Show 00 1 I 1 the plum pudding or GRAHAM copyright wearn newspaper union ARIAN had ne er becort cooked at all to speak ol 01 until she had married bert that bummer she had made a great success ot it but sho was little nervous when she realized that she bad all of berts family and near relatives for a christmas dinner and that they had all accepted now marian dear bert had said just have a simple dinner dont bother about the brills trills our ordinary sunday dinner will do beau ti fully anyone who gets our usual sunday din ner Is getting a fine meal well I 1 guess that Is about all I 1 can do and for many too marian said you re a won der to attempt it bert said ad but dont think iou have to overdo it for days and days marinn planned her christmas dinner she baited nuts she made cranberry sauce she ordered a fine young turkey she nervous about the turkey that was just about as easy as chicken yes she was planning to have the old time christmas dinner she tell bert she would sur prise him and then if she did tell him she might be more nervous about the things she bad planned to do feel ing that he was going to be so proud of her that she fulfill his expectations of her success so she worked and planned and schemed and that christmas eve when bert kissed her good night she smiled to herself as she heard him say well its quite true people have always eaten too much at christmas time in past years bert s family all arrived in due sea son for christmas dinner well were you nervous over your first turkey asked aunt and how happy marian was that she could say that she been nervous and that it was going to come oat all right she thought 1 I bet it was a job making our first plum pudding said uncle george and bert looked angry and grieved lie want anyone to make his marian feel uncomfortable and now his own family were doing it uncle george bert said we meant to tell you were not going to have one of those old time din ners we think that people have al w ai s felt wretchedly at christmas and after christmas indigestion and all so were just going to have a nice simple dinner marian had left the room now but she could hear the defending note in berts olce and at the same time a note of sadness that their dinner waa going to be so simple she wanted to rush in now and tell them all that it wouldn t be so simple and to put her arms around berts neck and kiss him lie was standing up for her and they were all trying to be critical and she had in voted them all to her house this was the way they were accepting her hospitality but following a number more dm liar remarks on how did she get along with her mince pie and did she burn herself salt ing the nuts she at last announced tint dinner was quite ready admiringly in admit angly the guests ate and ate and ate there was nothing tint had ever been a part of a christmas dinner eliat ma rinn did not have and bert diew prouder and more boastful of her by the allow bert lov ed to boast of what she could do at last came te dessert mince pie and appio pie aud plum pudding too how berts opened wide with surprise when he aw tho pudding W hat did you mean v hen 5 ou said you going to hae a new kind of a dinner without any of the christ mas trimmings asked uncle george my wife likes surprises bert beamed and after they had nil gone hert said taci behaved but ohi aw phoud I 1 waa of you and ma inn les dear the plum pudding was the best nt has been served nt any sti in iliner nt anny time I 1 know I 1 ank it was a success maniac mariac alli d |