"You can make jelly too, and compotes, and spiced things; I'll be so glad to have you learn, and they are all as easy as can be." "But, Mother, what can _I_ make?" Brownie looked very sober. "Is Mildred going to make everything all alone? I like to make things, too." "Of course you do, and you shall certainly help; jams are so easy anybody in the world can make them." "Even Jack?" laughed Mildred. "Yes, even Jack, if he wanted to. Why don't you and Brownie together make some nice grape jam to-morrow?" The girls said they would love to; then their mother had them write down a special receipt, because grape jam is the one kind that is different from every other. GRAPE JAM Wash the grapes; take them off the stems one by one as though you meant to eat them, but press them between your fingers and put the skins in one dish and the pulp in another. When you have finished, heat the pulp and stir it till you can see that the seeds have come out; then put the pulp through the colander. Add this to the skins, measure, and follow your regular rule. This seemed like a queer receipt; grape skins in jam! It sounded rather horrid. But they made it, anyway, and when they had finished, though it was a clear, reddish black, it was really delicious. It happened that the grapes grew in their own garden, and so many of them were ripe that, when they had used up quite a large basketful, there were plenty left. Norah had been planning to use them in jelly, but she said she could wait a day longer for that, and the girls might have them if they wanted to, and she would show them how to make something very good indeed and very easy. This was: SPICED FRUIT 3 pints of fruit, all prepared. 1-1/2 small cups of vinegar. 1-3/4 pints of sugar. 2 teaspoonfuls of powdered cinnamon. 1 teaspoonful of powdered cloves. Boil till thick; about an hour and a half. In making spiced grapes, prepare them exactly as for jam, and use pulp and skins. Their mother did not know they were making this new kind of preserve, and she was delighted when she was shown all the little glasses of it. "All spiced fruits are especially nice with meat," she said, "and with this rule you can spice almost any kind of fruit; pears, or peaches, or apples, or plums--" "Or strawberries, or pineapple, or raspberries," said Brownie. "Oh, no! I ought to have said any kind of _autumn_ fruit--that is a good way to remember which ones to use. And, Mildred, Norah divided this rule for you, to make it easier, but when I put up spiced fruit, I take twice as much of everything." "What a pity I'm so stupid about arithmetic!" sighed Mildred. "Think of having to take twice one and three quarter pints of sugar, and twice one and a half cups of vinegar! I'll never get them right."