Mildred rubbed the butter and sugar while Brownie beat the egg; they took turns putting in the other things, and, last, Norah set the tins in the oven for them. Then the two girls rushed into the sitting-room and said, "That's all done, Mother Blair! Now something else to cook, please!" "But don't forget to watch your cakes," said Mother Blair, as she handed them a second receipt. "Open the oven door every little while just enough to peek in at them; if you forget them, they will surely burn." The second receipt was for OATMEAL MACAROONS 3 cups of rolled oats. 2-1/2 teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. 1/2 teaspoonful of salt. 3 level tablespoonfuls of butter. 1 cup of sugar. 3 eggs, beaten separately. 1 teaspoonful of vanilla. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream them; beat the yolks of the eggs, put them in, and beat again; mix the oatmeal with the baking-powder and salt, and add this next, a little at a time; then put in the vanilla, and, last, the stiff whites of the eggs. Have ready a shallow pan, greased, and drop the batter on this in tiny bits, no larger than the end of your thumb, and two inches apart. Bake in an oven that is not very hot. When they are brown on the edges, they are done; remove them from the pan while they are still warm. While Mildred was mixing these, Brownie took a last peep into the oven, and found the cakes were baked. Norah helped her take them out, and she herself took them from the pans and put them on a platter to cool. Then it was not long before the first panful of macaroons was done, too, and these came out all crisp and delicious. Just as they were finishing them, their mother came out into the kitchen. "Oh, how lovely!" she exclaimed, "I never, never saw anything so good as those macaroons. Perfectly delicious!" "But see the scalloped cakes, Mother," said Brownie. "Aren't they lovely, too?" "Lovely? Of course they are. And I've such a bright idea about those cakes, too!" "Oh, what?" cried both the girls together, because Mother Blair's bright ideas were always particularly nice, just like herself. "I've been looking over the boxes of Christmas candy, and I find we have lots of candied cherries. And, Norah, you had some of the citron left from the plum-pudding, hadn't you?" Norah said she had a large piece put away. "Well, then, suppose we cut the citron into thin slices, and cut those up into little bits of green leaves, and cut some of the cherries into tiny bits to look like berries; then we will ice the little cakes and around each one, right on top, we will make a green holly wreath with holly berries in it. Won't those be pretty?" "Oh, Mother, let me, let me!" Brownie begged. "Very well, you make the leaves and berries, while Mildred ices the cakes," said Mother Blair.