Evening star., 1922-02-05

diabolical plot. but, OF course. ]
was the chief sufferer from It.
Oh, 1 was accomplice to the
crime, if you Ike, and willing one
at that. I would nave done anything
to save a dollar that week-anything
at all. Looking at 1t in that light
the plan seemed perfectly good to me.
We were making Lettie's wedding
cake when the great idea was evolved
Temple was simply groaning as she
looked at the dozens of eggs and
the pounds of sugar, the raistns and
butter and citron and flour. There's
full 81 worth of stuff here, II not
more, Miss Kathy,' she kept saying
gloomily.
l stood her saying it three or four
times and at last I got desperate.
But it can't be helped, Temple, l
said. "Lettie wants the big frosted
cake for the center of the table, ana
then she must have the other cake to
cut up and put into the boxes. She'll
carry on like mad if we don't do as
she likes. You know how she is.
And I'm so thankful to have her
married that a few dollars more or
less on the cake can't make much
difference
It'll make a difference when the
bill from the grocer comes in," said
Temple. Well have to eat mush
and milk for supper all year long.
Just then Edith poked her head IN
at the door. 'Oh, / say-weddtns
caxew she exclaimed. Give me some
raisins."
Go to Halifax" snorted Temple
"We've troubles enough without you
hanging around the kitchen"
Edith is at the perfectly unsquelch-
able age of fourteen. OF course, she
came right In and seized handful
of raisinS. Gee, I'm glad IIettle
getting married" she said. with her
mouth full, "and Edgar's got plenty
Of money, too. Maybe she'll give me
some of her old frocks now instead
Of my having to do without, SOS she
can have new ones. It's fierce to
have a beauty in the family
Don't say fierce and gee and
don't speculate on Lettie's giving
away anything" admonished. know
ing my duty as an older sister.
THAT'S right" put in Temple. "For
all Miss Lettie's. sweet little face and
big blue baby eyes. she's not what
YOU can call free-handed. to be sure.
"Stiu, when she's Ee-c "a miss He
eS.IesS...sse" s&.a Edith: and all her
su1tors sssstaG Iewers and candy
did lave those marrons Klein sent
You never have any suitors, Kathy
You're not bad-looking. either-but'
of ,brSse, Lettie fades out every
body
CHE snatched- another handful OF
- raisins and fled Temple and !
looked at each other and laughed. There
was no suppressins Edith and We knew
It. and besides. everything she said
was true. I never did have any suit
ors, and If any man showed the silsht-
est symptom of being interested IN
me, Lettie promptly smiled at him, and
he forgot 1 was in existence. 1t WASH
all Lettie's fault, and she never re-
allied how selfish she was, but she was
one of those girls who can't be happy
unless the whole universe revolves
right around them. And since she was
a beauty, and mother felt sure she
marry well, she'd had the 1rocks and
the visits and the fun. and the rest OF
us had given in and let her take II.
Her engagement to Edgar Sparthwaite
one of the Providence Sparthwa1tes,
rich as double cream. and Navy Oh
ficer to boot-pleased mother almost 10
pieces, and that was why we were en-
gagged in this last grand effort OF CIV
ing her a wedding which would De
commensurate with all she hadn't had
in the past, and all she would have In
the future. But with our income cut
down one-half from the war, and the
cost of living doubled, it wasn't an
easy matter to manage that wedding.
Mother had left it up to Temple and
me, and though Temples only SER
want. she's been with US SO long she's
lust like one of the family, and though
I'm only nineteen, which IS three
wears younger than Lettie and five
older than Edith, I'm f1rst-rate
little manageress, il I do say 1t my
self, and can make a nickel spread
over a dimes worth Of value pretty
nearly always. There are almost no
economy lodges 1 don't know. from
drippings to dyed lingerie ribbons.
But this time Temple certainly did
think of a new one. She kept look
ing at the eggs-eggs were eighty
five cents a dozen-and the butter
butter was seventy-six cents pound
and at the great big pan we had
to make the round cake in, and she
mourned. At last she edged up to
me, and spoke low.
"Say, Miss Kathy," she began, 'Tm
thinkin-'
stopped chopping raisins and
citron and waited. She had the light
of battle in her eye.
Miss Lettie only wants the big
cake for ornymint ike-isn't that
so?"
i've told you a thousand times" "
/ said wearily, that it's to be in
the center of the refreshment table,
in Grandmother Gainsley's old silver
tray. And you know you're to cover
it with one Of your marvellous hard
white frostings with all the fancy
stuff and curlycues that it could
possibly have if it came from Traz-
zinis." (Trazzini being our very
best caterer.)
Temple took the big pan and turned