When the story begins, readers are introduced to Buddy and his much older cousin. It is getting into late November, and the weather is starting to turn cold. Buddy's cousin declares that it is finally time for their annual tradition of baking fruitcakes.
"Oh my," she exclaims, her breath smoking the windowpane, "it's fruitcake weather!"
The next few pages of the story wonderfully tell readers how the two characters get together all of the ingredients for fruitcakes. The most important ingredient is the whiskey, and the two characters scrounge up as much spare change as they can in order to purchase the whiskey.
"If you please, Mr. Haha, we'd like a quart of your finest whiskey."
His eyes tilt more. Would you believe it? Haha is smiling! Laughing, too. "Which one of you is a drinkin' man?"
"It's for making fruitcakes, Mr. Haha. Cooking."
This sobers him. He frowns. "That's no way to waste good whiskey." Nevertheless, he retreats into the shadowed cafe and seconds later appears carrying a bottle of daisy-yellow unlabeled liquor. He demonstrates its sparkle in the sunlight and says: "Two dollars."
With whiskey in hand, Buddy and his cousin move on to baking the fruitcakes. They bake 31 cakes and deliver them to friends.
Who are they for?
Friends. Not necessarily neighbor friends: indeed, the larger share is intended for persons we've met maybe once, perhaps not at all. People who've struck our fancy.
The following day, Buddy and his cousin are in the mood to celebrate their baking and giving spirit. They decide to finish off the last "two inches of whiskey left in Haha's bottle." The two characters (and the dog) finish off the whiskey and have a grand time doing it. The event is filled with whiskey aided giggling, singing, and dancing.
Unfortunately, their evening of fun is interrupted by two relatives who are shocked and appalled at their behavior. They especially blame Buddy's cousin because she's old enough to know better than to give whiskey to a 7 year old.
Enter: two relatives. Very angry. Potent with eyes that scold, tongues that scald. Listen to what they have to say, the words tumbling together into a wrathful tune: "A child of seven! whiskey on his breath! are you out of your mind? feeding a child of seven! must be loony! road to ruination! remember Cousin Kate? Uncle Charlie? Uncle Charlie's brother-in-law? shame! scandal! humiliation! kneel, pray, beg the Lord!"
Buddy's cousin is sufficiently chastised, and she goes running off to her room where she proceeds to weep into her pillow. She knows that she has done wrong, and she knows that she should know better. Buddy comforts her and tells her that she is more "fun than anybody." He is successful in comforting her, and she gets a good night's rest in order to go look for a perfect Christmas tree.
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