Two Little Women

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER XIV

  THE CAKE CONTEST

  "Oh, _do_ go in for it!" Edith Holmes was saying, as she and MaisieNorris sat on the edge of the Rose's shack and tried to persuade Dottyand Dolly to agree to their plan.

  "But I never made a cake in my life," Dolly objected.

  "Nor I, either," said Dotty; "I don't see how we can, Edith. You're aregular born cook, and that's different."

  "But maybe you're a regular born cook, too," argued Edith; "you can'ttell if you never have tried."

  "Anyway, enter the contest just for fun," urged Maisie. "Everybody willhelp with the bazaar, and of course you want to be in it; and I want youto be in this contest, because all us girls are."

  "I'd just as lieve," said Dolly, "only there's no chance of our winningthe prize."

  "Well, never mind if you don't. You'll have a lot of fun, and besidesit will teach you to make cake, and that's a good thing to know. Thatfunny old Maria of yours will help you."

  "But would it be fair to have her help us?"

  "Oh, of course not _make_ the cake; you must do that yourselves. But shecan tell you how, or show you how, and you can practise all you likebeforehand, of course. And you might win the prize, after all."

  "What is the prize?"

  "A twenty dollar gold piece!"

  "What a grand prize! I didn't know it was such a big one."

  "Well, you see, old Mrs. Van Zandt gives it. She's a crank on DomesticScience and girls knowing how to cook and all that. And besides there'llbe lots of entries. All the girls all round the lake will send cakes."

  "Can anybody send?"

  "Any girl under sixteen. They call it the Sweet Sixteen Cake Prize."

  "All right, let's do it," said Dotty, and Dolly said, "I'm willing, butit seems nonsensical when we don't know a thing about making cake, andless than a week to learn in. But we can have a try at it, anyway, andwe'll be in the fun. Hey, Dotsy?"

  "All right, then," said Maisie, delightedly; "I'll tell Miss Traversthat you two girls will join the contest. She'll be delighted. She's atthe head of that committee."

  Later the two D's conferred with Mrs. Rose about the matter.

  "I'll be glad to have you do it," that lady said. "I always like to haveyou learn anything domestic. Of course you can learn to make cake in aweek, if you have any knack at all. Go down to the kitchen now, andMaria will give you your first lessons. Ask her to show you how to makeplain cup-cake first, and if you make a little more elaborate kind everyday, by the end of the week you ought to be able to concoct almostanything. I don't want to be discouraging, but I can hardly think you'lltake the prize, for I remember last year the cakes were really mostastonishing affairs."

  "No, we won't catch any prize," Dotty agreed; "but we want to be in thebazaar, and the cake department is about as much fun as any. You see,even if we don't take the prize, we sell our cakes for the biggest pricepossible and that helps the bazaar along."

  "Is it for charity?" asked Dolly.

  "Yes; they hold it every year in the hotel, and all the camp peopletake part. Oh, it's lots of fun; I'm so glad it's going to be whileyou're here."

  The two girls ran down to the kitchen, and informed Maria of theirimmediate desire to learn to make cake.

  "Bress gracious, chillun," said the surprised old coloured woman, "I'llmake all de cakes you all can eat. Don't you bodder 'bout makin' cakesyo'self. Jes' leab dat to ole Maria."

  "But you don't understand, Cookie," said Dotty. "We want to learn,because we're going to make a cake to send to the fair, for the prizecontest."

  "Prize contes'! What's dat?"

  "Why, they give a prize for the best cake sent in."

  "All right, den. Leab it all to me. I'll sho'ly make a cake what'llcatch dat prize. You all shoo out ob here now."

  "No, no, Maria, you don't understand," and Dolly began to explain. "Wemust make the cakes ourselves. You can't do it, because you're not undersixteen--are you?" And the laughing blue eyes looked quizzically at theold darky.

  "Sixteen! Laws, chile, I's a mudder in Israel. I got chilluns andgrandchilluns. I ain't been sixteen since I can 'member. But, lawsy,--ayoung un of sixteen can't make no cake worth eatin'!"

  "But we can, if _you_ teach us, Maria," said Dotty, with tactfulflattery.

  "Well, mebbe dat's so, if I do the most of it, and you jes' bring me thethings."

  "No, that won't do; we must do it ourselves, but you must show us how."

  At last they convinced Maria of her part in the undertaking, and withmore or less good-natured grumbling, she proceeded to enlighten thegirls in the mysteries of cake making.

  The old cook was not trammelled by definite recipes and her rules seemedto be "a little of dis," and "a right smart lot of dat."

  But, even so, she was a good teacher, and at the end of the firstlesson, the girls had each a round cake, plain, but light and wholesome,well-baked and delicately browned.

  These were proudly exhibited at the family luncheon, and were at onceappropriated by Bob and Bert, who immediately constituted themselves aCourt of Final Judgment, and declared their intention of eating all thepreliminary cakes that would be made during the week's lessons.

  So interested did the girls become, that every morning they spent in thekitchen.

  Mr. Rose expressed a mock terror lest his bills for butter and eggsshould land him in the poor-house, but the cake-making went on, and moreand more elaborate confections were turned out by the rapidlyprogressing cooks.

  Mrs. Rose declared that it was her opinion that doctors' bills wereimminent, if indeed the whole family would not soon be in the hospital;but though the boys and Genie ate a fair portion of the cakes, much morewas consumed by the neighbouring young people, who formed a habit ofdrifting in to Crosstrees camp afternoons to sample the morning's work.

  The days brought plum cakes and marble cakes; chocolate, cocoanut,custard and jelly cakes.

  Once having achieved the knack of making the cake itself, the fillingsor elaborations were not difficult.

  The girls took the matter rather seriously, but as the great day drewnearer, they began to have a glimmering hope that they might achieve theprize after all.

  "But, oh, Dollyrinda," exclaimed Dotty, impulsively, "if my cake shouldtake the prize ahead of yours, I'd cry my eyes out, and if your caketook the prize ahead of mine, I'd never speak to you again!"

  Dolly laughed. "I've been thinking about that, too, Dot, and do youknow, I think it would be nicest for us to make only one cake, and makeit together, and enter it under both our names, and then if it takes theprize we can divide the twenty dollars."

  Dotty drew a long sigh of relief. "That is the best way, Doll; I neverthought of that. To be sure we run a double chance with two cakes, butit would be horrid for one of them to take the prize. So let's devoteall our energies to one beautiful, splendiferous cake that will be soperfect nobody else will have any chance at all."

  "Yes, that's what I think. Now, what kind shall it be?"

  This was the great question. The girls had proved apt pupils, for theyhad a housewifely knack, and Maria was really a superior teacher. Theyhad learned the art of pound cake, the trick of sponge cake and had evenpenetrated the mysteries of fruit cake. They had learned to make raisincake without having all the raisins sink to a thick mat at the bottom;they had learned ginger-bread in all its forms, from the puffy goldensort to the most dark spicy variety. Angel food and sunshine cakepresented no difficulties to them and layer cakes were their happyhunting ground.

  Also they were Past Grand Masters in the matter of icing. They couldboil sugar through its seven stages of spun thread, and they evenexperimented with a few confectioners' implements in the matter of fancydecoration and borders.

  "It seems to me," said Dotty, as they held solemn conclave over thegreat question, "that our trick is to invent an absolutely newcombination of flavours or ingredients. Say, cocoanut stirred intochocolate icing, or something that's different from the regulation'White mountain cake' or
'Variety cake.' I'm sure we can think of somenew idea that will be perfectly stunning."

  "I don't agree with you, Dot," and Dolly looked solemnly thoughtful, asher blue eyes stared into Dotty's black ones. "Now, I think this way. Amore simple cake, but of perfect quality and with a plain but beautifulicing, that will charm by its very simplicity."

  "That's a fine line of talk, Doll, and sounds well," put in Bert, whowas present with Bob as Advisory Board; "but I doubt if 'twill go downwith the Powers that Be. You see, after all, they're on the lookout fornovelty and elaborate messes."

  "I'm not so sure of that," and Bob shook his head. "Perhaps Dolliwop'sidea isn't so worse! It's like a beautiful big white monument being moreimpressive than a lot of ginger-bread architecture."

  "Oh, we wouldn't make ginger-bread!" cried Dotty, laughing; "but I can'tsee a plain cake taking a prize. I tell you, it's got to have an unusualcombination of materials. I can't get away from the idea that a novelmixture of just the right kind of flavouring would turn the trick."

  "And I'm positive that simplicity is the note to strike for." Dolly saidthis with a faraway look in her eyes, as if she saw the vision of thebeautiful cake she was planning.

  "Stick to it, Doll," cried Bob. "You've got the right idea or I'm aloser!"

  "You boys go away, now," and Dolly's brows wrinkled in serious thought."This is no time for fooling and Dot and I have to decide this thingto-day."

  Realising the gravity of the occasion, the boys went off, and the twogirls settled down to a desperate confab. Neither of them was insistentmerely because she wanted her own way, but each was eager for success,and quite ready to settle their controversy by careful weighing of eachother's arguments.

  At last, after a long discussion, they reached their conclusions andwent down to the kitchen to construct what they had finally decidedwould be the best plan for their masterpiece.

  Very carefully they worked, Dolly, slow, sure and very particular as tomeasurements and combinations; Dotty, quick, beating the batter likemad, whisking eggs and sifting sugar in a whirl of excitement.

  And when the great work was accomplished, and the marvellous result seton the dining-room table for exhibition, the family came in to gaze inan awed silence on the beautiful cake.

  No one was allowed to see it but the household, for of course it waskept secret from the other contestants.

  The cake was a marvel of beauty, and it combined the best ideas of theplans of the two girls.

  It was square in shape, instead of round, as that gave a touch ofnovelty. It was only two layers, but the layers were of the mostexquisitely textured angel food, which had, after three attempts,graciously consented to turn out "just right."

  Between the layers was a filling, which followed in a measure Dotty'sidea of novelty. It was a combination of confectioners' icing, whippedcream, pineapple juice and a few delicate feathery flakes of freshlygrated cocoanut. This delectable mixture was novel and of charmingdelicacy.

  But the icing was Dolly's triumph. The square cake, large and high, wascovered so smoothly with white icing that not a lump or a crack marredthe perfect surface of its top and sides. There were no decorations savethree lines of icing that delicately outlined the square top. Thetrueness of these lines was a wonder, and only Dolly's steady hand asshe traced them with a paper cornucopia of icing could have resulted insuch an effective scheme.

  "It is perfectly wonderful!" said Mr. Rose, looking at it as an artist."It's like the Taj Mahal or some such World Wonder."

  "It's perfectly exquisite!" said Mrs. Rose, as she bent over to examineit and then walked away to view it from a distance. "I never saw suchicing! How did you do it, girlies?"

  "Dolly did that," said Dotty.

  "Only because you were so excited your hand wiggled," said Dolly, whowas always placid, whatever happened. "But the filling is Dot'sinvention, and it's just fine. We put some of it on another cake and Iwant you all to taste it."

  So they all sampled the other cake, and tested the flavour likeconnoisseurs.

  "Ripping!" exclaimed Bob.

  "Out of sight!" remarked Bert, suiting the action to the word.

  The boys were vociferous, the older people were enthusiastic; but oneand all agreed that there had never been such a cake built before andthat it would surely win the prize.

  "Are you going to send it over now?" asked Mr. Rose.

  "No," said Dotty; "we're going to take it with us when we go ourselves.I wouldn't trust it to anybody, for it might get joggled and crack theicing. Put it in the pantry, Dolly; I daren't touch it myself." Dottywas quivering with excitement, but Dolly's steady hand carefully liftedthe precious cake and carried it safely to the pantry.

  Later in the afternoon, the girls made ready to go to the bazaar. Theywere to serve as assistants in the cake department, for the majority ofthe cakes were to be sold. The prize cake, and those having honourablemention would be exhibited, and later sold at auction, but much cakewould be disposed of at the regular sale.

  They wore white dresses, with pale green ribbons, which was the costumeof all connected with that department of the bazaar.

  Very pretty they looked, as they came dancing downstairs for Mrs. Rose'sinspection.

  "You'll do, girlies," she commented; "your frocks are all right. We'llbe over later. I hate to have you carry that big cake, Dolly."

  "Oh, I must, Mrs. Rose; I wouldn't trust it to any one else. Bertoffered to take it, and Bob did, too. But if they should drop it oranything, I'd never get over the disappointment. We worked so hard onit, and it is _so_ lovely, and if we can just get it there safely, I'msure it will get honourable mention at least."

  "It ought to take the prize," said Mrs. Rose, enthusiastically; "butdon't get your hopes up too high, for there's nothing surer thandisappointment. Be very careful as you get in the boat, Dolly."

  "Indeed, yes, but Long Sam is such a kind old thing, I know he'll do allhe can not to joggle, but to run very steadily all the way."

  The bazaar was held in a hotel which was some distance down the lake.But Dolly did not fear any accident while on the motor boat; she wasonly apprehensive lest some one push against her as she made her wayinto the building or into the cake booth. For one little crumb of brokenicing or one dent on its perfect surface would spoil, to Dolly's anxiouseye, the perfection of their cake.