water just as a dish or a basin would
have done, but the little fellow had to hold it very carefully in his
lap between his knees as he sat on the table, or he would have squeezed
his hat and the water would have spilled out. But when Trouble really
wanted to do anything he could be very careful. And he wanted, very much
this time, to make that cake.

So, when he had the water in his hat he began to dip up some flour from
the bag with a large spoon.

When the little fellow thought he had enough flour sifted into the
water in his hat he began to stir it, just as he had seen Nora stir her
cake batter. Around and around he stirred it, and then he found that his
cake was much too wet. He had not enough flour in it, just as,
sometimes, when he and Jan made mud pies, they did not have enough sand
or dirt in the water to make the stuff for the pies as thick as they
wanted it.

So Trouble stirred in more flour. And then, just as you can easily
guess, he made it too thick, and had to put in more water.

By this time Trouble's small hat was almost full of flour and water, and
some dough began to run over the edges, down on his little bare legs,
and also on his rompers and on the table and even to the floor of the
kitchen tent.

Trouble did not like that. He wanted to get his cake mixed before Nora
came back, so she could bake it in the oven for him. For he knew cakes
must be baked to make them good to eat, and he really hoped, knowing no
better, that his cake would be good enough to eat.

"Trouble make a big cake," he said, as he slowly put a little more water
into his hat, and stirred the dough some more. He splashed some of the
flour and water on the end of his stubby nose, and wiped it off on the
back of his hand. Then, as he kept on stirring, some more of the dough
splashed on his cheeks, and he had to wipe that off. So that, by this
time, Baby William had on his hands and face at least as much dough as
there was in the spoon.

But finally the little mischief-maker got the dough in his hat just
about thick enough--not too much flour and not too much water in it.
When this point was reached he knew that it was time to get ready for
the baking part--putting the dough in the pans so it would go into the
oven.

Trouble wanted to do as much toward making his own cake as he could
without asking Nora to help. So now he thought he could put the dough in
the baking pans himself. But they were on the table beyond his reach. H