Cooking and castle-building

"Belonging to the bread family, and a very genuine, respectable member thereof, is our round, chubby little travelling companion, known as 'Maryland Biscuit.' Although rarely met with outside the State whose name it bears, it is a very desirable acquaintance for travellers who provide their own lunches ; for picnic parties, and for ladies who desire always to have the pantry well stored with good things. The Maryland biscuit occupies that happy medium state between a cracker and an ordinary biscuit or roll, and is by many preferred to either. To bring these cakes out of the oven perfect specimens of their kind, requires some labor, as it is necessary not only to knead, but also to pound qv beat them with a heavy hammer or mallet. ' To four pints of flour add three ounces of lard, a teaspoonful of salt, and a pint of cold water. Rub the lard and salt through the flour until perfectly mixed, before adding the water. This proportion of w\ater may not be the exact quantity in all cases, as some flour requires more, some less ; but the dough must be very stiff, and rendered soft and pliable by working and pounding. When light, and well w^orked, the dough will 'blister,' and pulling off a small piece quickly will cause a sharp, snapping sound. When these signs appear, rest from the labor of pounding ; gather between your fingers a little ^vad of the dough, pull it suddenly from the main lump, and, moulding it into a round mass, lay aside, face downward. In like manner fashion enough to fill the bread-pan. Then, one by one, pick up these round balls, and hold each for an instant in the hollow of your left hand. While nestled there so cozily, place your right thumb squarely in its face, enlarging equally its surface, and leaving a hollow in the centre ; place in the bread-pan, not allowing the biscuits to touch each other. Prick them with a fork. Bake at once in a hot oven until done, and of a light brown color. If the cakes are 'sad,' or heavy inside, when cold, they are not sufficiently baked, as they should be light, and of a fine, even grain. When most perfect, these biscuits crack at the edges or sides, the upper and under crust being forced apart, in order to give a hint of the lightness and whiteness within. When your oven is sufficiently hot, twenty minutes is about the average time required to bake them properly. ^ " No Maryland supper-table is in company order without these modest, unpretending little fellows, who are quite at home with fried oysters, and fit company for cold turkey and broiled chicken." One morning at breakfast, Alice asked, " When m!iy I be queen of the kitchen for a whole week, and do all the cooking without any supervision. Cousin Kate? I shall not feel really certain that I know how to cook so long as you have to oversee me. Besides, when are you to write that lecture on 'The Proper Rearing and Training of Children,' if you devote all your time to me and the kitchen?" After reflecting a moment, I replied, "Your suggestion is a good one, Alice, and this plan occurs to me : For one week I will do the cooking, and you shall observe and help as heretofore ; and, during the week, you shall note the bill of fare at each meal, and make such memoranda as you