e you were to cut a hole in the front of your
blue serge skirt; if you darn it with the ravelings of the turnings of
the seam or the hem, that will be exactly the same color and the same
thickness as your dress. No wool you could buy would match as well. Or
if you want to mend a jersey or knitted gloves, you never could buy such
a good match--the same sized wool and the tints.

[Illustration]

Damask table-cloths should be darned to match the pattern, following the
flowers of the design, and large holes may be mended like the "Scouts'
Patch" just described. To sew on buttons properly, leave them loose
enough for the iron to push. On washing articles have your threads long
enough to make a little stalk to the button, which is wound round before
finishing. Your needle should be sloped out to all sides, so as to take
up fresh stuff farther out than the holes in the button.

Scouts may make many useful presents in their spare time, such as
cretonne covered blotters or frames, mittens, warm felt slippers (for
which woolly soles can be bought), pen-wipers, pin-cushions, and
needle-books. They could also make articles for their hospitals, such as
night-clothing, soft caps, handkerchiefs, pillow-cases, and dusters.

HOME COOKING

There is a legend in Turkey that when a rich man is engaged to marry a
lady he can break it off if she is not able to cook him a dish of dates
in a different way every day for a whole month. A friend of ours did
somewhat the same in trying a new cook; he always tested them with
nothing but cutlets for a fortnight. The real test of a good cook is to
see how little food she wastes. She uses up all the scraps, and old bits
of bread are baked for making puddings and for frying crumbs; she sees
that nothing goes bad, and she also buys cleverly. Those who do not
understand cookery waste money.

Perfect cleanliness and neatness should be insisted on, or your food
will be bad and unwholesome.

Eggs

Is an egg lighter or heavier when cooked? An experienced cook is
experienced in eggs. There are "new laid" eggs which are fresh and
"fresh" eggs which are not; there are "cooking" eggs which are liable to
squeak. Eggs are safe in their shells, and think you don't know whether
they are fresh or not, or whether they are raw. Any egg can be thrown
out of a first-floor window on to the lawn without the shell breaking;
it falls like a cat, right end upwards, and this is not a boiled egg,
either! You can te