The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-02-18
Az Old sALmf CUPBoARD.


A most delicious odor came turtn
vbeu the door was opened; = hint e
the spiciness Of Eich cake ongn9e
sence of preserved ginger, and cef5aao
inefable sweetness which no other e4oS
81 ever possessed. and which know NOS
how to describe. II might well have
proceeded from the walls and shelves q
the cupboard itself, for they were indeed
emblenns Of purity. The paint was var
nished to high degree o. giosAI,s
and was so exquisitely kept IS 70 HOOK
like white porcelain.
The china here, as In all genuine Sa-
lem cupboards. was chiefly Of the hon
est old blue Canton ware. There were
shining piles Of those plates which. while
they are rather heavy TO handle, always
surprise one by being 50 thin at the
edges. These were generous teacups
like small bowls, squat pitchers vita Dig
moses. and = tureen whose cover had the
| head Of boar for . handle. And In
/ AL this the blue was dull and deep in
| tint. with . certain ill-defned. Vap0EO1g
| quality at the edges Of the lines, and
l the white of the cool greenish dnge OF
/ ducks egg. You can buy blue Canton
| to-day, but it is not old blue Canton
Such china is matches now. but IN
this cupboard there were shelves OF II
j Cousin Susan possessed also another
4
her blue. 1t was always singularly at
| tractiye to us as children, though have
| come to believe that IL Is far less beauc"
| full than the Canton. It was pure, thin
white ysre, delicately fiuted at the edges
i and decorated with little raised lilac
sprigs. Ii was used only upon occasions
OF solemn company tea-drinkings' ana
cousin Susan always washed It herSen
in her little cedar dish-tub. We cnik
dren considered this china so choice and
) desirable that a bit of broken saucer.
which included one of the pale, tiny
snrays, was cherished far above our real
dolls dishes We lent it from one 70
another, each of US keeping 1t for one
} day; but il was always one OF those IN
satisfactory treasures OF childhood Tor
which we could never find any ade-
t ouate use. We could think of moth
, ing to do with this bit OF china whlch
seemed at all worthy of so lovely an
! object.
At the left hand of cousin Susan's
= | shelves of china was n little cupboard
i with diamond-paned glass door. This
. | was the Sdnctttn1 S051ctoTLn.-a cup
!, | board within a cupboard; and here, As
q one might have expected, were stored
= the choicest treasures of all. 1t was not
i the domestic preserve closet Cousin
y Susan was thrifty. and had good store
% of homemade dainties, but they were
IS kent in the cool seclusion of dark cell
o lar store-room. This little glass cup
u board held the stock OF foreign sweet
1t meats: the round-shouldered blue Jars
InclOsed in network OF spit oemO0o
d which contained the fiery. amber GIN.
IF ger; the boxes of guAva jelly, hot curry
s. powders, chilli sauce, and choleric BEN
II gal chutney. Here were two miniature
Of casks of tamarinds, jolly and black,
q cousin Susan's favorites. She had .
1t certain air Of disapproval toward most
le Of these strange conserves. "They were
k not good for little people" she aVerred;
IT. and indeed she always maintained that
o. these ardent sweetmeats were filter for
OF the delectation Of rude men than for the
r. delicate palates Of gentlewomen. "
st | tamarinds, however, cousin Susan DID
lie approve. Properly diluted with cool
er water, they made what she called
g. Every pretty drink" She was fond d
IT. sending glass to any neighbor WIG
lis was i'll and teverish, and she was n
us ways following our cousin the sea-caP
tain about with blue china bowl o.
if the mixture, begging him to partake o
ed it.
re Susan, hate tamarind-water." on
- cousin would protest. -
lis lit will cool your blood, William,
i'll | his sister would urge.
ch but don't want my blood cool.
m want it warm" the captain would Ne
n? ply.
his As q general thing. however. couSil
tn. Susan came off triumphant The CAP
ng tain Grumblingly partOOk Of his dos
lin and was always most generous u She!
nc ing it with us children. The beautiful
little brown stones also fell to our loe
n, and We boarded the useless things viii
Ia. great care, although it always seemet
lie to US a great oversight on the part o
no nature that tamarind seeds did not has
he holes through them, that ono nigh
le string them as beads.
we Cousin Susan's cupboard also con
in tanned stronger water than tamarind
for side by side sat two corpulent cut
M glass decanters, Of which one Was hal
he filled with madeira wine. and the oshe
TO with honest rum. A variety OF sWee
ble cakes was near by, to be served with tn
he wine to any chance visitor. There wer
his black fruit cake in japanned bon
,y- "hearts and rounds" of rich yellow
iii pound cake; and certain delicate but In
of ane little sponge biscuit Of which on
,sv cousin spoke by the older-fashione'
he name of diet-or, as she chose to pro
he nounce il ''dier"-bread. She Away
nd called the sponge cakes ''little die
the breads" Pound and fruit cakes WE
re. forbidden to our youth, but we Nigh
nat have our ladylike fill of "dier breads,
,ev and also of delightful seed-cakes. whic
aft we're cut in the shape Of an oak-leaf. an
an were marVes OF sugary tnlnness.-
no, Eleanor Putnam, in February Atlantic