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Half-Past Seven Stories by Robert Gordon Anderson
page 135 of 215 (62%)
celebration.

The three children were watching Mother in the kitchen. She was busy
with the big pumpkin, but the Toyman had to help her with it--it was
so huge. He lifted it on the table--then--what do you think?

He took a sharp knife and scalped that Pumpkin--just like an
Indian--cut a great hole in his head. Then Mother scooped out his
insides and chopped them up fine. Ole Man Pumpkin was very brave, just
stood it and said never a word.

"Why, he doesn't holler a bit!" exclaimed Marmaduke. "_I_ would,
if anybody scalped _me_ and took _my_ insides out!"

Next, Mother brought out the big pot, filling it part with water, and
part with Ole Man Pumpkin's yellow insides. And the fire roared
angrily and boiled them, boiled them all up. It took quite a long
time, but the children didn't grow tired--it was such a mysterious,
such an interesting process.

At last Mother decided it had been cooked long enough, and she poured
the water into the sink, the nice yellow stuff into a bowl. Then she
mashed the lumps till it looked like golden mush.

Now the flour was sifted on the pastry board, and the dough rolled
until it was as smooth and flat as a sheet or counterpane. Then
quickly and neatly the dough counterpanes were placed in the pans,
hanging over the edges like covers overlapping a bed. Taking a knife,
Mother cut off these edges even with the pan, then, for decoration,
made little marks in the dough all around, like the flutings of the
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