The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-19
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 IL
you want 10 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
II means, you from the north. There
are hundreds Of packages 10 tie up.
There is an apron for this one. a hand
keTchief for that one. a gown for the
ether, tiny purse holding a little
money. a pouch filed with tobacco. and
always there are TO be fixed bags for
holding candy. nuts and raisins. Who
are they for? For the innumerable
darkies who have never recognized
that they have no claim upon that fam
iiy with whom they were born. They
all come trooping home at Christmas
time and expect that the madame OF to-
day Will be as generous as the madame
of 30 years age. who owned them. And
this madame feels the responsibility.
for as you stand with her tomorrow
mcrr.ng. helping her to give out her
presents. You will see boy come up.
who vii! say. Madame, don't you know
ne? Ise Celestines Tom the afore.
said Ceiestire having betrayed the hid
ing place of her mistress silver during
the war. but returning after it expect
ing 20 be cared for when Ill and getting
Just what she expected There will ap-
pear an old man. who will say. Honey.
you didn't spec to see Gle Uncle Jake,
but Ise done come for my Christmas
money" All the year around Uncle
y1Ea or,-t- 10
would not do quarter OF cord for the
household unless ne were paid for it.
Yet they all fee, that they belong to the
Cary household ana when they are
talking will say with an air of pride:
''Oh. you amt ruthin. ycu amt nuthin
'cept a Yankee, Ise been attached to
the Carys fob generations" Ard these
southern ladies. remembering that. aft
er all, the 6arkies are only grown up
children, forget their faults. remember
their virtues. give TO them generously
and honestly wish them merry Christ
mas and happy New Year.
1t is nearly time fer dinner. We all
have on our finest froc1ks 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. Ycu who In the
north are sitting down to turkey. the
driest bird that was ever eaten; who
find delight in pumpkin pies. the fiat
test pastry that was ever made, ought
to be with me. Our dinner is COM
menced with terrapin. and this terrapin
is not served after the fashion peculiar
to many fashionable restaurants in
New York, where it is so deluged with
wine that the flavor of the terrapin is
lost No Here it is cooked simply with
butter, favored with pepper and salt
and if you don't know just what ter.
rapin means and how perfect its favor
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 cam
vasback 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-carried
through a hot kitchen by coolheaded
cook. At the other end there are roast
capons. fianked. as 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 yolk ot
an egg mixed with a little wine that
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-