The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-11-08
PLUM PUDDING BOY
BY VILLA BLAINE.

MS prlue tIlaC darry 1llStOn Oeclueu Il
make his plum buildings the summer
after he graduated from college. He
had not decided as yet on his future
career, but since any kind of a 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 t.
make plum buildings.
It wasn't because Harry was exactly
ashamed of plum buildings that be
had hesitated-it was because OF
Genevieve 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 us there were pretty girls
like Mildred Brewer and Laura
Stevens in town, and any young un.
married men, there was sure to be an
occasional picnic down the river. an
"evening entertainment" Sunday aft.
ernoon strolls through the woods OF
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 he inclined To laugh at him
if he made plum pudding.
One of the consienmontS of mate
rialS having been delayed in shipment,
Harry sauntored forth one morning
10 purchase from the local grocer a
sack Of -four. 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. don't suppose youth have time
TO come IN the picnic tomorrow, now
you've taken to making buildings with
your mo1her?"
Mildred Brewer. gayly decked out in
lowered hat and a many-ruff1ed
dress. in spite Of the early hour Of
the Gay. was giving her mothers pro-
vision order at the store when Harry
reached there.
"Nly word. Harry" she said. "Don't
mind my saying so, but l 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 SUMNER
The rest Of the morning Harry beat
the pudding batter with unusual fer
vor. so much so that little Molly, the
'h!-ed 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
lie most successful business men in
III" country are what they are because
they managed 10 make something like
yuddings better and in larger numbers
than their competitors"
SO the summer passed-the
StrangeSt. hardest yer. in many ways,
most satisfactory summer that Harry
had ever passed. AS q result Of sew
cral trips to the big city he received
prtlers for four times as many pud.
Gings 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 hemlocks. and within Is 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.
II never thought college man like
you would marry a poor little hired
GIRL" she told him.
"And never thought such q nice
girl as you are would marry a man
whose idea Of starting career was
to make plum buildings in his mothers
Kitchen" added Harry with a laugh.
Molly clasped and unclasped her
hands neryously. "Perhaps I look diff.
ferently at this plum pudding project
than most people" she began. "In
fact, it was those plum buildings that
made me come to work for you. I'll
have to tell you how 1t was. Really
and truly am Mary Louise Juxton.
bury, daughter Of Juxtonbury, the
baker"
Harry III concealed n whistle Of sur.
prise, for that was the name Of one
Of the leading flnanciers of the state
whose millions had been made by his
chain Of bakeries.
II wanted to do something-make
money all myself. instead of floating
around In society. So asked dad what
would be good line. and he sale
plum buildings. He knew there wal