Mother thought she had lost a pet recipe until one day she came upon it unexpectedly. This was it.

Vassar Divinity Fudge

Sugar (granulated),3 cups
Maple syrup,1 cup
Water,1½ cups
Vinegar,1 tablespoon
Walnut meats,2 cups
Whites of2 eggs (beaten stiffly)
Flavoring (vanilla),1 teaspoon

For this Betsey needed two saucepans. In one she put two cups of sugar, one cup of water, the maple syrup and vinegar, boiled these until they formed a soft ball in cold water, then removed from fire.

In the second pan she had boiling the other cup of sugar and the half cup of water; when they had boiled so that the syrup formed a thread from the tip of the spoon she poured it at once on the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs, beating continually, added quickly all this to the first mixture, stirred in the nuts and vanilla, beat until it was like cream and poured in buttered pan. Sometimes Betsey packed it in a deep, well buttered loaf pan and sliced like cake.


CHAPTER IV
CARAMELS

One Friday afternoon, as mother was sitting at the window engaged in her sewing, Betsey bobbed in and exclaimed: "Mother, I want to make caramels!"

"Right now?" asked mother, looking up from her sewing with a quizzical smile.