The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-12-28

NiFH-NT71N 4 Hau Deen the most roman
Dl11hESlIN tic of love matcheS-and in
HEg%N$91B all the land that last day of
RIIWRHM60IN the old year, there was no
- more unhappy little woman
than Maggie Mackenzie, the bride of
six weeks.
And the gates of escape from the
heart-break of 1t all were tight shut,
for as liberal as are Uncle Sans
courts in such matters, the causes of
her abject misery could hardly be pre-
sented in divorce proceedings
Christmas plum-pudding, cold in the
head, and small sheet Of paper COW
cred with perfectly illegible, snarly
scrawl.
The plum pudding-arrived a week
late On account of bad roads and
holiday congestion of parcel post mat
ter-stood on the living-room table
just as she had taken it out of its box.
A beautifully nodded plum pudding of
city confectioner's consummate art,
with an adorable, spikey sprig of real
holly stuck in the top. A most Christ
masy honey plum pudding that set
Off all sorts of Christmasy honey
memories and brought such an aching
lump to the little brides throat that
she almost cried out in pain.
Yet Christmas itself had not been Il
bit of blue day. 1t was their first
Christmas together to begin with, and
the joy, the wonder, the triumph of
To antt1n
thoughts. Right after breakfast they
had gone on jolly tramp. Then there
had been dinner to get, the fun of
cooking the turkey and the0laughter of
humping heads as they both flew to
the oven door to +'baste the 'baste.' "
And after they had eaten, and done up
the dishes, they sat before the cheer
full blaze of the living-room's big open
fire talking in low, intimate voices far
into the night.
But now she was cooped up all day
long In the house with this wretched
cold in the head, the most forlorn anC
lonesome of beings, with Jamie away
for hours at a time, working on the
ranch or, when it rained or showed
too heavily to be outside, tinkerins
everlastingly in the barn.
And as the proverbial last straw in
today's mail had come the little sheet
Of paper with the illegible snarly
scrawl-had come all the way from
Scotland,
For that was what had made the
love match so romantic. Jamie Mac,
Kenzie, whom Maggie had not seen
since she was girl of IA, had come
back from the States on a three
months visit to his mother, found the
child he had played with Powered into
woman, promptly fallen in love and
married her the day before his return
to Uncle Sans land.
And she had gone willingly with
him, had willingly left them all behind.
Dad and mother; Dave and Wallace
and Jean, and-yes, even Bobbie.
Bobbie, her own BARN, the bonnie 4
year-old little brother whom she al
ways buttoned up in the morning and
unbuttoned at highland counted off
''this little pig went to market and
lIllS httIC pig olugCu at hOLhS oh lCh
wee upturned toes.
To have given up Bobbie for mere
husband! A husband who no longer
loved her, who was so heartless he
could stay out there in the barn mend-'
ing an old pillow when his wife needed
him so desperately!
The CHEEKY sound of whistle APP
proached-a mans brisk steps on the
porch.
1t was Jamie. He was coming into
the house. Why couldn't he let her
alone, to cry in peace?
swell, little GIRL" said a pleasant
voice behind her, as she stealthily
dabbed away her tears, "any special
news from the land of heather?"
"It wasn't regular letter" she re-
piled coolly. "Just one of Boobies
love scrawls-Dad had only addressed
the envelope"
Say, l call that mean trick" said
Jamie, Ito get up your expectations
A little red spot tiared on each Of
for nothing"
Maggie's cheeks and her eyes blazed
How dared he insinuate that one of
Boobies precious letters was nothing.
But the anger her eyes shot fell
short Of their mark-Jamie had spied
the plum pudding.
Hello" he laughed so that is what
was In the box. I'd just about given
It up. It's some pudding, all right,
isn't it?' he went on admiringly.
"Since we couldn't have it Christmas,