Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-07-23
THE FLEETING SHOW.
Some OF Its Facts and Fancies.

Written for the JOURNAL AND CouRIKR.l
HUCKLE VERSUS wHoRTLE.
New England housewives who in the in
terest of correct speech, as understood,
have with difficulty induced lips and
tongue to assume that puckery position
necessary for the pronunciation of "whor-
tleberry," are hereby advised that they
may discard the difficult word and rein
state the one which early education, with
object lessons, has made familiar and dear.
We may properly say "huckleberry," for
the present at least, and let us hope that
as long as the good old-fashioned berry en-
dures we may call it by the good oldfash-
ioned name and spell it with OH ''h." We
have for our authority the botanist Gray,
who uses hucklsberry as the only familiar
name. AS it's dressedrp- -for-company,
scientific aplellation, is Gaylussacia resin
osa, we ought to be greatful that it has an
every day name somewhat nearer its own
size 1t might be we'll. however, for the
housewife to commit the botanic name to
memory, as, If corrected for saying huckle-
berry, it would be pleasant to reduce the
pedant to state of limp detection by
sweetly inquiring: "Will you have Gaylus-
sacia resinosa pudding or pie for DESERT"
As a "crusher" this is never known to fail.
The whortleberry is native of Europe
and is known in Germany as the heidel-
beere or heathberry. Our Anglo Saxon
| ancestors called it heart-berie, or hart
| berry As for the Yankee variety, the
| homely and hardy shrub that fourishes in
| stony pastures, sunny uplsnds or sheltered
| woods with the sturdy endurance charac
teristic of other New Englanders, the Yam
| kee name huckleberry suits 1t best, and it
lends itself to Yankee cookery as to none
as it's other virtues.
| To know the huckleberry, and its kins-
folk, the blueberry and bilberry. at their
| best, one should spend q week at a remote
Massachusetts farmhouse.
In the days when went berrying,
Long time ago,
this is the way it was done. After a
hearty breakfast upon huckleberry bread
and hot huckleberry batter cakes--delioious!
I've climbed into the hay cart, each pro-
vided with six-quart tin pail, and shell
tered from the dazzling sunlight by one OF
those big cylindrical sunbonnets such as
"the Polisher girlses" wore when they
went a-berryin'. (These green gingham
tunnels, when their wearers would COM
mune with each other, require an adagic
!. movement of the head to bring the open
end of the tunnels into juxtaposition, ther
in their shsdowy depths faces may b.
darkly deserted and voices be heard issu
ing.)
, Down the grassy, deep-rutted land th'
cart went humping and jolting to tn
pond, and across the shallow ford to a lit
tie wooded island. Here the sunbonnet
spring down and are left in undisputet
possession OF what seems an enchanted
isle, while the farmer turns his slow
paced, sleek sided oxen, and crosses agail
to the mainland, and 30 further afeld t.
? where the haymakers are waiting.
= 1t is so sweet and still The heat /
bringing out the wholesome, stimulating
odor of the pines, and there is a musica
: signing in their tops responsive to tn
breeze that whispers coaxingly. w
U would linger and listen and interpret,
J. we may these mysterious tones, but fror
An energetic sunbonnet at the head of th
procession comes a warning voice: "Girls
It buckle berries!" aud we march on.
d Beyond the pines we fud more ope
\ space, ,barred!with sunlight, but still shade
and COOL Here are taller, more prolif
II shrubs than ever grew in pasture or mest
ow, huckleburries plump, firm and shiny
and blueberIies with their soft, gra
|
70 mornings dew. The little tinkling soun
# made by the berries as they strike the bo
tom of tin pail soon ceases; we wol
: rapidly and steadily, though the islam
rings to our merry chat and light laughte
The pals are filled and we have earne
Il repose. We 90 back to the pines ar
10 stretch ourselves in delicious laziness upc
h slippery and fragrant beds Of pine needle
The sunbonnet of the sentimental sist
D. points directly to the zenith, and from
le recesses tuneful voiceis heard reciting
Hymn" or "Among the Trees" II
o. prosaic sister. soothed by this voice al
the cradle-song of the waving boughs, fal
OF fast asleep, and some of natures wish
he FORMS" in the shape of black ants, mea
i'd der over her unconscious figure al
u, | communicate to each other their imprt
~ sions of the same by curious movemen
!. guest is subdued to dreamy restfulne
TO- and is inclined to demur when from t
y shore she sees little boat, manned by
he sun-browned, vigorous young rustic, pl
a. ting out in search of them. The rattle
=. the oars in the rowlocks, as the boat
Al grounded upon a low granite ledge IL
re obligingly crops out for pier, is
re cordant, disturbing sound; neverthele
k the homeward voyage in that exciting
o dripping burden of water-lilies to c
be cargo, only lends another charm to t
,u- long to aforementioned morning.
IRA At dinner time, twelve sharp, among
-. | substantials We have more hucklebel
leu bread, and for dessert huckleberry +
thick and sweet, and overfowing W
H. syrupy richness, or a plump boiled p
'he ding, or hot huckleberry cakes. these to
in eaten with foaming sauce of butter,
ian gar and cream. At supper time, m
m- Ruckleberries! They hoated about in 2
-, erous bowls of bread and milk; they v
leu found dotting the inner surface of hot
ex- cult that only needed little butter