title: Bread Pudding and Other Memories: A Boyhood on the Farm
author: Edward J. Rielly
description: Edward J. Rielly grew up on a small dairy farm in southwestern Wisconsin and attended local schools before earning a B.A. in English from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He later earned a doctorate at the University of Notre Dame in eighteenth-century British literature. In 1978, he moved with his wife, Jeanne, and their children, Brendan and Brigid, to Maine, where he continues to teach writing and literature courses at Saint Joseph's College. He has published about two dozen books, including collections of his own poetry, biographies, works on Native American history and culture, and studies of literature.
zlib_text: Enid Blyton: The Rilloby Fair Mystery
  
  
  ## CHAPTER 1
  
  
  ### FIRST DAY OF THE HOLIDAYS
  
  
  ” ‘Morning, Mother! ‘Morning, Dad!” said Roger, and ruffled his father’s hair
  as he passed him, and dropped a kiss on his mother’s curls.
  
  
  “Don’t do that, Roger,” said his father impatiently, smoothing his hair down.
  “Why are you late for breakfast? And where’s Diana?”
  
  
  “Can’t imagine,” said Roger cheerfully, helping himself to an enormous
  plateful of porridge. “Asleep, I suppose.”
  
  
  “Never mind,” said his mother. “It’s only the second day of the holidays.
  Roger, you can’t possibly eat all that porridge  with sausages to follow.”
  
  
  “Oh, jolly good,” said Roger, sitting down in front of his great plateful.
  “Any fried onions with them?”
  
  
  “Not at breakfast-time, Roger. You know we don’t have onions then.”
  
  
  “I can’t imagine why not,” said Roger. He began to eat his porridge, craning
  his neck to read the back of his father’s newspaper.
  
  
  As the newspaper was folded in two, the reading matter was upsi