The fun of cooking

^*You want to begin at the top,*' she said. **Norah is quite right in saying that peaches are not easy to put up — that is, not the very best, most beautiful peaches, and nobody wants any other kind. But why not make something else to begin with, jams and jellies and other good things? And by the time you know all about those, you will find that peaches will be perfectly easy for you. * * Mildred brightened up. **Now that 's what I call a good idea, one of your very best, Mother Blair. Can't I make something right away today?'' * * Just as soon as Norah is all through with her preserving, if she does n't mind, you may. And perhaps she has something all ready for you to begin on. Eun and ask her if you may have the parts of the peaches she did not want to use. ' ' That puzzled Mildred, and as she hurried to the kitchen she thought about it. ** Norah, Mother says you are not going to use all the parts of the peaches, and perhaps I may have what you don't want But what are they t Because if they are just the skins and stones, I don't want them either." Norah was just fastening on the last top on her jars of preserves, and she looked very good-natured. ^ * Sure, I Ve got lots left I * * she said, and showed Mildred a large covered bowl filled with bits of peach pulp. **I won't put any bruised peaches in preserves, * ' she explained, * * so I just cut up peaches with soft spots and put 'em in here ; and when I 'm done, I make a shortcake out of 'em. If I 've got enough, sometimes I make 'em into—" **JamI" interrupted Mildred. **0f course I delicious peach jam that I love. Oh, Norah, do let me make some ; don't use any of those peach bits for shortcake — ^let 's have something else for lunch. ' ' **Well," said Norah, **I guess you can have 'em. ' ' So Mildred ran for her apron and a receipt, which, when she read it over, proved, strangely enough, to be a rule for making not only peach but all sorts of jams. JAM Prepare your fruit nicely; strawberries must be washed and hulled, peaches pared and cut up, raspberries looked over for poor ones. When they are ready, measure 1 large cup of fruit to 1 small cup of sugar. r A Mash the fruit and put it in a kettle in layers with the sugar, and press and stir it till it is all wet and juicy. Then gently boil it, stirring constantly from the bottom up, so the fruit will not bum. Mash with a wooden potato masher till all is smooth. When it has cooked nearly an hour, try a little on a cold saucer and see if it gets firm. When it does, it is done. Some jams take longer to cook than others, because some fruits are more juicy. This sounded very easy indeed, and Mildred began to mash and measure at once, and soon the jam was over the fire. But it took a long time to cook. Norah brought a dishpan full of jelly-glasses and put them in the sink, and Mildred washed these and dried them and arranged them on two trays, all ready for the jam; but every moment or two she stirred the jam well. By and by, after more than an hour, the peaches looked transparent, and then Norah said they were done ; and, sure enough, when she hurriedly put some on a saucer and stood this on the ice in the refrigerator to get it cold quickly, it grew a little stiff and the edges were like jelly. Mildred carefully lifted the hot saucepan from the fire and began to dip out the jam with a cup and put it in the glasses; when she finished, there were eight of them, all filled with clear golden-pinky-brownish jam, beautiful to look at, ( and, oh, so good to taste ! Mildred ran for her mother and Brownie to look at it. **I wish Father and Jack were here,'' she sighed, **and Miss Betty, too. I am so proud, I want everybody to see it. ' '