" While I am cutting out I'll tell you something, if you like, about what happened to me in one of my experi- ments in cooking when I was about Grace's age." Chorus of voices, " Oh, do, do!" " We lived in the country then, and my mother had a large family of young children, and was so burdened with cares that life was very hard for her. Half the time we could not get any servant, and it was only as a great favor that a woman woulc come now and then to help with the washing. As I was the oldest daughter, I was brought up to think it my business to do what I could to help along, and being strong and quite intelligent for my age, I really was of great use. One summer we had an un- usually fine crop of tomatoes in the garden, (tomatoes were not as common then as they are now, and were con- sidered a great treat,) and my overworked mother was lamenting that she could not make up a quantity of cat- sup, which my father was very fond of. AUNT JANE'S COOKING GLASS. 19 " * Let me do it, mamma,' I cried; ' I know I could if you would just show me how/ "As there was nothing complicated about the recipe, my mother consented, and I had a whole day set apart for the business. First, I was obliged to go and gather the to- matoes, as no one else had time for it; and I was so deter- mined to do myself credit that I brought in one basketful after another until I had a wash-tub full. After that, they had to be looked over and cut up, and a variety of things put with them, — I don't remember exactly what, but it was a very troublesome recipe. The end was that I had a large wash-boiler filled with the rich red mass, and it was set on the stove to boil. If I were doing the same thing now, I should divide the quantity into at least four parts and heat them in separate vessels; but I did not know what poor economy of time and trouble it is to cook too much of anything at once." " You hadn't any Aunt Jane to teach you," observed Jessie. " No ; and my mother, who had the best practical good sense of any woman I ever saw, was in another part of the house taking care of a sick baby, and had to leave me to my own devices. As my catsup would of course take 20 SIX LITTLE OOOK8. a long time even to ' come to a boil,' as it is called, there was no use in my standing in the hot kitchen watching it all the time, so I left a good fire under it and took my book out into the wood-shed, where it was cooler. I am sorry to be obliged to confess that at that time I was a regular bookworm, which I have since discovered to mean a person who selfishly pursues her own pleasure in read- ing, generally to the neglect of plain duties which are staring her in the face, if she would only raise her eyes to see them." " Oh, I know whom you mean, Aunt Jane," interrupted Grace, "just as well as if you said the name, though you are looking the other way so carefully!"

AI-modernized reading of the original text

" While I am cutting out I'll tell you something, if you like, about what happened to me in one of my experiments in cooking when I was about Grace's age." Chorus of voices, " Oh, do, do!" " We lived in the country then, and my mother had a large family of young children, and was so burdened with cares that life was very hard for her. Half the time we could not get any servant, and it was only as a great favor that a woman would come now and then to help with the washing. As I was the oldest daughter, I was brought up to think it my business to do what I could to help along, and being strong and quite intelligent for my age, I really was of great use. One summer we had an unusually fine crop of tomatoes in the garden, (tomatoes were not as common then as they are now, and were considered a great treat,) and my overworked mother was lamenting that she could not make up a quantity of catsup, which my father was very fond of. " * Let me do it, mamma,' I cried; ' I know I could if you would just show me how/ "As there was nothing complicated about the recipe, my mother consented, and I had a whole day set apart for the business. First, I was obliged to go and gather the tomatoes, as no one else had time for it; and I was so determined to do myself credit that I brought in one basketful after another until I had a wash-tub full. After that, they had to be looked over and cut up, and a variety of things put with them, — I don't remember exactly what, but it was a very troublesome recipe. The end was that I had a large wash-boiler filled with the rich red mass, and it was set on the stove to boil. If I were doing the same thing now, I should divide the quantity into at least four parts and heat them in separate vessels; but I did not know what poor economy of time and trouble it is to cook too much of anything at once." " You hadn't any Aunt Jane to teach you," observed Jessie. " No ; and my mother, who had the best practical good sense of any woman I ever saw, was in another part of the house taking care of a sick baby, and had to leave me to my own devices. As my catsup would of course take a long time even to ' come to a boil,' as it is called, there was no use in my standing in the hot kitchen watching it all the time, so I left a good fire under it and took my book out into the wood-shed, where it was cooler. I am sorry to be obliged to confess that at that time I was a regular bookworm, which I have since discovered to mean a person who selfishly pursues her own pleasure in reading, generally to the neglect of plain duties which are staring her in the face, if she would only raise her eyes to see them." " Oh, I know whom you mean, Aunt Jane," interrupted Grace, "just as well as if you said the name, though you are looking the other way so carefully!"

Six little cooks