"We'll begin with corn-meal," said Harry. "How much corn-meal do you eat
in a week, Aunt Matilda?"

"Dunno," said she, "'spect about a couple o' pecks."

"Oh, Aunt Matilda!" cried Kate, "our whole family wouldn't eat two pecks
in a week."

"Well, then, a half-peck," said she; "'pends a good deal on how many is
living in a house."

"Yes; but we only mean this for you, Aunt Matilda. We don't mean it for
anybody else."

"Well, then, I reckon a quarter of a peck would do, for jest me."

"We will allow you a peck," said Harry, "and that will be twenty-five
cents a week. Set that down, Kate."

"All right," said Kate. And she set down at the top of the paper, "Meal,
25 cents."

The children proceeded in this way to calculate how much bacon,
molasses, coffee, and sugar would suffice for Aunt Matilda's support;
and they found that the cost, per week, at the rates of the country
stores, with which they were both familiar, would be seventy-seven and
three-quarter cents.

"Is there anything else, Aunt Matilda?" asked Kate.