SURPRISING ALICE AND HARRY
"WE knew you'd be here, and we've come to surprise you!" shouted Bob,
Fred, Bettina and Ruth, as they opened the door of the new apartment
which was to be the home of Harry and Alice. "We've brought the party
with us!" and they held out several bulging baskets.
"Welcome!" smiled Alice, delightedly, as she stepped down from the box
on which she was standing to hang a soft, silky curtain. Harry, tall and
silent, rose, hammer in hand from the crate he was opening, and welcomed
each one in turn.
"Bob and I came to be chaperones if you needed us," said Bettina,
putting on a prim and disapproving look, as different as possible from
her usual happy expression.
"Oh, my dear!" exclaimed Alice's mother, in a shocked tone. "Surely you
didn't imagine--but then, of course you didn't--because you would
naturally know that I would be here."
Alice laughed her ringing laugh. "Mother is too literal for any use,
Bettina!" And Alice's absent-minded father looked up from the newspaper
he was reading to ask what the joke was.
"The joke, Father dear," said Alice, "is that your foolish daughter
should be about to marry this solemn and serious youth!" And she turned
Harry around by the shoulders till he faced her father. "But perhaps you
hadn't heard about the wedding, Father. Now don't tell me you had
forgotten!"
"Forgotten? Forgotten your wedding, Alice?" said her mother, astonished.
"Of course your father hasn't forgotten. Why, only yesterday he was
saying that the cost of a trousseau apparently hadn't lessened since
Lillian was married. Weren't you, Father? It was when your new green
corduroy came home, Alice, and I was saying----" but Alice had led the
girls off to show them over the apartment.
Father had retired behind his newspaper and Harry was showing Fred and
Bob his own private den whither he might retire from the worries of
domestic life. "Only," observed Fred sagaciously, "since it opens off
the living room, you can't retire very far. I predict that married life
will make you rather a sociable person, Harry."
Harry shrugged his shoulders, and said nothing. "Old bear!" cried Alice,
entering the room at this point. "You don't need to be a sociable
person! I like you just as you are!" And she turned to the others. "Come
to the party, please. It's all in the kitchen! We've made coffee, too,
and everything is bee-youtiful! I love surprises!"
The "party" consisted of:
Apples Popcorn Balls
Nut Cookies
Maple Fudge Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Popcorn Balls= (Eight balls)
3/4 C-light brown or "C" sugar
3/4 C-white sugar
1/2 C-molasses
1/2 C-water
2 T-butter
1/4 t-soda
2 qts. freshly popped corn
2 t-salt
1 T-vinegar
Place in a sauce pan, the sugar, molasses, water, vinegar and butter.
Cook without stirring until the candy forms a hard ball which clicks
against the side of the glass when dropped into cold water. Add the
soda, stir well and pour over the corn, which has been salted and placed
in a large pan. Mix the syrup thoroughly with the corn, and when
partially cool, moisten the hands and press the corn into balls of
uniform size. Popcorn balls should be kept in a cool place.
=Nut Cookies= (Three dozen cookies)
1/3 C-butter and lard mixed
2/3 C-"C" sugar
1 egg
4 T-milk
2 C-flour
2 t-baking powder
1/3 C-chopped nut-meats (preferably black walnuts)
1 t-powdered cinnamon
1/4 t-powdered cloves
1/4 t-mace
1/4 t-nutmeg
Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg and milk and
then the flour, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg and baking powder.
Place the dough on a floured board. Roll it out one-fourth of an inch
thick and cut with a cooky cutter. Place on a well-buttered and floured
baking sheet. Bake twelve minutes in a moderate oven.
=Maple Fudge= (Eight portions)
1/4 lb. maple sugar
2 C-granulated sugar
1/4 t-cream of tartar
2 T-butter
2/3 C-milk
Mix all the ingredients in the order named. Cook until the candy forms a
soft ball when a little is dropped in a glass of cold water. Remove from
the fire and let it cool. When cool, beat until it becomes creamy. Pour
into a buttered plate.