Cooking and castle-building

" Exactly," I rejoined ; " and by many preferred to egg-plant, on account of being a less hearty food, and having a more delicate flavor. Tomatoes, not over-ripe, cut in thick slices, and fried in the same manner, are very nice. The tomato should be sliced, seasoned, dusted with flour, and fried immediately. The skin should be left on, to prevent the slices from coming to pieces." "Kate," said Emeline, "you certainly excel as a fryer, — or, fryist, or whatever the proper term may be. From fried chicken down to fried squash, all your fries are admirable ; and if your methods were generally adopted, such a revolution would take place in that sadly abused mode of preparing food, that the frying-pan would again come into as general use as in the days of our grandmothers. Oysters fried after your recipe I always forget to praise, in my eagerness to enjoy." "And yet, Emeline, I have in several instances given my exact method of frying oysters to friends, and when the black, greasy things came upon the table, although I could not recognize them as the legitimate result of my method at all, the hostess invariably insisted that my directions had been followed to the minutest particular. This is a somewhat discouraging experience for one contemplating writing a cook-book. Nevertheless, I suppose I shall go on telling people how to cook, and hopefully look to the future for better results. "For frying oysters, I like cracker-crumbs rolled very fine and sifted, so that you have almost cracker-flour. The oysters should be taken singly, and well rinsed in their own liquor, or in cold water, so that no particle of shell shall adhere to them, and laid upon a sieve or folded napkin, to drain. While the oysters are draining, Season the cracker-crumbs with salt and cayenne pepper. Mix the seasoning very thoroughly with the cracker-dust ; dip each oyster in well-beaten egg, and roll it freely in the cracker. Lay it on a plate, or board, convenient to handle. Prepare in this way all the oysters before you begin to fry. A thick dripping-pan or deep griddle answers well for frying them in. When everything is ready, place in the pan an ounce or two of lard. The exact quantity required depends upon the size of the pan and the number of oysters. When the lard is boiling hot, add to it an equal quantity of butter. As soon as the butter is melted and mixed with the lard, fill the pan with oysters, laying them close together. Let the heat be enough to fry quickly, but not so great as to burn. When brown on one side, turn the oysters ; and when nicely brown on both sides, lift to a heated platter, and serve immediately. Fried oysters, chicken, potatoes, etc., are supposed to be nicer served on a napkin. "Ifc is well to let the lard get hot in the pan before the butter is added, as the butter is not so likely to scorch as when put in the pan at first. Place enough of the mixture in the pan before you begin frying, to fry the oysters on both sides ; but if a second panful is to be fried, the pan must be washed, and all the burnt grease removed, or