The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-09-06
A Chapter on Candy.

A Chapter ON Candy.
"Have you any potatoes?" asked
lady who, elegantly dressed, stood at the
counter in the candy department OF
prominent grocery store.
"No potatoes to-day" said the "sweet"
clerk, who was filling box with goodies;
shut we have Abbott kisses and apricot
slices, and all the nut creams and
candies"
~ don't like Abbott kisses, they are so
sweet and large; but dote on potatoes.
Give me q mixed box with plenty of
marsh .mallows and Venetian walnuts."
"What are Abbott kisses? and why are
you out of potatoes? There must be
plenty in the Market" asked and sug-
gested representative of The Post and
Tribune to the good-looking proprietor.
who had one eye on his customers in.
side of the store and the other on two
ladies outside, who were trying to upset
buggy on the Campus Martius.
"Did you ever see our potato patch?"
he inquired pleasantly, when he had
reconciled his visual organs. "Come up
stairs, and I will show you how we grow
our potatoes, and how Abbott kisses"
Then the voice became indistinct, and
the elevator being brought into requisi-
ton, the visitor was taken mp into the
third story into ''sugar roem," where
the interesting process of making candy
was fully explained.
It was on large scale; some dozen or
more Of copper boilers, over hot fur
naces, were simmering with sweet de-
coctions that gave out fragrant odors,
and men in linen clothes and paper caps
we're ladGDg out the sweet stuff into
shapes and essences. At q row of long
tables stood pretty, clean, modest. look
ing girls who were "sugaring of" or fn-
ishing off all the delightful pink, white
and chocolate creams that are indispens-
able to those who have a sweet tooth.
Trays and trays by the dozens and hun
dreds were loaded with the dainty bon
bons. A sheet Of caramel substance was
laid on striped measuring table. and
with machine cut into squares of geo.
metrical precision. Other girls wrapped
the single caramels one at o time in
little square pieces of white paper called
paraffine.
'"Here are our potatoes, said the pro-
prietor, taking up some small brown
balls. They were white within and brown
without; soft enough to bite into, CHINA
mon-havored and delicious, with some
quality that prevented them from pail.
ing on the taste.
"And the Abbott kisses?"
Mr.. Hull discovered q tray filed with
triangles OF sugar and cocoanut in irreg.
ular sections. They tasted SO much bet.
ter than they looked that the name
seem accounted for. Then there were
Spanish kisses and delicate but rather
unsubstantial sweet called the "Langtry
kiss" sort of elusive, sublimated,
ethereal thing with sugar coating.
There were barrels Of white sugar
standing about everyw here, and the Wis
itor thoughtlessly asked where the glu-
cose and -four were kept.
1--WE don't use them, said Mr.. Hull,
and We can make all the money We want
without either. Ours is the only candy
mandatory open TO the public. Any
one can see, the process and what We
use."
A very "sweet" girl was dropping
pink nut-creams from . knife into cum.
ming little shapes Of regular size and
beauty. The best candies are not mixed,
but go into the cases each kind into .
separate division. It il the customer
who decides the mixing.
It Is the way the ladies dissipate.
They 60 TO the public library and get
novel. Then they atop ct the candy
counter and get pound Of sweets. On
Saturday nights it is like Mays bargain
counters in New York. Men, women
and children waiting their turn. The
variety of the candies 10 endless; 20 is
the variety Of customers. A rule .
man asks for "box OF your best can
dies" and the clerk asks him II he will
have one-pound or twopound boz.
Then he stops 70 think. II he 10 middle
aged with : bald spot on the top Of his
head. he says one pound; but - rule
be 10 mot middle aged. OF u be Il. his af-
feotions are not. The CLERK knows bic
customer. He givss hin boz With lass