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Show NEW YEAR'S teSL tLwooD V'-'yv A bugle sounded. The army band began to play a slow march. Molly traightened. She'd have to be there soon. But she'd never be able tc get through the crowd In time. She decided to go through the back door. She knocked. "Come In." A red-headed soldier was staring at a big unfrosted cake on the kitchen table. Without looking up he murmured, "Well, it's about time you got back, Sophronia. Cap-J tain Adams just told me to go get; Bis wife. Said she could cook anything. any-thing. Sure need somebody. The Old Man is in a jam. Everything's gone wrong since this general got here about an hour ago, Inspecting for j the War Department. He don't seem ! to think much of the Old Man, and he's right likely to lose his regi- j ment. If he does, I lose my job as colonel's orderly. Don't look like it's gonna be much of a happy new "Well, it's about Ume you got back, Sophronia." !ear. And on top of it you didn't I show up this morning and" So colonels, too, had pi oblems. ' Molly smiled. Don had been going i to send for her. Gayly she said, I "I'm not Sophronia." 5, "What?" the soldier turned and I looked at her. He groaned. "Just my luckl Guess I'll hava to find that Mrs. Adams." "I'm Mrs. Adams," she said. "We'll have to get busy. How much I time have we?" " 'Bout twenty minutes," volunteered volun-teered the soldier. "I see," smiled Molly. She surveyed sur-veyed the kitchen. A knife would improve im-prove the sandwiches. Punch was simple, with lemons and oranges and tea in the refrigerator. She made the icing. Fluffy white and rich I brown chocolate, r The soldier tasted: "Say, ma'am, it's swell! But oughtn't it to be a I little fancy? Roses and things like ! that?" "That's an ideal" Molly's dim- I pies appeared. Once she'd made a ! j cake for Don and put his initials i on it in chocolate frosting. Printed lettters must have a magic charm, j That night Don had proposed. Humming Hum-ming a tune, she spread the I smooth chocolate. Don would have to admit now that she was a good army wife. Wasn't cooking the way to a man's heart, and hadn't Napoleon Napo-leon mentioned a soldier's stomach? stom-ach? She stopped in sudden realization. realiza-tion. What were the colonel's lni-' lni-' I tials? Molly sighed, 'TD have to And j out." She hurried Into the library, j Ah, the silver! She carefully copied cop-ied the letters, Q.M.C. The cake was j beautiful. One look and the colonel would be impressed. She'd been right. Molly watched the colonel stand still and stare. So did the guests. There was an odd ; expression on the visiting general's face. Still, thought Molly, probably I generals never smiled. Then she started. Mrs. Major Arnold was talking talk-ing to Mrs. Captain Fox. "I wonder won-der what the general thinks of Colo-!nel Colo-!nel Jones' having the initials quar-I quar-I termaster corps on his cake. Un-I Un-I usual, to say the least, when Colonel 5ones is in the field artillery." Don stopped her. "Molly, what did you mean?" "I'm sorry they were on the silver." sil-ver." "The colonel," Don laughed, "hasn't got his things here, so he borrowed from the quartermaster. Darling, it was a wonderful idea. ! The general was quite flattered. He used to be in the quartermaster ' corps. In fact, everybody is happy. I Come in, Molly. Wish the colonel Happy New Year. And it will be, j thanks to you." |
