After the Brownies reached Grandmother Gordon’s farmhouse they talked over what they could do to help the Stone children.
“We could stuff stockings and make them into dolls,” proposed Eileen eagerly.
“And we could bake things,” suggested Rosemary, who loved to cook. “That is, if Mrs. Gordon wouldn’t mind having us use her kitchen.”
“It’s yours for the asking,” laughed Mrs. Gordon.
The Brownies divided into two groups, one to sew and the other to work in the kitchen. Veve, Rosemary and Connie elected to cook, while the other girls sewed stocking dolls.
“What shall we make?” demanded Veve, after the three girls, wrapped in huge kitchen aprons, had taken possession of the kitchen.
“I have a recipe here for brownies,” said Miss Gordon. “You might start with that. Then if you like, we can make sand tarts and regular Christmas cookies, decorating them with red and green sugar, citron and candied cherry.”
“Are brownies a cookie too?” asked Veve, who never had done much cooking.
“A very rich and delicious variety,” declared the troop leader.
She set out the ingredients and gave the girls Mrs. Gordon’s favorite brownie recipe. It read:
1/3 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 squares chocolate 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup chopped nut meats.
“I’ll chop the nuts!” offered Connie, digging in the kitchen cabinet drawer for the cracker.
Rosemary and Veve under Miss Gordon’s direction blended the sugar and the shortening.
“Now while you add the two eggs, I’ll step into the living room and see how our champion sewers are progressing,” Miss Gordon said.
Left to themselves, Veve and Rosemary scarcely knew how to add the eggs to the creamy white mixture.
“You break one and I’ll smash the other,” proposed Veve. “That way, we’ll both have a turn.”
Rosemary cracked her egg squarely in the middle and let the yolk and white drop into the pan. A tiny piece of shell fell in too, but she fished it out with a spoon.
“Now it’s my turn,” laughed Veve. Though she never had cracked an egg, she was sure it would be easy.
Selecting the largest one in the pan, she tapped it smartly against the table edge as she had seen Rosemary do.
Now Veve struck the egg much harder than she had intended. Instead of cracking, the shell shattered completely, and the egg splattered on the floor.