e them, Brownie?" Mildred asked, as
she read the receipt over. "You see, I could beat the eggs for you, and
you know how hard it is for you not to tip the bowl over when you beat
them!"

"Well," Brownie said slowly, "I might let you do just that one thing,
Mildred, but Mother _said_ I was to make these cakes all alone."

"But let me help just a tiny little bit," Mildred coaxed; "they do sound
so interesting!"

So in the end the two made the cakes together, all delicious, and just
the thing for company.

While they were still fresh from the oven, in came a pretty grown-up
neighbor, whom all the Blairs, big and little, loved very much, because
she always was ready for a good time with them.

"Fee-fy-fo-fum!" she exclaimed, wrinkling up her little nose. "I smell
something good to eat!"

"Oh, _dear_ Miss Betty," Brownie cried, "it is Christmas cooking! Come
and see it."

So Miss Betty saw all the lovely little holly cakes, and the tartlets,
and the macaroons, and the Brownies, and ate little crumbs off wherever
she could find one. Then she said, "I want to cook too! May I, Norah?"

"Sure you may," said Norah, who thought Miss Betty was the nicest young
lady in the world.

Then Miss Betty wrote out this receipt, and pinned it up, and everybody
helped her make:

GINGERBREAD MEN

2 cups of molasses.
1 cup of equal parts of butter and lard, mixed.
1 level tablespoonful of ginger.
1 teaspoonful of soda.
Flour to mix very stiff.

Melt the butter, add the molasses and ginger, then the soda,
dissolved in a teaspoonful of boiling water; stir in flour till
the dough is so stiff you cannot stir it with a spoon; take it out
on the floured board, and roll a little at a time, and with a
knife cut out a man; press currants in for eyes and for buttons on
his coat. Bake in a floured pan.

[Illustration: Gingerbread man]

"These are going to be Santa Clauses," said Miss Betty. "Jack, if you
will cut me some tiny cedar twigs, we will stick them in the right
hands--one in each." So Jack whittled down the ends of some little twigs
till they were very sharp, and while the men were warm and soft, they
put a twig in the right hand of each, and they were as funny as could
be.

"Now, Jack, I've something lovely for you to make!" said Miss Betty. "I
came over on purpose to tell you about it."

"Boys don't cook!" said Jack, loftily.

"Boys would be perfectly wild to make these," laugh