Cherry Soup

1 quart of sour cherries. Remove the stones, add 1 quart of water and boil until the cherries are tender. Press through sieve (there should be almost nothing left in the sieve), add 1/2 a cup of sugar and return to the fire. When boiling hot add 1 tablespoonful of arrowroot or cornstarch (rubbed smooth in enough cold water to pour) and let boil until clear. Take from fire and cool; add juice of one lemon. Serve with shaved ice. Delicious for the first course of a summer luncheon served in bouillon cups.

Gumbo Soup

1 chicken, 2 pints okra, 1 pint tomatoes, 1 tablespoon butter. Fry the chicken and pour over 1/2 gallon of boiling water and cook till the meat drops from the bones. Remove bones. Prepare the vegetables and add to the soup and boil. Then add thickening and season to taste. Before pouring off add the butter. Add hot water as it boils down. Serve hot, with rice boiled dry.

Creole Gumbo Soup

(Mrs. T. R. Wyles.)

1 large chicken (5-6 pounds) or veal, 1 medium onion, 1 large tablespoon lard, 1 tablespoon flour, 4 quarts water, 1 can of tomatoes, 3 green peppers, 2 quarts sliced okra, 1 tablespoon salt. Cut and joint the chicken as for frying, dredge with flour. Put into an iron skillet the lard; when hot stir in the flour; brown, being careful not to burn; add the onion, minced fine, and then the chicken; fry the whole for eight or ten minutes, till the chicken is well browned; add the tomatoes, and let cook three or four minutes longer. Throw into the soup pot and cover with the water; season with the peppers chopped fine and the salt. Let the whole boil rapidly for a few minutes, then remove to the back of the stove and simmer for 4 or five hours. One hour before serving stir in the okra. Serve with boiled rice.

Okra Gumbo

(Mrs. H. L. Taylor.)

A Creole Southern Soup.

In a porcelain-lined sauce-pan put a tablespoonful of lard; when hot put in a sliced onion, then a scant table-spoonful of flour and cook until a golden brown. Put in a can of shrimp and cook 4 or 5 minutes; add a minced sweet pepper and two large tablespoonfuls of canned tomatoes. Then add a can of okra or three teacupfuls of fresh sliced okra. Let this simmer 10 minutes - or 20 minutes if the fresh okra is used - stirring constantly. Then add one quart of water very gradually (one cup at a time). Season with salt and pepper. Cook slowly one hour and serve with boiled rice. Chicken, crab meat, or ham and veal can be used instead of the shrimp.

Mushroom Cream Soup

1 quart of chicken stock, quart milk, 1 can of mushrooms. Drain off the liquor, cook and chop and add to stock.

Oyster Soup

Take 1 quart of rich milk or cream and boil. Draw off 1 quart of oysters and boil and skim. Add it and the oysters to boiling milk and cook 5 minutes. Powder 1 dozen crackers, and with them put 1/2 cup of butter in soup tureen and pour over and serve hot. Pepper and salt to taste.