elaborations were not difficult.

The girls took the matter rather seriously, but as the great day drew
nearer, they began to have a glimmering hope that they might achieve the
prize after all.

"But, oh, Dollyrinda," exclaimed Dotty, impulsively, "if my cake should
take the prize ahead of yours, I'd cry my eyes out, and if your cake
took the prize ahead of mine, I'd never speak to you again!"

Dolly laughed. "I've been thinking about that, too, Dot, and do you
know, I think it would be nicest for us to make only one cake, and make
it together, and enter it under both our names, and then if it takes the
prize we can divide the twenty dollars."

Dotty drew a long sigh of relief. "That is the best way, Doll; I never
thought of that. To be sure we run a double chance with two cakes, but
it would be horrid for one of them to take the prize. So let's devote
all our energies to one beautiful, splendiferous cake that will be so
perfect nobody else will have any chance at all."

"Yes, that's what I think. Now, what kind shall it be?"

This was the great question. The girls had proved apt pupils, for they
had a housewifely knack, and Maria was really a superior teacher. They
had learned the art of pound cake, the trick of sponge cake and had even
penetrated the mysteries of fruit cake. They had learned to make raisin
cake without having all the raisins sink to a thick mat at the bottom;
they had learned ginger-bread in all its forms, from the puffy golden
sort to the most dark spicy variety. Angel food and sunshine cake
presented no difficulties to them and layer cakes were their happy
hunting ground.

Also they were Past Grand Masters in the matter of icing. They could
boil sugar through its seven stages of spun thread, and they even
experimented with a few confectioners' implements in the matter of fancy
decoration and borders.

"It seems to me," said Dotty, as they held solemn conclave over the
great question, "that our trick is to invent an absolutely new
combination of flavours or ingredients. Say, cocoanut stirred into
chocolate icing, or something that's different from the regulation
'White mountain cake' or 'Variety cake.' I'm sure we can think of some
new idea that will be perfectly stunning."

"I don't agree with you, Dot," and Dolly looked solemnly thoughtful, as
her blue eyes stared into Dotty's black ones. "Now, I think this way. A
more simple cake, but of perfect quality and with a plain but beautiful
i