red, accepting her slip of paper and pad with a
long sigh. This is what she read:

"What would you have for luncheon, if you found in the refrigerator some
eggs, a little celery, cold boiled potatoes, a bottle of milk and
butter; and beside had in the house cookies and a basket of very poor
pears? Look up the rule for each dish in your receipt book."

"That's easy," said Mildred, happily, going to work at once.

Brownie's slip said:

"If you were ordering breakfast to-morrow morning, what would be the
nicest things you could think of? And could you make them all?"

And when Jack opened his folded paper he read:

"Plan a Sunday night supper with nothing but what you can make
yourself."

"Ask me a hard one," Jack said, waving his paper around his head.

Mother Blair took a book and began to read to herself while the pencils
scratched away on the pads and the receipt books were consulted over and
over. It was only a few moments before, "Done!" said Mildred, and
"Done!" said Brownie. Jack was a trifle slower, and they had to wait
for him to finish. It was not so easy an examination as he had thought
at first.

"Read the question first and then the answer; you begin, Mildred," said
Mother Blair. So Mildred read her question, and then taking her pad read
what she had put down:

"For luncheon I would have first, cream of celery soup, made by the rule
I copied under cream soups; I learned how to make those when Mother was
sick. After that I would have creamed eggs on toast. (You know I can
make those, Mother; I made them just last week.) And with them I'd have
hashed brown potatoes; that rule I know by heart. And then for dessert
I'd stew those poor pears, like apple sauce, you know, only I wouldn't
cut them up but keep them in halves the way Norah does; and I'd have the
cookies with them."

"Good, Mildred--splendid! I did not know you could manage so well Now
let's see what Brownie would have for breakfast."

"Cereal first; see the rule of cereal with dates,--only I'd leave out
the dates this time--and then I'd have muffins; of course, I can make
those. And coffee, and poached eggs. Do you think that is a good
breakfast, Mother?"

"Delicious, dear. I only wish it were breakfast time now. And how did
you get along, Jack?"

"You gave me the hardest of all," Jack grumbled. "But I did it, all the
same. I'd have cheese dreams, and corned beef hash first; then I'd have
pigs in blankets on toast; and camp coffee; an