The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-17
BAB'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE.

are absolutely making love TO the girls.
while husbands are growing affection
ate TO their wives. Before you realize
II Is Christmas eve you are asked If
you want to help get the presents
ready, and, feeling yourself young
again, off YOU go, prepared 10 tie up the
many packages. You don't know what
1t means. you from the north. There
are hundreds OF packages to tie up.
There is an apron for this one, hand
kerchief for that one, gown for the
other. tiny purse holding a little
money. pouch filled with tobacco and
always there are TO be fixed bags for
holding candy, nuts and raisins. Who
are they for? For the innumcrable
darkies who have never recognized
that they have no claim upon that fam
lily with whom they were born. They
all come troopng home at Christmas
time and expect that the madame OF to-
day will be as generous as the madame
of 30 years ago, who owned them. And
this madame feels the responsibility.
for as you stand with her tomorrow
morning, helping her to give out her
presents, you will see a boy come up.
who will say. Madame. don't you know
me? lse Celestine's Tom the afore-
said CeleStine having betrayed the hid
ing place OF her mistress silver during
the war, but returning after IL expect
ing To be cared for when i'll and getting
just what she expected. There will APP
pear an old man, who will say, Honey,
you didn't spec To sec ole Uncle Jake.
but Ise done come for my Christmas
money" All the year around Uncle
Jake goes out saving wood and he
would not do quarter of Il cord for the
household unless he were paid for IL.
Yet they all feel that they belong TO the
Cary household. and when they are
talking will say with an air of pride:
"Oh, you amt nuthin; you amt nuthin
| 'cept a Yankee! Ise been attached u
the Carys foh generations" And these
southern ladies. remembering that, aft
er all, the darkies are only grown up
children. forget their faults. remember
their virtues, give to them generously
and honestly wish them a merry Christ
mas and happy New Year.
1t is nearly time for dinner We all
| have on our finest frocks and are only
waiting To see the dignified old butler
| roll back the doors and open the very
| gates of delight, for that is what a
| good dinner means. You who in the
north are sitting down 20 turkey. the
driest bird that was ever eaten: who
/ find delight i'm pumpkin pics, the fiat
| test pastry that was ever made. ought
| 10 be with me. our dinner is com
| menced with terrapin and this terrapin
| Is not served after the fashion peculiar
10 many fashionable restaurants in
| New York, where IL is so deluged with
| wine that the flavor OF the terrapip is
| lost No. Here IL is cooked simply with
| butter. favored with pepper and salt
and If you don't know just what ter
| rapin means and how perfect it's flavor
| is YOU can throw a little madeira into
| your own special portion, but somebody
| who knows better will look at you with
| surprise if you do. Then we have can
| vasb8ck ducks at one end OF the table
Just high enough and SO perfectly cook
| ed that when the carving knife goes In
! the blood spurts out. They have truly
been cooked in the ideal way-carrieC
| through a hot kitchen by a coolheadec
cook At the other end there are roas
capons. fanked. as they should he, by
home cured ham, the outside of which
Is a delicate brown. the result OF it'
having been smeared with the yolk o.
an egg mixed with a little wine thai
has some sugar in IL. The southern
housekeeper knows. as does the Eng
lish one, that with white meat there
must always be eaten ham or bacon
Consequently the chicken never ap