The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-03-22
The Learned Grocer.


"Mother wants a pound Of dried cur
rants, said a little girl who came intC
the learned grocer's store on Eighth ave
nue..
Il hain't got q dried eurrant in the
store, and there haiat one in the city
replied the grocer. "But.I know what
yoa want, and Iye got EN-"
The learned grocer brought forth box
Ofthe little sticky, sugary, dried fruit,
popularity known as dried eurrants, and
used IN fruit cake, plum pnddings, mince
pies, buns and the like
why, them's 'em| said the little
girl.
YES, then's en-" sssented the gro
Ger; .and if the Grecian maiden who
troa this particular lot Of fruit into the
package had used a little water on her
feet before she began, there wouldn't be
50 much sand and grit in EN- IS there il.
She must have been having q regular
hoe down on the classic sands before she
began to dance on this box Of fruit.
There, sissy, tel your mother she must
bathe 'em in several waters before she
uses EN-, or she might just as well pat a
lot ofs1ndpaPer in herfruit cake. And
tell her they amt dried eurrAnts, ei-
ther."
whats the reason they amt dried
currants ~ asked a disputative Customer.
They amt dried currants any more
than they're dried pumpkins" replied
the grocer. The reascn they amt dried
curraa:s is that they weren't eurrants be-
fore they we're dried. That's reason
enough, amt t?'
Yes" said the customer, less disputa-
tive. "But what does everybody call EN-
dried currznts for -
"'Caass they donl know any better -
replied the grocer. They'll 90 right on
coming in here and asking for dried euI-
rants just the same, after tell 'em Why
they Amt dried cUrrants, as they did be-
fore"
What should they ask for, then?" in
quired the customer.
If any man should ever come in here
and ask for dried coIinths,7 said the gro
Ger, 4he would not necessarily be a gen.
tlemzn, but I'd bet on him for being a
scholar. Dried eorinths is what you
should ask for when you want this little
sugar euated, gritty raisin, for It's rAis-
in, pure and simple."
"How's that?" the customer wanted 10
know.
Because il was a grape before was
dried, said the grocer, -snd If dried
grapes amt raisins, what are they?"
"But yon said these were dried cur
rants - said the customer. "What are
corinths, anyhow"
a eorinth is the smallest grape that
goss," replied the grocer, and it lost
its name yeArs and years ago because it
was gradually corrupted into eurrant,
which became the name Of the acidula-
ted little berry Of our garden, which
you might dry from now until Gabriel
sounds his horn without getting it any
nearer the condition ola raisin than a
pea IS.
This little grape grows all over the
islands Of the Grecian Archipelago and
WIS frst exported from C5rinth, and
that's what gave it its name. The
b1nches don't grow much bigger than
a stem ofred curraEts, and they are 50
full Of susar that when they are picked
and dried in the sun they actually seem
10 melt Sad run together, and it takes a
good deal OF care and labor 70 separate
them again.
AFTER they are separated i the time
when the Grecian maiden gets her work
in on them, for il IS one Of her pleasant
duties 20 jump on heap Of the sticky
fruit with her bare feet until she has
compressed enough Of the little rsisins to
pile three boxes into one. No hydraulic
press could DO il any better. II it could
we wouldn't have the ssad and grit from
the maiden's feet mingled with the fruit,
without which no 1 led eornths are gen
uins.
'StiH, I shall expect folks - come in
here AMI ask Tor dried eurran-s Just the
same" said the learned grocer, as he
went t1 wait on a new customer.-Nc,C
York Sun.