The Holly chieftain., 1899-01-20
no RIcE FOR mn.
4 weary willie who w. weisAted
with Iaformation : the
subject.

subject.
He had all the appearanee of hob.
the house responded to hh rap at The
side door, he bowed low, and said:
"Just a piece of the aftermath, if you
please" .
"a m.r. remnant, shredof The tur-
key left over from yesterday"
Touched with his poil'ehess, and the
elegance Of his diction, as We sny of the
Minister, the lady passed through to
,hr kitchen. returning in momen,
with ! Gun Of rice and an apology
.T'm very sorry" M sne ss'd but the
turkey is all gone. The otit l can do
now is to offer you this rice and piece
Of bread and butter.
"Rice, is it, he said, with the same
!henhomme as he took the proffered
SUP and stirred the contents with the
snoon. "Rice is indeed most popular
food product. 1t has been known TO
man for many generations chemically
speaking, it is about Ss per cent. starch
and is. therefore, most nutfitious. For
about 5000 years it was practically the
only food of the Hindoo; but do not
think. madam. that mention this as
any disparagement. For alilknow the
Hindoos may have been very choice
and even finicky in what they ate dur
ing those 5000 years, and really pre-
ferred rice; even insisted upon having
lt. Perhaps you have littlesugar. A
little saccharine intermingled with the
starch Of the cereal makes itjust bit
more palatable, and even Il this is
heightened If the whole is smothered in
good rich cream.
am sorry, but we haven't either
sugar or cream in the house"
20, no apology is necessary my good
woman. l merely mentioned them. 1t
lis really no matter. We haveno record
| that the H:ndoos had anything what
soever to cut with their rice. l am
almost certain they took It straight.
You see the Hindoos-but Imust not
take up your time with these benighted
children of the jungle. Let uspass rap
idly for a moment to the Chinese.
From the time of Confucius down to Ii
Hung Chang the Chinese have Sub
sisted upon ricc-with an occasional
pull at the opium pipe. Through cycles
and cycles Of time has the rattle of the
chopsticks been heard, and II has al
ways been rice-rice; stewed rice
boiled rice, rice always, rice ever; rice
till you can't rest. And yet the Chi.
nese have grown to be 400, 100000 souls,
so to speak. Perhaps It was the mice
Cinnamon, you know, are nightly
fond Of mice, no matter how the same
may be served. Now, for my part,
never could care for mice in that way
Could you?"
"Ugh, the idea" 8$.M
Certainly not, madam. might have
known that your delicate taste would
revolt at the mere suggestion. And
yet the Chinese who were passionately
fond Of rice looked upon mice as even
more of delicacy. To be sure. it may
have been the cheapness OF rice which
caused It to appeal to the almond-eyed
Asiatics, as it did and as it does. There
are few things in the vegetable worlt
which produce and multiply themselve.
to 10 great an extent. One bushel ot
ordinary rice will produce Itself to the
extent OF so bushels. Think pfit! And
In our new possessions, the far-of
Philippine islands, there is variety o.
rice which the great Admiral Dewey
says reproduces itself 400 fold. Thinl
Of It'll Rice that reproduces itself 4Ot
fold!"
ut IL truly wonderful" said the lady
ut Is. And when we consider tn,
mere nothing that labor can be hiret
for in these rice-growing regions
cent q, week, is, a large wage-the cheap
uess of rice as q food product become.
at once apparent. You have no cream
I believe you said?"
"No; am sorry"
Don't mention 1t, beg Of you.
might go into the statistics of rice ant
appali You with the countless million.
Of bushels and carloads of It that are
sent to our shores, where II In eaten b,
the people who profess to like it,"
With his most gracious bow he hand
ed her back the cup of rice, untouched
"You are not going 10 eat 1t, then p
NO, thanks. II you had had piecs
Of the aftermath / would have beer
pleased to tackle some of the whit,
meat Of that. But rice-I draw the line
right there. II tramp Chinamar
comes along I would advise you to give
II to him."
And he bowed himself ont Of thu
gate.-Trenton IN. J.) Times.
G1nlhCva W.SAa--