the stiffly beaten whites4 ,put it in a buttered baking-dish and bake it half an hour and serve at once while it is nice and puffy4 ,besides this have croquettes1 and if you are short of meat for those1 put in a little boiled rice4 ,and when your meat gives out altogether1 try this cheap and very nice ,mexican dish3 put in a saucepan a quarter of a pound of dried beef cut up rather small1 with a cup of tomato and a quarter of a cup of rice1 a little onion and seasoning2 cook till the rice is soft4 ,the rest of the beef in the box1 if you buy it that way1 you can broil2 it is like delicate ham4 ,i should think all these things ought to make it easy for you to at least begin to manage2 afterwards you can go on and have anything more you can find to make that is good and cheap4 ,i think somebody once told me that twice-cooked food was not wholesome2 do you really believe it is a good idea to have warmed-over things for dinners8 ,think of the ,french once more6 ,they have the greatest number of made dishes in the world and they never have dyspepsia4 ,and then you are to have warmed-over things only every other night1 at the worst1 and not always then1 by any means1 and ,i am sure you will thrive on them4 ,one thing more2 do you believe it pays to spend so much time and thought and all that on doing over things8 ,don't you think you might as well buy fresh ones as to put so much strength in these8 ,my dear girl1 if you are going to save your money you must expend your time and ingenuity in doing so4 ,i don't believe in wasting strength1 but ,i do believe in using it wisely in order to save buying unnecessarily4 ,but you will learn that as you go on4 ,now do you think ,i have told you enough about meat to enable you to keep the wolf from the door8 ,i do1 indeed2 ,i only hope ,fred will consent to eat these things4 ,if he finds out he is dining on left-overs and dried beef and scrags of mutton1 ,i am afraid he will think me a pretty poor sort of housekeeper4 ,do you suppose any mere man is going to know that he is eating cheap meat unless you actually tell him so in plain words8 ,not at all2 he will eat all these delicacies and declare that they are far better than roasts of beef and spring lamb1 and wonder how you can possibly afford to have such good things on your little housekeeping income4 ,you will simply be covered with glory1 and he will never know how you are deceiving him for his own good4 ,i think it is going to be dreadfully trying to live on an allowance1 anyway4 ,it will be just like being shipwrecked on a raft1 and having exactly so much hardtack and so many ounces of water doled out to you each day4 ,if you eat any of your to-morrow's provisions you won't be alive when a ship sights you at last4 ,in other words1 you will never get your salary raised if you don't live within what you have now4 ,you won't deserve to have it raised if you can't live within what you have now2 so much is sure4 ,but you won't have any trouble4 ,remember to keep within your week's allowance1 not your daily one2 there's comfort in that for you4 ,you can see that one day you may buy two days' food at once1 and so spend part or all of the dollar that properly belongs to to-morrow2 but the end of the week straightens that out comfortably1 and if that account comes out all right you cannot run over the whole4 ,i really believe we had better be vegetarians and live on pea soup and lentils and peanuts and such things4 ,being both cheap and filling1 what more could one ask8 ,well1 vegetarians have taught us all a great deal4 ,i think1 however1 that men who have been brought up to have meat at least once a day do not take kindly to a diet which cuts it out altogether4 ,but ,i am sure they are far better off without too much meat1 and if they can be made to think they are getting as much as usual when really they are getting only half as much1 that is a distinct gain4 ,always remember what ,i told you1 that they do not inquire too closely exactly what they are getting to eat if only it is good2 that is something to count among your mercies4 ,have you any idea what you spend for meat a day8 ,yes2 we have it for dinner only1 and1 as ,i explained1 ,i buy enough one day for at least two dinners4 ,dividing the two or possibly three pounds up in that way1 of course it makes the daily total absurdly small2 ,i suppose it averages only about twenty cents1--probably less4 ,that does seem impossible1 except as ,i review the baked hash and other dinner meats you mentioned4 ,and with this enormous expense you pay for vegetables1 milk1 eggs1 butter1 and all the rest1 and yet put pennies in the kitchen bank8 ,of course4 ,i buy meat one day1 vegetables the next1 flour the third1 and so on2 that is the explanation4 ,well1 ,i see that it is not quite as impossible as one would think at first sight1 anyway4 ,you are only in the first stages of housekeeping yet1 so wait awhile1 my dear1 before you make up your mind one way or the other4 ,now get your hat and we will go down-town and buy the dinner for to-night1--pot-roast1 ,i think1 for one thing4 ,pot-roast to-night2 to-morrow the remains of yesterday's mutton2 the next day the beef again1--in souffl1 possibly1 provided ,dick comes home to-night with a good appetite1 in which case little will be left4 ,don't forget the soup2 we have a vegetable one to-night4 ,then there may possibly be enough beef left for rissoles next time4 ,good girl1 said ,mary1 approvingly1 you are learning1 and deserve a reward1 and1 as ,george ,eliot says 'the reward for work well done is the ability to do more work1' we will pick out a particularly difficult lesson on something for to-morrow1 and she laughed over the ungrateful face ,dolly made as she went for her marketing hat4 ,,chapter ,v ,vegetables1 ,salads1 ,desserts ,after soup and meat ,i suppose we have dessert1 said ,dolly1 as she hung up her dish-washing apron4 ,no1 indeed2 after soup we have vegetables with the meat1 and sometimes salad next1 before we come to the dessert4 ,i think those things are difficult to manage1 too1 especially the vegetables2 so sharpen up your wits and let us finish up dinners as soon as possible4 ,i seem to see so much ahead all the time that ,i am in a constant hurry2 there are breakfasts and luncheons1 preserves1 and entertaining1 not to mention about forty more things1 each one more interesting than the last4 ,so hurry6 ,begin1 said ,dolly1 finding her pencil2 ,i'm all attention4 ,suppose we take up the subject of potatoes1 then1 because those come oftenest on the table4 ,potatoes are one of the extravagances of the housekeeper1 strange as it may seem at first sight4 ,to have them twice a day1 to peel them carelessly and throw away about a quarter of each potato1 and to buy them by the small basketful in the first place1 are all distinctly wasteful4 ,if you live where you can do it1 ,dolly1 always buy them in good measure1 a half-barrel at a time1 let us say1 when you find they are rather cheap1 as they are in the fall2 then toward the end of winter1 when they grow dearer all the time1 do not have them right along4 ,i would not have them for luncheon at all1 if ,i were you2 ,i never have them then2 and at night have boiled rice twice a week with the meat1 choosing the time by the kind you have1 for some things are better with rice than others4 ,chicken goes well with it4 ,yes1 and lamb stew1 and in general meats with gravy4 ,then once a week have macaroni in place of potatoes1 and vary the way you cook it2 at one time have cheese and the next time tomatoes4 ,you can put in about a quarter of a can of those1 and use the rest in other ways2 perhaps put a second quarter of the can into a beef stew and still have a half-can for one night's vegetable4 ,then remember when you are cooking potatoes that it is a time-saving plan to boil enough for two meals1 or even more4 ,you can mash the first supply1 because they must be freshly cooked for that2 but make more than you need1 and the second time you can make potato-cakes of the left-overs of those2 the third time you can cream what are still plain boiled4 ,by the way1 sometimes cut or chop these potatoes quite fine1 and after creaming them put crumbs on top and bake them2 that is a good change4 ,of course you can scallop the second supply1 too1 or chop and brown them1 or serve in any one of a dozen ways2 look those things all up1 so you will not get into a rut4 ,so many women seem to know only two ways of cooking potatoes1 for they always serve them either boiled or mashed4 ,and1 ,dolly1 when you have a maid to peel your potatoes for you1 do try and teach her to cut the peel thin2 she will possess an inveterate determination to cut it thick1 and it will probably be a lifelong battle to teach her to do your way1 but your duty will be to persevere just the same4 ,if she will not learn1 at least you can have her boil the potatoes whole first and scrape off the peel afterwards2 that will save them in spite of her4 ,as to the other vegetables1 ,i think we ought to add another dinner rule to those ,i laid down when we were on that subject1 and that is this3 ,buy only the vegetables that are in season4 ,you know that all winter long city people can have spinach and string-beans and eggplant and such things1 because they come from the ,south1 and also because many of them can be kept in cold storage1--eggplant for one4 ,but these are always expensive4 ,you must resolutely turn your back on them when you market2 you cannot have them at all4 ,we have to have canned things1 ,i suppose1 said ,dolly1 writing down the statement immediately1 with conscious pride in her knowledge4 ,canned6 ,not at all4 ,canned vegetables are far too costly for you2 like everything else1 they have risen in price4 ,you must use them very carefully indeed1 and for every-day use you must depend on old-fashioned winter things1 parsnips and turnips and beets and onions2 really1 if you cook them in nice new ways they are very good1 too1 and you will not mind at all4 ,i don't believe there are any new ways4 ,indeed there are2 ,i can't stop to tell you many of them1 but here are just a few ideas4 ,cook parsnips a long time1 season and slice them1 and put them in the double boiler with a little butter and let them smother2 brown them a little at the end in the frying-pan1 and you will find them really delicious4 ,or1 cook them soft1 add salt and pepper1 and make them into little cakes and fry them brown4 ,never boil1 slice and fry them1 as we once did2 they are frightfully indigestible so4 ,turnips you can steam1 dice and cream alone1 or better1 mix them with a few peas and diced carrots and serve them around meat4 ,you can get a pint or so of dried peas and soak them up as you need them1 to avoid opening a can each time4 ,a delightful company way of serving turnips is this3 boil or steam them whole and scrape them2 scoop out the tops till you have a little white cup of each one1 and cut a slice from the bottom1 to make it stand evenly2 put butter1 salt1 and pepper in each and fill with drained and seasoned canned peas4 ,you can't think how pretty they are2 you can have those with mutton or lamb4 ,the inside bits you mix with the carrots the next night1 as ,i told you4 ,speaking of carrots1 they are considered one of the most wholesome of vegetables1 because they are full of iron2 so have them often4 ,just boil them1 cut them up and cream them1 or drain them dry and put a little butter on them if you are short of milk2 they are especially good with ,hamburg steak or beef in any shape4 ,beets you boil1 scrape and dice and put in a very little white sauce2 any left over make a good milk soup the second night4 ,or1 for company you fix them exactly as you did the turnips2 make them into cups and fill them with peas4 ,i am not sure which is the prettier dish4 ,onions you have once in awhile for a change2 they are certainly good for you1 and they need not be odoriferous4 ,cut them up and simmer them in just enough water to cover them1 adding a bit of soda4 ,drain them1--and1 by the way1 do not 'throw away the water1' as cook-books say1 but save it for soup2 put the onions in a baking-dish with white sauce and crumbs and bake them4 ,i think with a dinner ending with black coffee no one will suspect you of having eaten them4 ,if ever you find any especially large onions in market1 or can pick out several from the quart of the ordinary kind1 boil these whole1 and when they are soft take out the middle part and fill them with bread crumbs and bake them1 basting them occasionally4 ,salsify or oyster-plant is really an extremely good vegetable if only it is well cooked1 which it isn't1 as a general thing4 ,try this way3 simmer it till it is very tender indeed2 take it up and drain it and scrape it well4 ,then cut off the little end and also the top1 so that what is left is like a croquette in shape2 of course the rest can go in soup1 so it will not be lost4 ,dip each piece in crumbs1 then in egg1 then in crumbs1 exactly as you do croquettes1 and let them dry2 fry in deep fat in a wire basket1 and you will be astonished to see what a nice new dish you have4 ,as to cabbage1 there you have a real treasure4 ,if every woman could only cook it in the hygienic way she would find she had one of the greatest helps in winter4 ,it is so cheap1 so good1 and so easily digested when it is right that it is a pity every one does not know how to do it4 ,you cut the cabbage up in quarters and take out the core2 the four pieces you put in a pot of hard-boiling water1 dropping in one at a time gently1 so as not to stop the boiling4 ,then put in a small plate or anything to keep it under water1 a piece of soda as large as the end of your little finger1 and some salt1 and boil as hard as you can for twenty-five minutes1 being careful to keep the pot uncovered4 ,think of the horrid odor1 ,mary6 ,it would just fill the house4 ,that is exactly what it would not do1 my dear4 ,if you cover the pot1 the cabbage will make itself known at once1 but if you boil it hard and keep it uncovered1 it will not2 if you don't believe me1 try for yourself4 ,at the end of the time take it up and press the water out in the colander and cut it up4 ,put it in a hot dish and cover with white sauce2 and then bless your kind sister who taught you how to make one of the best things you ever ate4 ,now the canned things come next4 ,there1 as ,i said1 you must economize1 and the best way to do that aside from buying few of them1 is to always make two meals of each canful4 ,that is not difficult to do with a small family4 ,for instance1 when you have tomatoes1 serve half stewed down with bits of toast in them2 the next time scallop what is left with crumbs1 to help out4 ,canned corn you also divide1 having two-thirds as it is1 drained and freshly creamed1 of course1 with lots of seasoning2 and the next night you have the left-over third in corn fritters4 ,by the way1 ,dolly1 try the grated corn2 it is better than the other kind1 and you can have another change by sometimes serving the first part in a baked corn custard4 ,if you use the ordinary kind1 you will also make one can go farther by adding some beans and serving it as succotash4 ,canned peas are one of the most useful things for an emergency1 for they can be combined with so many other things2 with croquettes they are delicious1 and with sliced meat4 ,just reheat the meat and have a circle of creamed peas around it on the platter4 ,and with salmon1 too1 they are invaluable4 ,however1 be careful in buying them1 for they are not cheap1 and remember to buy small ,american peas1 not ,french ones1 even for company4 ,canned string-beans are good for some things1 but you do not need them as a vegetable2 ,i'll come to those later on4 ,asparagus is out of court entirely1 for it's too expensive for us4 ,as to dried things1 by all means invest in dried beans of all kinds2 most of them you will use for soups1 but ,lima beans are excellent as a vegetable4 ,soak them with a bit of soda1 to bring back their color1 and then season well4 ,i believe always in adding a bit of onion to the water ,i soak them in1 for it brings out the flavor2 and then add white sauce or butter1 as usual4 ,i suppose few people ever bake ,lima beans1 but they are very good1 especially for a change4 ,in winter1 ,dolly1 have plenty of baked beans for luncheon1 the ordinary kind and the ,limas1 and once in awhile pretend to live in ,boston and have a big dish of nice crisply browned beans1 with a bit of pork in them1 for ,saturday night's dinner1 in place of meat4 ,all right1 ,i will4 ,but if you have come to a stopping-place1 may ,i speak8 ,tell me this3 are we never to have any green things1 celery or lettuce1 for instance8 ,celery you must watch for1 and when you find it is cheap1 as sometimes you may1--for small bunches often look rusty and go for a little when they are still useful1--then buy some4 ,open it and take out the best parts for dinner as they are2 scrape the outside pieces and cut them up2 stew them and bake in a white sauce4 ,you can put a little grated cheese over the top with the crumbs if you choose2 it makes a good dish that way4 ,and as to lettuce1 that turns me to salads4 ,you know how strongly ,i believe in having a nice fresh green salad1 with a light dressing of oil1 for dinner every single day2 it is a real hardship that people who must live on a little cannot have it right along1 but they cannot4 ,once in awhile in winter you will find what grocers call 'seconds' in market2 that is1 lettuce which has had its outer leaves pulled off because they are withered4 ,those little round heads sell for a small sum1 often five cents or less2 one of them is plenty for two people1 so buy whenever you can4 ,you can omit the soup that night2 begin with a heavy meat1 such as pot-roast or corned beef1 have the salad next1 and then dessert4 ,or1 here is another way ,i like still better3 have the soup and meat and vegetables as usual1 with the salad next1 served with crackers and cheese1 and have no dessert at all1 simply coffee last4 ,we often do that way4 ,besides lettuce1 however1 you can frequently find watercress in market for five cents a head1 and often chicory2 both those are good for dinner salads4 ,and shredded cabbage mixed with nuts is good1 and of course celery4 ,as to the oil1 there is an economy you must practise4 ,never buy bottled oil2 it is frightfully dear and too often it is not fresh4 ,besides1 the so-called quart bottles hold only a pint by actual measurement4 ,always go to an ,italian grocery and get the oil that comes in tins1 at about sixty cents a real quart2 that is pure and fresh and does not turn rancid1 no matter how long you keep it1 because it is not exposed to the light4 ,one tin will last a long time1 so it is not expensive4 ,anyway1 you buy that out of the box on the mantel1 as it is a staple4 ,so we can have only plain salads1 and those occasionally1 mourned ,dolly4 ,and ,i simply dote on grapefruit salad for dinner4 ,watch your market1 then4 ,once in awhile you can buy a grapefruit for about seven cents2 get it by all means1 and a little head of lettuce1 and have it2 only remember to make up for your extravagance by having a cheap meat twice over4 ,and sometimes you can have orange salad in the same way2 get one or two oranges1 cut them in thick slices1 and serve with ,french dressing4 ,you don't need lettuce for that4 ,good6 ,that's an idea that suits me1 and ,i will cheerfully sacrifice dessert to have either kind4 ,is that the end of salads8 ,not quite4 ,you can have canned string-beans sometimes1 very cold1 with ,french dressing1 either as they are or on lettuce4 ,and of course escarole and romaine and anything else you find that is cheap2 sometimes in a city market one of them will be4 ,and in the spring you can have nice little dandelion leaves and spinach and garden lettuce1 and such things4 ,and in summer--in summer1 ,dolly1 you can simply revel in salads4 ,then ,i should dispense with soup for dinner and have one every single day2 sometimes twice a day4 ,there's nothing more wholesome in the whole range of eatables1 and nothing which requires so little preparation4 ,there are a thousand things to have in summer2 study them up by all means4 ,i suppose you do not have salads with mayonnaise for dinner1 or you would speak of salmon and chicken salad and all those things4 ,no1 those are for luncheon and we will take them up then4 ,i think that is the end of the dinner salads4 ,now for desserts1 said ,dolly1 cheerfully4 ,those are the best of all4 ,i really and truly know how to make some of those1 too4 ,you remember1 ,mary1 ,i began to take cooking lessons once1 and got in three1 all on desserts1 and then ,i went off visiting and never finished the course4 ,but ,i did learn how to make bomb glac1 and marrons with whipped cream1 and a perfectly delicious sort of iced pudding that ,i know ,fred will just love1 if only ,i have not forgotten all about them6 ,well1 suppose we begin with some of the plainer things1 laughed her sister2 rice pudding for one4 ,oh1 ,i forgot1 ,dolly groaned4 ,yes1 ,i suppose we must have rice pudding and bread pudding and corn-starch pudding and tapioca pudding in a pleasing round1 and when we have completed the circle we begin and have them all over again4 ,i hate them all6 ,you are tolerably certain to have them1 at one time or another1 but ,i would not have them in rotation1 and ,i would dress them up so as to change them whenever ,i could4 ,but before we go into details1 let me tell you one important thing3 that is1 that in making desserts you must be extra careful1 for most of them take eggs and butter and sugar and possibly a good many other things that cost money1 especially in winter time4 ,you must have simple desserts1 made from apples when they are cheap1 and rice1 and as you suggest1 tapioca and corn-starch at times4 ,in summer1 of course1 you can have fruit1 and if you live in the country there are lots of good things to make out of milk and cream1 especially cream4 ,but in town1 be on your guard4 ,have the plain things1 but disguise them so they will seem new4 ,bread pudding can be varied in ever so many ways4 ,one day you can put raisins in2 another you can put in home-made orange peel or orange marmalade2 still another1 put dates in it or chocolate4 ,a little something different is very nice1 and a man will never know that1 after all1 he is eating bread pudding each time4 ,so with corn-starch pudding2 you can have infinite variety there4 ,always make it soft1 never stiff1 ,dolly1 look out for that2 and one day put in a little chocolate1 and another a few chopped nuts with a dash of almond flavoring1 and a third mix the milk with as much coffee2 or add orange juice or lemon4 ,always change the flavor1 and you will not tire of the basis4 ,i find the best way to serve those things is in glasses1 too1 not on plates2 they go a great deal farther1 for one ordinary portion will serve two people easily4 ,then1 too1 a plain cold pudding seems nicer and more appetizing served in little glasses or glass cups1 so it pays4 ,tapioca is good for a cold night's dinner4 ,try the instantaneous kind1 and you will find it turns out a sort of hot jelly1 and very good4 ,in that you can have clear coffee once1 and apples or oranges at other times1 and any sort of canned fruits you have left over2 and as it takes no eggs and no butter1 just like corn-starch pudding1 it is particularly cheap4 ,as to rice pudding1 cook one tablespoonful of rice in one pint of milk with one tablespoonful of sugar2 put it in a baking-dish and put it in a moderate oven in the morning for an hour or more1 and as a crust forms on top1 turn it underneath and the bottom part up1 and repeat till the whole is soft and creamy and pale brown2 then let the top brown4 ,put in raisins or chopped dates1 and eat it very cold1 and you will think you have found something deserving a fancy ,french name1 it is so good1 and different from plain rice pudding as one usually gets it4 ,orange marmalade1 too1 is very nice on cold rice pudding4 ,when apples are cheap try apple porcupine4 ,peel and core and bake the apples1 and when they are cold stick them full of strips of blanched almonds2 five cents' worth will be enough for six apples4 ,if you serve them covered with a nice glaze of sugar and water syrup made by basting them as they cook1 you will not need cream with them1 though it is nice1 too4 ,junket takes only milk and sugar1 but you must dress it up well when you have it4 ,i mean if you have one little pot of preserved ginger in your closet for use at such times1 put the junket in glasses to set1 and serve with the ginger cut in little cubes on top and a bit of juice with it4 ,one pot of ginger costs only fifteen cents and keeps forever4 ,so ,i would get it occasionally2 or1 make some for yourself from the root1 in the fall4 ,as to pies1 in winter ,i have them rather often1 but ,i make them as the ,english do1 in a baking-dish with an upper crust only4 ,i take a small can of fruit which ,i have put up on purpose1 perhaps blueberries or cherries or plums1 and fill the dish2 then ,i add sugar1 and a sprinkling of flour1 put on the crust and bake it1 and serve it almost or quite cold4 ,that is a wholesome dessert and one a man is certain to approve of4 ,apple tart is very good1 too1 and of course peach or apricot tart are best of all1 if you can get these fruits cheaply1 as you sometimes can in ,september4 ,gelatine things are economical1 because with them you do not need butter or eggs4 ,any sort of cooked fruit1 such as prunes or canned fruits1 needs only to be set with gelatine in a pretty mould and served with the fruit juice1 or cream if you have it4 ,in a city you can't have it often1 but luckily people who own cows may2 ,i only hope they appreciate their blessings as they should4 ,then try ,french pancakes2 sometimes you will have griddle cakes for breakfast4 ,save a little batter and for dinner make four cakes for two people1 because two will be called for apiece4 ,while they are hot spread them with jam or jelly1 roll them up and cover thickly with mixed sugar and cinnamon4 ,shortcakes in summer are an unfailing delight2 have them with strawberries and raspberries and peaches4 ,in winter you can make a rather thin layer of shortcake1 split it open while it is warm1 spread it with a little butter and sugar1 and put jam inside or rich preserves and serve a little boiled custard with it4 ,all these things1 you see1 take only a short time to make1 as well as few costly ingredients4 ,i don't think it good policy for people who are trying to economize to put much time or money on desserts4 ,indeed1 if ,i could ,i believe ,i would always have fruit2 but in town it is too expensive1 except occasionally4 ,sometimes ,i do have baked bananas2 those are cheap1 certainly1 and good1 too2 and when ,i find some good and cheap oranges ,i have two for dessert and possibly save a little elsewhere4 ,one orange sliced with two bananas goes a long way1 too4 ,and no ices or ice-creams1 ,mary6 ,are we never to have those8 ,of course--,i forgot them4 ,in winter ,i put out a small pail of water at night and freeze it2 the next day ,i make an ice or sherbet from some simple thing1 such as part of a can of pineapple1 or a lemon or orange1 and freeze it4 ,this costs almost nothing at all1 especially as ,i save the salt and dry it for next time4 ,for creams ,i get the ice in the same way when ,i can1 and either make a mousse and put it in the fireless stove1 or make a cheap boiled custard and freeze that1 adding a few dried and rolled macaroons to enrich it1 or even a few dried crumbs of ,boston brown-bread1 which1 strange to say1 look and taste much the same4 ,of course you must not deliberately buy ingredients for ice-cream except for company1 but an ice you can have whenever you choose4 ,then in summer1 if you can get ice cheaply1 you can have fruits made into sherbet or frozen as they are4 ,i think frozen peaches are perfectly delicious4 ,so they are1 and three peaches with sugar enough to sweeten them ought not to cost much1 surely1 nor would frozen watermelon4 ,speaking of that1 reminds me of something ,i had last summer which was cheap and good1 which you might put down4 ,i had some watermelon on hand which had lost its freshness2 indeed1 it was not fit to put on the table as it was1 but my conscience would not let me throw it away4 ,i just chopped it up1 sweetened it with a little sugar and water syrup1 flavored it with a dash of cooking-sherry1 and froze it1 and it came out one of the best sherbets ,i ever ate in my life4 ,it does sound good4 ,i'll write that down2 and we can have lots of melons for dessert in the autumn1 just as they are4 ,yes1 indeed2 have all the fruit you can when it is cheap4 ,you can serve it in so many ways that you can never tire of it4 ,that suggests something else1 too1--nuts4 ,you have no idea1 ,dolly1 how nuts help out in winter4 ,when you have no time to make dessert1 or nothing in the house to make it of1 try serving nuts and a few raisins with the coffee for a final course1 and you will be surprised to see the rapture which ,fred will show4 ,men always like nuts1 and if you are careful not to have them after a heavy dinner of corned beef or such things1 they are not unwholesome4 ,of course you must not have many2 just a few with the black coffee4 ,keep them for emergencies1 too1 and do not have them too often1 or they may pall1 which would be a pity1 for a dessert of nuts1 raisins1 and coffee will often cover a multitude of deficiencies in the dinner4 ,good2 and ,i must put down not to have anything made with eggs or butter or cream1 so ,i won't forget your words of wisdom about those4 ,don't put down a 'never1' only a 'seldom1' then4 ,i do have things made with whipped cream sometimes1 for a bottle holding a quarter of a pint costs ten or twelve cents1 and judiciously used makes two desserts1 in part at least1 so once in awhile ,i indulge in it4 ,half a box of red raspberries1 served in two glasses1 with a big spoonful of whipped cream on top of each1 is ever so good4 ,and just a little cream on a small open shell of pie-crust filled with preserved fruit1 makes it what the late ,delia used to call 'a stylish dish4' ,no1 don't entirely bar out all expensive ingredients1 ,dolly2 sometimes you can have some of them in homoeopathic quantities4 ,a few lady-fingers1 split in halves and cut across1 laid in two glasses with a spoonful of flavored cream on top1 make a good dessert1 especially if there is a bit of jam tucked underneath the cream4 ,and after all1 the lady-fingers cost only two cents and the cream five or six1--so you see4 ,i see1 said ,dolly4 ,and eggs1 now2 may ,i ever make desserts with them8 ,certainly1 in the spring you can have them in a custard often2 and a little sweet omelette made with jam is a delightful finish to a dinner1 and it takes only two eggs to make it4 ,then how am ,i to know what to do8 ,no1 don't tell me1 for ,i know myself4 ,i use my common sense4 ,exactly4 ,keep your eyes and ears open when you go to market1 and buy things in season and cheaply1 and have whatever you can afford4 ,it would be too ridiculous to have rice puddings when strawberries were cheaper1 or corn-starch1 when you could have sherbet or some other delicacy4 ,just 'use your common sense1' and you will be safe4 ,and this finishes ,dinners1 at last1 and with a good motto for your book to head the chapter as well as to close it4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,breakfast1 ,luncheon1 ,supper--,odds and ,ends ,to-day we will begin on the smaller meals1 said ,mrs4 ,thorne1 one morning4 ,those seem trifles light as air after the heavy work we have put on dinners1 and as the meals themselves are far from being substantial1 we ought not to have to spend very much time or thought on any of them4 ,breakfast comes first1 of course4 ,for that you will need to plan for plain1 simple dishes only4 ,it would be nice always to have a first course of fruit1 but in winter that is really impossible on our tiny income1 since it has grown so expensive4 ,in summer ,i do try and have it1 if not every day1 at least every other day4 ,ordinarily ,i can find some sort of berries in market within my means2 and if we lived in the country1 ,dolly1 we could have something from our garden1 surely4 ,but in cold weather we either do without or have something twice a week only4 ,often ,i find bananas costing only a trifle1 perhaps even ten cents a dozen at times1 and then ,i get half a dozen2 not more1 because probably they are rather too ripe to keep long or they would not sell for the price4 ,oranges1 too1 sometimes come into market in quantities1 and then small ones are cheap for a few days4 ,in the autumn ,i have baked apples frequently4 ,we could have dried fruits1 prunes1 and peaches1 and so on1 but neither ,dick nor ,i care for those for breakfast1 so ,i do not get them4 ,but ,i do get figs1 a half-pound at a time1 and dates in the same quantity1 and stew those and cut them up in a hot cereal2 they are a great addition to it4 ,and often we have neither fruit nor cereal1 but instead a second course of hot dry toast and home-made orange marmalade4 ,the days we do not have fruit we often have cereal first2 not always1 mind1 for we tire of it4 ,probably we have it three times a week4 ,and here1 ,dolly1 let me give you some advice3 look out for the cost of cereals2 there is one place where economy counts more than you would believe4 ,many of the cereals that come in boxes cost fifteen cents or more and do not last any time because they are loose and light2 those are what ,i call extravagant breakfast foods4 ,you must use the plainer things2 old-fashioned oatmeal and cracked wheat1 bought in bulk1 and rice and corn-meal4 ,they go twice1 no1 three times as far as the things you buy in packages4 ,if you cook the oatmeal and wheat all night they will be really very good and far more wholesome and digestible than the same things bought in small amounts and cooked up in twenty minutes4 ,never fail to cook your cereals a long time1 ,dolly1 no matter how 'instantaneous' they are said to be4 ,as for the corn-meal1 that you can have as a second course in fried mush1 or you can make up a well salted mush with raisins in it4 ,what we had when we were children1 plum porridge6 interrupted ,dolly1 smiling1 and didn't we love it6 ,mary nodded1 but went on without pausing4 ,the rice you can have boiled1 with or without raisins in it1 for one morning1 and another you can have it in little brown cakes or croquettes2 or you can make griddle-cakes out of what is left over4 ,do you buy extra cream for these cereals8 ,no1 unfortunately we can't do that1 though ,i wish we could4 ,here again is where ,i long to keep a cow4 ,but as it is1 ,i take off just a little of the very top of the milk for coffee and the next best ,i put on for the cereal4 ,and do you have muffins and cakes and those hot breads8 ,i think ,i had better tell you in order just what we have1 because you will understand it all better4 ,i arrange breakfast this way3 ,first1 if it is a day when we are to have fruit1 a course of that2 afterward a hot dish1 a little bacon1 an egg apiece1 milk toast1 or creamed codfish1 or some simple thing warmed over that ,i have in the house2 often in summer fried tomatoes on toast4 ,and ,i have coffee and hot rolls or biscuits or muffins or toast1 too4 ,that is one sort of breakfast4 ,when we do not have fruit ,i have cereal1 let us say2 after that we do not care for anything hot and substantial1 as when the first course was an orange1 perhaps1 so we have the coffee and muffins alone4 ,or1 for a third breakfast1 one for cold weather1 we begin with a hot dish and coffee and have cakes afterward4 ,i am astonished to hear you speak of having eggs as though they were to be bought for nothing4 ,i thought in town they cost too much to eat them up recklessly4 ,so they do1 in winter2 they are often four cents apiece4 ,but you see then ,i do not use them in cooking1 or only occasionally1 so even at that price ,i can afford to have them for breakfast twice a week1 and that is the extent of my recklessness4 ,but one apiece6 ,my dear ,mary1 ,i am positively certain ,fred will demand two eggs for his breakfast1 if that is all he is to have4 ,then you must scramble the one-apiece with milk and serve them on toast1 and he will think he is having any number of them4 ,or1 make a parsley omelette of two with a little milk2 or have them hard-boiled1 chopped1 and creamed1 on toast or in individual dishes1 with crumbs on top2 that is an easy way out of the difficulty4 ,he can't count how many eggs there are on the table when they are served mixed up4 ,i only hope he won't ask1 that's all4 ,now before you leave ,breakfasts tell me whether you ever have waffles4 ,yes1 when ,i have time enough to make them4 ,on ,sundays1 when ,dick does not have to hurry away1 we often have them1 but not when ,i have to rush2 then ,i have easy things4 ,and don't you have to rise with the lark to get a breakfast of two courses8 ,no1 indeed2 ,i put on the things to heat1 such as the cooked cereal out of the tireless stove2 or ,i start the corn-meal mush in the kettle and put the muffins in the oven4 ,while they are getting themselves ready ,i lay the table and make the coffee and put on the butter and set out the fruit1 or whatever else ,i am to have4 ,i pride myself on having everything ready in a very little while4 ,so breakfast is just fruit or cereal2 muffins or toast2 eggs or bacon or codfish1 and coffee1 said ,dolly1 as she wrote these down4 ,not quite1 for there are a number of small dishes ,i make out of scraps of this or that1 but those will come later on4 ,many of them will be under luncheon dishes2 that is1 easy things to make up for any informal meal4 ,but this will do for the present4 ,now we will begin on ,luncheons4 ,i think those are so interesting1 too2 we can have all sorts of good things creamed and in croquettes and salads4 ,luncheon is such a dainty meal4 ,unfortunately you cannot have exactly everything you can think of1 for your luncheons must be made up of odds and ends1 usually what is to be found in the refrigerator4 ,still ,i agree with you in thinking this an interesting meal1 but partly1 ,i am afraid1 because ,i enjoy the fun of getting something out of nothing4 ,you must remember that you cannot use up anything at noon that will do for dinner2 the meat and vegetables left over from one night1 you know-- ,yes1 of course2 you must use them up the next night4 ,but if you cannot have those and cannot buy on purpose1 what can you have8 ,there is where the fun comes in2 you must study up possible dishes made out of odds and ends4 ,i am not going to try and make a full list for you1 but just to begin on1 ,i will give you a few things you can have3 ,macaroni and cheese2 cheese fondu2 rarebit2 milk toast2 milk toast with grated cheese on it2 ,french fried toast2 vegetable croquettes2 fish croquettes2 creamed fish2 baked potatoes cut in halves and the centres scooped out1 mixed with creamed codfish and browned2 sweet potatoes treated in the same way1 omitting the fish2 ,spanish toast1--that is1 thick tomato1 green peppers1 and onion1 on toast2 corn fritters2 clam fritters2 fruit fritters2 creamed peas2 croustades of bread filled with any sort of creamed meat1 fish1 or egg2 green peppers filled with similar things2 baked beans2 fried eggplant2 stuffed eggplant2 all sorts of salads with mayonnaise2 creamed celery1 baked2 cabbage and cheese baked2 rice and tomatoes2 rice croquettes2 potato croquettes2 eggs in every shape when they are cheap2 all kinds of griddle-cakes and muffins4 ,as a second course1 if you want one3 jam and thin crackers2 or cookies1 or gingerbread1 or a bit of cake2 left over preserves1 or anything sweet that you have at hand2 and of course tea or cocoa4 ,you see how easy luncheons are1 even if you can't have meat4 ,really the greatest help in learning to keep house is to understand how to have good luncheons at a small expense2 when you know that1 you know how to do both breakfast and dinner better4 ,of course if ,i am all alone ,i can have a good luncheon with but little to eat1 but you know what a way people in town have of dropping in at that time4 ,suppose you1 for instance1 should come in some fine day2 ,i am sure there would not be enough for two people4 ,that is one of the places where ,i hope1 my dear1 your grandmother's 'faculty' will assert itself4 ,suppose ,i do come in1 or even a more formidable person than ,i4 ,if you were planning to have a cup of soup left over from the night before for a first course1 thin it with a very little boiling water and a seasoning of kitchen bouquet if it is a stock soup1 and add a little milk if it is a cream soup1 and serve it in two half-filled cups instead of one full one4 ,there will be enough that way without too much liquidating4 ,if you were to have had a hot dish first1 say a little baked corn1 put in a beaten egg and a trifle of milk1 and it will grow larger at once2 or1 if you planned to have one plate of string-bean salad1 add a hard-boiled egg quartered to the quantity1 and there will be enough for two4 ,if you were to have had some little hot thing which you cannot add to1 fry some potatoes to go with it1 and add 'sippets of toast4' ,if there is nothing whatever to eat1 make an omelette1 or open one of the tins of tomatoes you keep for such an occasion and have ,spanish toast1 and then tea and crackers and cheese and jam2 you see it is simple enough4 ,dolly groaned4 ,yes1 simple enough for you1 my experienced sister1 but most frightfully difficult for me4 ,just in anticipation1 ,dolly4 ,really it is great fun to manage1 and you will enter into the spirit of the thing when once you get to work4 ,now we will take ,suppers next in order4 ,i thought you did not believe in suppers4 ,i do not1 but ,i must take into consideration that you may have to live where it is customary to have them instead of dinners at night1 and you must possibly conform2 or1 ,fred's work may send him home at noon and again late in the evening2 in that case you must also have them4 ,anyway1 the subject is part of your education and you cannot be allowed to skip it4 ,you lay the table in the same way as for breakfast and luncheon1 with doilies instead of a tablecloth2 suppers are really the very same thing as luncheons1 you have the same things to eat4 ,you can have a first course of soup1 if you like1 served always in cups or bouillon bowls1 not in soup plates2 or1 you can begin with a hot dish4 ,in winter time you must have things of the same sort as ,i planned for luncheon2 not meat1 but baked corn1 or minced clams1 or milk toast1 or bread croustades1 or baked beans2 with them go potatoes1 possibly1 sometimes1 or merely tea or coffee1 with hot biscuits or muffins4 ,then comes a salad1 if you choose4 ,in summer ,i have the main dish for either luncheon or supper of salad1 and you can serve mayonnaise or ,french dressing on them4 ,here a meat or fish salad comes in if you can afford it2 chicken or cold salmon with mayonnaise1 or lobster1 or whatever you can have easily4 ,afterward comes the sweet course2 or you can omit the salad1 as you did the soup1 and have the supper consist of the main dish first1 with tea or coffee1 and the sweet course next and last4 ,it depends on circumstances what you will decide to do4 ,of course with a heavy dinner in the middle of the day you would have a lighter supper at night2 but if you wanted to enlarge the meal for company1 you do it by putting on the extra courses4 ,for the sweet course you usually have preserves in winter and berries in summer1 with cake or cookies or gingerbread4 ,or1 you can have hot gingerbread and ,american or cream cheese1 and no fruit2 or you can have first one thing and then the other4 ,it seems to me you have a good deal of cheese in your suppers and luncheons4 ,i thought it was considered indigestible4 ,not at all1 by those who understand how to use it4 ,most of the nations of the world live largely on it and have digestions of iron4 ,do not have it with meat1 but in the place of meat1 because it is so hearty4 ,when you put it in a dish and cook it1 always put in a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper and one of soda1 that makes it perfectly wholesome4 ,when once it is digested it is all solid nourishment1 too1 and for the money you get more than you can in any other way2 so don't be afraid to use it4 ,cream cheese is always considered easily assimilated1 and if you can get some one to make it fresh for you out of country milk you will find it a perfect standby4 ,you passed lightly over the subject of cake for supper2 don't we have chocolate layer-cakes at all8 ,dolly1 try hard to curb the natural propensity to make chocolate cake which lies in every woman's heart4 ,all girls1 ,i know1 consider it the very staff of life1 but it isn't2 it is an expensive thing to make1 and as few men care for it1 it is largely wasted on them4 ,do not make much cake of any sort1 and when you do1 make up simple little things and have them fresh4 ,make cookies and gingerbread and drop-cakes and spice-cakes and peanut wafers and such things1 and when you are tempted to indulge in a great layer-cake1 count up first the ingredients1 the butter and sugar and eggs and other things--and refrain4 ,i have already written down somewhere in my book1 ',beware of ingredients1' said ,dolly1 meekly4 ,that is an excellent rule1 too3 ',beware of ingredients4' ,stick to it1 my dear4 ,now1 if you are sure you understand ,suppers1 we will go on4 ,i think ,i do4 ,have a hot dish in winter for a main course1 and something nice and cold in its place in summer4 ,have coffee or tea and preserves or shortcake or gingerbread and such things afterward1 usually4 ,when you have company1 begin with soup1 then have the main course1 then the salad1 and last the sweet4 ,it really seems exactly the same thing as a luncheon4 ,so it does1 and it is1 too4 ,now we come at last to my hobby2 such an interesting hobby1 too1 ,dolly2 it is ,scraps1 or1 ,left-overs1 if you like that better4 ,and here you must study hard1 for to my thinking you stand or fall as a housekeeper by your knowledge or ignorance of the subject4 ,of course you know the saying that a ,french family could live on what an ,american family throws away4 ,there is something in the saying1 though ,i will not admit it to be entirely true2 but it is a fact that a good cook seldom has anything to put in her garbage pail1 and it really is horrifying to see what people1 especially poor people1 do throw out3 half-loaves of bread1 good-sized bits of vegetables1 bones that would have made soup1 and lots of other things4 ,to begin with bread1 save all the odds and ends of that4 ,make crusts and hard ends into crumbs and sift them well2 the half-slices make into bits of toast and use them at once1 whenever you find them in the box1 before they get very dry4 ,no bit of bread should ever be wasted4 ,then there is fat of all sorts2 the grease on top of soups1 drippings from meat1 bacon fat1 everything of that sort is to be saved4 ,put the strips of fat through the meat-chopper and then put all in a dish with water1 cover tightly1 and set in the oven and let it cook till the water is gone4 ,strain it through cheesecloth1 put it in a covered pail1 and you will always have enough for frying without buying lard4 ,when you use part of it and it gets brown1 do not pour it back on the white fat1 but put it by itself1 and when you have enough cook it up again with boiling water1 strain it twice1 and it will turn white and as good as before4 ,as to bits of meat1 ,i have told you about those2 use them up in souffl or in hash1 or any way you can4 ,some people insist that there are some things that one cannot properly use1 such as an end of steak1 but ,i have yet to find the bit of meat that is not good for something4 ,the steak ends ,i pour boiling water over and scrape till the charred part disappears1 and they make either hash of some sort or souffl4 ,if you cannot do any better1 at least put the bits of meat into soup stock1 and of course all the bones you have go with it4 ,as to bits of fish1 those go into patties or croustades2 the patties are really baking-powder biscuits4 ,i just cut out the middle1 without opening them1 and there is a perfect shell4 ,i put a little butter inside1 heat it well1 and fill it with creamed fish or anything else4 ,the croustades are one of the most useful things of all for serving left-overs4 ,to make those you take slices of bread three inches thick and cut them into rounds with a biscuit-cutter2 on top you mark a smaller circle4 ,dip each one in milk2 drop it into hot fat and let it turn golden brown2 fill it with creamed chicken or meat or fish or peas4 ,a platter of croustades is a really attractive dish and as good to eat as it is to look at4 ,if ever ,i have a round loaf of bread that ,i can spare ,i make that into a large croustade1 too1 especially for company4 ,i cut out the middle till it is a good-sized shell1 butter the inside1 and brown it in the oven1 and then fill it with creamed salmon1 or anything else4 ,creamed oysters are delicious in it4 ,that does not properly come under left-overs1 but as it belongs with croustades ,i put it there1 anyway4 ,as to eggs1 begin by saving all their shells and washing them2 they do for clearing coffee4 ,of course you must not break a fresh egg for that4 ,then when you make mayonnaise out of the yolk of one1 always make up a dish calling for one white1 perhaps a little cake2 or1 whip it1 sweeten with powdered sugar1 mix with currant jelly1 make it very cold1 and serve it in two small glasses as currant fluff4 ,it does for dessert after a heavy dinner4 ,if you use the egg white first1 do not let the yolk dry out1 but stir it with a little cold water and you can keep it over a day or so till you need it2 or make it up at once into mayonnaise1 and do not put water in it4 ,vegetables1 as you know1 ,i have already told you a good deal about4 ,peel the potatoes carefully4 ,when you have only a little bit of carrot or turnip1 mix this with cooked peas2 or put all three together and cream them4 ,put a slice of beet in corned beef hash2 a spoonful of peas goes into an omelette2 a carrot can be diced and added to beef stew2 celery tops go into soup2 mixed vegetables are to be made up into vegetable croquettes2 cooked potato makes potato soup1 and so on4 ,never let so much as a single pea escape your watchful care4 ,even in slicing an onion1 remember not to cut through the middle1 but to begin at one end1 to keep it fresh for next time1 and so on till it gradually disappears4 ,now1 the worst of economies is yet to come1 for to my mind utilizing bits of cold puddings and such things is most difficult4 ,if you feel you must not eat up such left-overs at luncheon1 and of course you ought to feel so1 and yet there is not really enough to make a second dessert as it is1 you have to face a problem at once4 ,but here are a few things ,i have learned4 ,suppose you have a very little rice pudding left2 mix some jam with it1 beat in it the yolk of one egg1 pour it into two little moulds1 and bake them in a pan of water4 ,they will come out nice little shapes of fruity rice1 quite different from the previous pudding4 ,corn-starch left-overs can be thickened by reheating and adding more corn-starch2 when it is all smooth1 pour this into a baking-powder can to harden1 then turn it out1 slice it1 dip each piece in crumbs1 egg1 and crumbs again1 and fry in deep fat2 they grow soft in the middle and are very good indeed2 the ,french call them fried cream4 ,treat bread pudding in the same way1 and serve with a nice sauce4 ,when you make gingerbread1 put some raisins and spice into part and bake separately4 ,when you want this half1 steam it up and serve as a fruit pudding with a hot sauce4 ,you can crumb up plain gingerbread that is stale1 add a little molasses to keep it together1 and raisins and spice1 and steam it that way1 too4 ,it is surprisingly like a plum pudding4 ,a spoonful or two of boiled custard can be utilized as sauce for another pudding4 ,tapioca pudding can have canned fruit with plenty of juice put with it2 it can be cooked over again and this time served cold1 perhaps in a mould4 ,in fact nearly everything but a small bit of pie can be made over to seem unlike itself4 ,pie1 my dear1 ,i really think you must eat for lunch1 provided there is but one small piece4 ,fred can have it for dinner1 said ,dolly1 complacently4 ,all men love pie1 and ,i can have coffee only1 for once4 ,so you can2 or1 if you have saved all the bits of pie-crust1 as1 of course1 you should have done1 you can have a little tartlet in place of the pie4 ,i always make up some tartlets1 anyway1 when ,i make crust1 and when they are filled with peach jam with perhaps a dot of cream on top1 they make an excellent dessert4 ,this reminds me to say that a half-can of fruit or left-over cranberry sauce can be put into a pie-crust shell with strips of crust over the top2 they make very good pies4 ,i should think you could use left-overs of canned fruit for pudding sauces4 ,bright girl6 ,so you can4 ,chop up the fruit and heat the whole together2 it would be especially good on cottage pudding4 ,i hate cottage pudding2 ,i shall never have it4 ,oh1 yes1 you will2 put grated chocolate in it and you won't know what it is4 ,but don't divert my attention1 for ,i am not done yet with left-overs4 ,there is orange peel1 for one thing4 ,keep all the orange skins you have and throw them into a crock of salt and water and let them stand till you have enough to make candying worth while4 ,then drain them and wash them well1 and put them in cold water and bring to a boil2 repeat this till the water is perfectly fresh4 ,when the skins are transparent take them out1 put two or three together and cut them in tiny little strips2 cook these in thick sugar and water syrup1 only enough to cover them1 and dry in the oven with the door open4 ,sprinkle with granulated sugar1 put them in a fruit-can with a cover1 and they will keep for years1 and be just the thing to put in fruit-cake or plain bread pudding or any such thing4 ,lemon peel and grapefruit peel are good1 too1 and quite as useful4 ,when you have a little syrup left after you have taken out spiced peaches or pears from a can1 stew peeled and quartered apples gently in it and serve them without canning4 ,they will be almost as good as the peaches were2 and sometimes stew prunes a little1 till you can slip the stone out1 and put these in the syrup4 ,you can't guess how good they are1 and how they help out a plain meal4 ,and watermelon rind--don't you do something with that8 ,yes1 make that up into sweet pickles1 too4 ,dolly suddenly threw down her pencil and snatched off her apron4 ,mary1 there are the ,cliffords coming around the corner4 ,i know they are coming to lunch1 too6 ,of course they are1 and we have scarcely anything to give them4 ,let me see4 ,the refrigerator yielded up some outer pieces of celery1 a good-sized wedge of cheese1 eggs1 and milk4 ,before the door-bell had rung1 ,dolly was told to lay the table4 ,after she had done that she was to come into the parlor and entertain the guests while her sister excused herself and transformed the cheese into a rarebit1 and the celery1 with hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise1 into salad4 ,the meal was to conclude with thin crackers and jam and tea4 ,and plenty for them1 too1 said ,dolly1 ungraciously1 as the footsteps sounded in the hall4 ,i did not want them to interrupt my lesson4 ,that was the end1 anyway1 said her sister1 laughing2 and you can't convince me you are so interested as all that4 ,now ,i'll go to the door2 be as pleasant as you know how1 and we will surprise them with a good luncheon of transformed scraps in short order4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,the ,emergency ,closet--,winter ,preserves--,cake ,the lesson to-day begins with a story1 a story with a moral1 too1 said ,mrs4 ,thorne4 ,once upon a time1 when ,i was a young and inexperienced housekeeper1 it began to snow early in the morning1 before ,i had been out to market4 ,it happened that everything in the house had given out at once1 and ,i had a long list of things to get1 but as ,i had a bad cold ,i did not wish to go out in the storm4 ,i waited nearly all day for it to stop1 as it was against my principles even then to telephone for anything1 but at last1 as it began to grow dark1 ,i could not wait longer1 and took my receiver to call up the grocery and meat market1 only to find the wires were down4 ,what to do ,i did not know4 ,even if ,i ventured out it was now too late to hope to have anything delivered before dinner-time1 and ,i could not carry the food home in my arms and at the same time manage a dress and an umbrella4 ,well1 just as ,i was trying to make up my mind to go and borrow something of the neighbors whom ,i didn't know1 which made things all the harder for me1 a strange grocery boy came to my door by mistake1 thinking it was the apartment above4 ,i saw my chance1 and poured out my tale of woe to him and begged him to help me4 ,of course ,i could not ask him to go to the meat market for me1 but between us we planned a meal which we could get at the grocery1 and ,i tipped him to go and get the things and bring them back at once1 and ,i would pay for them on delivery4 ,he said he had canned roast beef1 for one thing1 so we began with that4 ,then he was to bring canned string-beans1 and some oranges for dessert1 besides the staples ,i had to have4 ,it was an expensive meal1 ,i assure you1 for roast beef is not cheap1 even when it is tinned4 ,i thought then ,i must have meat1 at any price4 ,i know better to-day1 and could now plan a supper which would cost about a quarter of what that meal came to4 ,however1 as ,i said1 ,i ordered the things1 laid the table1 put on the potatoes to boil1 and the groceries came just before six o'clock4 ,ten minutes later ,dick appeared1 bringing with him two college friends who happened to be in town for the day1 men ,i had never met1 and for whom ,i certainly would have wished to have a good dinner6 ,there was nothing to be done but to make the best of things4 ,we had a first course of the beef1 heated in gravy1 with potatoes and pickled pears4 ,the string-beans ,i served up in a salad1 though of course ,i wanted them with the meat2 but ,i was determined to have three courses1 somehow2 ,i had no crackers or cheese to serve with it1 either1 and plain beans seemed very little4 ,the dessert was oranges and coffee4 ,how ,i wished ,i had anything else1 even nuts1 to help out1 but there was nothing whatever4 ,i simply lived from hand to mouth in those days and bought supplies enough for only one day at a time4 ,well1 we tried to make up in conversation what we lacked in food1 and ,i thought of what some novelist of ,new ,england life once suggested1 that when the cake was heavy you should always turn the talk toward the sufferings of the ,pilgrim ,fathers4 ,but ,i can tell you that experience taught me a lesson4 ,never again did ,i fail to have something to set out in an emergency1 and now anybody may drop in1 day or night1 and ,i can furnish a really good meal2 not an extravagant one1 but one that ,i shall not be ashamed to offer4 ,that reminds me to tell you something4 ,this morning1 after you left the dining-room1 ,i was telling ,dick about the luncheon yesterday1 and how you managed to get up such a good one for the ,cliffords1 and he said1 ',dolly1 you and ,mary are having far too easy a time of it4 ,one of these days ,i am going to surprise you with a nice little dinner-party by bringing home two fellows ,i know4' ,his eyes twinkled as though he was planning a joke of some sort4 ,yes1 ,i know the kind of joke perfectly well2 he often springs these surprises on me when he thinks he will catch me unprepared1 but that only makes me more determined to have everything ready for such an event4 ,come now and see my emergency closet1 and you will understand why ,dick's little jokes do not alarm me4 ,the closet was dark1 but ,mary lighted a gas-jet and showed rows of shelves stretching almost from the floor to the ceiling1 with pots and jars and packages1 fruit-cans and jelly-glasses and paper boxes4 ,here in the middle part are my groceries1 she began1 pointing out some well-stocked shelves4 ,first come the tins of soup1 only two1 because they are of the best kind and expensive2 but ,i have those on hand all the time1 for they are very good1 and such a comfort when you are in great need4 ,next are the tins of meat and fish2 not roast beef now1 but a can of tongue1 two of chicken1 and bacon1 and several of salmon and sardines4 ,then come the vegetables1 two of each kind1 like the animals in the ark3 grated corn1 peas1 string-beans1 tomatoes1 and mushrooms4 ,here are several kinds of crackers1 to serve with fancy cheese1 either with salad or for dessert1 and the cheese as well1 three pots1 two small ones and one of larger size4 ,and ,i have two cans of condensed milk1 a jar of beef extract1 and some nuts4 ,here are olives1 too1 and a pot of ginger1 and some quickly made gelatine for jelly4 ,all that last needs is to add hot water and pour it into a mould1 and before you know it it is ready for use1 and very pretty and good4 ,you can imagine how1 if we were actually without another thing in the house except what is here1 with perhaps coffee and sugar and potatoes1 we could have a good dinner4 ,first soup2 then hot tongue with a brown sauce1 with potatoes and grated corn made into a custard2 then a salad of string-beans1 with crackers and cheese2 then jelly1 for dessert2 and we could follow this up with a breakfast of bacon and a luncheon of creamed chicken1 you see4 ,but1 ,mary1 these things must have cost a great deal of money2 dollars and dollars1 ,i am sure4 ,how did you ever get them8 ,most of them out of the tin bank on the kitchen mantel4 ,when a day comes that ,i do not need to buy any meat and no staple is out1 you see ,i have perhaps sixty cents over from my dollar2 then ,i buy a can of vegetables1 or a pot of cheese1 or a can of tongue or soup1 or whatever is out in the closet4 ,i make it a rule not to use up what ,i have here without replacing it at the earliest possible moment2 that prevents my getting out of everything before ,i realize it4 ,then when ,i am feeling very poor1 and am in need of a vegetable1 let us say1 ,i just use one of my canned ones from here1 and so tide over till the money is plenty again4 ,of course toward spring ,i let everything get low1 for ,i like to put in fresh canned things once a year2 then in the fall ,i stock up for the winter as ,i can4 ,it's a great idea1 said ,dolly1 admiringly4 ,the first thing ,i do when ,i go to housekeeping will be to set up an emergency closet and keep it full all the time4 ,not too full2 that is extravagance2 but get just a few very useful things and add to them as you can4 ,tell me why1 with all these things you did not fly to get them out when those people came in to lunch the other day4 ,it would have been much less trouble1 and we could have had a better luncheon2 not that ,i cast aspersions on that one1 either4 ,for two reasons3 first1 because ,i found on looking in the refrigerator that ,i could manage with what was there1 and ,i do not take anything from my closet except in case of real need4 ,and secondly1 because the ,cliffords have rather a habit of coming in to luncheon in that way1 and once when ,i was showing them over the apartment they went through this closet1 and ,i knew ,i would be found out if ,i served anything canned to them4 ,and also1 perhaps1 to show you what could be done with odds and ends of food1 because the lesson that very day had been on the subject4 ,oh1 ,i see2 very good reasons1 too4 ,now what is to be to-day's lesson8 ,or is this closet the lesson all by itself8 ,dear me1 no2 that is only the first half4 ,now look at my preserves on the other shelves4 ,on the top one are my very best ones1 peaches1 rich cherries1 strawberries1 and such things4 ,those ,i use only when ,i have company2 or1 if ,i have a plain ice-cream1 sometimes ,i put some around that to help out4 ,i am careful in using them1 because they are not cheap to make1 by any means1 when you have to buy the fruit4 ,next below come my canned fruits1 and those ,i use more freely2 plums1 you see1 and red raspberries1 and blueberries1 and such things4 ,many of those ,i use in pies in winter1 when ,i must economize on butter and eggs4 ,they were not so costly as the preserves1 for ,i bought them a few at a time and put them up as ,i could4 ,below are all my spiced fruits1 peaches1 pears1 melon rind1 gooseberries1 currants1 plums1 grapes1 and various things4 ,those are great helps when one has a rather plain dinner4 ,my jams and jellies come last1 on these shelves1 and here ,i have just the usual things1 currant jelly and grape and crab-apple and so on4 ,and on this last shelf of all are my winter preserves that ,i keep on making all the time4 ,winter preserves6 ,what in the world are they8 ,i rather thought that would surprise you1 but one of my pet economies is in making preserves and jellies all winter4 ,see1 here are six glasses of apple jelly ,i made up the day you lunched down-town4 ,i found some cheap apples in market that morning and bought them1 and then ,i cut them up without peeling them1 stewed them in water enough to cover them1 hung them up in a bag to drain1 and when the juice was all out ,i boiled it fifteen minutes and put in the sugar and boiled it five more4 ,then ,i dropped in half a lemon for a moment to flavor it1 and put it in glasses4 ,it was firm in a short time4 ,that explains my way of doing4 ,i buy anything ,i find that is cheap and put up a glass of it one day and another glass of something else the next day1 and so keep this shelf full all the time and save my summer fruit4 ,some of the jelly is spiced1 too1 for variety4 ,i dropped a bag of whole cloves and cinnamon in while it cooked1 and gave a distinctly new flavor to it4 ,that goes well with meats2 it's no trouble at all to make up a few glasses either way4 ',no trouble1' is your daily phrase2 you say it over and over1 and ,i never cease to be astonished at it4 ,everything seems a trouble to me1 and ,i am sure jelly-making the year round would be a dreadful trouble4 ,not at all1 if you took it as a matter of course and made nothing of it4 ,i cook up my fruit in the morning while ,i am doing up my dishes1 and then put it in a bag and hang it up and go away and forget it4 ,after luncheon ,i find the juice is all out1 because ,i have only a small amount of fruit1 you see4 ,i let that boil while ,i do the luncheon dishes1 and put in the sugar1 and it is done2 ,i pour it into glasses and set it away to harden for one day1 or for two if necessary1 and then ,i just pour melted paraffin on top of it and put it in the closet4 ,that is really no trouble1 is it8 ,mrs4 ,thorne asked1 placidly4 ,well1 we won't discuss it now4 ,tell me instead whether you do up anything besides apples in winter8 ,yes1 indeed1 lots of things4 ,for one1 when early in the season ,i find a basket of winter pears1 ,i get those and make up pear conserve4 ,i peel and chop them1 cook them with sugar1 lemon1 and ginger-root2 four pounds of pear1 a pound and a half of sugar1 an eighth of a pound of cooked and finely chopped ginger-root1 and a chopped lemon4 ,boil it down thick1 and you will find it extremely good1 especially with cream cheese1 or in sandwiches for afternoon tea4 ,if pears were expensive in the fall and ,i did not pickle any1 ,i usually do some now4 ,later on1 carts full of small sour oranges come through the streets1 and then ,i make orange marmalade2 that helps out a breakfast nicely4 ,and when1 later still1 the carts have the queer little whole figs covered with sugar1 ,i preserve them4 ,they are the best thing in ice-cream you ever ate1 and also good just as preserves2 and ,i make sweet pickles of them if ,i had no peach pickles in the fall4 ,how do you make those8 ,just by the one rule you always use3 a quart of cider vinegar boiled down with three pounds of sugar and a handful of whole spices2 that is a pretty large rule for just a few pickles1 however1 and you had better divide it4 ,and what comes next8 ,cranberry conserve1 ,i think4 ,you chop a quart of the berries1 mix them with the pulp of two oranges and the grated peel1 a cup of raisins1 and two cups of sugar1 and boil it all down till it is thick4 ,that is a really choice thing to have with chicken or a good company roast4 ,then1 too1 ,i make a little mint jelly to go with lamb1 also for company4 ,i divide the apple jelly when ,i make that1 and in part ,i put a bunch of bruised mint1 or if ,i cannot get that in winter at the butcher's1 ,i use dried mint4 ,when it is done ,i strain it well and add a little green vegetable coloring1 and it makes a lovely jelly4 ,you know you can also make that with a basis of lemon jelly and use gelatine to set it with1 if you want it at once4 ,suppose in the autumn you find peaches and pears are expensive2 do you go on and do them up regardless of price1 or do you depend on these winter preserves8 ,i certainly never do anything 'regardless of price4' ,i get around the difficulty some other way4 ,if ,i cannot afford peaches and pears1 ,i preserve some apples1 for one thing1 making them just as rich and transparent as ,i can1 and they do to help out in the place of the better things4 ,then ,i always have a good deal of summer fruit1 for some of that is bound to be cheap at one time or another1 no matter what the season is4 ,and ,i put up melon rind in the place of pickled peaches1 and citron and crab-apples in the place of pears4 ,so you see ,i have enough with the winter preserves1 even when ,i have to do without the costly fruit4 ,it sounds as though you were supplying a boarding-school or a hotel with all these things1 but ,i suppose you mean that ,i shall make only a little of each kind4 ,that is it1 exactly2 make these things up as you can1 a glass or a can at a time4 ,for instance1 when you have cranberry sauce for dinner and have a cupful left over1 boil that down the next day with an orange and some raisins and a little more sugar1 and you will have two glasses of compote4 ,so with the other things2 do not take a whole rule at a time1 but divide it and make up a small amount4 ,i am sure with a closet full of such goodies ,i shall be extravagant and use them all up as fast as ,i can2 it will be such a temptation4 ,then you must resist it4 ,have things only when you need them4 ,put on the jelly when the dinner seems just a little bit too plain1 and if there is any over1 do not feel bound to eat it up at luncheon the next day in order to 'save' it4 ,that idea of saving is too absurd4 ,but make it up into something useful for dessert2 tartlets1 perhaps4 ,and when do you have the preserves and canned fruit8 ,those are for ,sunday night suppers and company luncheons and to put with too plain a pudding when somebody drops in at dinner-time4 ,and when butter and eggs are beyond the dreams of avarice1 ,i just fly to this closet for relief4 ,i make deep tarts of cherries or plums or blueberries and put a crust on top only2 they are about the best winter desserts that we ever have4 ,and the bits of crust left over from them ,i make into small tartlets1 to fill with jam or jelly and help out luncheons1 or ,i cut the crust into strips and cover it with sugar and bake it in a very hot oven1 so the sugar melts and turns to a brown caramel4 ,those go well with afternoon tea4 ,or1 sometimes ,i cover the strips with a little white of egg and chopped nuts and put them in the oven to just brown4 ,they are what our grandmothers called 'toothsome dainties4' ,let's make pie to-day and try those2 they sound perfectly delicious1 begged ,dolly4 ,very well1 we will4 ,and1 by the way1 remember when you make cake to keep out just a little batter and thin it with water or milk and pour it on a buttered tin2 bake it quickly1 mark it off while warm into strips1 cover with the egg and nuts as before1 and brown it2 that is just as nice as a more elaborate cake4 ,you said we were not to have cake4 ,no1 ,i said not often1 and no rich cake at all4 ,but you can make cake once a week1 for ,sunday night1 of course2 and when you do1 ,dolly1 try this3 take out enough batter to put in two little patty pans4 ,bake those1 and while they are fresh split them open on the side and take out part of the crumb2 put in a spoonful of preserves or jam or half a peach and press the edge together so the opening does not show4 ,then cover the cakes with plain icing made by mixing a little water or milk with confectioner's sugar2 when this is firm1 serve the cakes for a dessert4 ,if you have a tiny bit of whipped cream to put with each cake1 so much the better4 ,there you have a dessert which practically costs nothing1 for the cake was inevitable anyway1 and you simply took a bit of left-over1 added the fruit and icing1 and there you are4 ,if ,i had a cow and so could have cream1 ,i could fill the middle with whipped cream1 and have something even better4 ,yes1 indeed2 it makes me sigh to think of that cow6 ,or1 you could manage this dessert in this way2 bake the cake in one small tin instead of in two little ones1 and split it and fill it with soft custard well thickened with corn-starch and flavored2 or you could put jam between the layers and eat cream on it1 if you had any4 ,or1 you could use strawberries in summer and have a perfectly delicious shortcake4 ,yes1 of course2 ,i'll write all those things down4 ,only ,i suppose we sha'n't have cake very often if it has to be cheap and plain1 for ,i don't care for that kind4 ,oh1 there are good kinds you can have1 my dear4 ,i said not to have extravagant kinds1 that was all4 ,have good cake when you have any1 and do not try and skimp on the materials4 ,only1 make a little cake1 that calls for a small amount of butter and few eggs1 and eat it up while it is fresh and good1 rather than make a huge layer-cake that lasts a week and costs money4 ,if you choose a good rule1 you can vary it4 ,one day bake the cake in a loaf and add raisins and spices2 or split it and put jam between the layers2 or bake it in two tins and put mixed nuts and raisins chopped together between the layers4 ,you can have all sorts of things for a change1 you see4 ,i am afraid to venture1 but ,i suppose ,i will learn in time4 ,when eggs are cheap ,i suppose we can indulge in a little better cake than when they are dear4 ,yes1 indeed2 and then1 too1 you will economize in butter1 so you can afford to spend a little more on eggs4 ,in ,april or ,may you can have sponge cake1 or even angels' food2 either divide the rule and make half1 or make it all and use part in one or more dessert4 ,even stale cake is most useful cut in strips and put in soft custard or with whipped cream2 while for that good thing1 pche ,melba1 you need a round of rather stale sponge cake for each person1 to stand half a peach on before you fill the top with ice-cream or fruit4 ,and there is cabinet pudding1 made by lining a mould with stale cake and filling the inside with custard1 jam1 and more cake crumbs2 you bake that in a pan of water4 ,and you can make a pudding of mixed bread and cake crumbs1 too1 and color it with grated chocolate1 and have a change from the usual thing4 ,don't think ,i despise cake1 or undervalue its use1 for ,i do not4 ,i am only warning you not to make too much of it and not to use an expensive recipe4 ,i see4 ,your advice here1 as on other occasions1 would he ',study the cook-book1' ,i suppose4 ,exactly4 ,a sensible cook-book is a wonderful help in learning to live on a little4 ,but before we finish this lesson ,i had better just tell you a little more about eggs1 because here ,i differ with so many housekeepers that ,i want to put the matter before you and let you hear my side2 you will find the other exploited in plenty of articles here and there4 ,i do not believe in using any eggs that are not fresh4 ,i never put mine down in lime or brine or anything else4 ,that seems a heresy1 because it is possible to keep them in several ways4 ,but ,i either buy good1 fresh ones when ,i need them1 or go without4 ,one can easily manage to use very few in housekeeping by being careful1 and ,i would rather do that than have those on my table or in my food which have the slightest flavor of stateness4 ,i just tell you this as a personal feeling1 and if you live where you can buy them cheaply in quantity and put them away for winter use1 do so2 only ,i never do it4 ,how many do you use a week1 anyway8 ,a dozen for two people will answer1 and in very cold weather1 when they are costly1 as ,i said1 ,i do without1 except for breakfast once a week1 possibly4 ,so if they are forty cents1 or fifty1 a dozen1 you spend a good deal4 ,yes1 we do2 you need not follow in my footsteps if you do not choose1 you know4 ,the fact is1 ,i economize everything else so carefully that ,i suppose ,i permit myself this one laxity4 ,that reminds me2 are you infallible1 ,mary8 ,in other words1 do you never make a mistake and overrun your allowance8 ,i have a horrid sinking feeling that ,i certainly shall do that4 ,very likely you may1 at first4 ,i used to2 but it would be inexcusable after my six years of housekeeping if ,i did so now4 ,but do up your accounts at the end of each week1 ,dolly1 and if you find you have spent more than your dollar a day1 or if your tin bank is so low that you see you are not going to have enough in it for staples the next week1 cut right down somewhere4 ,i suggest in meat and fruit and cake4 ,live on very plain things till you catch up again4 ,in that way you will keep within your monthly sum1 and if you do that it is all right4 ,well1 now1 just one thing more and ,i will let you go4 ,i see you have an eye on the kitchen clock4 ,tell me how you manage to so plan your meals that you will not have the same things over and over4 ,if we are to have cheap meat always1 and cheaper vegetables1 and no fruit to speak of1 it seems to me ,i shall get right into a rut and have the same food each week1 a sort of squirrel-in-a-cage round and round1 and that would be horrid4 ,so it would1 and distinctly unhygienic as well1 for you must have variety or your digestion will give out4 ,i think a good way is to write out bills of fare and follow them more or less2 or1 to have a card catalogue and keep that in a convenient place and run it over when you want anything4 ,that is1 have ,puddings in one small square box1 each recipe written out clearly with a nice black title4 ,if you want one1 run these over and select something for which the ingredients are in season4 ,so with hot breads1 and made dishes and meats4 ,that might be some little trouble at first1 but after you were started ,i think it would be simple and easy to follow4 ,yes1 it might be a help2 ,i'll put that down4 ,however1 that does not quite cover what ,i meant to ask you4 ,how do you plan your meals8 ,do you begin with what you happen to have in the house1 say a piece of mutton1 half a can of tomatoes1 and so on1 and so have a hit or miss meal1 or do you plan two dinners at once and buy things that will do over in different ways8 ,i do both ways2 ,i say to myself when ,i buy anything1 ',what form can this take to-morrow8' and when ,i see things in the refrigerator in the morning ,i plan the next meals out of them4 ,i always plan luncheon1 dinner1 and breakfast each morning4 ,i never will think up breakfast after dinner at night4 ,but ,i see what you mean1 and in the next lesson we will go to work on the subject of meals4 ,i really think1 as it is more play than work1 we won't make a lesson of it1 but a game2 the ,game of ,menus4 ,it sounds difficult1 just the same4 ,no more than whist or chess or any other game worth learning4 ,of course it calls for brains1 and it cannot be learned in a moment1 but it's a game1 all the same1 and good fun when you have learned it2 you'll see6 ,,chapter ,,viii ,the ,game of ,menus ,now for our game1 said ,mrs4 ,thorne1 after looking in the refrigerator the next day4 ,i have been thinking about what it is like1 and ,i have decided that it is not so much like chess or whist as it is like anagrams4 ,but though it may not be as great an intellectual feat to master it as though it were one of the famous games1 it takes brains1 nevertheless4 ,so take heart and try and learn it4 ,she took one sheet of paper and gave ,dolly another1 and went on4 ,you know already that the refrigerator plays a large part in our housekeeping and we must be guided in our planning by what we find there morning by morning4 ,but still there is always a place for new dishes after combining the old ones4 ,so first we see what we have and then decide what will best go with it4 ,do you always write down what you are going to have8 ,why8 ,oh1 no1 of course ,i do not write every meal down1 but ,i keep a lot of possible menus on hand and turn to them for inspiration when ,i feel stupid4 ,or if ,i have a maid1 ,i hand her over a few and have her follow them1 and so be sure--that is1 tolerably sure--that the meal will come out as ,i planned it4 ,besides these good reasons1 there are more which apply especially to you4 ,one is that when you have once learned to make up menus rapidly1 you will save yourself a lot of mental storm and stress4 ,often young housekeepers groan over thinking out meals1 especially dinners1 of course1 since they are the most difficult1 and declare that they have had every known meat and vegetable again and again4 ,instead of that sort of thing1 if they had at hand a number of dinners written down1 they could select one and save bothering4 ,and one thing more4 ,you might often go on having the same thing over and over without realizing it4 ,now1 in writing down the dinners for a week at a time you soon see if you are repeating yourself4 ,if the words 'beef stew1' for instance1 appear frequently you presently grasp the idea that you are having too much of that festal dish1 whereas if you did not see the words in black and white1 you might not guess it4 ,i still do not see how you can plan a second day's meals at the same time you plan the first day's1 unless you can gauge with accuracy the size of the family's appetites4 ,suppose some night1 instead of each one's taking one helping of meat all around1 we should all take two helpings2 that would smash your written menu to bits4 ,yes1 of course it would1 and such things have happened4 ,but written menus are not binding contracts1 but only suggestions1 and when you and ,dick recklessly eat up all the meat between you some night1--personally ,i should know better than to join you in your extravagance1--then you will have to modify your next day's menu and either plan a new meal or substitute something else for the meat you had arranged for4 ,but still you will find written menus a great help if you use them sensibly and do not feel bound to follow them literally4 ,now let us begin to play the game4 ,you write down a dinner for to-night1 and then ,i will undertake the thankless task of criticizing it4 ,dolly gazed thoughtfully at the chandelier a few moments and then wrote rapidly4 ,presently she read glibly3 ,potato soup4 ,lamb pot pie with dumplings2 boiled rice2 macaroni and cheese4 ,tapioca pudding4 ,coffee4 ,mrs4 ,thorne smiled4 ,poor ,fred6 ,if that is the sort of meal you are arranging to give him1 ,i think he had better stay where he is4 ,now think a minute4 ,potato soup first1 and potatoes are starchy2 next1 boiled rice1 dumplings and macaroni1--more starch2 and last1 tapioca pudding6 ,starchier and starchier1 to parody ,alice in ,wonderland4 ,dolly pouted4 ,well1 ,i am perfectly sure he would eat that dinner thankfully and say it was a good one4 ,he would never know he was eating starch if you did not put it into his head4 ,i think it is all nonsense to point such things out to a man1 anyway2 it makes him notional about his food4 ,later on he would wonder why on earth he had dyspepsia1 my child4 ,you would not like to have a dyspeptic husband1 would you8 ,people who have poor digestions are proverbially cross1 you know1 and too much starch is certain to ruin even the very best of stomachs in time4 ,now let me explain what ,i took it for granted you knew already4 ,you must not have too much of any one ingredient in your food2 not too much fat1 or starch1 or sugar or anything else1 because it is not wholesome4 ,the perfect dinner is like this3 ,first a good soup2 then meat with one green and one starchy vegetable2 then a fresh vegetable salad dressed lightly with oil2 then a very simple sweet2 coffee last2 or1 omitting the sweet1 coffee alone4 ,of course you and ,i cannot afford to have dinners like that all the year around1 because green vegetables cost too much1 but that is the ideal toward which we must strive4 ,in place of the things we cannot have1 we must have substitutes as nearly resembling them as may be4 ,in summer1 of course1 it is the easiest thing in the world to have salads and green vegetables1 and in winter we must do the best we can without them4 ,now try another menu1 and do not mind my criticisms4 ,and put a date on this one1 so we can tell the time of year and see whether or not you are having the proper things2 suppose you say this is a ,march dinner4 ,dolly again consulted the chandelier1 and after much study produced this result3 ,clear soup4 ,veal stew2 mashed potatoes2 canned string-beans4 ,prune pudding4 ,coffee4 ,better1 said her sister doubtfully4 ,but don't you think veal would be pretty expensive in ,march8 ,and why string-beans1 when parsnips and salsify are plenty8 ,and as to prune pudding1 consider the egg whites6 ,mary1 you are too exasperating for words1 ejaculated her much tried sister4 ,i am sure that was a beautiful menu4 ,however1 ,i'll try again4 ,still winter8 ,yes1 still winter4 ,well1 here is a perfect one2 absolutely faultless1 ,dolly said presently4 ,clear soup4 ,mutton and barley stew2 potatoes2 parsnip cakes4 ,deep apple tart4 ,coffee4 ,her sister laughed outright4 ,this game evidently has more to it than you thought when you began to learn it1 hasn't it8 ,now this menu has its good points1 but ,i think you were rash in pronouncing it faultless4 ,the clear soup is all right1 provided you made it out of what you had in the house1 and the mutton and barley stew is good and nourishing4 ,but why have potatoes and barley at the same meal8 ,you do not need them both4 ,instead1 drop out the potatoes and have a dish of spiced fruit with the meat instead of a second vegetable4 ,or1 omit the soup1 have the stew first1 and then a salad4 ,as to dessert1 unless it was a phenomenal apple year1 ,i am afraid you would find deep apple tart would cost too much in ,march4 ,however1 that menu is an improvement on your other4 ,now make a second dinner off the remains of the first1 if you can4 ,that is worse still4 ,i think we will eat the whole up one night1 this time1 and have no remains4 ,if you do1 you must have half-priced things the second night1 then4 ,well1 how is this8 ,mutton croquettes2 mashed potatoes2 minced turnips4 ,celery salad2 crackers and cheese4 ,bread pudding with dates4 ,coffee4 ,that does very well4 ,i see you had no carrots and had to buy turnips1 but they are cheap4 ,celery1 however1 ,i am afraid was rather expensive1 wasn't it8 ,could you not have had shredded cabbage instead8 ,and you really did not need crackers and cheese with it2 you might have had them with coffee for dessert4 ,but1 you are learning4 ,now try another winter dinner1 because they are most difficult of all4 ,dolly wrote1 after some thinking3 ,pure of dried lima bean soup4 ,rounds of pork tenderloin2 minced carrots2 potato balls4 ,cherry pie4 ,coffee4 ,fair2 pretty good1 commented her sister4 ,i see you plan to put the carrots and potato balls around the one pork tenderloin you had ,frenched1 so it would be enough1 and you had a heavy soup with the light meat4 ,so far ,i have no fault to find4 ,but ,i cannot approve of pie after pork4 ,can you not have the canned cherries another way8 ,dolly scratched out the word pie1 and wrote in pudding4 ,that is all right4 ,now just one more to use up the scraps left from this4 ,cream of carrot soup4 ,veal chops1 breaded2 scalloped canned tomato2 sweet potatoes4 ,chocolate custard4 ,coffee1 wrote ,dolly4 ,now that is what ,i call a good dinner1 ,mrs4 ,thorne said approvingly4 ,the left-over carrots you made up into soup4 ,you had no pork to use up1 so you got two veal chops1 and those are fairly cheap4 ,having tomatoes was a master stroke1 because they go so well with veal1 and you will have enough of them over for a second dinner4 ,i suppose the custard does not call for eggs8 ,no1 it's a soft corn-starch pudding served in glasses4 ,but1 ,mary1 ,i did not intend to use up the tomatoes for a second dinner1 but to have them for luncheon as ,spanish toast4 ,oh1 very well1 that will do for once1 especially as ,i hope you bought only a small can of them4 ,by the way1 speaking of luncheon1 remember when you have cabbage for dinner1 to keep out half after it is creamed1 and the next day have it baked with layers of cheese2 that is a delightful luncheon dish4 ,you can use up boiled rice in the same way with white sauce and cheese1 or you can merely mix your tomato and rice and bake that4 ,or1 you could have rice croquettes and tomato sauce4 ,but ,i am getting off the subject4 ,now try a ,july dinner1 for a change4 ,oh1 that's easy4 ,cream of celery soup4 ,lamb chops and peas2 new potatoes in cream4 ,strawberry shortcake4 ,coffee4 ,where will you buy celery in ,july1 my dear8 ,that must come off your menu the very first thing4 ,remember you can have only seasonable things4 ,and lamb chops are always expensive by the pound1 and very small1 with lots of bone and trimming1 too1 so they will not do2 you must change them for a cheaper meat4 ,as to strawberries--strawberries in ,july8 ,it's the very first of the month1 ,mary4 ,they are still plenty and cheap4 ,all right1 then4 ,but if the weather is warm ,i don't think ,fred will care for a hot soup and hot coffee too4 ,why soup at all8 ,just because4 ,i can change that if you do not approve4 ,how is this8 ,veal cutlet in strips2 peas and new potatoes4 ,sliced tomatoes on lettuce4 ,strawberry shortcake4 ,coffee4 ,that is perfect4 ,but do not let yourself be eaten up with pride yet1 for as you said1 summer menus are easy to do4 ,try one in ,september4 ,boiled corned beef2 potatoes2 cabbage4 ,watercress salad4 ,chocolate corn-starch pudding4 ,coffee4 ,dolly wrote down rapidly1 and read aloud4 ,her sister laughed again4 ,this time you have decidedly lost the game1 she said4 ,i think you have everything wrong in that menu that you possibly could have4 ,remember the rule3 you must eat whatever is in season4 ,now1 why have in ,september the food you should reserve for winter1 and why omit all the good fall vegetables and fruits8 ,try again4 ,i blush for you1 my dear4 ,dolly muttered something about people who were too particular1 but rewrote her menu docilely4 ,cream of corn soup4 ,lamb and tomatoes stewed2 fried eggplant2 sweet potatoes4 ,frozen peaches4 ,coffee4 ,perfectly delicious2 ,i wish we could have that to-night4 ,you see you really know how to use what you can have in market if only you think about it4 ,corn for soup1 and tomatoes1 eggplant and peaches all in one good dinner1 and yet all cheap4 ,now1 cover yourself with glory again in a menu for ,december4 ,and this time use up some probable left-overs4 ,let me see4 ,suppose you had the lamb only the night before and there was a little left of that1 and half the corn and sweet potatoes4 ,add what you need to those1 since all of them come in ,december as well as earlier4 ,this took more time1 but presently ,dolly read3 ,lamb souffl2 sweet potato puff2 corn fritters4 ,oranges4 ,coffee4 ,that is a distinctly inferior menu1 said ,mary severely4 ,i see you are not ready for a prize yet1 unless it's a booby prize4 ,that souffl of the lamb is quite right1 but imagine what a light and trifling meal for a hungry man6 ,souffl1--half fluff2 corn fritters1 and potato puff1--more fluffiness4 ,what should have begun that dinner1 ,dolly1 in ,december8 ,oh1 of course6 ,a heavy bean soup2 but ,i will add that4 ,before you do1 let me finish my criticisms4 ,oranges are too light a dessert for a simple meal unless everything else is heavy4 ,with the bean soup you will improve things1 but it seems to me you should have either crackers and cheese with the fruit and coffee1 or nuts and coffee instead of the oranges4 ,oh1 well1 ,i can easily rewrite the whole thing4 ,how is this8 ,black bean soup4 ,lamb souffl2 fried sweet potatoes2 succotash4 ,nuts and raisins4 ,coffee4 ,splendid6 ,i could not do better myself4 ,you put dried beans in with the corn1 and sliced and fried the sweet potatoes4 ,that is a very good dinner indeed4 ,now do two menus for ,january and use up left-overs again4 ,corned beef2 cabbage2 mashed potatoes4 ,canned string-bean salad4 ,mince pie and cheese4 ,coffee4 ,dolly1 ,i do think you are crazy6 ,corned beef and cabbage and mince pie6 ,do you want your husband to expire in agonies that very same night8 ,never have mince pie with a heavy meat4 ,i might almost say never have it at all1 because it is so hearty it ought to be a meal all by itself4 ,if you ever do have it1 put it after the lightest things you can find1 and have green salad or apple sauce1 or something of the sort1 to counteract it4 ,well1 ,i'll cut the pie out4 ,but what is the matter with corned beef and cabbage8 ,i thought those went particularly well together4 ,if you do not cook them in the same pot1 but prepare the cabbage as ,i told you1 in such a way that anybody can digest it1 even a child or a confirmed dyspeptic1 you can have it with any meat4 ,but never cook anything with corned beef1 except a slice of onion to season it4 ,as for dessert1 what will you have instead of mince pie8 ,oh1 canned blueberry tart2 eggs and butter are dear in ,january4 ,you see ,i do know something4 ,very good4 ,now make a second dinner and use the left-overs of this one4 ,split pea pure4 ,creamed corned beef1 baked2 string beans2 mashed potato cakes4 ,steamed fig pudding4 ,coffee4 ,that menu is really a success4 ,you made the pure of the water the corned beef was boiled in1 ,i see1 and used up your half-can of string-beans for a vegetable2 and of course the potato cakes were the mashed potatoes reheated4 ,but why that particular pudding8 ,fred ate up all the blueberry tart the night before2 not a scrap of it was left1 because it was so good1 said ,dolly demurely4 ,well1 ,i don't blame him4 ,now ,i think you understand the game1 and you can go on and practise it as you get time4 ,making out a whole set of menus for a year1 four or five for each month1 would be excellent practice for you1 ,dolly4 ,but that is all for to-day4 ,but1 ,mary1 why do you skip all the breakfasts and luncheons8 ,i am quite as capable of making glaring mistakes there as in dinners4 ,if you don't tell me what to have1 ,i shall certainly lunch on cold meat1 and have two eggs apiece every morning in the week--also grapefruit6 ,what a frightful threat6 ,well1 then1 here are a few breakfasts1 just to start you off comfortably3 ,spring #a4 ,poached eggs on toast2 muffins2 coffee4 #b4 ,boiled rice and raisins1 with cream2 milk toast2 coffee4 #c4 ,codfish croquettes2 pop-overs2 coffee1 toast1 orange marmalade4 ,summer #a4 ,cold oatmeal with berries2 coffee and toast4 #b4 ,scrambled eggs2 corn bread2 coffee4 #c4 ,slices of fried eggplant2 muffins2 coffee4 ,autumn #a4 ,sliced peaches2 little pan fish2 toast2 coffee4 #b4 ,fried tomatoes with cream sauce2 rice muffins2 coffee4 #c4 ,parsley omelette2 sally-lunn2 coffee4 ,winter #a4 ,cereal with chopped figs2 creamed codfish2 toast2 coffee4 #b4 ,bacon2 fried apples2 corn-meal puffs4 #c4 ,creamed hard-boiled eggs on toast2 coffee2 fried hominy and syrup4 ,those are all practical and cheap1 ,dolly1 ,i think1 but you must modify them to suit your own needs1 of course4 ,if you find any of them expensive1 substitute something else4 ,you can have broiled dried beef in place of the bacon in one of the winter menus1 for one thing1 and in place of the eggs in any menu you can have some left-over you cannot use elsewhere4 ,now for the luncheons3 ,spring #a4 ,canned corn fritters2 tea2 jam tartlets4 #b4 ,spinach on toast2 tea2 cheese crackers4 #c4 ,codfish cutlets2 tea2 drop cakes4 ,summer #a4 ,lettuce with mayonnaise2 sandwiches2 iced tea2 berries4 #b4 ,stuffed and baked eggplant2 tea2 lettuce and ,french dressing4 #c4 ,baked tomatoes2 iced coffee and fruit4 ,autumn #a4 ,vegetable croquettes2 cocoa2 grapes4 #b4 ,plain omelette2 tea2 stewed pears4 #c4 ,baked sweet potatoes2 tea2 baked apples4 ,winter #a4 ,cheese souffl2 tea2 wafers4 #b4 ,cup of soup2 macaroni and tomatoes4 #c4 ,potatoes filled with creamed fish2 doughnuts4 ,there6 ,i think you might write those down and add to them as you like1 too4 ,i did not say which luncheons were made from left-overs and which were not1 but some of them are1 you can see for yourself4 ,of course you must never forget to use up what you have in the house rather than buy anything whatever for any meal4 ,i think ,i have sufficiently impressed that on your mind1 haven't ,i8 ,you have1 indeed4 ,now let's stop playing this game for awhile and go and get luncheon2 ,i am starved4 ,dear me1 ,i should think you would be2 it's lunch time now4 ,i declare1 ,dolly1 this game is as absorbing as bridge4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,two ,dinner ,parties ,mr4 ,thorne proved as good as his word1 for though he did not immediately follow up his warning that he would bring home unexpected company to dinner1 he merely bided his time4 ,one morning his wife said that1 as she and ,dolly would be out most of the day he need not expect a very good dinner that night1 so that evening he gaily put in an appearance at six o'clock with two bachelor friends who had occasionally helped enliven the domestic circle on similar occasions4 ,now1 the dinner had been planned with an especial view to getting it on the table without a delay1 as ,mrs4 ,thorne could not be certain just what time she would be at home4 ,the soup was ready to reheat4 ,it was a plain pure1 made with vegetables and water1 flavored with a bone and plenty of seasoning1 but there was not enough of it for five1 unluckily4 ,the meat was a ,hamburg steak of moderate size1 all ready to put in the dry frying-pan4 ,for vegetables1 a half-can of corn was already scalloped with crumbs1 to be browned in the oven1 and for potatoes a dishful of plain boiled ones was at hand1 to be heated up in a white sauce4 ,for dessert there was to be crackers1 ,american cheese1 and the usual black coffee1 made in the coffee machine on the sideboard for convenience' sake4 ,when ,dolly took in the situation and reviewed this menu1 she shuddered4 ,what a company dinner6 ,insufficient soup1 scanty meat and corn1 plain boiled potatoes1 no salad and no dessert6 ,really1 this time ,dick has all but caught us1 her sister whispered1 as after receiving her guests with a cordial welcome she excused herself to put the dinner on4 ,hurry1 ,dolly1 and put more plates in the oven to heat1 and get out the big platter and the vegetable dishes and put them in1 too4 ,then lay two extra places and come out and help me4 ,now1 here is the soup1 she went on when her sister appeared4 ,there isn't half enough4 ,you will have to get a can out of the emergency closet4 ,then the steak2 isn't it fortunate that ,i had not put it over to cook8 ,now ,i can flatten it a little and make it larger1 so it will cover more surface4 ,i'll put vegetables all around it1 and it will just fill that big platter and look exactly like a planked porter-house when ,i'm done with it4 ,but the corn is hopeless2 it is far too small an amount4 ,get some peas from the closet1 ,dolly1 and drain and season them and make them hot4 ,the potatoes won't do1 either4 ,get some raw ones1 and peel them and cut them in good-sized bits4 ,and put on the kettle of fat to heat2 ,i'll brown them in that4 ,after the meat was on the fire ,mrs4 ,thorne made a salad by peeling and slicing in thick pieces three oranges she had bought for the next day's breakfast1 because they happened to be cheap that day4 ,she arranged these in the salad bowl and stirred up a ,french dressing to pour over them4 ,she put the bowl on the sideboard and arranged the dessert by it1 the crackers1 a jar of fancy cheese from the closet in place of the ,american1 and the coffee in the machine with small cups and saucers2 she also set out the salad plates4 ,she filled the tumblers1 put on bread1 and the bread and butter plates1 with butter balls on them4 ,then she added a dish of spiced prunes to go with the meat course4 ,as she was always certain that the dinner cloth was fresh and her fern dish filled and pretty1 she had no changes to make in the table1 and the two extra places had been laid by ,dolly4 ,when she returned to the kitchen1 the steak was ready to be turned and the potatoes prepared for the hot fat2 it took only a moment to cook and drain them4 ,the soup was put in the heated tureen1 and with the hot soup plates carried into the dining-room4 ,then dinner was announced4 ,while the rest were seated at the table1 ,dolly served the soup from the sideboard4 ,this plan was arranged beforehand4 ,whenever the question was discussed in the family which was the easiest and best plan of managing this first course without a maid1 ,mr4 ,thorne always held that the soup should be served at the table1 and when they were alone this was done2 but with guests there was always the possibility of an accident when men's unskilled hands passed filled soup plates from hand to hand4 ,sometimes in the past they had tried the plan of serving it before the guests came to the table1 but too often the soup had been somewhat cooled1 an unpardonable offence in the eyes of the hostess4 ,generally there was the same compromise as to-night1 and with guests it was passed from the sideboard4 ,after this course the cold plates under the soup plates1 which had been put on when the table was laid1 were removed with those above4 ,with a maid they would have been left on the table and merely exchanged for hot ones by her1 but after many experiments this had been decided on as the only feasible plan1--to take away the two together and put a pile of hot ones before the carver and have them passed from hand to hand4 ,it was not as elegant as the other way1 but it did away with the waiting on the table during the course4 ,so ,dolly brought in the large platter of steak and set it down before the carver4 ,the meat was brown on the outside and pink within4 ,a strip of suet representing a bone ran down the middle1 and another outlined the edge1 making it look like a porter-house cut4 ,all around it were alternating piles of browned potatoes and green peas1 with sprigs of parsley here and there1 so that it was appetizing to look at and delicious to eat4 ,with this arrangement there were no vegetables to pass1 and the bread and spiced prunes were passed around without trouble4 ,the next course was the salad4 ,after taking off meat plates and platter1 ,dolly set the bowl before her sister and put on the table a plate of thin bread crisps1 rolled up slices of bread and butter1 browned quickly in the oven while the plates were warming for dinner4 ,after this third course ,dolly removed everything and crumbed the table4 ,then came the crackers1 and the fancy cheese which had taken the place of the plain ,american variety intended for family consumption only2 and with them the coffee machine was put on1 with the cups1 saucers1 and spoons and a bowl of cut sugar1 and the black1 hot1 fragrant coffee brought the dinner successfully to a close4 ,i can never catch you1 said ,mr4 ,thorne mournfully1 when the guests had finally departed with complimentary remarks to their hostess4 ,you always spoil my nice little practical dinner-jokes by your confounded preparedness6 ,and now ,i suppose ,i've got to pay the forfeit4 ,what forfeit8 asked ,dolly4 ,why1 we have an arrangement that ,dick can bring any friends home to dinner at any time1 the number not to exceed two at once1 explained her sister4 ,then if there is dinner enough1 and if it really is good enough for the occasion1 he has to pay me for my extra trouble4 ,of course1 if ,i ever fail1 ,i'll have to pay up in my turn1 but so far he has been caught every time4 ,dolly and ,i will consider1 ,dick1 what the forfeit shall be4 ,matinee tickets1 ,i rather think1 this time4 ,well1 ,i'll get them cheerfully1 for that was really a good dinner1 and the kind a man likes1 which is another matter4 ,the next day ,mrs4 ,thorne replaced the soup1 cheese1 and peas she had taken out of her emergency closet4 ,she had also to buy extra meat for dinner as there was none left over for a second day's meal1 but as the dinner had been a cheap one for five1 she did not grudge the small amount expended4 ,but now we must economize in earnest this week1 she said as she added up her accounts1 because next week ,i want to have a real little dinner-party4 ,i must have several1 in fact1 to return the hospitality shown you1 my dear4 ,luckily it is spring1 now2 remember that it is always cheaper to entertain in spring than at any other time in the year4 ,it's a lot cheaper not to entertain at all1 ,dolly grumbled rebelliously4 ,don't let's have any dinner-parties--they're such a bother6 ,on the contrary1 they are no bother at all1 but lots of fun when you have them as ,i do1 simply and inexpensively4 ,and you really must do some entertaining in your turn if you do not want to drop out of everything when you are married1 and that would be a most foolish thing to do4 ,who waits on the table8 demanded ,dolly4 ,oh1 that's the trouble with the dinner-party1 is it8 ,well1 ,i hasten to relieve your mind--you don't6 ,when ,i give a company dinner ,i have in a young girl whom ,i have trained4 ,she does all the waiting1 and stays and washes the dishes1 and ,i pay her seventy-five cents for the evening4 ,sometimes1 when ,i have a little luncheon ,i do my own waiting1 and of course in a surprise-party dinner ,i have to also1 but not when ,i give a regular invitation dinner4 ,i wait till ,i have money enough in hand for the waitress as well as the food and flowers and all1 and then ,i go ahead4 ,a few days later the party was arranged for4 ,a young couple and their unmarried brother were asked1 making a group of six to sit about the round table4 ,this was the menu ,mrs4 ,thorne wrote out3 ,cream of beet soup4 ,radishes1 almonds1 olives4 ,forequarter of lamb1 stuffed2 mint jelly2 new potatoes2 peas4 ,lettuce and cheese balls2 wafers4 ,vanilla ice-cream and sherried cherries2 small cakes4 ,coffee4 ,doesn't that sound good8 she asked1 surveying the paper with her head on one side4 ,now to make as many things as possible to-day1 so we won't get too tired to-morrow4 ,first1 we will salt the almonds4 ,do let me do those all alone6 ,i saw somebody do it once1 and ,i know exactly how4 ,you just take off the skins and fry them in olive oil4 ,my dear1 ,i hate to seem unappreciative or hurt your little feelings1 but the fact is1 that is a most abominable way to do them1 though it's common enough4 ,it makes them greasy and streaky1 partly brown and partly white4 ,this is the really-truly way to make them3 first you put them in boiling water till the skins loosen1 and then drop them in cold water2 slip off the skins1 and dry them and mix them with the half beaten white of an egg--that is1 about half the whole white2 then you sprinkle them with salt and put them on a tin in the oven and occasionally stir them4 ,they will turn a lovely creamy brown and will be crisp and evenly colored1 and you can keep those you do not use at one dinner and heat them up to freshen them when you need them1 for a second dinner1 just as you do crackers4 ,we will do them that way to-day4 ,then besides that we will get the dining-room in order1 polish the silver and glass1 fill the salts1 and look over the china and table linen1 so that to-morrow there will not be much to do4 ,the next morning the marketing was done early1 so that the things would come home in good season4 ,at the grocery they bought the beets1--one bunch of old ones1 not the young ones just in market2 a can of small ,american peas2 a head of lettuce2 a square cream cheese and a round one half its size in order to have enough2 a little ,american cheese2 two lemons1 and a pint of cream4 ,at the butcher's they ordered lamb4 ,not what you call 'spring lamb1' she explained1 but exactly what you have been selling all winter2 that is still nice1 and plenty young enough4 ,now cut off the neck and the trimmings1 and take out the shoulder-blade and make a pocket for the stuffing to go in comfortably1 and send me a bunch of mint with it all4 ,while she waited for her change she told ,dolly about this purchase4 ,forequarter of lamb is really the cheapest roast there is4 ,sometimes even when we are all by ourselves ,i buy it and make ever so many meals of it4 ,i get a big piece1 as much as eight or nine pounds1 because that is the cheapest way1 and the butcher keeps it for me and lets me have it as ,i want it4 ,the roast makes at least two dinners1 and there is a lot left over still for croquettes and souffls and such things4 ,then there are four chops for one or even two dinners more for two people-- ',with a good filling soup to take off the edge of the appetite first1' otherwise the four chops would make only one dinner1 interrupted ,dolly1 quoting freely4 ,exactly4 ,and besides1 there are the trimmings and odds and ends for meat pies and stews1 so you see how far it goes4 ,really1 ,i should think you and ,dick would fairly bleat6 ,well1 perhaps we might if we deliberately sat down to lamb night after night1 but we don't do anything half so foolish4 ,we have things between1 veal and beef and pork1 and as the lamb is practically in cold storage at the butcher's1 it can wait indefinitely1 and when we do have it we live on what ,i used to think the old ,jews wanted to live on in ,canaan1--'the fat of the lamb6' ,but now's let's hurry home1 for there's lots to do yet4 ,as soon as their things were taken off and kitchen dresses put on1 the plain vanilla ice-cream was frozen and packed away to ripen4 ,for the sauce which was to be put on each glass which it was served1 a small can of preserved cherries was opened and drained2 the juice was boiled down to a thick syrup with a small cup of sugar1 and the cherries put back in it to cool1 with a flavoring of sherry4 ,the salad was made next1 the lettuce washed and rolled up in a clean towel and put where it was very cold1 to crisp4 ,they rolled balls of cream cheese1 wetting them with a bit of oil to make them smooth1 and adding salt and a dash of cayenne2 as each one was made it was rolled in grated ,american cheese and then laid away4 ,the ,french dressing was also made1 and at the last moment was to be poured over the lettuce1 and the golden1 white-centred balls laid on it4 ,the beets for the soup were next chopped and boiled in a pint of water2 as much milk was added1 the whole seasoned with a slice of onion1 salt and pepper1 and then strained and slightly thickened4 ,this made the prettiest of pink soups1 and one which could be set away and be reheated at dinner time in three minutes4 ,the mint jelly was also made3 a cup of water was put with the juice of a lemon and heated2 when hot1 a small bunch of bruised mint was put in and simmered for two minutes2 then this was strained and a level tablespoonful of gelatine1 dissolved in half a cup of cold water1 was put in with a tiny bit of green vegetable coloring1 the whole strained through flannel and put into a pretty little mould4 ,it would come out a lovely sparkling green1 quite decorative enough to be put on the table1 and delicious to eat with the lamb1 ,mrs4 ,thorne assured ,dolly complacently4 ,the peas were turned out of the can1 drained1 seasoned and made ready to heat up quickly4 ,the potatoes were boiled and cut up in a very little thick white sauce1 and a spoonful of parsley was minced to be scattered over them1 last of all4 ,after their luncheon the dinner table was laid4 ,it had a white damask cloth1 and a white1 lace-edged centrepiece4 ,there were four glass candlesticks with yellow candles and shades1 and in the middle a bowl of the yellow jonquils1 now in season and inexpensive4 ,at each place was a pretty plate1 which was to remain on till exchanged for a hot one later1 and a small array of silver1 with a tumbler and napkin4 ,the latter hid a dinner roll1 so no bread and butter was served at the dinner4 ,the table was then finished except for the last touch2 the small dishes of radishes and salted almonds1 and a few white peppermints1 were to be put on just before dinner1 with the dish of mint jelly4 ,after the dinner was over ,dolly confessed her amazement4 ,i 'never did1' as the children say4 ,i had no idea you could have so nice1 so pretty a party with so little to 'do' with4 ,really1 we never missed the fish1 or the entre1 or the game or anything else4 ,it was a lovely and delicious meal1 wasn't it1 ,dick8 ,modesty compels me to refrain from saying what ,i truly think1 ,dolly4 ,otherwise ,i should mention my conviction is that it was as good a dinner and as nice a party as you'd often find1 and your sister is about as fine a cook and manager as they make 'em4 ,but as ,i said to begin with1 in my position of host my lips are sealed4 ,so little trouble1 too1 ,dolly went on1 smiling at him4 ,i really thought you were crazy to ask the ,osgoods1 whom everybody is afraid to entertain because they have everything in the world1 but our dinner was just as nice as though we had followed in their footsteps and had a table decorated with orchids1 and whitebait and fancy ices and everything else to eat4 ,mary1 permit me to say ,i consider you a genius6 ,nothing of the sort4 ,i am simply a woman1 more or less sensible1 ,i fondly trust1 who knows that nowadays nobody cares for long1 ten-course meals1 and if what is set out is only good of its kind1 that is all that matters4 ,then1 too1 when we are really living on a little and everybody knows it1 either we cannot entertain at all1 which means that we cannot accept invitations1 or we must do it in a plain way1 in keeping with the general style of our home life4 ,anything else would be absurd1 snobbish and extravagant4 ,and to prove that people like to come to simple dinner-parties like ours1 ,i shall have two more right away4 ,three cheers1 said her husband calmly4 ,the next morning the sisters added up their accounts and set down the dinner menu and what it cost in a little dinner-party book which was often used for reference by them4 ,this is what the dinner proved to have cost3 ,soup1 milk and beets 4#ae ,lamb #a4dj ,lettuce1 one head1 cheese balls1 ,french dressing 4#cj ,cream1 ice and salt for freezing 4#cj ,cakes1 home-made 4#aj ,almonds1 radishes1 olives1 mint jelly 4#ej ----- #b4ge ,that is all1 except the flowers1 which were forty cents1 and the cherries1 which ,i made myself last summer and paid for then1 so ,i did not have to put their cost in now1 you see4 ,the little bottle of olives cost ten cents2 so did the radishes4 ,the ,jordan almonds were forty cents a pound1 and ,i got half a pound and have some over for next time4 ,with the flowers1 that makes the dinner #c4ae2 say #c4be1 to allow a liberal margin for little bits of butter1 sugar1 salt and so on used up in cooking1 and #d1 including the pay of the waitress4 ,i call that a cheap party4 ,as soon as finances permitted and small economies had made the two sisters feel comparatively rich1 they gave a second dinner4 ,this time they found some pink tulips at a small florist's1 and these they used in making a lovely table4 ,they stuck them one by one into a very shallow dish filled with sand1 the leaves put in and out also1 and the edge of the dish concealed with moss2 this gave exactly the effect of a little bed of growing flowers4 ,the menu was quite different from the other dinner3 ,cream of almond soup4 ,olives1 radishes1 salted nuts4 ,maryland chicken with cream gravy2 new potatoes2 corn fritters4 ,lettuce and cherry salad2 crackers4 ,vanilla ice-cream with strawberries4 ,coffee4 ,the soup was made by chopping a quarter of a pound of almonds and simmering them in a pint of milk2 then the other pint was put in with the seasoning1 and it was slightly thickened1 strained1 and at last beaten up well with an egg-beater to make it foamy4 ,the chicken was cut up and the best pieces dipped in batter and fried in deep fat2 a rich cream gravy was passed with this4 ,the corn fritters which were the necessary accompaniment of the dish were made of canned1 grated corn4 ,the salad was very cheap at this time of year4 ,large ,california cherries were stoned1 laid on lettuce1 and a ,french dressing poured over all4 ,the ice-cream was a nice vanilla1 and on each glass was put one fine large strawberry4 ,the next day the remains of the chicken appeared at dinner in the shape of croquettes1 with a rice border1 and the rest of the box of berries came on also4 ,this materially reduced the expenses of that meal1 and the difference went on to the cost of the party dinner1 to help out4 ,the account was like this3 ,soup1 milk and almonds 4#bj ,chickens1 two #a4ge ,potatoes and corn 4#be ,lettuce and cherries 4#cj ,cream and berries 4#cj ----- #b4hj ,adding the little things as before1 the flowers1 nuts1 olives1 pay of the waitress1 and a margin1 brought this up to a trifle over four dollars4 ,that is too much1 said ,mary soberly1 as she set down the figures4 ,i mean to keep strictly within a four-dollar limit4 ,so our third dinner1 ,dolly1 must be less than these and even things4 ,this was the third dinner3 ,clear soup with tapioca4 ,salted nuts1 radishes1 almonds4 ,roast of veal1 stuffed2 fresh mushrooms2 potatoes4 ,lettuce with chopped nuts2 ,french dressing4 ,strawberry ices4 ,coffee4 ,that is a good1 sensible dinner1 said ,dolly4 ,no frills1 unless you count the mushrooms4 ,it is the cost of the waitress that makes these dinners so expensive1 said her sister4 ,it provokes me to have to put money on that1 yet ,i will do it at a real dinner-party4 ,but as for the rest1 this ought not to be a costly affair4 ,the soup was made of very ordinary materials1 but it looked and tasted well4 ,the roast was crisply browned and juicy within1 and the delicious stuffing and broiled mushrooms were substantial and good4 ,the salad was lettuce covered with chopped almonds put on after the ,french dressing4 ,the ices called for no cream and so were inexpensive4 ,the figures showed this result3 ,soup 4#ae ,veal #a4bj ,mushrooms1 quarter of a pound 4#be ,potatoes1 radishes1 almonds1 etc4 4#ce ,lettuce1 nuts1 dressing1 crackers 4#bj ,ices 4#bj ----- #b4ce ,ah1 that's better1 said ,mary1 when she saw the total4 ,then the flowers were the same as before1 only red instead of pink tulips2 the waitress1 too1 and the margin--only #c4be4 ,i feel relieved4 ,of course roast veal is not quite as good as ,maryland chicken1 said ,dolly1 but the mushrooms made it seem quite elegant2 broiled mushrooms are certainly food for the gods4 ,it is quite a saving to have an ice instead of an ice-cream1 isn't it8 ,and ,mary1 did you see what a big1 big piece of roast was left over8 ,that is one of the good things about veal1 that there is so little waste4 ,i am sure we can easily make two dinners out of it1 and that will save ever so much4 ,and when we can get ahead at all1 ,dolly1 we must hurry and have our luncheons4 ,,chapter ,x ,reducing ,expenses ,i never feel as extravagant as ,i do in spring-time1 ,mrs4 ,thorne said as she hovered over asparagus1 tiny new potatoes1 fresh peas and strawberries in the market one ,may morning4 ,everything is so tempting1 and we are tired of winter vegetables1 and yet we will run up dreadful accounts if we attempt to have any of these goodies4 ,come right along1 ,dolly2 don't linger a moment longer1 or ,i am lost4 ,you could really have bought a spring vegetable or two1 remonstrated her sister as they walked home4 ,we are ahead on our money1 ,i know1 because ,i rattled the bank this morning1 and it was nearly full4 ,i do not see why you did not get something nice and springy if you wanted to4 ,because now for a week or two ,i mean to reduce expenses4 ,i want to give three small luncheons and have everything as nice and pretty as possible1 and you know we used up our savings of two months on our dinner-parties4 ,the rattling of the bank meant only pennies1 my dear2 ,i know1 for ,i peeked4 ,so we must cut down vigorously4 ,that is an absolute impossibility1 said ,dolly with decision4 ,we do not waste a single crumb now1 not a potato paring1 not a bone nor even an egg-shell4 ,we can't save a cent's worth4 ,oh1 yes1 we can2 we can save a lot if we try4 ,and there is a suggestion for to-day's lesson2 it will be on ,retrenchment4 ,dolly still looked unconvinced when she sat down with book and pencil1 but ,mary was complacent4 ,of course we do not waste anything1 she began1 as she took her seat in the sitting-room after the entire apartment was in immaculate order and lunch under way1 and as you suggest1 we have cheap meats and vegetables right along4 ,but we can still find some things that are cheaper still1--because you always can1 whatever you have4 ,so if we cut down on those to begin with1 and have desserts for a week made without butter or eggs1 and abandon fruit altogether for the time1 ,i am sure we can have quite a surplus presently4 ,to begin with meat1 because you know my theory that that is always the expensive point in housekeeping1 you know ,i said veal was cheap in the spring4 ,so it is1 but instead of using the ordinary cuts1 you can have something less expensive4 ,there is a calf's heart1 for one thing4 ,a country butcher would probably give that away--and incidentally inquire what on earth you wanted it for4 ,here in town ,i suppose we must pay something for it1 but it will not be much2 only a few cents4 ,you have no idea what a delicious meat that is1 so delicate and tender4 ,you wash it well and make a bread-crumbs stuffing for it with a good deal of seasoning1 and after you cut out the strings and wipe it dry in the middle you stuff it4 ,bake it in a covered pan for two hours1 basting it well frequently1 then make a gravy and pour over it4 ,you really should have cooked onions1 browned in this gravy1 to go with the dish1 because they are the accepted thing with the heart1 but you need not if you do not want to1 for it will be good without them4 ,then the next day you will have enough left over for a dish of baked hash1 or a cottage loaf4 ,and all for1 say1 ten cents or less6 ,isn't that a stroke of economy8 ,then there is boiled calf's head4 ,that1 too1 you could get for a song in the country4 ,have the butcher clean it well and let you have both the brain and the tongue2 be sure and make him understand that4 ,wash and parboil both of these in separate saucepans4 ,the brains taste exactly like sweetbreads1 and if you chop them and make them up into croquettes1 no one will suspect that they are not what they seem4 ,it is strange that so many people are prejudiced against using brains1 for they are the cleanest possible meat4 ,they are kept shut up in a little bone box where nothing can soil or hurt them1 and as a calf has little intelligence1 they never grow tough from use6 ,so have the brains for one meal4 ,then when the tongue is tender1 take it up and peel it and braise it with minced vegetables2 that is1 cook it in the oven in a covered pan1 smothered in vegetables4 ,have this as it is1 as a roast1 and what is left over make up into a loaf exactly as you do with chopped veal or beef2 or dice1 cream and bake it for a second dinner4 ,if you have any tiny bits still left1 put those through the meat chopper and spread them on toast2 put an egg on each and serve for breakfast or luncheon4 ,then the head proper4 ,this you had better have the butcher keep for you till you have used up the other things1 or you will have too much meat on hand to use economically4 ,when he sends it1 tell him to split it open1 as this must be done and you probably could not do it yourself4 ,put it into cold water and put it on the fire till it comes to the boiling point4 ,take it off and plunge it into cold water to blanch it1 rub it all over with half a lemon1 and then put it into boiling water1 only just enough to cover it1 and add a tablespoonful of vinegar1 a small onion1 chopped1 a carrot and a sprig of parsley4 ,if you have a bay leaf1 put that in too4 ,cover the pot and gently simmer it for two hours1 or till the meat is ready to drop from the bones4 ,take it up then1 take out all the bones1 skin1 and gristle1 and put the meat in an even pile2 cover it with bread crumbs and brown it in the oven4 ,in cool weather this will make two good dinners1 and you will find it as good as the tongue4 ,in summer1 divide the meat and have only one dinner baked4 ,put the other half into a mould and fill it up with the stock it was boiled in1 after you have cooked this down and strained it2 it is so full of gelatine that it will set at once and you will have a fine dish of ice-cold meat set in a clear aspic1 and what better could any one wish for8 ,if there is more stock than you need1 keep out part for the basis of a soup2 it is so strong that it will make you an extra good one1 with perhaps tomatoes added to it4 ,now when you consider that one calf's head will make at the very least four dinners for a small family1 do you not think by having it you will materially reduce expenses8 ,having a mind open to conviction1 ,i do4 ,well1 then6 ,to go on to another sort of meat1 here is another suggestion of cheapness4 ,you know what a shin of beef is1 don't you8 ,the lower part of the leg1 where the meat is apt to be stringy and tough2 most people think it is good only for soup4 ,get the butcher to cut you two rounds from that1 right through the bone4 ,perhaps you may need three1 if he cuts low down1 or possibly only one high up2 you must watch him and judge how many you will need4 ,take this1 put it in a casserole or stew-pan with hot water enough to cover it and put it on the very back of the stove1 where it cannot boil1 and let it stand there for three hours2 then try it1 and if it is tender1 cover it with chopped vegetables1 carrots1 a little onion1 parsley1 and turnips and peas if you happen to have them at hand4 ,let it simmer now for an hour4 ,take up the meat1 drain the vegetables and put them around it1 thicken and brown the gravy and put it over all1 and you would never guess you were dining off 'soup meat4' ,or1 here is another way to cook the same cut4 ,get a good large piece1 say one weighing two and a half pounds4 ,brown it in a hot saucepan all over with a spoonful of drippings2 when it is all a good color1 pour enough water on to just cover it1 and put in the vegetables as you did before and add six cloves4 ,simmer the whole under a cover for four hours and serve just as it is1 in a hot dish4 ,still a third way to manage1 is to cut the meat from the bone and dice it4 ,simmer this with the vegetables and the bone till it is very tender4 ,take up the meat and put it in a baking-dish1 and strain and thicken the gravy and pour this over2 then put a crust on top1 either one of pastry or a mashed potato crust with an egg beaten in it to make it light1 and bake the whole4 ,put a little butter on top to brown it if you use the potato4 ,now1 no one who ate those three or four dishes would think they were related2 but when you have them1 do not serve them one after another1 but let a week go by between1 just to have a change of meat4 ,then there is calf's liver4 ,that in town even in spring costs more than it did some years ago1 but even here a little goes so far that ,i call it a cheap meat1 too2 there is not a particle of waste about it1 you see4 ,get a pound and a half some time and lard it2 that is1 stick narrow strips of salt pork in it4 ,if you cannot do that1 lay two slices on top of the whole4 ,bake it in a covered pan and baste it often1 and serve with a brown gravy4 ,there will be one dinner off this roast to begin with4 ,for a second1 chop it up and either make a mock terrapin by a cook-book rule1 or else cut it in dice1 cream and bake it4 ,if any bits are left over have those on toast for luncheon4 ,mary1 you told me in the most solemn manner that ,i was never to have meat for either luncheon or breakfast4 ,did ,i say never8 ,i did not quite mean that1 because sometimes you have a very little bit of something you can economically utilize in that way4 ,of course you could have it in a souffl for dinner if you had a small cupful1 but if you had only half as much1 you could not2 then put it on toast and add plenty of gravy1 and have it for breakfast with a clear conscience4 ,only do not have anything which would do for dinner2 that is all ,i meant by my 'never4' ,the same thing applies to lunch4 ,if you have just a little meat you are sure is useless elsewhere1 mix it with boiled rice and lots of seasoning1 and bake it in a mould in a pan of water and turn it out hot2 that makes a very good and economical dish for once4 ,it does seem strange1 when one thinks that we are eating scrag of mutton and beef stew right along1 to buy things cheaper still for dinner1 doesn't it8 ,oh1 we have not had those things right along6 ,we had chicken last week1 once1 and the week before we had a pot-roast which ,i recall with pleasure this minute4 ,but ,i admit the accusation in part1 for you know we have had the dinner-parties to make up for4 ,ordinarily1 ,i do not manage quite so closely4 ,but if for a week or two you have calf's head once1 and a dinner or two of beef shin and such things1 you will cut down wonderfully on your meat bill4 ,you can have also a dinner of one ,frenched tenderloin1 and another of scrag of mutton with barley1 and a third of half a pound of chopped beef made up into meat cakes with a brown gravy4 ,if you eke out with odds and ends of things in croquettes1 with heavy soup before it1 ,i should think you could save nearly two dollars in the one item of meat1 and no one the wiser4 ,then once have a main course of salt codfish1 freshened and creamed and baked with crumbs1 in place of meat1 and another time have baked beans1 just for a change4 ,if it is summer-time you can have a very good dinner dish of an eggplant4 ,cut it in two sidewise1 take out the centre and salt it1 and put it under a weight to extract the juice4 ,after an hour or so take it up and chop it and mix it with an equal quantity of seasoned bread crumbs and a small cup of chopped nuts4 ,heap this in the shell and bake it with a covering of crumbs and butter4 ,it is just as nourishing as meat and not so heavy1 though it is a distinctly substantial dish4 ,of course you must be careful to get a very cheap eggplant1 or you save nothing1 but ,i am supposing now you live where gardens are plenty2 perhaps you can walk out and pick one in your own4 ,to go with the meats1 possibly we can find some spring vegetables that cost no more than winter ones would4 ,naturally we cannot buy asparagus1 nor yet new peas1 but ,i fancy we may pick up some cheap new beets or carrots4 ,if not1 we will just go on having winter ones1 but we will try and serve them in vegetable croquettes1 or cream them and bake them with crumbs for a change4 ,and then we can certainly have greens of ever so many kinds1 and nothing is more wholesome in the spring than greens4 ,i simply despise them1 said ,dolly with a sniff of disdain4 ,you will not despise mine1 my child2 ,i learned how to cook them in ,paris and they are good enough for an epicure4 ,write down my words of wisdom on this subject4 ,take any sort of green thing you can get1 beet-tops1 spinach1 sorrel1 lettuce1 escarole or cress2 wash them well in several waters1 and do not drain them very dry2 put them in a covered saucepan without water1 and turn and press them well from time to time till the juice flows4 ,take them up then and put them twice through the meat-chopper2 never try and chop them in a bowl or they will not be good1 but instead1 coarse and stringy4 ,after they are a smooth pulp1 put them on the fire1 and add seasoning generously3 salt1 pepper1 lemon juice or a very little vinegar1 and a little cream if you have it4 ,with sorrel1 which is the very best of all greens1 do not put in any acid2 with spinach1 add a little nutmeg4 ,then1 when the whole has cooked for five minutes1 take it up1 put it in a very hot dish1 and serve at once2 you will have a new dish you will certainly like4 ,how about potatoes8 inquired ,dolly after she had written this down and marked it with a star as extra good4 ,no new potatoes for us1 ,i suppose8 ,unluckily1 no4 ,i hate to keep on using old ones1 but ,i always do until that happy day when ,i find the price is exactly the same for new or old2 then ,i change over4 ,but do not have potatoes all the time2 boiled rice is cheaper when you are cutting down expenses4 ,and when you can buy some vegetable cheaper than potatoes1 have neither1 but have two fresh vegetables instead4 ,that makes a good change in spring and summer4 ,and how about salads8 ,just as soon as you find young dandelion leaves and cress and cheap lettuce1 cut off soups and have those instead4 ,but do not buy them unless you can really save money by doing so2 there is a danger you may not think of4 ,usually soups are cheaper4 ,and desserts8 ,eggs are cheap just now1 so depend somewhat on them4 ,that is1 make a sweet omelet of two1 for one night1 and for another have prune puff4 ,for that you take the white of one egg1 sweeten it and mix with the pulp of half a dozen cooked prunes2 chill this and serve it in glasses4 ,or1 put it in small brown baking-dishes and put it in the oven for five minutes1 and serve it hot in the same dishes4 ,have a sweet souffl sometimes1 too4 ,beat the white of two eggs light1 fold in a little powdered sugar1 and put it in a buttered dish with spoonfuls of jam or orange marmalade dropped in here and there4 ,set this in a hot oven as you go to dinner1 and it will be just ready when it is time for dessert4 ,the next night after you have had either of these1 have baked custard4 ,mix the slightly beaten egg yolks with a little milk and sugar1 and put them in cups or small moulds and bake them in a pan of water4 ,you can vary them by putting in jam or by making the sugar into caramel1 or adding a little bit of rice4 ,or1 use up the yolks by having them scrambled with milk for breakfast4 ,and if you live in the country1 ,dolly1 have lots of rhubarb for spring desserts4 ,you can serve it one day in a deep tart with pie-crust on top1 and little tartlets made from the left-overs4 ,on another you stew it in a little water1 and put in the sugar as it is just done1 because it does not take as much then as if it went in at first4 ,then1 while it is hot1 add enough dissolved gelatine to set the whole and pour it into a mould4 ,serve with part of the juice as a sauce1 which you kept out on purpose4 ,speaking of this jelly suggests also coffee jelly and prune jelly and things of that kind1 for they do not take butter or eggs2 but ,i rather think ,i told you of those when we were studying desserts4 ,however1 ,i can remind you of them now1 can't ,i8 ,when strawberries are cheap1 get one boxful and divide it4 ,serve part the first one night with a plain soft corn-starch pudding4 ,the second night1 slightly crush the rest and sweeten them4 ,make just a little bit of baking-powder biscuit dough and mould several rather thin biscuits2 bake these1 split them1 and put in the berries between two layers1 and you have nice individual shortcakes4 ,in that way one box will make two desserts1 while otherwise you might not find it enough4 ,of course if you had a garden you could go out and pick some berries and serve them in their natural state1 but ,i am telling you how to manage if you have not such luxuries as home-grown fruit4 ,when we speak of cheap desserts1 our mind naturally reverts to bread pudding1 and we have already had that once4 ,but to cut down its expense1 serve it in small moulds instead of in one large one2 individual dishes are a great economy for any sort of thing4 ,and try having boiled rice croquettes with raisins in them2 and have farina croquettes1 too1 cooked rather brown1 and if possible covered with scraped maple sugar4 ,don't you think we might leave desserts now8 ,i told you so much about them when we went over the subject4 ,yes1 you may go on to breakfasts and luncheons if you have finished dinners4 ,can you really economize on those8 ,it seems to me we have reduced them to their lowest terms already4 ,well1 we have1 just about4 ,but for breakfasts ,i should cut out fruit altogether for a time1 and make a breakfast of hot cereal1 coffee and toast1 or some good sort of muffin that did not take too many eggs4 ,in winter you can have a hearty meal of fried corn-meal mush2 you can either make that the day before you want it and slice and fry it in the morning1 or you can stir it up and boil it freshly just before breakfast and fry spoonfuls of it while it is soft4 ,i like it best that way myself1 but you can try both ways4 ,in summer you can have an excellent breakfast of cold cereals4 ,they sound horrid4 ,they are not horrid at all1 but very good2 we will begin to have them ourselves as soon as it gets warm enough4 ,and besides cereals1 ,i should see if ,i could not have some cheap hot breakfast dish to alternate with them2 ,i suppose milk toast1 or if you live where milk is plenty1 cream toast1 and codfish in lots of ways1 especially in baked potatoes1 or mixed with mashed potato in small dishes4 ,sometimes ,i should have codfish in fritters2 brown puffy fritters1 not flat greasy cakes4 ,and ,i should have clams in that way1 too1 if they were cheap4 ,how about luncheons1 now8 ,did you say you could or could not cut down on those8 ,i think we cannot do much better than we have done1 but ,i should keep trying all the time4 ,i should have fried bread with jelly to eat on it1 and baked beans1 and farina cakes1 and minced vegetables1 hot or in salad4 ,and in summer ,i should have creamed corn or peas on toast1 and lots of salads of plain cooked vegetables4 ,but be very careful not to try and cut down on your luncheons by doing without substantial dishes4 ,no woman who does her own work can long keep up on bread and tea at noon without getting sallow and thin and anaemic2 you simply must not try and economize on nourishing food1 even though you cut down on everything expensive4 ,starvation is poor management4 ,well1 leaving meals for a moment1 do you try and cut down on other things1 such as coffee1 for example8 ,do you have a poorer quality to save money8 ,never4 ,i must have good coffee at any rate4 ,but ,i will tell you what ,i do right along4 ,i go to a very good grocery1 one of the largest and most expensive sort1 and there ,i ask for a good kind of coffee which is not as expensive as their highest grades4 ,you will be astonished to find that all such places make a specialty of coffee which actually costs less than you can buy it for at your regular grocery1 and it is infinitely better1 too4 ,one famous place keeps coffee for thirty-five and forty cents a pound and even more1 and at the same time recommends what they call their 'best' coffee1 at nineteen cents6 ,it seems absurd1 but that is a fact4 ,i always use it1 and it is the best ,i can buy4 ,never use cheap coffee1 ,dolly2 it is horrid1 just as bad butter is1 or bad tea1 or bad eggs4 ,go without1 or have them good4 ,mary1 did you ever think what you would do if you had to live on just a few cents a day8 ,i have often wondered whether ,i could manage or not4 ,suppose for a time you had practically nothing at all1 how would you manage then8 ,i suppose ,i should plan to have things to eat that would give the maximum of nourishment for the minimum of cost4 ,let me see4 ,i should have corn-meal mush for one breakfast1 because that contains fat and is very nourishing4 ,for another1 ,i should have boiled rice1 ,i think4 ,for luncheons ,i should have split pea pure1 or a thick bean soup4 ,for dinner ,i should have a dish of creamed codfish1 let us say2 or1 ,i should have whole wheat bread and a baked apple instead of the fish4 ,and ,i should have macaroni and cheese1 too4 ,i know people who have tried these things say you can live easily on beans and lentils and whole wheat bread and a certain amount of fruit1 apples or bananas or figs1 and ,i can quite believe it4 ,of course1 if only one could have plenty of milk1 the rest would be easy4 ,easy1 but not pleasant4 ,i should hate to have to have such monotonous food1 so ,i hope ,fred's income will never be less4 ,i like a pretty dinner table and a dainty dinner4 ,cereals may be all very well as to nourishment for the body1 but ,i think the spirit suffers4 ,i don't mean spirit1 either1 exactly4 ,but you get the idea1 don't you8 ,the general poetry of life1 ,i suppose you have in mind4 ,the dinner table with candles and china and glass and good things to eat gives an air of refinement to life4 ,well1 ,i agree with you that they are worth having1 too4 ,we can economize in the food1 but we cannot dispense with the graces of the dinner4 ,if we cut down too much1 you see ,i am afraid things will not be quite as nice as ,i like to have them4 ,i don't believe in doing it all at once1 but in cutting down a trifle here and another there1 day by day1 till you can afford better things4 ,i am sure it would give one a most uncomfortable moral jar to suddenly drop from very comfortable living to lentils1 or to anything corresponding with your idea of the 'scrags of mutton' which you are perpetually holding up as the very embodiment of inelegance6 ,better not go in for too much luxury any one day2 have things economically nice right along and save a little margin so you will not have to cut down at all4 ,unless1 indeed1 you cut for entertaining1 as we are doing now2 then do it imperceptibly1 and don't tell of it1 and all will go well4 ,and now that is my last word4 ,i find reducing expenses has a most exhausting effect on me4 ,let's go down-town and lark a bit and refresh our jaded spirits1 and when we feel equal to it1 we will come back and cook up a dinner that will not cost half as much as it will seem to cost1 judging by its looks and taste4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,luncheons for a ,little ,one morning1 after two weeks of close economy1 the bank on the kitchen mantel was emptied and the sisters received the reward of their savings4 ,there were not only pennies1 but dimes and even quarters2 quite enough to ensure the financial success of the luncheons they had planned for4 ,ah1 we are evidently safe1 now1 said ,dolly as she poured the money out in her lap4 ,here's richness6 ,i seem to hear broilers cackling2 or don't fowls cackle in the spring-time of their youth8 ,anyway1 there is no doubt we can afford to have some of them for our parties4 ,indeed we cannot4 ,not broilers1 my dear girl2 they are not for the likes of us4 ,but we shall have some other good things1 at least4 ,and isn't it fine to have the money ahead instead of having to catch up later on when we have forgotten all about the occasion8 moralized ,mrs4 ,thorne complacently4 ,i don't mind economizing beforehand1 but ,i just hate to1 afterwards4 ,now for our menus4 ,i think we will begin with a luncheon for four only4 ,next week we will go on to six1 and possibly we will have eight1 later2 still1 ,i am not sure about it1 for six is all we can really manage to serve easily4 ,suppose we take turns writing out what we will have4 ,i'll begin1 ,dolly said4 ,a simple luncheon for four1 you said2 ,i certainly ought to be able to manage that by this time4 ,let me see4 ,this is what she presently produced3 ,cream of spinach soup4 ,lamb chops2 new potatoes2 peas in crusts2 tea4 ,asparagus salad with mayonnaise4 ,strawberry ices4 ,that does very well indeed1 said ,mrs4 ,thorne as she took the paper and read over the menu4 ,my only criticism is on the chops2 those cost a good deal1 and especially in the spring1 when the lamb is small4 ,i meant to have old lamb1 interrupted ,dolly4 ,yes1 but even so1 ,i think chops for a luncheon of four cost too much4 ,why not substitute strips of veal1 breaded8 ,i know a delicious way of cooking those1 and they are ever so much cheaper4 ,all right1 said ,dolly4 ,veal strips it is4 ,how about that dessert8 ,strawberries are only nine cents a box now2 those will be all right4 ,and we will have a perfectly delicious salad of that asparagus2 that is1 we will if it does not go up in price before the luncheon4 ,it has such a queer way in town of getting cheaper one day and more expensive the next4 ,now for our two invitations4 ,we won't write them1 but just run in and ask ,mrs4 ,hays and ,mrs4 ,curtis informally1 as it is to be such a very simple affair4 ,yes4 ,i wait on the table1 ,i suppose8 ,dolly inquired gloomily4 ,her sister laughed4 ,you do1 or ,i do2 it is all the same4 ,but how absurd to think of that6 ,it makes things all the more homelike4 ,you see1 you are not used to it2 if you were1 you would not mind a bit4 ,you make me think of the eels who didn't mind being skinned at all--not when they got used to it4 ,but ,i agree for this time1 and when you have the larger luncheon you will get the waitress1 won't you8 ,i truly will1 promised ,mrs4 ,thorne4 ,the day of the luncheon found some changes in the meal that had been planned4 ,asparagus had suddenly taken on a higher price1 as they had feared1 and they had to do without it4 ,instead they had lettuce and cheese and nut balls1 the latter made by mixing cream cheese and chopped nuts into balls the size of a hickory nut4 ,these were laid in cup-shaped lettuce leaves and ,french dressing poured over at the last4 ,the table was laid with the doilies and fern dish of every day1 but a festive look was given to it when yellow sprays of genesta were stuck among the ferns4 ,a bread and butter plate stood at the top of each pretty place-plate by the tumbler and a napkin at the side2 one knife1 and soup spoon lay at the right1 and a spoon for tea1 two forks at the left1 and a dessert spoon across the top of the plate4 ,just before luncheon the soup was taken up and put in hot cups1 and the strips of veal1 the potatoes and peas in the crusts were arranged on hot plates4 ,all these were put in the warming oven1 and fresh parsley stood ready in a cup of water on the table1 to be added at the last moment4 ,on the sideboard in the dining-room was the salad and the tea tray2 the glasses for the dessert were ready in the kitchen1 each one standing on a small plate4 ,the soup was put on before the guests came to the table4 ,after it was eaten ,dolly rose and got the hot1 filled plates from the oven and put them on the sideboard2 then she merely exchanged a hot plate with the food on it for the plate holding the soup cup4 ,there was no delay or confusion1 and no passing1 so this went off easily1 while ,mary poured the tea from the tray her sister set before her4 ,the same arrangement was made with the salad2 this was already served on the sideboard1 and the hot plate on the table was exchanged for the cold one with the lettuce4 ,after this course everything was taken off and the table crumbed4 ,then1 while an animated conversation covered the pause1 ,dolly went to the kitchen and took the strawberry mousse from its pail in the tireless stove1 being thankful as she did so that she did not have to dive into an ice-cream freezer and extract a wet1 icy mould and half freeze her hands4 ,she quickly put a heaping spoonful of the cream in each glass1 put on one of the big berries which had been saved on purpose1 and carried all four glasses in on a small tray1 putting this on the sideboard and serving one at a time from there4 ,i did not mind waiting at all1 ,dolly said1 after the guests had gone4 ,i suppose it was because luncheon is such an informal meal anyway2 or rather1 it is supposed to be4 ,i think ,i believe in doing a good deal as the ,english do both at breakfast and luncheon--have things on the sideboard and let the guests help themselves from there if they choose4 ,however1 ,i flatter myself ,i did pretty well1 to-day4 ,you noticed1 ,i hope1 that ,i left the room only twice1 once to get the meat course1 and once for the dessert1 and no one seemed to pay any attention4 ,you did beautifully4 ,you had 'the noiseless tread' the perfect maid is supposed to possess and so seldom actually does have4 ,you see you can get along very well by yourself4 ,really1 if one has everything possible on the sideboard or on the serving table1 and will serve the main course ready prepared on plates1 there is nothing simpler than a luncheon4 ,now that we have tea served with the main course quite as often as coffee at the end1 that too makes things easy1 for with a ready prepared tray one can always manage passing the cups to a few women1 and if there is nothing else on the table there can be no confusion4 ,and what did it cost8 ,dolly inquired1 getting out her book4 ,soup3 ,i got a quart of milk for that1 and used a little spinach left over from the night before2 ,i got a little extra on purpose when ,i was buying it4 ,then ,i had a third of the milk left still for the potatoes4 ,the soup was about 4#jg4 ,there was three-quarters of a pound of the veal1 4#ba4 ,by the way1 did you see me cook that8 ,i pounded it well to ensure its being tender1 and then ,i breaded it twice over4 ,i thought you always breaded things twice4 ,i mean ,i breaded it four times4 ,i dipped each piece in crumbs1 then in egg1 then in crumbs1 just as usual2 then ,i laid it away till this dried1 and repeated the process4 ,last of all ,i fried it in the wire basket in deep fat1 and the result was a thick rich crust over veal as tender as chicken4 ,that is the way the ,germans cook it1 and ,i think it is awfully good4 ,then the potatoes1 those were only 4#je4 ,the peas1 half a can1 at 4#ae2 ,i used only half1 because by putting them in bread-crusts they not only look prettier1 but go much further4 ,the other half of the can we shall have for dinner to-night1 mixed with chopped carrots4 ,the salad1 lettuce1 cheese1 nuts and dressing were 4#be4 ,the mousse took only a bottle of cream1 a quarter of a pint1--4#ab1--;and the ice to freeze it was 4#je4 ,i put in only half a box of the berries at 4#ab1 and the rest go in the shortcake for to-night4 ,the almonds were only a handful4 ,i got half a pound and used only half of those2 four people do not consume so many as six do1 ,i find4 ,so altogether1 and allowing a margin for staples1 you see it comes out only a little over #a4jj--say about #a4be4 ,perfectly absurd6 ,i supposed it cost to have a luncheon1 and it doesn't4 ,i shall live in a perpetual round of gaiety1 entertaining seven days a week1 at this same rate4 ,now when will you have another8 ,next week1 ,i think4 ,this second one will have to cost more1 however1 for we shall have two more people in1 and must give them rather a better meal1 or rather1 a more elaborate meal4 ,shall we have the little maid8 ,oh1 well--never mind4 ,i suppose ,i must learn to do my own waiting if ,i am to begin as ,i must keep on afterward4 ,no1 ,i'll wait1 ,mary4 ,when they came to write out the menu for this second luncheon1 they again put down asparagus4 ,i'm afraid we shall be doomed to disappointment1 but ,i hope we may be able to find some that is cheap1 sighed ,mrs4 ,thorne4 ,nothing makes such a good company salad4 ,a little voice within me tells me we shall get it for almost nothing1 said her sister comfortably2 put it down1 ,mary4 ,this was the menu for the luncheon3 ,strawberries4 ,cream of beet soup4 ,salmon cutlets2 creamed potatoes2 peas2 tea4 ,asparagus salad with ,french dressing4 ,caf parfait4 ,but why is the main course fish instead of meat8 ,dolly inquired anxiously1 as she read it over4 ,oh1 at luncheon ,i often have a substantial fish course as a main one2 salmon is just what we want1 and in the spring ,i like it better than a meat1 anyway4 ,you will see that it is all right4 ,besides1 it is cheap6 ,i suspected as much4 ,canned1 then1 of course4 ,yes1 my dear1 canned1 and very good2 wait and see6 ,this time the centrepiece was the fern dish as usual1 but small white flowers were stuck in the earth all through the ferns1 and the effect was beautifully fresh4 ,for the meal1 the strawberries were laid on small plates on paper doilies in a circle1 with the hulls turned in2 in the middle lay a little heap of powdered sugar4 ,a finger-bowl stood above the plate1 and this was left on all through the luncheon4 ,in removing this course ,dolly merely took off the berry plates1 leaving the service plates beneath them on the table and putting the soup cups on these next2 later on she substituted the hot1 filled plates for both service plate and cup at once4 ,the salmon was picked over1 mixed with a stiff white sauce1 seasoned1 and then cooled for an hour4 ,the paste which resulted was cut in strips1 moulded into oval1 chop-shaped pieces1 and crumbed as usual2 these were again dried1 and last fried a golden brown in deep fat2 then a paper frill was stuck into each one to represent a chop bone4 ,they were laid on the hot plates and a spoonful of peas and one potato added4 ,as ,mary predicted1 the guests were fully satisfied1 and never missed meat4 ,the asparagus materialized for the salad1 to their delight4 ,it was cooked1 chilled1 laid on lettuce1 and a ,french dressing poured over just before it was passed4 ,the mousse1 or parfait1 was made as before1 but the flavoring of coffee was a cupful left from breakfast1 boiled with the sugar in the place of the water usually cooked with it4 ,if that luncheon was not expensive1 then ,i am indeed an ignoramus1 said ,dolly1 when they began to figure out its cost4 ,it tasted expensive1 ,mary4 ,it was that horrid asparagus4 ,why did you let me buy it1 ,dolly8 ,i am truly sorry ,i did1 for like you1 ,i suspect we have spent too much4 ,let us see4 ,strawberries--a whole box this time4 ,luckily they are cheaper1 however2 they cost 4#aj4 ,the soup was much as before3 left-over beets and three quarters of a quart of milk2 put down 4#jf4 ,salmon1 one can1 4#be2 peas1 one can1 4#ae2 potatoes1 only 4#je1 thank goodness6 ,asparagus1 4#cj1 and right in the height of the season1 too2 it's absurd4 ,lettuce1 4#je4 ,parfait1 say1 4#bj4 ,so1 allowing a margin as before1 it was about #a4cj4 ,oh1 well1 that is not as bad as ,i feared4 ,six people1 too6 ,but then1 this time we had almonds left over1 and ,dick gave me the chocolates we had on the table4 ,we must be careful1 anyway1 even if this once we have not overrun4 ,the third luncheon again had but six guests1 as ,dolly was perfectly sure she could not wait on more4 ,this time they were gay young women who were accustomed to all sorts of elaborate functions1 and ,dolly secretly dreaded her part4 ,they1 however thought it great fun to go to an informal meal cooked by one sister and served by another1 and eat few and simple dishes beautifully cooked2 so far from criticizing1 they rather envied the two hostesses their ability to carry off the affair with ease and charm4 ,the menu was planned very thoughtfully4 ,they wanted things rather prettier than ever1 and yet they must avoid extravagance4 ,they decided on this3 ,bouillon with whipped cream4 ,creamed fish4 ,chicken croquettes2 creamed peas2 potatoes2 chocolate with marshmallows4 ,pineapple salad1 cream cheese and wafers4 ,vanilla mousse with strawberries4 ,five courses1 commented ,dolly as the last was set down4 ,and chicken croquettes6 ,i call that elegance4 ,five courses1 because we omitted the fruit before the soup1 as we had it before1 and because fish is cheap and makes a good second course2 it sounds more elaborate than it really is4 ,now for our table3 do you suppose we could get some violets from the country8 ,they make such a lovely centrepiece4 ,of course we can4 ,let's ask the milkman to get us some4 ,this proved a lucky thought1 for the milkman had a small boy who promised to get a quantity of wood violets and send them in early in the morning by his father all tied up in bunches1 and all for twenty-five cents4 ,of course these were not fragrant like hothouse violets1 but they had quite as beautiful a color4 ,a lovely table was arranged with a low basket of the violets edged with a heavy band of their own leaves2 a couple of small glass dishes held some violet-colored candies1 and the finger-bowls which came on with the dessert had a couple of violets in each1 so that the effect of the meal was springlike4 ,the bouillon was made the day before it was needed1 out of bones and odds and ends of meat2 it was clarified1 colored a good brown with kitchen bouquet1 and well seasoned4 ,the spoonful of whipped cream on the hot soup gave a touch of richness to it4 ,the fish was merely a little plain fresh cod1 boiled the day before the luncheon1 then picked up in the morning1 mixed with white sauce1 put in individual dishes1 with crumbs on top1 and browned in the oven4 ,the croquettes were made out of a small-sized can of chicken of the best brand4 ,this was a genuine stroke of economy1 for the cost was just half of what the very toughest and oldest fowl would have been4 ,by taking it out of the tin in good season1 picking it up and letting it lie in the air till the oxygen lost in canning had been re-absorbed1 its flavor was largely restored1 and when the croquettes were made and came to the table1 golden brown without1 creamy within and deliciously seasoned1 no one suspected the artifice used in making them4 ,they were served with the peas and potato as before2 peas were a staple for luncheon1 ,mrs4 ,thorne thought4 ,this time the potatoes were not creamed1 however1 but cut in balls with a cutter and dropped in fat till they were browned4 ,instead of tea with this course1 there was chocolate1 served from the pot on the table1 and in each cup was dropped1 last of all1 one marshmallow1 which puffed and melted in the steaming heat and gave a delightful flavor4 ,after this course1 instead of exchanging the plates for others filled with salad1 ,dolly altered the plan of service4 ,she took off all the plates and left the table bare4 ,then she set on the salad in front of her sister2 it was so pretty that she wished every one to see it4 ,they had bought two pineapples1 which were cheap just then4 ,one was of moderate size1 and the other the very smallest they could find2 a perfect baby of a pineapple4 ,the larger one had been peeled1 picked up in bits and laid on lettuce on a flat glass dish4 ,the little one was not peeled1 but had its brush cut off with a slice from the top2 the centre was scooped out till only a shell remained1 and this was wiped dry and filled with a stiff mayonnaise2 the brush was put on again1 and the pineapple put on a plate with the ladle by its side4 ,in serving1 ,mary put a portion of the lettuce and pineapple on a plate1 and removed the cover of the new mayonnaise dish by lifting it by the brush and laying it on the plate2 then she added a spoonful of mayonnaise1 and ,dolly passed the plates for her4 ,this salad was a great success4 ,last of all came the vanilla mousse1 each glass topped by a big strawberry4 ,a few berries had also been sliced and mixed with the mousse as she put it in the glasses4 ,that was the best luncheon yet1 said ,dolly as they discussed the affair4 ,really1 ,i was proud of the table it was so pretty with those violets4 ,i don't know why it is1 but lay a table with pretty white doilies and put on violets1 and somehow it has a most gorgeous appearance4 ,then the luncheon itself was good1 thanks to your cooking1 ,mary2 ,i would not have been ashamed to have had anybody in the world drop in--not even a queen6 ,now what did it cost8 ,the flowers1 4#be1 figured ,mrs4 ,thorne aloud1 writing it down as she did so4 ,soup1 about 4#je2 ,i have been saving bones for that for days4 ,fish1 half a pound1 4#ji2 chicken1 4#be2 peas and potatoes1 4#bj2 chocolate and marshmallows1 about 4#aj4 ,salad1 two pineapples1 one 4#ae and one 4#je1 and lettuce and mayonnaise1 about 4#cj2 mousse and berries1--half a box of berries1--about 4#bj4 ,then almonds and candies and crackers1 and the little margin bring it up to1 say #a4ge4 ,that is much more1 ,dolly1 than we have spent yet4 ,yes1 but it's the last one of the season1 and think how good it all was6 ,i know1 but if we were going on we should have to cut down on things4 ,however1 ,i don't mind this once1 as we had money enough for it4 ,now while you have your book there1 do you not think it would be a good idea to write out some more possible luncheons like those we have had1 and average the price1 so you can have some sort of a guide to go by8 ,we can easily make out some menus for each season in the year1 since you are so determined to have them right along4 ,blessings on you for the thought6 ,begin right away4 ,first copy out those we have had and mark them ,spring1 while ,i go out and start the family meal that comes next4 ,i have bread to mix1 for one thing1 so give me time enough4 ,four minutes is plenty for that2 ,i'll give you just five4 ,when they were ready1 the list began with a very simple one first1 headed ,summer3 ,cream of corn soup4 ,frenched chops2 pure of cucumber2 potato croquettes2 iced tea4 ,lettuce with peppers stuffed with string-beans2 cheese balls4 ,ginger ice4 ,just make a memorandum of that cucumber pure1 said ,mary as ,dolly finished4 ,you cook the cucumbers soft in just a tiny bit of water2 then season well1 put them through the sieve1 and serve very hot1 a spoonful on each plate4 ,it is very good indeed4 ,the salad1 too1 is nice4 ,fill green pepper shells with tiny cooked beans1 and pour ,french dressing over2 on top of each put one white cream cheese ball1 and stand on a lettuce leaf4 ,the ice is just a plain lemon water ice1 with preserved ginger cut up in it4 ,now the next one1 said ,dolly4 ,well1 suppose we have two for each season4 ,this will do for another summer one3 ,cubes of watermelon in glasses4 ,soft shell crabs2 fried tomatoes2 potatoes4 ,yellow tomato salad on lettuce4 ,raspberry ice2 sponge cake4 ,iced coffee4 ,suppose you can't get crabs2 what do you do then8 ,tell the grocer to order them for you in tins2 they come with the shells thrown in at about thirty or forty cents a big can1 which holds enough for a whole family4 ,instead of having the soft-shelled crabs fried1 devil the canned meat and serve in the shells2 it's perfectly delicious4 ,and whatever is yellow tomato salad8 ,i never ate such a thing4 ,don't you know those little pear-shaped yellow tomatoes you see in summer8 ,you scald those and skin them1 chill them well1 lay them on lettuce1 and put on ,french dressing4 ,or1 you can have mayonnaise with them1 if you like4 ,it's a nice change from the usual salad1 and it will not interfere with your having fried tomatoes with the main course1 for they neither look or taste alike4 ,very well2 now the next one4 ,mark this ,autumn4 ,suppose we have melons first2 ,little melons1 halved4 ,tomato bisque4 ,strips of veal1 breaded2 creamed chestnuts2 spiced peaches2 coffee4 ,salad of red peppers filled with cauliflower4 ,pche ,melba4 ,cut the melons in halves1 ,dolly1 and chill them1 but mind you don't put ice inside1 to make them watery and horrid4 ,and pick out little melons1 spicy green ones4 ,get the big ,italian chestnuts to serve with the veal1 if you can4 ,cook and peel them1 and leave the inside skins on2 then just cream them4 ,if you can't get those1 use ordinary ones1 and put them through the sieve like a pure2 they taste just as well4 ,the salad is very pretty4 ,cut the tops off the red peppers and take out the inside exactly as you did with the green ones2 cook the cauliflower1 pick it up in flowerets1 and mix with ,french dressing and fill the peppers4 ,if you wish to be perfectly grand1 cook a carrot1 cut it up into tiny dice1 and put a few on top of each2 the colors are lovely together4 ,serve these on lettuce1 of course4 ,then the dessert4 ,halve nice peaches1 peel them1 and put one half on a round of sponge cake for each person4 ,fill the middle with a spoonful of plain ice-cream1 and add a little bit of candied cherry if you have any4 ,one more for ,autumn2 two for each season except ,spring1--,i have three for that1 said ,dolly complacently4 ,try this3 ,cream of ,lima bean soup4 ,filets of fish2 white sauce2 potato balls2 stuffed tomatoes4 ,lettuce and grape salad4 ,frozen peaches4 ,coffee4 ,that needs no explaining1 ,i am sure4 ,have sauce tartare instead of white sauce with the fish if you can afford it1 ,dolly1 for it's better4 ,and serve the peaches in glasses1 just a little to each person2 they will be cheap1 anyway1 at that time of year4 ,now for winter2 that is the most difficult time to entertain in1 to my thinking4 ,still1 we must entertain1 said ,dolly inflexibly4 ,then try this3 ,clam soup4 ,creamed chicken2 peas in crusts2 sweet potato puff2 tea4 ,celery and nut salad with mayonnaise4 ,little cakes filled with ice-cream4 ,very good6 ,and as ,i can make all those things1 go right on while the inspiration holds4 ,bouillon4 ,fried oysters with sauce tartare2 ,french fried potatoes2 creamed celery4 ,banana and peanut salad4 ,chocolate mousse4 ,coffee4 ,how do you make that salad8 ,peel the bananas and cut them in halves crosswise2 cut off also the pointed end to make each one look like a croquette2 then roll them in chopped peanuts and lay them on lettuce4 ,pass mayonnaise with them4 ,that's easy enough1 ,dolly said as she scribbled it down4 ,and that is the whole set already4 ,i wish you would go on and do me a lot more1 ,mary2 you do them like a lightning calculator4 ,why did ,i go to all the trouble to teach you that ,game of ,menus1 ,i'd like to know1 if this is the result8 ,not another one will ,i furnish you2 just write out a lot yourself4 ,well1 but don't rush away like that6 ,tell me how much these are going to cost8 ,i planned for a dollar and a quarter apiece for six people4 ,that leaves a margin1 and you can put as much or as little in addition in flowers and such extravagances as you choose4 ,i do not think any luncheon will cost more than my estimate2 if it does1 ,i'll pay the difference4 ,then ,i'm certain it will not cost one cent more1 said ,dolly with decision4 ,that remark settles the matter for me4 ,i know too well you would never make the offer if you were not sure and certain4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,in the ,country ,a letter from ,aunt ,maria1 said ,mr4 ,thorne1 who had met the postman at the door at breakfast time4 ,dear old lady6 ,i wonder whether she can be coming to make us a good long visit4 ,his wife looked up from the coffee cups with dismay4 ,don't suggest such a thing1 she remonstrated4 ,remember that last three months visit4 ,of course she will not come again for years4 ,dolly looked inquiringly at her sister4 ,aunt ,maria8 ,i think ,i recall something about a visit from such a relative4 ,of course you do1 said her brother4 ,she came and found ,mary was keeping house all wrong1 and kindly tried to show her how it should be done4 ,she insisted on boiled dinners and pie for me at night1 and doughnuts every morning for breakfast4 ,when at last she showed signs of getting ready to go home1 ,i entreated her to stay longer1 and it is my fondest dream to have her back2 indeed1 ,i want her to make her home with us permanently4 ,do hurry up and read the letter1 ,dick4 ,if she says she is coming here1 ,i warn you in advance that ,dolly can keep house4 ,i shall go off and make some visits4 ,after a brief glance at the page ,mr4 ,thorne waved the letter about his head4 ,glory1 glory6 he chanted4 ,listen to this and think shame to your inhospitable selves4 ',my dear ,nephew3--,i have decided to go ,west and spend the summer with your great-aunt ,eliza4 ,i write to say that1 as ,i do not care to close the cottage1 ,i shall be pleased to have you and ,mary spend two or three months in it4 ,i recall that though your ways of keeping house in the city seemed strange to me1 still ,mary did have things tidy1 so ,i am quite willing to have her here in my absence4 ,i shall go next week1 and you can come any time after that4 ,my regards to your wife4 ',your affectionate aunt1 ',maria ,hancock4' ,mary beamed as she listened4 ,dear old thing1 she said when her husband laid down the letter2 there's a reward for all my sufferings while she was here4 ,dolly1 she has a darling little house only an hour's ride from town2 and a garden1 my dear1 a garden6 ,we can have a lovely cool time all summer1 and eat our own vegetables4 ,think of it4 ,yes1 ,dolly1 ,i seem to smell the delicious1 soul-satisfying odor of those onions now1 said ,dick1 luxuriously closing his eyes4 ,young ones1 ,dolly1 strong and spicy4 ,we shall have them for breakfast in the morning and for dinner at night1 and ,i shall have a light lunch of them with bread and butter at bedtime2 there's nothing like onions for insomnia4 ,sundays1 of course1 ,i shall have them four times4 ,dear1 dear ,aunt ,maria6 ,hush1 ,dick2 don't spoil all our pleasure with such horrid suggestions4 ,is it really a nice place1 ,mary8 ,nice6 ,it's heavenly4 ,not much society1 you know1 just a plain little country village1 but cool and lovely4 ,we will wear our oldest gowns1 and do up fruit1 and have our breakfasts on the porch1 and just revel4 ,cherry pie1 murmured ,mr4 ,thorne1 who was apparently eating his breakfast in a sort of waking dream4 ,and apple pie2 rhubarb pie1 too1 and currant pie2 strawberry pie and gooseberry pie also4 ,dear ,aunt ,maria6 ,you can cut the grass nights after you get home1 ,dick1 said his wife2 and you can get up early and pull the weeds in the garden and water things4 ,and on half-holidays you can saw wood2 ,i remember ,aunt ,maria said she had a wood-stove4 ,it will give you just the exercise you need1 and be a pleasant change for you from office work4 ,mary1 said ,dick1 rising suddenly from the table1 don't detain me with such frivolous ideas when ,i am in such a hurry as ,i am in this morning4 ,however1 ,i must pause long enough to say that ,i am to have extra hours this summer1 and no half-holidays1 so that it will not do for you to depend upon me to pull weeds or cut grass4 ,you had better plan to do those little things yourselves4 ,he may joke all he likes1 smiled his wife as the dining-room door closed after her husband1 but he is as delighted as we are over the prospect4 ,we will go the very minute ,aunt ,maria leaves the house4 ,it seems as though ,i couldn't wait till then4 ,in ten days the little apartment was ready to be closed for the summer and the trunks stood in the hallway4 ,mrs4 ,thorne was taking a parting glance all around4 ,i have just one regret in leaving1 she said to ,dolly4 ,that is1 that we have had no time to try and sub-let this place4 ,i have known ever so many people who went away in summer and rented their apartments to people who wanted to come to the city and study in the college or take a course in art1 or something of the sort4 ,often you can find half a dozen nice girls who want to do their own housekeeping in a furnished flat1 and then1 you see1 ,i would have let them have this for exactly the same rent as we pay and so have saved a lot4 ,of course1 as we do not pay rent in the country1 there is no additional expense1 but still ,i cannot help mourning over the 'might have been4' ,remember1 ,dolly1 to try and get a good tenant when you move out temporarily4 ,by afternoon of the next day the family was settled in the little cottage4 ,it was a plain1 old house with a low roof1 and the furnishings were largely of hair-cloth1 and the pictures enlarged crayon portraits of deceased relatives1 or wreaths of wax flowers encased in glass4 ,still1 the porch was shaded with vines1 and the flowers grew luxuriantly in the little yard in front1 and back of the house was what ,mary declared was a perfect dream of a vegetable garden1 with rows of currant and raspberry bushes along the fence and a group of fruit trees in a tiny orchard further off4 ,altogether1 it was just what filled their needs4 ,the kitchen1 however1 does not suit me a bit1 declared ,dolly after the rest of the house had been examined and pronounced quite comfortable1 and roomy enough for a servantless mnage4 ,well1 it isn't up to our modern notions1 to be sure1 said her sister1 looking critically around4 ,everything is as clean as wax1 as ,i had expected1 but an unpainted sink needs lots of scrubbing1 and a wood-stove needs blacking1 and also constant stoking4 ,dear me1 how horrid it is to have to burn wood after gas6 ,but never mind2 ,i ought to be ashamed to say such a thing in view of our mercies4 ,keep your mind on the garden1 ,dolly1 and such things as scrubbing will be forgotten4 ,and no bread-mixer1 ,dolly went on1 investigating the pantry shelves1 and no egg-beater and no cream-whipper6 ,my dear1 we must pack up our trunks and go straight back to town4 ,we will be worn to a frazzle in a week working in ,aunt ,maria's ways4 ,don't worry1 said ,mrs4 ,thorne placidly4 ,those things are all in the big barrel ,i packed while you were off shopping day before yesterday4 ,i forgot to tell you4 ,i knew we would have to eke out in such things4 ,as to the bread-mixer1 one of my unpardonable sins1 in ,aunt ,maria's eyes1 was that ,i made bread in one1 so ,i knew in advance that ,i must bring mine along4 ,and did you buy a kerosene-stove1 too8 ,yes1 ,i did6 ,i was going to surprise you with it1 however1 and ,i wish you hadn't asked4 ,i just boldly took the price out of ,incidentals1 knowing that we should save mints of money on vegetables this summer and ,i could put the amount back on our return to town in ,september4 ,and all those groans over the stove-stoking we were going to do were words1 idle words6 ,mrs4 ,thorne laughed gaily4 ,just low comedy1 she said4 ,and now for our meals4 ,what shall we have for dinner to-night8 ,we shall have to go down-town and buy some butter and eggs and coffee and such things1 and bring them back1 too2 we must not expect city service here4 ,they decided that this first night it would be foolish to try and have a regular dinner1 so when ,mr4 ,thorne came home he found a supper table set out on the porch1 and a little meal arranged of parsley omelet1 creamed potatoes1 and coffee1 followed by strawberries and cream4 ,it was the very poetry of living to sit leisurely in the growing dusk under the vines and listen to the soft country noises4 ,the family then and there decided to take their meals out-of-doors all summer4 ,the neighbors will think we are crazy1 said ,mr4 ,thorne placidly4 ,they will write to ,aunt ,maria and tell her we are disgracing her hearthstone4 ,no well conducted villagers would think of doing such a thing as eating on a porch when there was a dining-room with a black walnut table and six chairs in their proper places4 ,they will not consider us respectable1 my dears6 ,i can't help it if they don't like it1 and ,i don't believe it would surprise ,aunt ,maria in the least if she heard of it2 ,i think she would say she had no doubt ,i was quite capable of doing something even as outlandish as this4 ,but in spite of everything1 we certainly shall have our meals out-of-doors except on blazing hot noons1 and on rainy nights4 ,so there6 ,mr4 ,thorne was entirely right in the estimation put on the family by the neighbors1 but nevertheless they ate1 and rejoiced that they could eat under the vines on the porch all summer long4 ,the second day they took account of what their garden could be depended on to give them4 ,they found string-beans in plenty1 radishes1 potatoes1 spinach and beets4 ,lettuce was almost ready2 peas and corn progressing nicely1 and later on there would be cucumbers and tomatoes and eggplant4 ,last of all1 squashes and melons might be looked for4 ,they could scarcely believe all this wealth was to be theirs for the picking4 ,but the weeding1 don't forget that6 said ,dolly1 as she heard her sister's exclamation4 ,i somehow don't seem to fancy the idea of weeding this place4 ,at least1 ,i don't yearn to begin4 ,i think we had better have a regular weeding boy2 we can pay him in vegetables4 ,he will not take them2 everybody has vegetables here4 ,then we will pay him in dollars and cents1--mostly cents4 ,of course we can't do the weeding ourselves1 except casually and at odd minutes1 and ,i foresee that ,dick will never do a bit4 ,i shall take the money out of what we would spend on food at home1 our dollar a day4 ,weeding is a legitimate expense1 but you know how ,i hate to break into ,incidentals1 and we can easily save here4 ,there's the washing and ironing1 remember4 ,you have got to pay for those1 you know4 ,i wonder whether they will be a great deal here4 ,those will be less than in town2 we can have the wash-lady scrub up the floors too4 ,and there is milk4 ,that will be less1 too4 ,in town we have to pay eight cents a bottle1 and in some places it is more than that2 here1 ,i fancy1 it will be about six cents a quart4 ,and there is ice2 or do they use ice in the country8 ,yes1 they cut it on the river near here2 but it is not always good or abundant4 ,i rather think we cannot use it recklessly2 ,i have known the supply to give out in the middle of the summer when there was a short crop cut4 ,and is it cheap8 ,about as much as in town1 ,i think2 that is the way usually4 ,what do you think about meat8 ,did you see the butcher shop when we came up from the station8 ,yes1 and ,i did not like its looks a bit better than ,i see you did4 ,but perhaps we need not buy our meat there1 if we do not like it better when we go inside and look around4 ,there may be a meat-wagon that comes around4 ,i think meat-wagons are horrid2 they are never clean4 ,not to our city eyes1 you mean4 ,well1 we shall see4 ,perhaps there is a model cart with everything spick and span1 and driver in a white jacket2 who knows8 ,one morning1 when they had quite settled down to housekeeping1 ,mary got out the best preserving-kettle1 after the breakfast dishes were done1 and presently the weeding boy appeared with a big basket of strawberries which had been ordered the day before1 as the garden bed must not be entirely picked off4 ,now for some delicious strawberry preserves1 the cook observed as she began vigorously to stem them4 ,get out my book1 ,dolly1 and copy down for yourself that recipe marked ',strawberries2 unfailing4' ,i got it from a ,danish woman once1 and it is the best ,i ever saw4 ,the fruit looks like rich ,german berries1 the kind that come done up in glass and cost a dollar a bottle1 and they never lose color or spoil2 they keep for years4 ,so ,dolly read and wrote out3 ',get firm1 large berries1 and stem but do not wash them4 ,weigh three-quarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit1 and arrange them in layers in your kettle2 cover and let them stand all night 7or if the weather is very hot and damp1 do this in the early morning and cook them toward night74 ,the next morning put the kettle on and bring the berries slowly to the boiling point and skim them4 ,simmer exactly fifteen minutes and take the kettle off the fire2 cover it with a thin cloth and let it stand all night without moving4 ,in the morning heat again1 and skim2 this time let it simmer exactly ten minutes and take off the kettle2 drain off the juice and boil down for just five minutes1 put the berries in1 and put them in the cans and seal4' ,that's a queer rule1 ,dolly commented as she finished4 ,it's perfectly splendid1 and we will follow it to the letter and you shall see for yourself4 ,now remember this important thing that ,i am about to tell you1 for it is something you must never lose sight of when you do up fruit3 the reason why any fruit spoils1 when you put it in good1 air-tight cans1 is that you have not sterilized the cans and covers1 and have not used new rubbers each year4 ,but just how do you sterilize cans8 ,wash them1 and then put them in the oven1 tops and all1 and bake them half an hour4 ,put the rubbers in hot water for fifteen minutes and wipe them dry4 ,and always use glass cans with glass tops fastened on with wires4 ,when you put the fruit away1 find a place for it in a cool1 rather dark closet4 ,if you do all these things1 none of it will ever 'turn' or spoil4 ,well1 ,i'll impress it all on my mind4 ,now tell me what we are going to do up this summer1 and all about it4 ,currants come first4 ,i shall make jelly of some of those1 and later on we will spice them and make conserve1 and mix some with raspberries for another sort of jam4 ,does your jelly always 'jell8' ,always4 ,it has to1 whether it wants to or not4 ,most jellies are perfectly easy to make1 so you can follow a good cook-book2 currant jelly is the only sort you could ever have any trouble with1 and that you need not have if you follow this rule4 ,write down3 ',currant ,jelly ,that ,never ,fails4 ,take currants that are barely ripe1 and do not pick them just after a rain1 when the juice is thin4 ,do not stem them or wash them1 but look them over carefully and crush them in a crock with a wooden potato masher4 ,put them in a bag1 and hang them up and let them drain all night4 ,in the morning measure the juice and take just as much sugar1 with the addition of one extra half-pint at the end2 put this in the oven to heat4 ,put the juice on the fire and boil it twenty minutes1 skimming it occasionally2 then put in the hot sugar and stir till this is dissolved4 ,let it boil up hard just once1 and take it from the fire immediately1 for the jelly has come2 longer boiling will prevent its ever setting4 ,pour it into glasses and put it in the sunshine for two days1 then cover with paraffin and put it away4 ,this is perfectly clear and of a fine flavor4' ,so it is1 ,mrs4 ,thorne added1 as ,dolly copied the last words4 ,next let us make a sort of list of what you can put up when you are where you can get fruits cheaply in summer4 ,when you are in town you cannot well do them by the wholesale1 but a glass or a can when you can find something reasonable1 such as a box of nice berries one day1 and a quart of nicer plums the next1 and so on4 ,like winter preserves1 said ,dolly4 ,exactly4 ,but now1 as we happen to be in clover this summer1 we must do up a lot of things4 ,i have learned to alternate the fruits1 one year doing one kind and the next leaving that sort out and taking another1 for variety's sake2 but as you are going to divide all the fruit with me this year and have half for your very own1 we must do up heaps and piles of everything4 ,i will tell you what we can make if we choose4 ,dolly took her pencil again1 and her sister gave her this list3 ,take strawberries first2 those you preserve and also make into jam4 ,then come cherries2 like the strawberries1 you use the ,danish rule1 taking less sugar if they are sweet1 or the usual amount if they are sour4 ,you can make spiced cherries to eat with meats1 too2 those are lovely4 ,currants you make into jelly1 of course2 to my mind it is the best kind of all4 ,then you spice them also1 and make currant conserve1 which is a mixture of currants1 raisins and oranges1 and awfully good4 ,you also mix them with red raspberries for jam1 and if you like1 you make raspberry and currant jelly too4 ,raspberries you do up by the ,danish rule1 using the smaller amount of sugar1 as they are sweet4 ,raspberry jam is very nice for a good many things1 and ,i usually do up a good deal of that4 ,then come gooseberries2 those you make into jam to eat with cream cheese--home-made ,bar-le-,duc1 you know4 ,and you spice them exactly as you do currants4 ,all those rules are in your cook-book4 ,pineapples you can with a good deal of sugar4 ,blackberries you can make into jam and jelly1 and you can also can them1 but to my mind they are pretty seedy except in jelly1 and that is rather dark colored1 not as pretty as most jellies4 ,still1 all things are good for a change4 ,blueberries or huckleberries ,i can for tarts in winter4 ,then melons come on1 and you can make watermelon sweet pickles1 and also citron preserves4 ,plums come1 too1 about this time1 and those you merely can1 making them as sweet as you like4 ,i put up greengages and purple plums in quantities1 and use them for deep tarts in winter1 saving eggs1 you see1 in my desserts4 ,and ,i also make plum jelly and spiced plums1 if ,i can get them at a cheap price4 ,peaches are your best preserve4 ,i can them in a rather rich syrup1 leaving them whole and putting in a good many kernels from their stones4 ,buy those carefully1 for they are usually expensive4 ,the bits left over ,i make into peach jam2 it is the best thing for little tarts and to use with whipped cream in different ways4 ,and of course ,i make spiced peaches1 too4 ,pears ,i can1 and ,i make pear conserve1 out of pears1 lemon and ginger-root2 that is very good with cream cheese and crackers for lunch4 ,quinces ,i use in jelly1 sometimes mixing apples with it1 as it is apt to be a little high flavored4 ,i also do up a few cans of preserves1 and once in awhile ,i make a lovely conserve of quince1 grapefruit and a few oranges2 that ,i do later in the fall4 ,grapes ,i make into jelly1 and ,i spice a lot1 too4 ,i make a marmalade with the skins and pulp and sugar1 all boiled down together2 and grape conserve1 made of grape pulp and oranges and raisins1 is one of my choicest things4 ,citron you preserve2 it looks exactly like pineapple4 ,by this time crab-apples come1 and ,i spice some of those1 and make a good deal of jelly1 it is so clear and pretty4 ,by the way1 because your cook-book will not mention the fact1 remember always to put half a lemon1 cut up with its peel1 into each kettle of hot jelly as you take it off the fire2 just stir it in and leave it while you dip out the jelly4 ,it gives a delicious flavor4 ,and when you want geranium jelly1 drop in three of four leaves of rose geranium with the lemon at the same time2 you can bruise them a little if you like4 ,spiced crab-apple jelly is nice1 too2 you just add a bag of whole spices as it cooks4 ,you see what a lot of things there are1 and ,i am sure ,i could think up others if ,i tried4 ,but probably you will learn more for yourself as you keep house1 because every cook is experimenting nowadays1 and you constantly hear of new things4 ,i am sure ,i shall love to do up fruit2 it looks so pretty when it is in the glass1 and you feel so rich when you see it on your shelves4 ,the worst of it is that it is the poetry of cooking1 and all housekeepers love to do it up1 love it not wisely but too well4 ,they buy when they ought not1 and put too much money in both fruit and sugar4 ,often they have to keep a lot over from year to year1 which is not at all a good idea4 ,so be on your guard and do not rashly buy and do up everything in sight every summer4 ,of course this one year1 when we are economizing so in vegetables and milk1 we can afford to spend more than usual in other things4 ,then1 too1 most of the fruit is right in our own garden1 which is a wonderful stroke of good fortune and probably will not come our way twice4 ,and ,i brought out that barrel of cans and glasses from town1 so we shall not have to buy as many as we would otherwise2 we shall have to buy some dozens1 however1 ,i am afraid4 ,don't you think we ought to do up some fruit for ,aunt ,maria1 ,mary8 ,indeed ,i do4 ,i am not sure whether she will like the idea1--though ,i hope she will like the fruit1--but ,i think we had better get out her own cans and fill them with the old-fashioned things she will be apt to enjoy1 such as cherries and strawberries and quinces and watermelon rind4 ,it will be fun to leave her some things1 and goodness knows we ought to1 after all we have had out of her garden4 ,do you ever do up vegetables8 ,i seldom have done that1 but we must this year4 ,we will do up some peas and corn and succotash1 and string-beans and tomatoes1 anyway4 ,i thought vegetables didn't keep well if you did them up yourself4 ,get a good rule to begin with2 you can get a perfect one by sending to ,washington to the ,bureau of ,agriculture4 ,then sterilize your cans1 and you won't have a bit of trouble4 ,spoiling used to be the bane of a housekeeper1 for five times out of ten things would sour1 and she could not tell what was the matter2 but sterilize the cans1 and you will be all right4 ,and do you think you save a lot by doing up vegetables8 ,of course you do--heaps of money2 you can see how that is at a glance2 and they are so much better than what you buy1 too4 ,tomatoes ,i just peel and salt a little1 and put in cans and stand them in a cold oven2 then ,i make a fire and leave them till the tomatoes boil4 ,i keep one extra canful ready to fill up the others from as ,i take them out1 because they shrink a little as they cook2 then ,i put on the covers4 ,they come out six months later just as though they had just been gathered4 ,you see how easy that is1 especially as you scald the tomatoes instead of taking off the skin with a knife1 as you do with fruits4 ,string beans and peas ,i can so you would not know them from fresh ones4 ,i pick them over and put them on in cold water and simmer them fifteen minutes2 then ,i drain and measure them2 to a quart of either ,i put in one level teaspoonful of salt and one of sugar1 and to each four quarts one of soda2 then ,i put them back in the kettle1 just cover them with hot water1 cook five minutes and can them in glass jars4 ,oh1 ,mary1 that reminds me--pickles6 ,you haven't said a word about those4 ,to be sure4 ,well1 ,i do up few of those1 because we like sweet pickles made from fruit better than sour ones of vegetables2 but you can make some tiny little cucumber pickles if you like1 and chow chow1 and chili sauce1 and a sort of mince made of green tomatoes and cabbage and all sorts of things4 ,you can study up on pickles1 later on1 and ask people who like to do them up about recipes1 and decide1 as time goes on1 what you want4 ,we have undertaken so much this summer that1 except for chili sauce and a few jars of other things1 ,i do not think we shall do much in the pickle line4 ,pickles are really not economical1 because they do not serve as a food1 as fruit and jellies and jams do2 they are only a relish1 after all4 ,still1 they help out1 especially at luncheon1 so put up some when you keep house1 by all means4 ,picking over the strawberries and starting the process of preserving them1 making up jam out of the smaller and poorer berries1 and a hurried trip down town for more sugar1 together with getting lunch and cleaning up the kitchen after all the work was done1 consumed most of the day4 ,it was not until toward night that ,mrs4 ,thorne began to make preparations for dinner1 and then she found that the beef left by the butcher had evidently not been kept in the ice-house1 but had been exposed on the counter1 and it had a distinct odor which was anything but pleasant4 ,no wonder he drove off in such haste after he gave me the bundle1 said ,dolly indignantly4 ,whatever shall we do1 now1 ,mary8 ,go down-town for more8 ,no1 it's much too hot1 and we are too tired4 ,we shall have a supper of some kind4 ,let me see2 what can we have8 ,i'm really too used up to think4 ,iced tea for one thing2 that is made and ready1 at least4 ,but the kerosene-stove has got to be filled before we can cook anything1 for the oil gave out just as we finished the last strawberry4 ,mary looked apprehensive4 ,it did8 ,my dear1 that was the last drop in the house1 and they won't deliver anything after four o'clock4 ,and there's not a single stick of wood sawed1 either1 for that miserable boy1 who promised to come back after handing in the berries1 has never appeared at all4 ,what will you do8 ,dick is sure to come home ravenous4 ,there's the chafing-dish1 blessings on it6 ,and the alcohol bottle is full2 even if all the other fuels have given out1 that remains4 ,we will stir up something in that and have a salad4 ,always have a chafing-dish1 ,dolly2 there are times when life would not be worth living without it4 ,the emergency shelf of the pantry yielded a can of salmon1 and this was drained and the bones removed1 and a white sauce made for it in one of the pans of the dish4 ,it was to be reheated and the fish put in it in the chafing-dish on the table4 ,with this was to be bread and butter and iced tea4 ,for a salad1 ,dolly1 get those string-beans ,i cooked and set away this morning4 ,put them on lettuce and add ,french dressing2 that will be very nice4 ,for dessert ,i meant to have strawberries1 but the very idea of them is nauseating after working with them all day4 ,i should rather think so--strawberries1 indeed6 ,no1 for once ,i am going over to neighbor ,thomas' and borrow2 that is the proper thing to do in the country1 and ,i dare say they have felt slighted that we have not been before4 ,probably they think we are proud4 ,i know they have more cream from that ,jersey cow than they can possibly use1 and ,i have an idea of a dessert ,i can make up all alone4 ,mary1 do you think we shall ever be able to have a real live cow of our very own8 ,if we were going to live in the country the year around1 ,i think somehow or other we ought to manage to have one4 ,we should have to pay for hay and things in winter to feed it on1 and get somebody to milk it1 though1 and ,i remember to have heard that caring for the milk was no small consideration when one has a small family4 ,i rather think1 when you counted up the first cost of a good cow and added the price of its care and food1 you would find it was cheaper to buy milk2 but wouldn't it be perfectly delightful never to have to economize on it8 ,think of the cream soups and ice-cream and custards and fresh cream cheese and everything else6 ,well1 ,dolly1 dear1 run along on your errand1 for if we continue this subject you will see me dissolve in tears4 ,their neighbor proved to have a bowl of cream she did not need and was glad to let ,dolly have1 and in a moment the cream-whipper was at work1 and presently a mass of stiff whip was ready1 sweetened1 flavored and laid lightly on a cold glass dish4 ,then going to the pantry1 a small paper box was found among the cracker boxes sent from town4 ,this was full of lady-fingers4 ,half of it was used for the dessert1 as they were split and arranged around the cream1 and there was a most delicious mould of charlotte russe4 ,as half the five-cent box of cakes was left over1 this cost but a veritable song1 thanks to the neighbor's kindness1 which1 by the way1 was repaid later on by the gift of a strawberry shortcake4 ,mary was getting the chafing-dish ready to light for the second time the moment the latch of the garden gate announced her husband's home-coming4 ,meanwhile she gave ,dolly a talk on its uses4 ,always have a chafing-dish in the house1 she began seriously4 ,when you need it at all1 you need it dreadfully4 ,now1 in a place like this1 where you may be caught unawares at any moment with no fuel1 you can see that we simply could not do without it4 ,of course in town we have the gas-stove1 and that cooks just as well as this1 but even there a chafing-dish is a good thing to own4 ,on ,sunday night1 for supper1 it is more fun to cook with this than it is to stir up things in the kitchen4 ,then1 too1 when you have people in during the evening1 it is nice to have them sit around the table and chat while you get up a little supper with it4 ,you can have so many good things in it1 too1 such as lobster1 creamed or ,newburg1 and scrambled eggs mixed with green peppers or tomatoes1 or creamed haddie1 or cheese fondu or rarebit4 ,and with sandwiches and coffee and salad1 you can see you can have a really beautiful supper1 the coffee in the machine on the sideboard or on one end of the table1 the salad ready in its bowl1 and the chafing-dish and hot plates in front of the hostess4 ,yes1 of course it is fun to use one4 ,i know lots of girls who make a regular business of learning how to make new things2 they take cooking lessons on them4 ,i know they do1 but sometimes ,i am inclined to think they overdo that matter4 ,you should not take a chafing-dish too seriously1 in my opinion4 ,it is invaluable in an emergency1 and good at other times1 but after all it is better to learn to cook on a range1 and make all sorts of things1 and then you can easily add on the chafing-dish cookery4 ,in other words1 it is an informal utensil for informal occasions1 not for every-day use4 ,well1 certainly to-night we needed it badly enough1 and if ,dick declines to saw wood this evening1 as my prophetic soul says he will1 we shall have to get breakfast on it too4 ,what will you have8 ,let me see4 ,are there plenty of eggs8 ,i think we will scramble some1 or1 if we are short1 we will cream codfish in the dish4 ,the coffee ,i shall make in one of the two pans1 too1 since our machine is in town4 ,toast we can't have1 and muffins are equally out of the question1 but we will have berries1 and bread and butter1 and then our nice hot dish and coffee4 ,that's a meal fit for anybody4 ,and 'no trouble at all1' quoted ,dolly4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,midsummer ,housekeeping--,the ,end of the ,holiday ,as summer went on the weather turned extremely hot1 and the problem of keeping the little house cool and doing the work easily became a real study to the sisters4 ,it was such a simple matter to allow the cooking to stretch itself out over so much of the morning that before they realized it they were tired out for the rest of the day4 ,in order to make things easier1 they decided to rise a trifle earlier than usual1 throw open all the doors and windows1 and let the cool air in2 then they would breakfast on the porch as usual1 wash up the dishes1 and set the house in order and close and darken it for the middle of the day4 ,there would still be time to go down-town and market and do what cooking was necessary1 and yet before noon everything would be out of the way4 ,by careful planning they could manage the luncheons and dinner so that they could be ready in advance and the long afternoons could be devoted to rest and reading4 ,then between four and five o'clock the doors and windows were again thrown open4 ,the dinner table was laid on the porch1 just before the six o'clock train was due1 and the dinner itself was put on in only a moment1 thanks to the foresight of the morning4 ,one of the things upon which ,mrs4 ,thorne laid great emphasis was the delightfulness of cold meals on hot days4 ,when one rose jaded from a sultry night she felt it was not the time for codfish cakes or scrambled eggs4 ,when luncheon was to be set out1 things from the refrigerator were what one wished for1 cold and comfortable4 ,even at dinner1 the food on a blisteringly hot evening was cold2 cold and appetizing1 and quite as nourishing as though it had been heated4 ,they arranged these meals in this way3 for breakfast1 they cooked oatmeal or farina or some other cereal in the fireless stove all day1 till it was a jelly2 toward night they put this into a mould1 cooled it1 and then set it on the ice4 ,in the morning they had first a pretty form of this cereal surrounded by red raspberries or sliced peaches1 with sugar and cream2 this1 with toast and hot coffee1 was all they wished for4 ,sometimes1 when they tired of the cereal1 they had a chilled salad of sliced tomatoes on lettuce1 with a light ,french dressing1 a curious breakfast dish1 but one they found very refreshing in the heat4 ,on cooler mornings they had a first course of little melons1 followed by eggs1 muffins and coffee1 or fried tomatoes in the place of the eggs4 ,for luncheon they had all sorts of things from the garden4 ,often the main dish was a vegetable salad1--string-beans or stuffed tomatoes1 or cucumbers and tomatoes1--with freshly made cottage cheese bought from a neighbor1 and bread and butter and iced tea1 coffee or chocolate4 ,or1 if the day was cool1 they had the vegetable hot1--baked corn1 or creamed peas1 or tomatoes1 baked1 filled with crumbs and seasoning1--and for a second course there was usually fruit4 ,luncheons such as these were nothing to get up4 ,the vegetables were prepared directly after breakfast4 ,if they were to be served as salads1 they were cooked1 cooled and set on the ice2 if hot1 they were made all ready to put in the oven at the last moment4 ,their cold dinners1 however1 were their pride4 ,they found so many good things to have that they fairly hesitated which to choose for any particular night4 ,sometimes they began with clear soup4 ,this1 of course1 was made the day before in the tireless stove1 and only strained and put on ice the next morning for the second evening4 ,on very hot days sometimes they put it in a small pail1 and set this in another and larger one1 with ice between1 and put it back in the stove for the afternoon2 then it came out full of splinters of ice1 a most delightfully cool affair4 ,fruit soups they experimented with1 but found they did not care for1 so they clung to this clear bouillon when they had soup at all4 ,usually1 however1 their dinner began with meat4 ,this was made ready either the day before it was needed1 or else it was prepared early in the morning4 ,they had veal loaf sometimes1 surrounded with sliced tomatoes and ,french dressing2 or slices of cold mutton with peas in mayonnaise2 or occasionally1 as a treat1 jellied chicken with the peas4 ,sometimes they had bits of lamb1 cooked very tender with a knuckle-bone1 and then made exactly like the jellied chicken1 the meat turning out set in an aspic4 ,often peas were mixed with the lamb in the mould1 and then a little gelatine was added to ensure its setting firmly4 ,usually1 with the dish1 they had dressed lettuce4 ,after this combination course of meat and salad1 came dessert4 ,they often had an ice or sherbet made from the fruit in the garden1 costing nothing but the small amount of sugar used in making it and the ice used in freezing4 ,this was alternated with some sort of mousse made in the fireless stove4 ,sometimes there was fruit jelly1 raspberries1 possibly1 set with lemon jelly1 moulded in a circle with whipped cream in the middle4 ,or there would be a chilled rice pudding2 or peaches1 cut up1 sugared1 and put in a pail with ice around them and set away till they were half frozen4 ,these things1 too1 could all be prepared early in the day4 ,usually1 even when the weather was hot1 the one exception to the cold-food rule was the coffee1 which they liked best hot at night as well as morning1 but when they had had any mousse or ice-cream for dinner1 part of this was sometimes saved1 and late in the evening there came in tall glasses of iced coffee or chocolate with a spoonful of the cream in the bottom of each2 a sort of ice-cream-soda they particularly fancied4 ,when the weather grew cooler these cold dinners gave way to hot ones4 ,then they had cream soups first1 made with any vegetable they happened to have ready cooked from the night before2 a spoonful of spinach1 or a handful of beans1 or the outer leaves of lettuce1 all were used4 ,afterward came meat and vegetables1 and then perhaps a berry tart or a custard or shortcake4 ,however1 whatever they had1 they were certain to prepare it to the last possible spoonful in the morning4 ,the meat course at dinner was too often a problem1 for the butcher continued all summer to exercise them in the virtue of patience4 ,in the early part of their stay his shop was so far from sanitarily clean that they were obliged to tell him they could not trade with him unless he improved his ways4 ,this he good-naturedly consented to do as far as in him lay4 ,he put his meat in the ice-box instead of leaving it exposed on the counter2 what there was out he covered with a mosquito-netting4 ,but as his ice-box was small1 this meant that the meat could not hang long enough to make it tender2 it was brought in one day by the farmers and put out for sale the next4 ,all the beef was tough and stringy2 the veal was apt to be far too young1 and the chickens far too old4 ,there was seldom any lamb to be had1 and the mutton often had a curious flavor decidedly suggestive of wool4 ,to offset these difficulties1 however1 there were some advantages1 advantages over the city market1 even4 ,by watching the calves brought in1 ,mary could select the largest one and insist that her meat must be cut from that4 ,then she would also secure the liver for almost nothing1 and the sweetbreads and brains for a song2 as she predicted in the winter she would find1 the farming community did not appreciate these things as she did4 ,the liver she roasted after larding it1 and it made a delicious dinner1 while the left-over appeared the next night as mock terrapin and was equally good4 ,the sweetbreads and brains were of course among their choicest dishes4 ,sometimes on a ,sunday night they had a salad of them served on lettuce with mayonnaise4 ,the mutton she bought occasionally1 for it was cheap1 too1 but she always parboiled it before roasting it1 and put considerable seasoning in the dish to disguise the woolly flavor she perhaps imagined she noticed4 ,once cold1 however1 this disappeared1 and the meat was a welcome change from the other things she could get4 ,though the beef was really almost worthless in the condition in which it appeared in the shop1 as it was coarse and tough and not ready to eat1 this ,mary also made palatable4 ,she would buy a piece off the round1 and put it through her own meat-chopper to ensure having it clean4 ,this then appeared as ,hamburg steak1 surrounded by all sorts of vegetables1 small piles of tiny carrots1 little beans and fresh peas setting the brown meat off by their alternating colors4 ,or she cut the beef up into finger lengths and stewed it long and slowly in the tireless stove1 putting in barley and tomatoes and other good things till it came out a delicious1 rich1 and nourishing stew4 ,when she could get a beef's tongue1 she always rejoiced1 for one night it was braised with vegetables1 and another the slices left over were set in an aspic jelly1 and a third the rest was chopped1 creamed and slightly baked1 and the whole cost little as compared to what she would have had to pay in town1 where tongue was an extravagant meat4 ,when a chicken could be found which promised to be tender1 that was purchased1 not at twenty-two cents or thereabouts1 as it would have been in the city1 but for fifteen cents4 ,this was usually split up the back and panned for ,sunday dinner4 ,when an old fowl was purchased for jellied chicken for hot nights1 it was first stewed to rags1 then imbedded in its own stock1 strained and set with gelatine1 and it came out tender in spite of itself4 ,as to fish1 once in awhile they could get something from the river4 ,a fish-man drove a wagon past the door1 but as he asked city prices for what he had1 and as there was always some doubt as to just what day the fish had originally appeared on sale1 these they never purchased4 ,the little perch and sunfish small boys brought straight from the water1 strung on twigs and still dripping1 they did buy1 and found them excellent for a change1 though after the skin and bones were removed there was little left of the fish4 ,as to groceries1 there had been a good deal of trouble at first4 ,the coffee and tea at the post-office-shop were too poor to use2 the spices were distinctly stale2 crackers were to be had only in broken bits from the common barrel4 ,butter was almost as expensive as in town1 and not very good even so2 too often it was pale1 and the buttermilk exuded in tiny drops here and there4 ,eggs were a constant source of anxiety2 they were not only much more expensive than they should have been1 according to ,mrs4 ,thorne's ideas1 but they were of all ages1 and so mixed at the store that it was impossible to decide which would do for breakfast and which would not1 until1 by breaking several1 one after the other1 it was found that all were about equally stale4 ,to make housekeeping easy1 it was necessary to hunt up a farmer's wife who made really good butter and would promise to deliver it weekly4 ,this arrangement proved the solution of that difficulty4 ,sometimes1 when the weather was cool1 ,dolly would take the cream-whipper1 and using the sweet cream she could occasionally get for a small sum1 she would turn out enough delicious unsalted butter to make the next day's meals a delight4 ,the egg problem had to be solved in the same fashion as the butter problem4 ,a farmer had to be found who would bring in a dozen eggs or more a week1 provided he had them2 too often he came supplied with only half as many as they wished to have1 hens being obdurate at the time4 ,this meant that they had then to be very economical for awhile1 till the wretched fowls returned to business4 ,most of the groceries had to be ordered from town1 for their coffee and tea must be good1 and a certain number of packages of crackers and fancy biscuit1 with salmon1 olives1 spices1 chocolate1 gelatine1 raisins and some tins of olive oil1 were ordered with them4 ,the staples1 flour1 sugar1 rice1 salt1 corn-meal and such things1 they bought from day to day1 as they were needed1 at the local grocery4 ,ice continued to arrive on schedule time1 but as it was almost as dear as at home1 they had to use it carefully4 ,the water was bottled and put on it in the refrigerator4 ,tea and coffee were treated in the same way1 so that they could all be used without adding any ice from the block1 except perhaps a small bit in each glass4 ,they kept the one large piece carefully wrapped up1 to prevent its melting1 in defiance of the advice of most household teachers of housekeeping1 who had declared that the truest economy consisted in letting the ice melt as it would1 in order to best preserve the food4 ,they found that the food still kept from day to day when the ice was wrapped1 and just half as much had to be bought as when it melted at its own sweet will4 ,when they had ice-cream they made only a small quantity at a time by having a little freezer1 and breaking only as much ice as they really needed4 ,they made more sherbets than any other frozen dainty1 and for these they used fruit from the garden2 raspberry1 cherry and currant ices took little from the family purse4 ,when cream was used1 it was made into mousse1 and of course frozen in the tireless stove4 ,this useful article1 by the way1 was not brought from town1 but constructed out of a wooden candy-pail with hay-filled pads2 it took only a morning of the sisters' time1 and no money at all to make4 ,one warm afternoon ,dolly roused herself from a reverie in the hammock and suddenly said to ,mary1 ,this place reminds me of the seashore6 ,because it's so different1 ,i suppose4 ,exactly2 you have guessed it4 ,the reason why ,i was reminded of the seashore in the first place1 however1 was the distant view ,i get from here of the fish-man's wagon disappearing down the road1 and the thought of the shore suggested the summer we all spent there together before you were married4 ,i was wondering whether you knew much about housekeeping then1 and how you found living there compared with living here4 ,i really did not do any housekeeping then1 but four years ago ,dick and ,i spent three weeks there visiting a friend1 and ,i learned all about the way prices ran from her2 she was a splendid manager1 too4 ,well1 what do you think of the difference between it and this place8 ,it's as wide as the sea itself4 ,in the first place1 unless you go to a very primitive spot1 you will find the fish is nearly all sent to town1 and you must pay city prices for what you can get4 ,that is the first great disillusionment you meet with4 ,bluefish and lobsters and all1 even down to flounders1 are no longer cheap if the place is near enough a railroad to permit an easy shipment to town4 ,clams are usually an exception1 and if you can live largely on these1 you will find they cost little4 ,we used to ring the changes on chowder1 minced clams on toast1 and clam broth4 ,do you mean hard-shelled clams or soft8 ,hard shell2 quahaugs1 they are called locally4 ,soft-shell clams you can dig yourself in many places2 and if you go to the seashore1 do try and find out in advance how the supply is1 for freshly dug clams that cost nothing1 and can be steamed or made into clam fritters and other good dishes1 are indeed a boon to those who must live on a little by the sea4 ,and how about groceries and such things8 ,they are all high2 city prices again4 ,you must really take down some good dry things yourself to help out1 just as we do here4 ,and butter and eggs are very expensive1 for the climate at the seaside never seems to agree with either cows or hens2 they are scarce4 ,so eggs and butter and milk are all costly4 ,and meat1 ,i suppose1 is1 too4 ,meat is frightfully dear if you go to any place where it is sent down from the city4 ,if it is not1 but is bought at a butcher shop at the nearest place1 it is the same sort of thing we get here--poor1 distinctly poor1 my dear4 ,on the whole1 then1 you do not recommend the seashore as an economical place to spend the summer in4 ,not unless you go to an unfashionable place a long way off4 ,then if you get a furnished cottage1 and can get clams by digging them and fish by catching it1 or getting it of a fisherman who does not find it in demand elsewhere1 you can really live on a little4 ,of course you will not have milk1 nor eggs1 nor vegetables nor fruit1 except in homoeopathic doses1 but then1 it will be cool and refreshing as to climate1 and the rest will doubtless do your weary brain a great deal of good4 ,doubtless4 ,but ,i think1 as long as ,i am poor1 ,i shall take my vacations among the hills2 it must be cheap there4 ,then you must rent your apartment in town or board in the country1 for you can't well rent two places at the same time4 ,you can get a cheap place in certain farmhouses in the hills not too near the city1 but often they are not so very comfortable1 to our ways of thinking4 ,but certainly1 if ,i rent the apartment and take a small house1 ,i shall find food cheap enough4 ,just about as it is here3 vegetables and fruit will be cheap1 and meat poor1 and ice probably hard to be had4 ,but milk will be inexpensive1 and probably eggs and butter1 too4 ,the farther off you get the more it costs to live1 if one is to go by prices in the ,adirondacks1 or similar remote spots4 ,i remember going there once and staying in a camp1 and everything had to be brought by pack1 and ,i knew it must cost heaps to get such things as vegetables and eggs and city groceries4 ,yes1 such places are costly if you try and live as you do at home4 ,i believe the only way to manage is to accommodate yourself as far as possible to the place you are in4 ,that is1 here we do not send away for anything but groceries1 and only one box of those in a summer2 we eat the local meat1 and if we had no garden we could buy vegetables of our neighbors4 ,at the seashore you must live on what is there2 not meat and vegetables1 but fish you can catch for yourself and clams you can dig4 ,in the hills1 put up with discomforts and look at the sunsets4 ,don't try and have city meats1 but when the farmer kills an animal1 take what you can get of it and be thankful1 and make it up on vegetables and blueberries and such things4 ,but taking this summer as a whole and comparing it with life in the city and elsewhere1 would you not say that the country is about the best place of all to live in8 ,it seems to me that it is4 ,living has been very cheap this summer1 hasn't it8 ,yes1 very1 but remember that we pay no rent here1 and have a garden4 ,suppose we hired a cottage and had to have a garden made4 ,that would be another story1 for the first year at least4 ,i suppose after that the garden part would be less expensive4 ,then remember that there are two of us to do the work2 you alone without a maid would find it much harder to get along4 ,and then in summer1 it is lovely anywhere in the country1 but think of this place in winter1 with snow piled up high and nobody to dig walks except a husband who has only brief mornings and evenings to do it in4 ,then the problem of heating the house6 ,no1 ,i do not believe ,i should find it easy to live here in the winter4 ,oh1 ,i did not mean here2 ,i meant in some nice suburb not too far from town4 ,well1 rents are high in any nice place1 and you have to have a furnace man and somebody to shovel snow just as you would have here4 ,beside1 food is always very expensive in a suburb2 you have to pay city prices for everything4 ,well1 is the last word that the city is the only place to live in economically8 ,not at all4 ,i hope ,i could live economically anywhere4 ,but if you do live in town in an apartment1 you get your heating done without trouble on your part1 and you can buy any sort of food at any price you choose to pay4 ,if you want cheap meat you can get it1 and it will be of a good kind1 not the poor stuff we have here4 ,vegetables and fruit are as cheap in summer in town as they are anywhere1 provided you have to buy them in the country4 ,you have to spend car-fares there1 and here you have a commutation ticket to get4 ,my mind is exactly where it was before we came out here for the summer4 ,it is not the place you live in1 it is the way you live that makes things come out even4 ,don't pay more rent than you can afford2 don't spend more on your table than you can afford2 watch your small outgoings2 keep down ,incidentals4 ,if you observe these rules1 ,dolly1 ,i am sure you will come out right in the end wherever you are4 ,live in the country if you choose2 there are lots of compensations for the extra care of the fires and the snow in the winter4 ,think of the lovely summer we have had here4 ,that would be worth a long cold winter1 ,i really believe4 ,or1 live in a suburb and have a good time socially--,i believe you get more gaiety of a nice kind in a small place than in town4 ,but if you do1 be very1 very careful1 for it is extra hard there to live on a little4 ,if you live in an apartment in town1 economize all winter1 for no one will be the wiser1 and spend the money you save in an outing in summer of some sort4 ,that is my advice after trying living in all sorts of places4 ,well1 ,i'll consider the subject later on4 ,meanwhile1 tell me truly3 have you saved as much money as you expected to when we came out here8 ,yes1 quite as much4 ,meat has cost little1 and vegetables still less1 in spite of the wages of the weeding boy4 ,fuel has been low2 milk less than in town1 and butter and eggs no more here than there4 ,fruit has been almost nothing at all1 and though we have done up so much1 the sugar has not been so very expensive1 because we bought that by the half-barrel and saved a good deal so4 ,on the whole1 ,i am more than satisfied1 and we will have a snug little sum left over after we put back what we took out of ,incidentals when we came4 ,and next time we will have a cow and make all our butter1 said ,dolly4 ,and we will surely have hens1 too1 said her sister4 ,that is1 we will have them if we can2 ,i am not sure we could invest in any for one summer alone1 though ,i do sigh for plenty of eggs and broilers4 ,i have heard1 however1 that hens are expensive and unsatisfactory in the hands of a novice1 so we won't order any in advance4 ,when ,mr4 ,thorne came home at night he had two letters in his pocket which proved of amazing interest4 ,one was ,dolly's regular letter from ,south ,america1 but it conveyed the joyful news that the end of probation was at hand and it was about time to begin ordering the trousseau for an early wedding4 ,the other letter was from ,aunt ,maria1 and said that her sister was ill and she should not return in the autumn1 and the family was to have whatever they could take home from the garden4 ,these things naturally made the breaking up of the little home very exciting4 ,we will take all the potatoes1 said ,mary as they looked over the outdoor supplies still uneaten4 ,we will have those put in two barrels1 and have one apiece for you and ourselves4 ,the squashes we will take too1 and the onions and turnips and beets1 and all those things4 ,the parsley we will plant in boxes for the kitchen windows1 and the apples we will take every one4 ,and may a mere man inquire where on earth you are going to store all these things in our flat8 asked her husband4 ,the barrel of potatoes can stand in the dining-room1 to be sure1 and the apples in the parlor1 but the squashes and turnips will have to go in your dress-boxes under the beds4 ,no1 they won't4 ,we will take everything to town that we can and divide them up4 ,the janitor can keep our barrels in the basement and bring up one at a time1 and ,i will put the other things in baskets and pile those one on top of the other in the corner by the refrigerator1 or some other place4 ,some other place will be better1 said ,dick4 ,well1 of course ,i realize that they will not keep forever1 ,dick ,thorne1 but ,i shall take every single thing ,i can find1 for all that1 and we will eat them up as soon as possible4 ,still1 it is maddening not to have more room to store things in a city apartment4 ,now in the country we should have a root cellar1 ,dolly1 and put lots of them out there1 and have them come in all winter when we needed them4 ,and of course potatoes and apples and squashes we could put down cellar and they would be all right there4 ,isn't it too provoking we can't do that way in town8 ,i declare it is enough to make me determine to stay on here till spring4 ,do1 said her husband encouragingly4 ,shovelling snow is said to be the finest exercise in the world1 and you can do it at odd moments when you are not stoking the kitchen fire4 ,i should have to catch the early train in the morning1 and it would be dark when ,i came back1 so ,i could not help you1 unfortunately1 much as ,i should regret the fact4 ,but ,i am sure it would do you all the good in the world4 ,some other winter1 laughed his wife4 ,the next thing is to get ,dolly married1 and we must go back to get that over4 ,father and mother will be home soon1 too1 and that is another reason for our leaving4 ,but it has been a lovely summer2 we shall always remember it1 ,i am sure4 ,it has been a lovely year all through1 said ,dolly4 ,i can't tell you how grateful ,i am for your taking me in4 ,and do you--now honestly1 ,mary--do you think ,i know enough to keep house all by myself8 ,i have my doubts1 ,dolly dear1 her brother broke in4 ,on the whole ,i think ,fred had better put off coming home for awhile4 ,i shall write him to-morrow in any case1 and ,i shall tell him so and save you the trouble4 ,there won't be time for a letter to reach him1 unfortunately1 ,dolly replied with a most becoming blush4 ,he is coming right away--about next week1 he thinks4 ,so1 ,mary1 you see why ,i am anxious to know whether ,i can keep house or not4 ,do tell me honestly4 ,i can conscientiously give you a diploma1 my dear1 so don't worry4 ,you really and truly have learned to live on a little4