The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-12-28
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By Clarisse Bent
per Syndicate.)

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Copyright. 1917. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
Sam Conway, like many q father
with one lone child, was tremendously
proud Of his daughter Joan. So there
was a Dragging note In his voice as
he talked to the young man with a
lieutenant's bar on his khaki shout
ders, who sat beside him as they
drove home from town in Mr.. Con-
ways car. But the young man-Tom
Shortley-had met Joan, the winter
before when she visited friend in
his home town. And one reason he
was so glad to undertake trip to
collect funds for the recreation work
OF his camp was because his itinerary
included Joan's home town.
YES" said Sam, as he dexterously
swung around a corner into the long
suburban road that led to his house.
"Joan's great girl. You see we've
got no men in our family to send
to the front; can't say I'm sorry
Joan's not a son. for I'd miss her a
lot. But when this economy war talk
came into fashion, Joan said she must
do her bit to make up for being
girl. And as luck would have 1t, our
servants-a cook and a waitress-left.
We live In factory town, you know,
and Mrs. Conway couldn't get any
one to take their places. All the girls
like to 60 to the factories now. She
was discouraged and then Joan said
shed keep house, without servants
just with somebody, to come In and
serve the dinners and to clean up
now and then. And, by jove, she's
done It, and every cent she saves
In that way and In making us eat
scrapple and beans instead Of beef.
steak and white bread. she takes to
buy worsted or to give to the Red
Cross or some other pet charity.
"Joan likes to have me bring folks
home for dinner-likes to be surprised.
and show them what she can do" Mr..
Conway turned into the short drive
that crossed his unpretentious lawn
and led up to the comfortable frame
house. There she Is, now. with her
mother. Won't she be surprised?"
At that moment Joan, ensconced In
corner Of the living room window
seat, looked up from her knitting.
"Who on earth has father got
nOwT she asked her mother. "Oh,
mother, If 1t isn't that Mr.. Shortley
met out at Alice's last winter-yOu
KNOW told you about himi His
IN hn hiy ri
they've got heaps of money. Oh,
wish I'd planned a different dinner"
And with q hurried review of the war
time menu she had planned buzzing
through her head, she helped her moth
er greet the guest, and listened, panic
stricken, to her fathers loving but
Dragging voice as he said:
''Yes, Joan's a great little cook. She
manages to give us mighty good things
to eat and she hardly spends anything
for them"
Joan was glad to make an unosten-
tatiOus escape to the kitchen. She
stood bit In awe of Tom Shortley. To
be sure, he had seemed to find her
interesting when she had met him the
ycdI DclOIc. Out IuOuty! Wuut
must he think of girl who got dinner
herself? Joan felt sure that the girls
he knew couldn't tell corn meal from
oat meal and went to dinner fresh
from the hands Of dainty French maids
instead Of fresh from an interview
with stupid little Irish girl that came
In by the hour to act as waitress and
wash the dinner dishes, like Maggie
Clark.
However, Maggie Clark was the
problem of the moment, and Joan hur-
ried to help set an extra place at the
table.
Snow, Maggie" said Joan, as to-
gether they left the dining-room and
went to the kitchen, "We've got to do
some clever work to make the dinner
do for four, instead Of three. OF
course, there's enough Of the meat and
vegetables" and Joan looked COM
placently at the steaming dish Of
baked rice and tomatoes, the we'll
Drowned potroast and the saucepan
Of butter beans she had herself can
ned from the garden in the summer.
snow listen closely, Maggie" said
Joan. "There's only dessert enough
for three you see, It's charlotte
russo. But you whip up an egg white,
for there's no more cream, and I'll
get the stale sponge cake out of the
cake box and well make something
that will do. There" as they to-
gether improvised an imitation des-
sert that matched the others I'm ap-
pearance, "now that will do for me.
It would be awful IL anybody knew,
H,,t ,ohoJ,, will Hero Mappio this