"Here is a steamer rug from dear old Mary Stuart. See how warm and soft it is! This is a pocket set of Shakespeare from Jimmy Lufton! He brought it to the train!"
"But how lovely! I didn't dream of getting any presents," said Nance.
"How did they know about Nance?" asked Molly.
"I 'phoned them! I got your letter while Kent was at the armory so I just called up everybody I knew and told them the news. There is no telling what the excess calls will amount to, but I had either to do that or burst! 'Phoning is cheaper than bursting.
"Now I bet you can't guess what is in this great round box," said the effervescent Judy.
"Your wedding hat!" solemnly suggested Edwin.
"No! Cold, cold! You'll never get it! It is a wedding cake sent by Madeline Petit and Judith Blount. Now what do you think of that?"
"Wonderful!" cried Molly, as she lifted the cake from its careful packing. "Fruit cake with white icing! How on earth did they happen to do it?"
"You see I 'phoned them, too, because I always did like little Madeline in spite of the fact that she talks a fellow's ear off. I am not so fond of Judith, but I do admire her. She has spunked up so splendidly and taken her medicine like a man. She and Madeline are doing a thriving business in a swell part of town with tea rooms and all kinds of fancy cakes. Judith was the one who suggested sending the cake, Madeline told me. She said Judith said she knew Molly Brown would work herself to death over the wedding and she, for one, was going to send something to help out Molly. She said you were just goose enough to make the cake at home."
"I had planned to do it," laughed Molly. "I was going to start to-morrow."
"This huge box is candy to eat right now--that is Kent! I am almost afraid to eat it. He wanted to come so bad that he might have poisoned it for spite."
"Why didn't you let him come? Dear old Kent!" exclaimed Molly.
"Well, I knew perfectly well that it is some job to sleep seven persons outside of one's own household, and it is doubly difficult when there are two sexes. Kent is as busy as can be anyhow: drilling day and night."
Kent Brown had taken the training at Plattsburg and was then engaged in passing on this training to a company of militia in New York. He and Judy were eagerly awaiting the declaration of war by the United States. There was no such thing as neutrality for them. Having been in France in that August of 1914, Judy considered herself already at war and Kent enthusiastically shared the sentiments of his wife. He was prepared to leave his profession of architecture, in which he was proving himself very successful, and join any regiment that was likely to see service.