For the comfort of the family

in serene contentment, one eye closed, the other fixed m unwavering watchfulness upon the door through which he knows the Youngest Member will enter, whose self-appointed duty it is — ^between the baseball and football seasons — ^to keep the family provided with sweets. Sometimes it is a peanut candy with which he regales us; the kind which is so deliciously brittle that it shivers into little bits as one nibbles it. To make it: add to three tablespoons of melted butter two cups of molasses and two-thirds cup of sugar. Boil until mixture is brittle when tried in cold water. Stuinto this the meats from a quart of peanuts, skinned and split. Cool in buttered pans. One day, being in a reminiscent mood, I showed him how we used to pop com in the eighties by putting a small quantity of butter in a preserving kettle, and when this had melted adding shelled corn. At first the com has to be stirred to prevent burning, but when the first "white man" appears in the mass of brown ones, the cover is clapped on the kettle and the battle royal begins with the heavy cannonading, until with a final splutter the last \ CONFECTIONS— CONCLUSION 118 brown kernel is vanquished. A mass of beautifully popped com, slightly buttered, is the result. This suggestion led to a veritable corn-ball fest and we were treated to that filling but diflicult-of-consumption dainty till we cried "Hold, enough 1" The balls were made by using com popped in the regulation way, great care being taken to discard any hard kernels. Into a saucepan in which had been melted a tablespoon of butter is put one cup of molasses and one-half cup of sugar. Boil the mixture until it is brittle when dropped in cold water. Put selected com into large kettle, shake over it a very little salt, and pour into it gradually the hot mixture, stirring constantly. When thoroughly mixed, shape into balls, but do not make them too compact. Chocolate fudge coming first on the list of quick-and-easy confections, we are liberally provided with that dainty, though to do the Youngest Member justice he uses great ingenuity in varying the formula. For fudge, pure and simple, put three tablespoons of butter in a saucepan; when melted add two cups of sugar, one cup of creamy milk, two squares of unsweetened chocolate. Bring to boiling point and let boil thirteen minutes; add teaspoon of vanilla. Remove from range and beat until creamy (in the amount of beating lies the secret of a smooth, delicate fudge), turn into pan and cool. Marshmallows cut in quarters may be added before the mixture is turned into the pan, or one cup of chopped nut meats, or nut meats and figs, or raisins. Peanut butter fudge is a very smooth concoction for an after-supper nibble. Put two cups of sugar and two-thirds cup of milk in saucepan. Bring to boiling point and let boil until a soft baU may be formed when mixture is tested in cold water. Remove from range, add four tablespoons of peanut butter and one teaspoon of vanilla and beat until creamy. Turn into buttered pan, cool and mark in squares, placing a split half of a peanut on each square. Penuche is hailed with acclaim when it appears. If you wish to try it, melt one tablespoon of butter in saucepan, add two cups of brown sugar and one of white, and one cup of CONFECTIONS— CONCLUSION 116 thin cream. Boil until mixture will form a soft ball when tested in cold water. Remove from range, beat until creamy, then add one cup of finely chopped walnut meats and figs in equal quantity. Turn into pan and cool. One cupful of nut meats alone may be used; the flavor of the candy is improved by sprinkling these lightly with salt.