The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-10-01
THE LEARNED GROCER
he Says There Ii No Such Thing as Drie'
Currznfs Ind TeIIa VThv.

he Says There Ii No Such Thing as Dried
Currants, ind Tells why.
Mother wants q pound of dried eur
rants" said little girl who came into the
learned grocer's store on Eighth avenue
81 hain't got dried currant in the store,
and there hain't one in the city," replied
the grocer. But know what you want,
and I've got 'em" The learned grocer
brought forth box of the little sticky,
sugsry, dried fruit popularity known as
dried currants, and used in fruit cake,
plum buildings, mince pies, buns, and the
like.
"Why, them's 'emF' said the little girl.
"Yes, them's 'em," assented the grocer;
"and If the Grecian maiden who trod this
particular lot of fruit into the package had
used little water on her feet before she
began there wouldn't be so much sand
and grit in 'em as there is. She must have
been having a regular hoe down on the
classic sands before she began to dance on
this box of fruit. There, sissy, tell your
mother she must battle 'em in several
waters before she uses 'em, or she might
just as well put a lot of sandpaper in her
fruit cake And tell her they amt dried
currants, either"
What's the reason they amt dried cur
rants" asked disputative customer.
"They amt dried currants any more
than they're dried pumpkins" replied the
grocer. "The reason they amt dried cur
rants Is that they weren't currants before
they were dried. That's reason enough,
amt it?'
YES" said the customer, less 6isputa-
tive. But what does everybody call 'em
dried currants for'"
"'Cause they don't know any betterl"
replied the grocer. They'll go right on
coming in here and asking for dry cur
rants just the same after l tell 'em why
they amt dried currants as they did be-
fore"
what should they ask for, thenl" I'm
Quired the customer.
eff any man should ever come In here
and ask for dried corinths," said the gro
Ger, che would not necessarily be gentle
man, but I'd bet on him for being a scholar.
Dried corinths is what you should ask for
when you want this little sugar coated.
gritty raisin, for it's a raisin, pure and
simple"
Flows that7" the customer wanted to
know.
Because it was a grape before IL was
dried" said the grocer, "and If dried
grapes amt raisins, what are theyS"
"But you said these were dried cor
inths" said the customer. whats .
corinth anyhow"
"a corinth is the smallest grape that
grows" replied the grocer, land it lost its
name years and years ago because it was
gradually corrupted into currant, which
became the name Of the calculated little
berry of our garden which you might dry
from now until Gabriel sounds his horn
without getting it any nearer the condition
of taisin than pea is. This little grape
grows all over the islands of the Grecian
archipelago and was first exported from
Corinth, and that's what gave it its name.
The punches don't grow much bigger than
a stem of red currants, and they are so full
of sugar that when they are picked and
dried IN the sun they actually seem to melt
and run together and it takes a good deal
of care and labor to separate them again.
after they are separated is the time
when the Grecian maiden gets her work in
on them, for it is one of her pleasant duties
to jump on a heap of the sticky fruit with
her bare feet until she has compressed
enough of the little raisins to pile three
boxes into one. No hydraulic press could
DO it any better. If it could we wouldn't
have the sand and grit the maidens feet
ningle with the fruit, without which no
dried coripths are genuine.
'Still. shall expect folks to come in here
and ask for dried currants just the same"
said the learned grocer. as he went to wait
On new customer.-New York Sun.