The morning times., 1895-11-03
Fruit lnstead
OF EIowers
THE FIN DE SIECLE YOUNG
MANS LOVE OFFERING.
They Make Beautiful and Arts
tic Offerings to Ones
Lady Love.

The latest RETIREMENT laid upon the pockes
and affections of the generous young man
is the offering Of fruit to the lady OF his
admiration. She is going to expect it.
and the very up to-date fruiter is no more
the swdins good friend than is the florist
or confectioner-
To send q modest present of fruit this
winter Will be a test OF affection, indeed,
since the dealer has taken counsel with
himself and learned the virtue OF off
setting his wares with ribbons and baskets
Of wondrous manufacture.
1t all happened because a finikin young
man ordered several pounds OF luscious
hot-house grapes, golden pearl pears, and
late Virginia peaches to be sent to bis
betrothed on her arrival from Europe He
refused to have them delivered In the usual
plain but honest and inexpensive pape,
bag. So the fruit dealer bought a rustic
cornucopia basket, woven OF green and
brown cedar bark, supported on three
tall legs This he lined with autumn leaves,
heaped in tue fruit with no inartistic hand,
dropped around in the hooks English wal
nuts and chestauts still In the half open
burr, and tied all the curied end OF tue COR
nucopia with masses OF russell brown and
purple ribbons. The basket met with 50
many compliments and approval that both
the girls who saw 1t and the fruiter him
self were delighted. The exacting young
man paid out just $40 for his gift, and 50
implicated all hfS fellow men,
The way to a maidens affections now
lies by the way of fruit basket, and Soma
of them are really worth having. Until
the very latest moment In the season
peaches will be the one desired contents for
those made OF gilded and silver oat stra VS.
woven In with differently cclored satin
ribbons, lined with big green silk leaves,
the peaches arranged in a pyramid, wear
ing ribbon belts and bows around their fat
rosy bodies.
Next in order are countrymen's bats,
of a curious sunburnt straw. filled With
pears; and pTettiest of all, round rough
fiat baskets made of brown wythes, with
big loop handles, and piled with green
and deep purple grapes. These baskets
are in imitation OF those the grape gather
ers use in Burgundy. They are tied with
red and green satin ribbons; somewhere
amid the bows rs caught g pair of cum
ming little grape scissors and already,
with the arrival of early oranges, hsvs
some lovely green palmetto baskets. woven
in big, broad concave platters, the handles
of twisted orange satin ribbons, one OF
them holding q little fruit knife.
Every basket of oranges is picked specially
with q stem and one green leaf attached,
and though these baskets cost $40, Sl2
and SIS, the really expensive ones ara
trimmed with bon-bons. The confectioners
make cunning limitations In papier macha
of pears, peaches and apples and fill them
with assorted chocolates. A handsome
basket has at least half dozen Of thess
pretty bonbonniere set amid the othe1
fruits and one gift OF fruit made recently
was a Chinese mandarin's hat filled With
wee mandarin oranges. some OF which fell
utr1.rr In.
side. candied currants, suggared cherries
or crystaliZed cttron.