Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-10-16
cuRRAurs or coR,NrHsy
Corner Grocery wtsdom Emitted Through
Reporter

cURRAMTS or coRINTHs?
Corner Grocery Wisdom Emitted Through
Reporter.
:'Mothcr wants a pound of dried
currants," said little girl who came
into the learned grocers store on
Eighth avenue.
81 hain't got dried cllrrant in the
store, and there hain't one in the
CITY," replied the grocer. ''Rnt I
know what you want, and I've got
'em."
The learned grocer brought forth a
box OF the little sticky, sngai.Y, dried
fruit popularity known as dried cur
rants, and used in fruit cake, plum
buildings. mince pies, buns, and the
like.
sWhy, them's EN- said the little
girl.
'iIes. them's EN-" assented the
grocer: land 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 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 q
lot of sand paper in her fruit cake.
And tell her they amt dried currantS,
either
whats the reason they amt dried
currants?" asked I; disputative Gus
toner.
'.rhcy amt dried currants any
more than they're dried pumpkins"
replied the grocer ':The reason they
amt dried currants is that they
wern't currants before they were
dried. That's reason enough, amt
| it,"
eyes" said the customer, less dis
putative. sBut what does everybody
call 'em dried currants for?''
'Cause they don't know any bet
ter" replied the grocer. ''Theyll go
right on coming in here and asking
for dried currants just the same after
l tell 'em why they amt dried cur
rants as they did BEFORE"
"What should they ask for, them"
inquired the customer,
''If any man should come in here
and ask for dried corinths," said the
grocer, she would not necessarily be
a gentlemen, 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 raisin pure and sim
pie"
elbows that?" thecnstomer wanted
to know.
because it was a grape before it
was dried" said the grocer, 'sand if
dried grapes amt raisins, what are
they?"
''B1lt you said these were dried cor
inths," said the customer. "What's
a corinth, anyhow?"
"a cornth is the smallest grape
that grows" replied the grocer, ''and
it lost it's name years and years ago,
because it was gradually corrupted
into cE,rrant. 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 Il raisin 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
th;in stem Of red currants, and they
are so fui of sugar that when they
are picked and dried in the sun they
actually seem to melt and run TO-
gether and it takes Il good deal of
care and labor to separate them again.
After they are separated is the time
that 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 lit
tie raisins to pile three boxes into
one. No hydraulic press could do it
any better. IT we could, we wouldn't
have the sand and grit the maiden's
feet mingled with the fruit, without
which no dried corinth's are genuine.
Still l 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 Il new customer.
| rs Sum