The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-11-21
FRUIT TRIBUTES.

Inc UR>t0.D8C6 Young MATS LATEST O1s
fering 70 His Lady Love.
The latest requirement laid upon the
pocket and affections of the generous
young man is the offering of fruit to
the lady of his admiration. She is going
to expect ii, and the very up-to-date
fruiter is no more the swain's good
friend than is the florist or confec-
toner.
To send a modest present of fruit this
winter will be test of affection, in
deed, since the dealer has taken coun-
sci with himself and learned the virtue
Of offsettihg his wares with ribbons
and baskets of wondrous manufacture.
1t all happened because a fnicky
young man ordered several pounds of
luscious hothouse grapes. golden pearl
pears and late Virginia peaches to be
sent to his betrothed on her arrival
from Europe He refused to have them
delivered In the usual plain but honest
and inexpensive paper bag. So the
fruit dealer bought a rustic cornuco-
pia basket, woven of green and brown
cedar bark, supported on three tall
legs. This he lined with autumn
leaves, heaped in the fruit with no
inartistic hand, dropped around in the
hooks English walnurs and chestnuts
still in the half-open burr. and
tied all the curled end of the
cornucopia with masses of russet
brown and purple ribbons The basket
met with so many compliments and
approval, that both the girls who saw
it and the fruiter himself were de-
lighted. The exacting young man paid
out just ten dollars for his gift, and so
implicated all his fellow men.
The way to a maiden's affections
now lies by the way of fruit basket,
and some of them are really worth hav-
ing. Until the very latest moment in
the season peaches will be the one de-
sired contents for those made of gilded
and silver oat straws, woven in with
different-colored ribbons. lined with
big green silk leaves, the peaches ar
ranged in a pyramid. wearing ribbon
belts and bows around their fat, rosy
bodies
Next in order are countrymen's hats,
va AOAc oOo"f
with pears; and prettiest of all. round,
rough, fat baskets made of brown
wythes. with big loop handles and
piled with green and deep purple
grapes These baskets are in imita-
tion of those the grape eatherers use
In Burgundy. They are tied with red
and green satin ribbons; somewhere
amid the bows is caught pair of
cunning little grape scissors. and al
ready. with the arrival OF early
oranges, have come lovely green pal
metto baskets, woven in big broad
concave platters. the handles of twist
ed orange satin ribbons, one Of them
holding little fruit knife.
Every basket of oranges is picked
specially with a stem and one green
leaf attached. and though these bas-
kets cost ten dollars. twelve dollars
and fifteen dollars, the really expen-
sive ones are trimmed with boa-bous-
The confectioners make cunning imi-
tstions in papier maehe Of pears,
peaches and apples aud fill them with
assorted chocolates A handsome bes-
ket has AZ least half dozen of these
pretty bonbouniere Sc: amid the other
fruits and one Gift of fruit made re-
Gently by a New York swain was .
Chinese maudarin's hat filed with wee
mandarin oranges. some of which fell
open TO show japanese persinmons IL
side. candied currsnts. sugzred cher
ries- or crystalized eitron--De,roit
Free Press