Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-22

sUGARY EXPERIENCE IN CAVE OF SWEETS
THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF CONFECTIONERY
HOLIDAY PREPARATIONS.
Santa Claus sugar imps are hard at work.
All their little caldrons are simmerine and
bubbling and boiling night and day. They are
getting ready for Christmas 1t is close at hand
and they have got to hurry to have the candy
ready for filling the stockings Of the thousands
of children who have a notion for sweets at this
season.
All over the city they are at work in their
dens back of the big candy shops. At night
they sit about the caldrons and watch the
'syrups boiling, while the sweet fumes I'LL all
the air about Everything is sweet about the
place. the air is sweet: even the floors and CELL
ings and the walls seem sugar coated.
The imps are commonplace business-like
creatures and don't consider themselves imps
at all. They look upon Santa Claus as q hard
taskmaster. who makes them work very hard
when all the world is merry. They might not like
to be called imps a. all, but, 81 course, they
can't be anything but sugar imps when they
are making candy for Santa Claus.
INA CAVE OF SWEETS.
A STAR reporter went into one of their dens
the other night and got almost sugar-coated.
The man who keeps the candy store through
the permission of his majesty, the king of
Christmas. accompanied the reporter and ex-
planned to him ali the mysteries of the place.
In one room there were lots of barrels of sugar
and other sweet substances necessary in the
manufacture of candy. On an immense marble
slab were many molds, In which candy
animals and birds are cast. On table close
by were hundreds of clear, transparent
birds and beasts. tempting and sweet. just from
the molds. They were ready to join Santa
Claus Christmas caravan over the housetops
fAn alY % h ID No.. 81,
away in the great toe of the extra-size stock
ings children wear at this time. Santa Claus
knows he must have great supply on hand
because stockings are all so much bigger at
Christmas. In one corner of the den was a
little round iron furnace. in which q terrible
fire was burning throwing out red glow upon
the face Of the sugar imp who stood over it
with paddle in his hand watching the syrup
bubbling in the cauldron. Now and then the
imp would stoop over and give it stir. While
he stirred the sweet odor bubbled up out of the
hot liquid Presently he took the cauldron
from the fire. While the red reflection of the
fire hickered on the wall he poured the stream
of liquid sweet into the mods. and it cooled off
into horses. dogs cats. lions, bears, deers and
birds-all clear and red and sweet
TREASURE HOUSE OF CANDY.
Then The STAR reporter was taken up a
fight of stairs that looked as if they were made
of cast-off candy or had been sliding place
for the sugar imps at play. They came up
through the floor into a room where there was
more candy than the reporter had ever seen
before. Two or three little furnaces were
burning briskly under cauldrons of syrup, and
they were making all sorts of candy. Nice
cream balls. some with nuts, some with fruit
and some only the plain. sweet. white cream.
All on the marble slabs were great rolls and
masses of this pure, white sugar dough. chunks
of which were pinched OF or cut off and worked
into shapes. On some Of the tables was the
candy complete and tempting. In one corner
OF the room were tin plates of fine cream cam
dies in an irregular pile almost up to the cell
ing. and over it all was skim of crystal like
the first freezing of pond. There were more
OF Santa Claus workers in this room, and they
were merry at their work. If down stairs the
imps were at work some of these upstairs must
have been nymphs. for they were girls, with
their sleeves rolled up. working the candy
paste like dough and cutting it into little
squares or working it into other forms.
While they went through the master Of the
shop, who like all the rest. wore a white apron,
explained all about how the candy was made,
how il was pure and good for children to eat
and how much it took to satisfy the juvenile
cravings about Christmas time. His was only
one Of the many places in The city where the
candy makers are hard at work. So what he
makes may be multiplied by half the rest.
THE CONSUMPTION OF CANDY.
Twelve hundred pounds day We make"
he said. I'VE have to begin early and work
day and night to get enough on hand to meet
the demands of Christmas. One of our men
Che referred to the sugar imps) can make 700
pounds of plain candy in day. OF some of
the other candies he could make but 30.or 50
pounds a day. That candy which sells for
twenty-five cents pound has the same sort Of
sugar In it as that which sells for eighty. The
difference in the cost is in the labor put upon
II and the nuts or fruits put in with the sugar.
That white sugar paste is the basis OF all the
candy nearly. 1t is as pure and healthful US
possible. Glucose is used in all candy to kill
the grain OF the sugar"
He said that it was astonishing the amount
OF candy eaten in Washington. Last season,
he said. $1,000 pounds were sold by him the
day before Christmas. This season the sales
were opening up with excellent promise.
Ode to Turkey.