The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1917-11-23
PLUM PUDDING BOY
BY VILLA BLAINE.

after he graduated from college. He
had not decided as yet on his future
career, but since any kind of start
In business as well as the law studies
that he sometimes contemplated, was
more or less dependent upon the pos
session of some amount of capital, he
accepted his mothers proposition to
make plum buildings.
1t wasn't because Harry was exactly
ashamed of plum buildings that he
had hesitated-it was because OF
Genevieye and Harriette and Mildred
and Laura-girls in general rather
than any girl in particular.
Bradley the small town where Harry
Tilson had been brought up, boosted
no very definite younger social set,
but, so long as there were pretty girls
like Mildred Brewer and Laura
Stevens In town, and any young I'M
married men, there was sure to ba an
"evening entertainment" Sunday aft
ernoon strolls through the woods or
buggy rides into the adjacent coun-
ties.
In other years, on Harry 'Tilson's
short visits home In vacation time, he
had figured rather prominently in
these diversions. He wondered wheth-
er Laura and Mildred and the other
girls would be inclined to laugh at him
If he made plum pudding.
nno cf tbo mn ST nv, ~, ont ~ ypofo.
rails having been delayed in shipment,
Harry sauntered forth one morning
to purchase from the local grocer
sack Of flour, so that the days energy
need not be thrown away for lack Of
materials. He passed Laura Stevens,
who called to him. "Hello. Mr.. TIL
ston, I don't suppose you'll have time
to come to the picnic tomorrow, now
you've taken to making buildings with
your mother?"
Mildred Brewer, gayly decked out In
lowered hat and many-ruflied
the day, was giving her mothers pro-
vision order at the store when Harry
reached there.
''My word, Harry" she said. Don't
mind my saying so, but / certainly
thought you'd have got some sort of
an opening from your studies at col
lege without having to come back here
to Bradley to take up pudding max
ing. Honest, Harry are you going to
do it all summer?'
The rest of the morning Harry beat
the pudding batter with unusual fer
vor, so much so that little Molly, the
"hired girl" whom Mrs. Tilston had
recently employed, watched him with
something like alarm written on her
girlish young features.
''Do you see anything so very funny
about man making puddings?" he
asked her abruptly.
Funny? Why. Of course not" she
said with conviction. "Why, some Of
the most successful business men In
the country are what they are because
they managed to make something like
buildings better and in larger numbers
than their competitors"
SO the summer passed-the
strangest, hardest yet, In many ways,
most satisfactory summer that Harry
had ever passed. AS a result of sew
eral trips to the big city he received
orders for four times as many pud-
dings as his mother had ever made be-
fore.
The last pudding had been packed
away. and still Mrs. Tilston had not
had the heart to mention to Molly that,
because the work was ended, she
would not need her services any
longer.
Harry had hurried off after their
simple supper for the usual walk In
the henlocks, and within 10 minutes
of the time they had left the house
Harry was filled with the wonderful
consciousness that the girl whom he
regarded as the most womanly and
the sweetest of all the girls he had
ever known had agreed to be his
wife.
81 never thought a college man like
you would marry a poor little hired
girl" she told him.
anu never tiouSHt Sutl u iiSS
girl as you are would marry a man
whose idea of starting a career was
to make plum buildings in his mothers
Kitchen" added Harry with a laugh.
Molly clasped and unclasped her
hands nervously.- perhaps look diff
ferently at this plum pudding project
than most people," she began. an
fact 1t was those plum puddings that
made me come to work for you. I'll
have to tell you how it was. Really
and truly. l am Mary Louise Juxton-
bury, daughter of Juxtonbury, the
baker"
Harry Ill concealed a whistle Of sur
prise. for that was the name Of one
of the leading financiers of the state,
whose millions had been made by his
chain of bakeries.
81 wanted to do something-make
money all myself, instead of floating
around in society. So asked dad what
would be a good line, and he said
plum buildings. He knew there was
demand for them, and he happened
Il I,