"Bettina, O, Bettina! We've come to get you to play tennis with us this morning. You must! You've been neglecting us for Bob and we're jealous."

"Oh, girls, I simply can't! I have just bought quarts and quarts of cherries and currants of a boy who came to the door, and I must take today to put them up!"

"That's easy! Leave 'em till tomorrow!" said Alice cheerfully.

"I can't do that, because they're just at the canning point and it isn't a good thing to have them a bit over-ripe. Then these are freshly picked, and that is the best way to have them."

"I'll stay and help; may I?" said Ruth, who had suddenly developed a deep interest in things domestic.

"Why, of course I'd love to have you, Ruth, but seeding cherries is slow work, and I believe that playing tennis would be more exciting."

"But not half so interesting as to hear you tell me how you do things. I love to listen."

"We'll all stay," suggested Mary. "It'll do us good. But you'll have to lend us big aprons; can you?" And she looked down at her white middy, skirt, and shoes.

"Come on!" shouted Elsie. "You can lecture as we seed cherries, Bettina. How are you going to put them up?"

"Well, Bob likes plain currant jelly, and plain canned cherries awfully well. I may preserve some cherries with currant juice, too, but I think I'll not do anything very elaborate today."

"Goodness, that sounds elaborate enough to suit me! Will you be looking over the currants while we are stoning cherries?"

"Leave the stones in half of them, girls; many people like them that way better."

"What were you doing to all those jars?"

"Just getting ready to sterilize them. You see I'll put them on a folded cloth, in this big kettle of cold water. Then I'll slowly heat the water to the boiling point, and fill the jars immediately with the fruit and syrup. I must scald the rubber rings, too, before I use them."

Bettina was rapidly looking over currants as she talked. "Girls, do you notice my jelly strainer? See, it's a piece of cheese-cloth fastened into a wire strainer. It can be attached to any kettle. I haven't used it yet, but I know that it will be very convenient. You know it's best to strain the juice through the cheese-cloth without pressure. If I have the cloth double, the juice will be quite clear. If I wanted an especially clear jelly, I could even have the juice pass through a flannel or felt bag."

"How on earth can you tell when the jelly jells?" asked Ruth.

"Well, I test it this way. I take up, in a cold silver spoon, a little of the mixture that is cooking. If it jells and breaks from the spoon, it has been cooking long enough. Of course I remove the rest from the fire while testing it, because it might be done."

"Bettina, cooking and jelly-making and things like that seem to be so natural for you!" cried Ruth. "I get so frightened sometimes when I think what if I should be a poor housekeeper and make Fred unhappy!"

"Alice," said Mary, "Heaven forbid that either of us should ever be talking like that about a man!"

"Goodness, I should say so!" declared Alice emphatically, a little too emphatically, thought Bettina.

Pick over currants, but do not remove the stems. Wash and drain. Mash a few with a vegetable masher in the bottom of a porcelain-lined or granite kettle. Add more currants and mash. Continue adding currants until all are used. Bring to a boil slowly and let simmer without stirring until the currants appear white. Strain through a coarse strainer, and allow juice to drain through a jelly bag. Measure the juice, and boil ten minutes. Gradually add an equal amount of heated sugar, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, and continue boiling until the test shows that the mixture has jelled. When filling sterilized glasses, place them in a pan containing a little boiling water. This keeps the glasses from breaking when hot jelly is poured in. Fill and set the glasses of jelly aside to cool. Cover with hot melted paraffin.

Measure the cherries after the stems have been removed. Stone if desired. If they are stoned, be sure to save the juice. Put the sugar and water in a kettle and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cherries and heat slowly to the boiling point. Boil ten minutes skimming carefully. Put into sterilized jars, filling the jars to overflowing with the syrup. Seal securely. (When filling the jars stand them in a pan containing boiling water. This keeps them from breaking.)