"Hello, Charlotte!" said Bettina, quickly. "What in the world is the trouble?"

"The worst yet!" came a nervous voice. "Frank's Aunt Isabel is to be at our house tonight! Oh, I wish you knew her! She never did approve of me!"

"Oh, Charlotte, you just imagine that! She wouldn't come if she disliked you so!"

"That's just it! She didn't approve of me when we lived at the hotel, and now that we've taken a house, she wants to see how things are."

"Well, things are fine! Doesn't Frank say so?"

"Yes, of course. But the meals! Two company meals to get, and for a critical person like her, too! What on earth shall I do?"

"Now, don't be nervous, Charlotte! It's easy! We'll think up a delicious little dinner that you can prepare mostly beforehand. When does she arrive?"

"Five o'clock, and leaves just after breakfast."

"Good! Two simple meals and all day in which to get them ready. Let's see. The weather is warm, so you will prefer a dinner that is partly cold. Watermelon that has been in the refrigerator all day would be a simple dessert, with no cake or anything else to think of. How about cold boiled tongue for your main dish? Sliced thin and garnished with parsley. You might also have a very good salad. Apple, celery and green pepper salad would be delicious and economical also. Then you might have corn on the cob. I've had it recently and know how good it is. That would be the only thing you would have to think of at meal time, and it is very easy to cook. You would serve it in a napkin to keep it hot. Then I want to send you some peach butter that I made the other day; that would go beautifully with your dinner. There you have it all! If I were doing it, I should add iced tea to drink, served very daintily, with sliced lemon and mint leaves."

"Oh, Bettina, how good it sounds! Will you repeat that menu for me?"

"Now, if you'll get a pencil and paper, I will give you some directions about cooking."

Wipe the tongue well. Place in a kettle and cover with cold water. Add the vinegar. Bring to a boil, and boil slowly until it seems tender when pierced with a fork. (It should boil at least two hours.) Take the tongue from the water, and remove the skin and roots while it is still warm. Cool, and slice thin. This may easily be cooked in the fireless cooker, in which case the water with which the tongue is covered must be brought to a good boil on the stove, and then removed to the cooker. If the tongue is very salty, soak in cold water for two hours.

Mix the lemon juice and apples to prevent discoloring. Add the celery, green peppers, salt, paprika seasoning and salad dressing. Serve cold on lettuce leaves.

Carefully remove husks and all silk from the corn. Cover with boiling water. Cook ten minutes, or longer if the corn is old. If salt is added to water, it turns the corn yellow and toughens the husks. Very tender young corn needs little cooking. Salt may be added (one teaspoon to a quart of water) two minutes before removing from the fire.

Peel peaches and slice very fine. Add one cup of sugar to every two cups of peaches. Let stand twenty minutes. Mix well, and cook quickly for twenty-five minutes. Put in glasses and seal.