3 cups flour.

2 cups warm water.

1/2 cup yeast - or 1 cent's worth-compressed.

1 tablespoon melted lard.

Same of syrup - (to make them brown easily.)

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mix all the ingredients together like setting sponge for bread - with very cold water if made over night for breakfast, or else 6 hours before the meal with warm. Beat thoroughly both at time of mixing and just before baking.

Cold weather prevails; "it rains and the wind is never weary." The bus will not go to the trains to-day. The driver has started with a wagon to a distant town to buy brick wherewith to build two chimneys in the cottages occupied by the shivering guests of the house, that they may have fires. At present they are huddled around the dining room fire-place. Hope they have some among them "whose smiles can make a summer," for we need one, badly.

Hard Times Dinner.

But it was all good, and nobody would ever suspect that there was a paucity of material or omission of the usual ingredients.

Pearl barley soup (No. 628; 5 qts, 20 cents.)

Roast beef (rib ends, 1 1/2 lbs, 15 cents.)

Roast lamb (brisket, shoulder, left when ribs were taken for chops; 5 lbs, 50 cents.)

Macaroni and cheese (without eggs or butter; No. 629; 9 cents.)

Potatoes in cream sauce (5 cents.)

Tomatoes (1 can, 15 cents.)

Corn 11 can, 15 cents.)

Pumpkin pie (No. 630; without eggs or butter; 3 large; 24 cuts, 24 cents.)

Plain boiled rice pudding (No. 631, without eggs; 3 pints, 14 cents; sauce 4 - 18 cents.)

Coffee 10, tea 3, milk 4 qts, 12, cream 1 qt, 30, butter average 15, bread 6, cheese 5.

Total, $2 42; 24 persons; 10 cents a plate.