Plain Caramels.—­One pound of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of chocolate, one pint of cream, one teaspoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of molasses.  Boil for thirty minutes, stirring all the time; test by dropping into cold water.  Flavor with vanilla, and mark off as you do the maple caramels.

Home-made candy is sure to be of good materials, and will seldom be harmful unless the eater takes a great quantity.  Then the pleasure of making it counts for something.

Our little fair was held the day after the candy pull, and the boys put up a tent for us in Colonel Fay’s grounds.  Admission to the tent was five cents.  We sold candy, cake, ice-cream, and—­home-made bread, and our gains were nineteen dollars and ten cents.  There were an apron table, and a table where we sold pin-cushions and pen-wipers; but our real profits came from the bread, which the girls’ fathers were so proud of that they bought it at a dollar a loaf.  With the money which came from the fair, we sent two little girls, Dot and Dimpsie, our poorest children in Bloomdale, where most people were quite comfortably off, to the seaside for three whole weeks.

I do not know what we would have done in Bloomdale if Dot and Dimpsie had not had a father who would rather go off fishing, or lounge in the sun telling stories, than support his family.  Everybody disapproved of Jack Roper, but everybody liked his patient little wife and his two dear little girls, and we all helped them on.

There was no excuse for Jack.  He was a tall, strong man, a good hunter, fisher and climber, a sailor whenever he could get the chance to go off on a cruise; but he would not work steadily.  He did not drink, or swear, or abuse his wife; but he did not support her, and if people called him Shiftless Jack, he only laughed.

As he was the only person in Bloomdale who behaved in this way, we did what mother calls condoning his offences—­we called on him for odd jobs of repairing and for errands and extra work, such as lighting fires and carrying coals in winter, shoveling snow and breaking paths, weeding gardens in summer, and gathering apples in the fall.  We girls determined to take care of Dot and Dimpsie, and help Mrs. Roper along.

They were two dear little things, and Mrs. Roper was very glad of our assistance.

* * * * *

CHAPTER VII.

KEEPING ACCOUNTS.

Mother’s way in one particular is different from that of some other people.  Veva Fay and Lois Partridge never have any money of their own.  They always ask their parents for what they want.  If Lois’ papa is in a happy frame of mind, he will give her a five-dollar gold piece, and say:  “There, go along, little girl, and buy as many bonbons as you please.  When that’s gone, you know where to come for more.”

If he happens to be tired, or if something in the city has gone wrong that day, he will very likely meet her modest request with a “Don’t bother me, child!  I won’t encourage your growing up in foolish extravagance.”