Mary Roberts Rinehart

“ Being considerate youngsters they made fewer complaints than might have been expected, but three pairs of hungry eyes kept turning longingly to where, in its arrogant self-sufficiency, the pie sat, emanating distracting whiffs of spice. The scanty meal finished, Miss Serena gathered up the shabby coats and caps and prepared the boys for the street. The pie was carefully taken from its pan, and, resting on a wooden platter, was deposited in an old bonnet-box, lined for the purpose with clean paper. ”

“ Several windows were fitted with rows of wooden shelves, rising tier on tier like circus seats, and by the third day of the contest these were occupied by hundreds of pies—pies with meringue and pies without, pies of rich golden yellow, and pies of soggy dark brown, large pies and small pies, crusts that looked ready to melt with flaky richness, and crusts of rubber-like tenacity. ”

“ The Prize Pumpkin Pie
The pumpkin contest was over. Four windows of McDonald's department store were occupied by the huge prize-winners, and were constantly surrounded by crowds. It had been a good drawing card, and Andrews, the advertising agent, received the firm's congratulations complacently. But now the time had come when the windows were needed for the new winter display, and Andrews wondered what on earth he was going to do with the avalanche of pumpkin for which he was responsible. ”