it out for her, will you,
dear?"

"No, Mother. Mildred and I never forget to wash up and put things away
ever since she said we couldn't come into the kitchen at all unless we
always did that. Do you remember how cross she was?"

"I don't wonder, Brownie. Some day when you have a kitchen of your own
you will be cross, too, if little girls come in and use your pots and
pans and leave them all sticky and messy."

"Of course I will. It makes me feel real cross now just to think of it.
I guess we'd better plan the dessert before I get worse."

"Perhaps we had," laughed Mother Blair. "Those children must have
something very simple, indeed, and I really can't think of anything
better for them than cornstarch pudding."

"Well," said Brownie doubtfully, "that certainly won't hurt them."

"I know you don't like it very well, and grown people don't care for it
either, but it is good for children, and if you learn to make it for
them you can easily change the rule a little bit and make it in half a
dozen different ways which grown-ups do like. I'll give you two or three
rules for your book and you can try them all. Here is the first, for
your party:"

PLAIN CORNSTARCH PUDDING

2/3 cup of scalded milk; put in the double boiler.
1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of cornstarch.
1/2 tablespoonful of sugar.
1 pinch of salt.
2 tablespoonfuls of cold milk.
1 egg.
1/4 teaspoonful vanilla.

While the milk is heating till it scalds (that is, till the top
wrinkles, but it does not quite boil), mix the cornstarch, sugar
and salt in the cold milk and then pour slowly into the scalded
milk, stirring well all the time till it grows thick; put on the
cover and let it cook eight minutes. Beat the egg without
separating it and stir this in and cook one minute; take it off
the stove, add the vanilla, pour it into a mold and let it get
firm; serve with cream.

"You see that isn't bad at all; but to make it ever so much better try
this:"

CHOCOLATE CORNSTARCH PUDDING

Melt a square of unsweetened chocolate by putting it into a saucer
over the steam of the tea-kettle; stir this in just before adding
the egg. Pour into a pretty mold on ice; turn it out and heap
whipped cream around it.

ALMOND CORNSTARCH PUDDING

Use almond flavoring instead of vanilla, and when you take the
pudding off the fire, stir in a cup of chopped almonds. Serve with