Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-12-16
Wedding Cake
By RALPH HAMILTON

sixty had bowed his silvered head to
the decree of adverse fortune. 1t
helped the bearing Of his burdens to
have a wife who contributed some
thing to the sparse family income by
baking cakes for special occasions, re-
ceptions, christenings, weddings, for
she was a perfect cook and Alice,
aged eighteen, was a dainty, artistic
assistant.
Robert Page had lost business and
fortune overnight in a great conflagra-
ton. After he had liquidated his
debts there. was left a few hundred
dollars and the house where Alice
had been born.
Beginning all over again." encour-
aged Mrs. Page. "It will keep us
from being dull"
"And idle" smiled Alice. "Ive
thought it all out, father, dear. For
a year at least we won't try any am
bilious flights. The doctor says you
need and must have absolute rest"
"But how will we live"
ooh! I have arranged for that" de-
clared Alice b%uoyantly. eff you will
help me with the sweet peas, the
roses and the asters, I will guarantee
to sell every one of them at a profit.
Mr.. Randolph, who owns the news
stand next to the p~ostoffice, agrees to
give me a window to display the flow
ers in their season, and his boy will
ottan1 tn o,,cfopoorc fo,, ~ e,,ooJ1 oo~o
mission"
"Well, it won't hurt my pride to
carry the baskets down to the store"
spoke Mr.. Page courageously.
IT have planned also to turn my
culinary skill to some real advantage"
spoke his wife. 1.-THE Ladies' Ex-
change can get me ORDERS"
Thus lightly and pleasantly mother
and daughter heartened the husband
and father.
Two miles down the river were some
large mills, and somehow in the work
ing community the perfection of Mrs.
Pages famous cakes gained several
customers, and the humble folk from
overseas became a settled element in
the baking proposition. There was
a wedding nearly every Saturday night
tamong the mill workers, and it got
ito be so that a nuptial feast without
"a fancy wedding cake was a rarity.
Alice had made an arrangement with
a confectioner's supply house in the
city which sem her cake ornaments
on order. Thus, some romantic swain
from fair Italian shores could have
his wedding cake surmounted by a
;frosting piece showing sugared castle
sturrets, or shepherdesses, or dancing
fairies, but the most popular ornament
was a royal canopy over an altar, at
which in satin sheen knelt the white
| yelled bride, her affianced beside her
in immaculate dress suit.
There was one of the mill workers,
q dark eyed, swarthy man Of about
thirty, who acted as translator and
agent for his fellow countrymen, and
several times he had come to the
Page home bringing the order for
some special occasion. Alice d~istrust-
ed and disliked the fellow, who at
tempted no familiarity because he
dared not, but whose piercing glance
viewed her with an admiration he
could not repress.
Dallas Blake. who was the only
| young MAJ Alice allowed to call more
of these occasions, and he openly re-
sented the presence of a man he in
tuitively discerned was greatly at
tracted by Alice's beauty.
The man, Raphael, appeared late
one afternoon in a. great fuster. The
cake had been ordered, he claimed,
was to be two hours earlier than ar
ranged. He had Il taxi at the door.
Would Miss Page bring the cake and
the ornaments and, as usual with her.
attach the same on the table where
no jar would disturb or injure them!
Unsuspectingly Alice agreed. Dusk
came on while they were going in the
direction of the mills. 1t was fully
dark when the machine turned into
an obscure lane, circled into an ole
barn and, throwing a scarf over the
face Of Alice, her companion, Raphae
Ii, tore her from the machine and
carried her into a house beyond. A
hideous Old hag greeted him as he
brought the atfrighted Alice into hel
presence.
1.-THE cake shall celebrate our wed
ding, yours and mine" declared Ra
phaeli. "Ah! I have loved you long
/ go for friends and a priest. Marta
if she resists-the drug. She shall
be mine this day."
He fastened from the place. cas- h,
came out at the barn exit he was sur
prised to view there a strange automo
bile. From it sprang Dallas Blake.
"You scoundrelv! he shouted. I"
got just a glimpse of you and Mis-
Page as you flashed along the street
What have you done with herY'
The swift CLEAN of a stiletto an
severed, but before the murderou
blow could be dealt the chauffeu
isprang bodily upon the assailan1
hearing him bleeding and senSeleSS t