he good things.

"These eggs ought to be shaved," said Bob, as he picked the little
fringes of white tissue paper from a devilled egg.

"No critical remarks, please," said Dolly, offering him a rolled up
sandwich tied with a narrow white ribbon.

"Oh, my goodness! do I eat ribbon and all? I can do magical stunts for
you afterward, like the chap who pulls yards of ribbon out of his mouth,
on the stage."

"Anybody who makes fun of our things can't have any," declared Josie.

"Oh, I'm not making fun," and Bob took half a dozen of the tiny
sandwiches. "Why, I always have my meals tied up in ribbons. I have
sashes on my griddle-cakes and neckties on my eggs, always."

"I like these orange-peel baskets filled with fruit salad," said Bert,
as he helped himself to another; "I think food in baskets is the only
real proper way."

But at last, even the hungry fishermen declared they couldn't eat
another bite, and the young people left the feast and sat on the rocks
and tree stumps near by, while Long Sam and Ephraim cleared away and
packed up the things to take home.

The boys were as good as their word, and entertained the girls by
singing college songs and giving gay imitations and stunts, and
everybody declared, as the picnic finally broke up, that it had been the
very best one of the season.

CHAPTER XIV

THE CAKE CONTEST

"Oh, _do_ go in for it!" Edith Holmes was saying, as she and Maisie
Norris sat on the edge of the Rose's shack and tried to persuade Dotty
and Dolly to agree to their plan.

"But I never made a cake in my life," Dolly objected.

"Nor I, either," said Dotty; "I don't see how we can, Edith. You're a
regular born cook, and that's different."

"But maybe you're a regular born cook, too," argued Edith; "you can't
tell if you never have tried."

"Anyway, enter the contest just for fun," urged Maisie. "Everybody will
help with the bazaar, and of course you want to be in it; and I want you
to be in this contest, because all us girls are."

"I'd just as lieve," said Dolly, "only there's no chance of our winning
the prize."

"Well, never mind if you don't. You'll have a lot of fun, and besides
it will teach you to make cake, and that's a good thing to know. That
funny old Maria of yours will help you."

"But would it be fair to have her help us?"

"Oh, of course not _make_ the cake; you must do that yourselves. But she
can tell you how, or show you how, and you can practise all you lik