190 THE LAND OF PLUCK

ment when one has a living ready-made. Every one of
us girls, little and big, young and old, should know some-
thing about it, and should seize all good opportunities to
improve in the art. But Iam not going to ask you to
learn to cook; that is, not now; especially if it is not
“horn into you.” TI only throw out as a friendly sugges-
tion the idea that every girl should make it an object, as
Aunt Patsy did, to learn to do one thing well at a time.
If, as a start, she selects some style of housework, so much
the better. Let it be sweeping and dusting; let it be
bed-making; let it be clear-starching,
cutting and sewing, or even one branch of cookery, such as

silver-cleaning or

bread-making, or that rare art, potato-boiling. Let her
am at real excellence in any one of these, taking the most
exact pains, looking out day by day for ways of improve-
ment, aiming to excel herself at each effort, until, at last,
“Jenny did it” (or whatever her fortunate name may be)
shall stand as a guarantee for excellence in this or that
special department. Let Jenny’s butter, or Jenny’s bread,
be the best her father and mother ever tasted ; or let them
feel that no one else can go brighten the silver, or the tins,
or furniture; that it is sure to be all right if Jenny but
sweeps the halls and stairs, or Jenny but makes the pud-
ding,—* It ’s her specialty, you know,’— and you will see,
if you are Jenny, what satisfaction there is in it.

Then, when one style of work is mastered, another can
be taken up and made a study; and so on, till you are
worth your weight in gold to your family. Mind, I do not
mean to say that while these special endeavors are going