The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-19

WteD ma delight IN pumpkin pies, the nat
test pastry that was ever ma lie, ought to
be with me. Our dinner is commenced with
terrapln, and this terrapin is not served
after the fashion peculiar TO many fash
ionable restaurants in New York, where
it Is so deluged with wine that the flavor
of the terrapin is lost. No Here it is cook
ed simply with butter, favored with pep
per and salt, and If you don't know just
what terrapln means and now perfect its
flavor is you can throw a little madeira
into your own special portion, but some
body who knows better Will look at you wit
surprise If you do. Then we have canvas
back ducks at one end Of the table, just
high enough and so perfectly cooked that
when the carving knife goes in the blood
spurts out. They have truly been cooked
in the ideal Way-carried through a hot
kitchen by a cooiheaded cook At the
other end there are roast capons, fianked,
they should be- by a home cured ham,
the outside of which is a delicate brown,
the result of its having been smeared with
the yol< of an egg mixed with little wine
that has some sugar in it. The south
ern housekeeper knows, as does the Eng
lish one, that with white meat there must
always be eaten ham or bacon. Conse-
quently the chicken never appears without
its accompanimstrc~ On the sldeboard
there T%Shoat, roasted whole. In
his "a lemon, and his tail is tied
ROW blue ribbon to remind you
that y 80 he was .lds. as far as eating
was concerned, he never drank too much.
There are the hearts of celery; there are
roasted sweet potatoes; there are white
ones boiled as they should be, in their
petticoats; there are delicate Jerusalem
artlchokes, any of the vegetables that you
want But who eats vegetables when they
can have canvasback duck or fat capon?
Capon stuffed with chestnuts, too.
Then there comes on "A salad green
one, which madame dresses after the fash
ion of India, with grated cheese. And
then The servants file in two by two and
line up by the doorway, each holding a
lighted candle while the two cooks, walk
ing proudly between, one carrying The
plumb pudding. in perfect blaze of bran
dy and the other holding up an enormous
mince pie. To each one of these good re-
tanners is given a glass of punch, and We
all stand up, and everybody drinks TO
what they will, and the darkies call out
in gayest tones, Merry Christmas, mis-
sus, merry Christmas" And it Is a merry
Christmas, for we all laugh later on over
the Christmas tree and jest about the lit
tie presents none sosting much, but each
making fun, while We wonder if there is
any place quite so good as this southland
And l, who am of 1t, l wonder If there
are any people who can so entirely throw
aside their cares and become as little chill
south. 1t is a good thing, l tell you. It
keeps the women and the men loyal. 1t
makes people love each other and believe
in each other-like little children. 1t is
good for us to meet this way each year
and give out greetings as sincerely as
we do. It means a coming out Of the hard,
working world and the tiresome, everyday
life and having a glimpse of something
better. Il makes life worth having. If
you don't believe me. throw your
home wide open, open your purse
strings and ask your kindred and your
friends to come and make Christmas with
you. You will find that old friendships
are good; you Will find that it is worth
while to have about you the people who
have always known you and always cared
for you and it is also worth while to have
a stranger within your gates; to make
stranger, who may be alone in this world,
have some happy hours. You know so
many hundred years ago. when the angels
sang their song, it was TO strangers. Why
should not we, in that way at least, try
to reproduce the old Christmas time ana
to make glad those who have no one 10
make life glad for them? You can find
them without any trouble right In your
own fashionable settle man who would
otherwise eat his dinner at the club; the
woman who would otherwise dine at a
hotel and those others who, because they
remembered, would cat no Christmas din
ner. Ask them to come with you; be gem
erous in your hospitality and make your
Christmas a gift giving one and then be
sure you will never want for a merry
Christmas or a New Year fun Of pleasure.
Whoever you are, wherever you may be,
If you think as kindly Of me as / do Of you,
or even If you are Indifferent TO me, / wish
with all my heart that God will bless you
and give you a merry Christmas and a
happy New Year. Bah.