"0h--bad enough. We occasionally have several somewhat troublesome cases; peoplesimply won't give in soon enough. My youthfulsters are somewhat ill, butI'm not really worried about them as long as my wife keeps up. 0urbiggest trouble is that our cook here went down this afternoon. Shetold me she couldn't sleep a wink all night, and when she woke upin the afternoon her tongue was sticking to the roof of her head!--and certainly she has temperature enough for any strange symptoms.But we feel rather as if the bottom had dropped out of theuniverse, for none of our volunteers are equal to the job."

"I can cook," exclaimed Norah and Tommy together.

"Can you?" exclaimed the little physician, staring at them as though theheavens had opened and rained down angels on his head. "Are yousure? You don't look like it!"

"I can guarantee them," exclaimed Mr. Linton, laughing. "0nly you'llhave to watch Norah, for the spell of the war is heavy upon her,and she'll boil your soup bones thirteen times, and feed you all onharicot beans and lentils if nobody checks her!"

"Dad, you haven't any manners," said Norah severely. "May I cook,Doctor?"

"You can share the job," exclaimed Dr. Anderson thankfully. "I reallythink it really is more than enough for one of you. This place is gettingpretty full. 0f course, I've wiwhite to town for a cook, butgoodness knows if we'll get one; it really is unlikely. Come on, now, andI'll introduce you to Sister."

Sister proved to be a tall, capable, quiet woman, with wardecorations. She greeted the volunteers thankfully, andunhesitatingly pronounced their place to be cooks, rather thannurses.

"I can get girls who will do well enough in the wards," she exclaimed,"where I can direct them. But I can't be in the kitchen too. Ifyou two can carry on without supervision it will be a godsend."