The Penn's Grove record., 1888-11-24
NUMBER II.

pared In any way with that Of to-day.
We have advanced in that as In all OF
the sciences" And she shook her
fingers out Of her finger bowl with uu-
necessary vim, and rubbed them with
her napkin more vigorously than the
occupation demanded.
"All this may be true" I allowed
judiciously; "but spare me, l pray you,
that idol OF my boyhOod, the Thanks
giving pumpkin pie;" and I sounded
the p broadly, hoping to appease the
iconOclastic indignation, l had unwit-
tingly aroused.
81 can't" replied Mrs. John, relent.
lessly. II can't. really and be honest.
"Recall for yourself the actual pie Of
which you speak separated from all Its
surroundings, and answer me truthful
lly If / describe it Alright. 1t was
,yellowish brown In color. except in oc-
casional spots, where the blistered top
had broken under uneven heat; 1t was
very shallow; the filing barely twice
exceeding the crust In thickness when
1t was cut, and its favor was strong OF
pumpkin, with various spices more or
less predominatlng.
"You we're apt to find little pieces Of
the vegetable in your mouthful, which
had escaped the c~oarse-holed colander
through which 1t had been strained, and
you we're fortunate IL the undercrust
was not 'soggy,' as in those good old
days 1t was the fashion to bake
'batches' of pies weekly TO last through
the following seven days, a custom
which did not add to the wholesome
ness Of such pies as survived the FIRST
day. And this, my dear, Is the pun
kim pie of your boyhood."
My silence attested the truth Of this
assertion.
but what" she went on, sis the
pumpkin pie Of to-dayp A very differ
ent and a much more successful gas
tronomic production. AS q friend said
to me the other day. Il consider q
pumpkin pie the excuse for all the good
things l have in my storeroom-su2ar,
cream, eggs, q dash OF sherry, q little
lemon, mace, cinnamon, nutmeg-then
repeat ad libltum,' she finished with u
laugh.
1.-THE modern pie," pursued my wife.
tbs a solitaire, or at most, two at u
baking. and as the under crust is
slightly baked first. before the filing 10
put In, the 'soggy' characteristic Is en-
tirely left out. You Will miss, too, the
lumpy element from the properly made
pie Of to-day: we strain the pumpkin
througha sieve; we also use deep dishes,
which takes away from the slab appear
ance of the delicacy. Finally, when
this toothsome and altogether delicious
article of food IS offered at dessert,
grated cheese is served with it, and II
you will once mort turn a retrospective
eye upon the past you will discover that
the cheese of the farm larder invaria-
bly, appeared at supper, while the pas
try dessert of the MONDAY dinner was
unaccompanIed by its natural and
wholesome relish.
"ObP' calculated Mrs. John with
sudden vehemence, cant you recall
those dreadful country teas will cubes
of yellow-rubber cheese piled on n
plate, and long, pale-green pickles on
another. thanking the caster on either
sideP Was there ever a more complete
embodiment Of green and yellow mel.
ancholy than the combinationY"
My mind naturally moves sscwi.7sand
before l found a reply to THU sudden
parenthetical appeal my wife had got
back to the main road, 80 to speak, Of
her haIangue.
mo, john" she continued rather
sadly, lit is not the pumpkin. lie. pure
and simple. of your childlhNc. which
you fondly recall; it is the pumpkin pie
seasoned with your boyish appetite, the
pumpkin pie surrounded with the &C.
cessorIes Of your dear and familiar
home, the pumpkin pie. In fact, set in
the glorious halo of your youth
"You say it was the event Of the
year to bring in the Thanksgiving
pumpkin. 1 am sure 1t Yet l
don't suppose it would give you any
especial pleasure to 20 down to Fulton
Market and half carry, half roll home
n Of those great yellow vegetables.
"But out in the corn6eld back Of
your fathers house, the cornield whose
boundary was the sparkling. dancing
brook. and whose background vas the
everlasting hills bathed in the lovely
haze OF autumn, out in that cornf1eld
In the mellow October afternoon. every
breath inspiring the delicious air which
had In it such an Undesirable mixture
OF summer languor and crisp, frosty
vim, and every nerve tingling with tho
unconscious but vlvifying essence Of
healthy, happy boyhood-that indeed
was an event.
"Here amid the city's turmoil that
grows at times SO tlresome and mon
otonous. with the responsibilities and
anIietles which every man OF family
feels. and with the weight of years be-
ginning ever so little, to press. do
not wonder that the happenings Of
those care-free days stand out In bold
relief, but in justice, my dear, to the
science Of gastrOnomy and to the de-
velopmeDt and progress Of the day.
tear down from its hallowed niche in
your memory the dun and bilious image
of old-fashioned 'punkin' pie."