Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-05-24
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POLLY's TWELFTH CAKE.

I'M" sounded out in Polly's voice. l
entered and found her and four other
young ladies circled about q table in
the center of the room.
Just the thing!" Polly cried out
the instant her eyes lighted upon me.
You'll have to cut it, Toni"
Cut what?" asked, in bewilder.
ment, bowling to the four.
Polly stepped UNFORTUNATELY to one
side, and saw in the center Of the
table cake, whose coating was no
winter than the coating of other
cakes andwh body was probably no
more digestible.
"oh, it's only q cake, then!" was
much relieved.
Only a cake! Did you hear that,
girls?" Polly looked resentful at me,
AWhy, it's Twelfth-night cake, and 1
baked it, too"
"And there's ring in IT, and the
girl that gets the piece Of cake with
the ring in it will be married before
the years out" supplemented Miss
Stanton-she who, once upon a time,
screened window into which Polly
made entrance.
"But why don't one Of you cut it?"
queried. II don't know anything
about carving"
"You see, each Of them wants a
piece, and it wouldn't be just fair for
one who draws to cut IT," volunteered
one OF the Others, young lady Of
stiff stateliness, whose name was to
me among things forgotten.
Il suppose l can cut IL then.
Where's the knife?"
! Polly handed me silver-plated
knife, seemingly intended for bending
or for breaking, rather than for cut
ting. With this l marked of the
Twelfth-cake into six portions. Twas
trying to force the end of the knife
through the icing, when Polly seized
my hand.
"Stop!!" she cried. "You're cutting
II Into six pieces. Cut it into five."
Don't | get any Of it?" I asked,
looking at her in surprise.
"Of course You don't. Only girls ret
. chance at the ring. What do you
want a piece for? Men don't get mar.
ied. They marry"
There was no controverting this
last, so I obediently laid off the cake
into five parts. "But what are you
cutting this thing now for?" ques.
TONED. between jabs and grunts.
This is Sunday night. Twelfth-night
was two days ago"
II never thought of the cake until
yesterday" Polly explained
ut makes no difference" the state
ly one put in. Miss Stanton and the
other two confirmed this declaration
by mods.
1 caught Polly's eye and covertly
signaled her my desire for communi.
cation. She bent down over the cake
until her head almost touched mine.
ibid you Nuke mark above the
ring?" | whispered.
snake mark above the ring! What
for?"
$50 you can pick out the piece It's
In"
She turned her head until she could
look into my face. "Do you think I'd
be guilty OF "a thing like that?' she
asked, and there was so much of pain
and SO much Of reproach in her whis-
per that I came near blushng with
shame at myself, why, 1t would be
dishonest"
Properly subdued 7 iabbed at the
cake in silence until it bay in five rag
ged pieces. Then put down the table
knife and gave my space to those de-
Birous of drawing lots for inevitable
matrimonv.
snow, each Of You take q piece"
Polly ordered. "We'll start all at
once and keep eating till the rings
found. We can t all get the ring but
we can all have a piece of good cake.
! baked it myself"
81 just know ! shall get the ring"
Miss Stanton sighed, as she took one
of the portions. "lt's just my luck |
got It once two years AFRO, and / got
the rings in two cakes last year.
Three rings-and I'm not married
yet!'
~ really don't care for The ring"
said the young lady whose name I
knew not. 81 don't believe in them.
But I'm hungry, so I'll eat a bit Of the
cake"
She cast her eyes over the pieces
and picked out the one farthest from
her The two others made their Sc
lections and Polly took the remaining
portion.
snow, she said, and all the pieces
started mouthward, while !, forgot
ten, looked on hungrily. After the
first bite bhe stately one gave a quick
glance at Polly and the other two
looked hard at the cake.
'You made this, Polly?" one Of
them asked.
eyes. What's the matter? Isn'tit
good?'
"Its all right. I was-was Just
wondering"
"0f course, it's all right" Miss
Stanton declared, taking another bite.
The stately one laid the piece down
on the platter, and, with ostentatious
began breaking 10 into