The next evening, just as it grew dark, Mil-
dred and Jack hung a sheet before the double
doors of the library, and they, with some of the
cousins, gave a funny shadow-play, ** Young
Lochinvar,*' with a rocking-horse for the
** steed, *^ and a clothes-basket for a boat, and
their father read the poem as they acted it.
When everybody had stopped laughing at it, the
junior Blairs brought in the supper (the oysters
had been quietly cooking while they played) , and
arranged it on the library table. Everything
was hot and delicious, or cold and delicious, and
the mulled grape- juice was almost the best of
all. After everything had been eaten up, they
all gathered around the fire and told stories.
At last, when the visitors had gone and bed-
time had come for the Blairs, Mildred said im-
pressively:
^*Now that was what I call a Thanksgiving
Day without a flaw 1 ' *
CHAPTEE XVI
CANDY FOB THE FAIB
THE Alcott School, which Mildred and
Brownie attended, was going to give a
Christmas fair. That is, they were going to
have a hig, beautiful fair to which everybody in
town was to go and buy their Christmas pres-
ents, and afterward the money was to be given
to the children's ward in the new hospital. Mil-
dred and Brownie were on the candy committee,
and, of course, they were much excited. They
had to have so much candy for a whole town of
people that they did not know where it was to
come from.
**We could go around and ask for contribu-
tions, '* said Mildred to her mother; **but the
trouble is that everybody in the school is doing
that very thing, asking and asking and asking I^^
**You might make a good deal of candy your-
selves, and perhaps other people who would not
care to buy quantities to give you, would make
some too. Home-made candy always sells
well.''
228
CANDY FOR THE FAIB 229
**Miss Betty makes the loveliest pinoohel''
said Brownie, thoughtfully.
"So she does. Suppose we ask her about
planning to make candy at home. ' '
Miss Betty had just come in from a meeting
of her own committee on the fair, and was as in-
terested as could be in the candy table.
* * 1 11 tell you what to do, ' ' she said. ^ ' Get as
many people as you can to give you just a little
money, fifty cents, or even twenty-five, in place
of giving you any candy — ^they will be glad to do
that, you see, because it would save them ever so
much which they can spend on the fair in other
ways. Then we will buy sugar, and nuts, and
such things with the money, and get all the girls
on your committee to help on the candy-making,
either in their own homes — ''
**0h, at our house. Miss Betty,'' begged
Brownie; **that will be a party!''
**Very well, if your mother doesn't mind,"
laughed Miss Betty. * * Then, when we see how
much we can make in two afternoons, we will
beg enough for the rest that we need. And I '11
help you. I make awf uUy good candy I ' '
When the girls told their mother the plan, she
said, **That 's a bright idea I" and told the girls
to ask the eight others on the committee to go to
230 THE FUN OF COOKING
work at once and get the money for materials.
The next days were busy ones, and when,
three days before the fair, the committee met,
they were astonished to see how much money
they had collected, enough to buy all the ma-
terials and have a good sum over. The girls all
promised to help make the candy, and said they
would surely be at the Blairs' for two whole
afternoons, from two o'clock till dark, beginning
the next day.
Page 58
Presented as published in 1915. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The next evening, just as it grew dark, Mildred and Jack hung a sheet before the double doors of the library, and they, with some of the cousins, gave a funny shadow-play, ** Young Lochinvar,*' with a rocking-horse for the ** steed, *^ and a clothes-basket for a boat, and their father read the poem as they acted it. When everybody had stopped laughing at it, the junior Blairs brought in the supper (the oysters had been quietly cooking while they played) , and arranged it on the library table. Everything was hot and delicious, or cold and delicious, and the mulled grape- juice was almost the best of all. After everything had been eaten up, they all gathered around the fire and told stories. At last, when the visitors had gone and bedtime had come for the Blairs, Mildred said impressively:
^*Now that was what I call a Thanksgiving Day without a flaw 1 ' *
CHAPTER XVI
THE Alcott School, which Mildred and Brownie attended, was going to give a Christmas fair. That is, they were going to have a hig, beautiful fair to which everybody in town was to go and buy their Christmas presents, and afterward the money was to be given to the children's ward in the new hospital. Mildred and Brownie were on the candy committee, and, of course, they were much excited. They had to have so much candy for a whole town of people that they did not know where it was to come from.
**We could go around and ask for contributions, '* said Mildred to her mother; **but the trouble is that everybody in the school is doing that very thing, asking and asking and asking I^^
**You might make a good deal of candy yourselves, and perhaps other people who would not care to buy quantities to give you, would make some too. Home-made candy always sells well.''
**Miss Betty makes the loveliest pinochle'' said Brownie, thoughtfully.
"So she does. Suppose we ask her about planning to make candy at home. ' '
Miss Betty had just come in from a meeting of her own committee on the fair, and was as interested as could be in the candy table.
* * 1 11 tell you what to do, ' ' she said. ^ ' Get as many people as you can to give you just a little money, fifty cents, or even twenty-five, in place of giving you any candy — ^they will be glad to do that, you see, because it would save them ever so much which they can spend on the fair in other ways. Then we will buy sugar, and nuts, and such things with the money, and get all the girls on your committee to help on the candy-making, either in their own homes — ''
**0h, at our house. Miss Betty,'' begged Brownie; **that will be a party!''
**Very well, if your mother doesn't mind," laughed Miss Betty. * * Then, when we see how much we can make in two afternoons, we will beg enough for the rest that we need. And I '11 help you. I make awfully good candy I ' '
When the girls told their mother the plan, she said, **That 's a bright idea I" and told the girls to ask the eight others on the committee to go to
work at once and get the money for materials.
The next days were busy ones, and when, three days before the fair, the committee met, they were astonished to see how much money they had collected, enough to buy all the materials and have a good sum over. The girls all promised to help make the candy, and said they would surely be at the Blairs' for two whole afternoons, from two o'clock till dark, beginning the next day.