The evening times., 1898-06-25
HPOTHEOSIS
OF TKK PRUNR
Changes Worked in One Girl
by Their Use.
PIunes More Emcacious Than the
GOSPEL in Moving Reform school
Boys to q Proper Obedience.

What makes YOU, 10 auiet? tall
girl. who displayed a big enameled flag
pin. asked short one as they met at
the lunch counter. Has your best beau
to santiago?" ~ -.
Neither" answered the short girl.
pulling herself up on the high stool; but
why do you think I'm auiet?"
Because you are. Ionever saw any
one 50 changed. The last time saw you
was just after Christians. and nobody
could get in word edgeways. you talked
SO fast. Now you have next to nothing
to say. and when you do speak you speak
SO gently that l can scarcely hear you.
The whole expressi,2 Of your face has
changed. and must say it's for the bet
ter. Your complexion is lovely. your
eyes bright. and there is such spirit Of
content about you. Is 1t lover
NO" answered her companion. laugh
Ing. Guess again. But you never could.
So I'll tell you what wrought this change
In me. 1t isn't love; It's prunes."
''Prunes!' exclaimed the tall girl, or
dertng an oyster pate. a slice Of straw
ke:ry shortcake, with plenty Of cream.
and bottle of ginger ale.
Yes. prunes." answered the other.
Waiter, bring me big dish of stewed
! prunes. some bread and butter, and
glass of milk"
Mercy! what a luncheonr' exclaimed
the tall girl. III that's what you like
why don't you take your meals at a
second-rate clearinghouse. where they
have stewed prunes for the first course
| at breakfast, the same for the last course
at dinner? can give you the address Of
one"
Laugh all you want to-" rejoined the
short girl, but pruries have made a new
girl of me. not only physically and men,
! tally, but morally"
Serve as sort of atonement for your
past, do they?" asked the tall girl. "What
mischievous rogue you used to be, 1
can't believe that prunes are responsible
for this change. No: go tell that to the
Spaniards. Out with it. What has chang
| ed your
II tell you 1t was prunes." insisted her
companion. You remember how nervous
and run down ! got last Winter? / was
either down In the depth of despair or up
on the mountain tops of hilarity. Can't
( you call to mind how was up TO all kinds
, of pranks. teasing everybody. making fun
! of everybody. sparing nobody's feelings
! IL could get a laugh and make others
laugh. and dom; you remember how noisy
( / used to be and how uneasy everybody
felt when was around not knowing what
l would do or say next? Yes. l thought
! you would Well, I'm completely changed
/ and prunes did it
/ DO tell me all about it," urged the
( tall girl, and a nervous woman sitting
| next to her listened eagerly for the reply.
! We'll. / went out to Chicago about
! that time-it was in February. / think
I n trh faf hat
| friends sent me to a well-known Chi
cago physician. He said at once: You
{ need prunes. young woman, anl l said
You mean pruning for my family is
| always insisting that / had grown wild
( 1t all came from overwork.
NO he said. I mean prunes. You
need prune diet, or. rather. to eat
| plenty of pruens. They'll set you
straight and then he told me that he
had proved the. prune to be a moral
agent. and that European authorities
| on dietetics were discussing his dis
covery at that very time. AMI making
experiments. I asked. him to tell me
/ all about his discovery. and he said that
he had made the prsne subject Of
special study. and lknew it to be n pre-
| ventive of crime. He Eas at one time
connected with n reform school for
boys. and that's when he found that
he was right In believeing the prune to
be more efficacious than the Gospel in
| moving the youngsters to obedience
/ These boys were exceedingly unruly.
and had rebelled against everybody and
| everything tending toward the reforma-
| ton of their morals. Finally the doctor
fed them once day on prunes for a
| week. and at the end of that time they
| were well-mannered and docile. He
said that the change in them was the
| most wonderful thing that he had ever
| witnessed. though not hard to under
| stand. / said that thought 1t was, but
| he explained that the prune has a GER
tain medical property. which acts d.
| rectly on the nervous system. 1t makes
me laugh 10 hear people say: She has
| a bad heart or he has vitiated
mind When people arn't honest and
| true and pure. the nervous system. nine
times out Of ten. is out of order. and
prunes will cure them"
But how did you take the prunes?
| inquired the tall girl. with great SHOW
| OF interest.
"Well. I kept a stone jar Of stewed
| prunes on hand. and five or six times 6
| day would go to it and eat three or four
| In German households such crooks oi
| prunes have stood for medicine chests
| for a hundred years. The German house.
| wife provides the jar of prunes. and the
| members of the family dip into 1t at al
hours of the day, Just as family of po
| white trash in the South dips into COM
| mon snuff box. The first thing in fhs
| morning and the last at night I took g
drink Of prune juice. and how 1t made ms
sleep! This was prepared by adding 8
quart of boiled water to every pint OF
prunes and allowing them to simmer tc
shreds. After straining little lemor
juice was added. but no sugar. This
drink aIlays fever and is fine for a cold
Prunes that are to be eaten as a modi
cine should be simmered at least thret
hours and without sugar"
How long did you take your Drunt
cure before you began to be benefited?
interrupted the nervous woman. with
! evident embarrassment.
"Oh. I hadn't been at 1t more than 6
| fortnight when felt like a new creature
How was affected? Why. slept like I
log. ate three square meals a Sey. AID
strangest Of all. my whole bearing ani
manner changed. grew as gentle an(
mild-mannered as my very gentle mothel
could wish. and my. didn't feel lik'
disturbing everybody and stirring up peo
Pile wherever l went. and hurting peOpl
| Just to see them sQuirm. Now I feel per
fectly amiable toward everybody ant
everything except SPAIN. I'd like to hell
crush Spain. of course Francisc,
Report.