Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-12
THE LEARNED GROCER.
He Says There Is No Such Thing as Dried
Currants, and Tells Why.

| He Says There Is No Such Thing as Dried
Currants, and Tells why.
"Mother wants pound of dried cur
| rants,'' said little girl who came into the
| learned grocer's store on Eighth avenue
II hain't got a 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 a box of the little sticky,
sugary, dried fruit popularity known as
| dried currants, and used in fruit cake,
| plum puddings, mince pies, buns, and the
| like.
"Why, them's 'em!" said the little girl
Eyes, them's 'em," assented the grocer;
land if the Grecian maiden who trod this
| particular lot of fruit into the package had
| used a 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 we'll put 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 a disputative customer.
They amt dried currants any more
than they're dried pumpkins.'' replied the
grocer. 1.-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 disputa-
tive. But what does everybody call 'em
dried currants forf''
"'Cause they don't know any better."
raDlip1 no
coming in here and asking for dry cur
rants just the same after l tell EN- why
they amt dried currants as they did he.
fore"
What should they ask for, them" in.
quired the customer.
'If any man should ever come in here
and ask for dried corinths,' said the gro
Ger, "he would not necessarily be gentle
man, but I'd bet on him for being scholar.
Dried corinths is what you should ask for
when you want this little sugar coated,
gritty raisin, for it's raisin, pure and
simple"
Flows that" the customer wanted to
know.
Because it was a grape before it was
dried said the grocer, land if dried
grapes amt raisins, what are they?"
But you said these were dried cor
iAibhS. SiIu LIE CUSTOMER. W nat : a
corinth anyhow"
"A corinth is the smallest crane 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 a raisin than pea is. This little grape
grows all over the islands of the Greciau
archipelago and was first exported from
Corinth, and that's what gave it its name
The punches don't grow much bigger than
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 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 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
mingle with the fruit, without which no
dried corinths 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.