The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-04-16
Partisan ShOp-WindOWs.

To begin at the bottom of the scale, let
us linger for a moment before one of the
great shops for the sale of eatableS-nOt
restaurants or cafes, but places where un-
cooked delicacies of various kinds are dis
pensed to the wealthy gourmand for pre-
paratiOn and consumption in his own
home. One knows what prOvision-stOre
looks like in America. Wooden trays
filled with vegetables line the window,
unsightly cOTpses of defunct animals swing
before the door, dingy baskets on the pave
ment disgorge piles of turnips, potatoes,
and green corn, while a general OdOr of
greasiness pervades the interior. Turn
from the contemplation of this picture to
gaze upon the etGLaqe of POtel Il ChabOt.
on the Boulevard des Italiens, or that of
Chevet, in the Palais Royal. One window
(game being now in season. presents
group of dead birds and deer, as graceful
ly arranged as though about to serve as
model to some painter of still-life, or some
Landseer of defunct animals. A slender
doe, still wearing her furry hide, is sus-
pended from a stake in the middle, while
at the foot of the stake lie, clustered in
seemingly careless yet artistic groups, va
riOus sleek-plumaged birds, of which the
bright-winged pheasant forms the chief at
u dCllOi. lAt IlOSC VI tilt
tied up in white paper, which arrangement
caused an American lady to ask of her lord,
the other day, ''Why in the world is that
deer's nose so tied up 2 Probably to keep
itfrOm smelling, my love-" was the answer.
The next window displays "lucent sirups,
tinct with cinnamon" golden Narbonne
honey in transparent pots and jars, and
tumblers of preserved fruits, showing
ruby and topaz like, under the sheen of
the gas-illumined reflector. A third win
dow shows miniature grOttO, formed of
rOck-wOrk, with lOng-frOnded ferns clus-
tering at either end tiny jet d'edu oc-
cupies the center. and serves to cool and
keep fresh various silver-scaled fish laid on
beds of moss. The fourth and last win
dow is the prettiest of all, for there are
displayed the costly forced fruits which
are worth their weight in gold. Gigantic
pears, each in size like small gourd, turn
their ruddy cheeks to the light, side by
side with pale-tinted Normandy apples,
brushed and washed till not a speck or
shade defaces their wax-like beauty. Rosy
little lady-apples, got up to look as rich
hued and inviting as nectarines, fill one
basket; huge lemons, large as ones fist,
are arranged in another; and boxes of
pale chrysoprase, like grapes, lend their
cooler tints to fill up the picture. With
in the shop, one catches glimIses Ofplump
fowls, white, smooth, and clean as the
back of a lady's hand, and stuffed till,
from oblOng, their bodies have become
glObular, some of them with round, black
slices of truffle just showing beneath the
thin, white skin. Nor must one forget the
cold meats, marbled and variegated like
agate, and set in sparkling framework of
jelly. Nowhere is there any
trace of grease or dirt, or the faintest
breath of an i'll OdOr. All is prettiness,
freshness, and temptation, both to the
palate and the eye. Anybody who under
stands color can get up window full of
silks, ribbons, and laces, effectively, but
only a Frenchman could so lend charm
to fish and meat, condiments and vege-
tables.