Hot Buttered Corn
| Corn (not popped), | ½ cup |
| Butter, | ¼ cup |
| Salt. |
Mother saw that the fire was just right, not too hot nor too cold.
She told Betsey that if it was too hot the kernels of corn did not heat evenly and you were apt to burn them; so Betsey followed every instruction, and as the corn popped so also did Betsey's eyes pop with excitement to see the little kernels turn inside out.
The half-cup of corn she found made about six cups of popped corn.
Betsey's mother was very particular about having her use only the corn that popped perfectly; the imperfect corn was thrown away.
While Betsey was popping the corn, the butter had been standing in a large bowl in the warm kitchen, so that it was soft and creamy (mother said it was not so nice if you let the butter melt to oil), and while the corn was still warm, Betsey added it to the creamy butter, stirring all the time, then with the salt shaker she shook the fine salt through the corn.
This buttered corn was so good it was quickly eaten, so Betsey often made double quantity, and many a cold winter's day she and her dearest friend popped corn. Sometimes Betsey made