Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-01

- REMARKABLY pretty girl was
/1 standing behind huge urn in the
I@A grocery shop, pouring some liquid
~ from the receptacle into dainty
Shttle japanese cups. In front of
the counter were number Of well-dressed
women in line, taking their turn in being
served. Outside the store a large sign read:
''CoNE IN AND GET CUP OF COCOA"
A representative of The STAR noticed all this
as he was going out with large sugar cured
ham. went back and asked the proprietor what
it meant. Said TIE grocer man:
This is not our enterprise exactly. don't you
know. MIR. Shocks, for example, who wants to
introduce new brand of cocoa that he is
manufacturing, sends an agent to Washington
with urn, assortment of cups, with the
name of the brand on each, and authority to
employ one pleasing young female. The agent
comes to this city and dropping in at my place
of business, asks me If l am willing to give him
a space in my shop for dispensing cocoa
agree because the cocoa brings customers and
also for the reason that it Is proposed, as part
of the bargain, / shall have the cocoa for sale
by the pound. So the agent sets up his urn on
a section of the counter as far front practi-
cable, establishes the pleasing young female
behind it, having previously spent a day in
teaching her how to brew the article, and bust
ness is begun"
CHEAP ENOUGH.
"What is charged for II cupful?"
Nothing at all. That is the point-it is free.
You would be astonished to know how many
cupfuls Of the cocoa are drunk here in one day.
People enjoy it, for one reason because they
feel they are getting something for nothing,
and that notion is always irresstibly attractive
Secondly, the itself is excellent in quality
and perfectly made. And thirdly on cold days
it is very comforting beverage, and the wo-
men particularly find it agreeable"
How long does the agent maintain his free
cocoa GlspensaryY'
For two weeks in this shop. Then he goes
to another one, having made the same sort of
bargain beforehand there, and after spending a
fortnight in the second place he transfers his
urn to third, and so on until he has visited all
the important groceries in the city, and has in
| this way advertised his brand of cocoa to a
wonderful extent among the people whom he
would most desire to secure as customers. The
result is that thousands of persons begin to
ask at their grocers' for this special kind of
cocoa, and its sale is established at once. When
the agent has i'll this way done up the town,
SO to speak, he discharges the pleasing young
female,
PACKS Up HIS URN AND HIS CUPS
| and hies him away to another center of popula-
tion-say Baltimore. From thence he goes,
maybe, to Philadelphia, and so all over the
| country, making his dates with the grocers in
advance, upon reaching each city, very much
in the same way theatrical managers do.
Two agents have been working Washington
| lately IN rivalry"
| .'Can you tell ME exactly what cocoa is?"
| Certainly. The plant from which it comes
| Is the cacao tree Of the West Indies and South
| America. 1t was not known in the old world
at all until it was introduced there from Mex
leo by the Spaniards in the early part of the
sixteenth century and for long time after the
| manner OF its preparation was kept secret. The
beans are first gathered from the tree and then
dried, after which they are packed and sent To
market They are prepared for use by roast
| ing. like coffee. After cooking in this way the
shells separated by winnowing. From
these shells an inferior quality OF cocoa Is
made, which costs only cents pound. The
good cocoa is made by grinding up the seeds
| from which the shells have been separated.
Chocolate il manufactured from the same beans
| in precisely the same manner, save that the
seeds, instead Of being merely ground, are
| pounded in q mortar to q paste, with which ID
| then mixed from one-half to an equal bulk OF
| sugar, with more or less vanilla bean. Upon
the percentage of vanilla depends to q consider.
able extent the price. Finally the mixture ID
stirred into moulds, out of which it comes az
the chocolate Of commerce. The ancient
Aztecs of Mexico, I've heard, we're skillful in
the preparation Of cocoa, producing froth on
the beverage solid enough to be eaten with q
knife and fork"
II see that the pretty girl behind the coun-
ter gives away tiny packages to some OF those
who drink her cocoa."
''Yes, those are samples Of cocoa, just enough
in each bundle to make . single cupfuL She
only gives them TO some Of her customers,
choosing those who seem likely to be profta-
BILE. This plan gives q chance for the family at
home to have Q TASTE"