Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-22
THE PASSING OF CAVlARE.

that an industry carried on more largely
in Delaware than anywhere else In this
country is drifting speedily to ex-
tinotion; this is sturgeon fishing, the
roe from which caviare, Russian so
called delicaoy, is made. The Fish
Commission reports I'M advance from
80 to slO5 keg in about 10 years, and
q decline in production from Lbs kegs
In 1897 to 100 kogs In 1899. Cayiara,
as has been said, Is produced from the
roe of sturgeon, the eggs being carefully
saved and then sailed for preservation
and flavor. The toothsomensss of this
dish is open to question, and was always
regarded as delicaoy too refined to Go
appreciated by the vulgar taste. With
it's customary garnishing OF chopped
raw onion Hpread on coarse rye bread,
it is not calculated to be mistaken for
chocolate cellar, but these WHOSE
palatea 1t moro than tickles will HEAR
the doleful tidings from Delaware with
no passive sorrow. Frances Courtney
book, 1.-THE Ladder of Fortune" gives
o delicious description of dinner given
| by Mrs. Withers, the ambitious heroine
of the book, who, when the hook opens,
is school teacher in the Western
country; she marries shrewd, aorumu-
lstive business man, and having by
diut of perseverance and a wealth OF
native wit attained q certain proini.
nenoe In one of the prosperous Western
cities, Mrs. Withers determines to give
dinner, which affair shalt be the
| handsomest that had ever been given
IN the place, and shall place her as u
| leader 10 her world. triumphant in
| SEPARATION comes to her she will give
them caviare, and thus the affair will
be given the unique rank that she
corets for 1t.
Mrs. Withers' own acquaintance with
| it dated from newspaper article, in
which at rublic dinner in New YurlS,
given to French celebrity, 1t had
figured. To New York she sent for il I;
1t came, and eager to know what IL was
| like, sho had il opened and with every
expectation OF having her palate graft.
fled. tasted it. 1t took her quite BALI
an hour to recover. Was that the deli
cacy that was to charm the select OF
PhilapopoliaY She anxiously inspected
the labels and trademarks. 1t would
not do to poison the guests whom she
only meant to eleotrify.
''lt ia SO perfectly abominable, and
has cost so much, it must be good, +"
sne argued at last. well, 1t is the
thing to have, and 1t is not my affair
il they don't like it, 7"
She took the precautiGn on the day
OF the dinner TO give her husband a
tablespoonful of cnviarr. The effect
Oil his usually stolid visage was re-
maikable. 1.-The pit rose at him. 40
it did at certain actor on o very
different occasion. what Is that
| kNifbara hrnt,uIf ot.F fth
difficulty, staringly ut his wife "fou
are not going to give that--ugh! to
your company, are your, i
"Of course | am. Why not?" she
demanded imperiously.
"Oh well, no buzzard that knew
what 1t was would touch'it. But &c
ahead. / suppose 1t is fashionable, =
he retorted. Have 1t if you choose,
but don't ask me to have any. Az
this was precisely the point at which
Mrs. Withers wished TO arrive, she wat
not at oil displeassd by this last re-
mark. In the evening Mrs. Withers
received her guests with immense
, atfability aud effusion. As they moyec
off in pairs, she said mysteriously,:
There is one thing that you will
enjoy, ] got it especially for you, m,
dear Mrs. Sutton, {Mrs.. Sutton .wat
! the wife of o prominent lawyer OF thu
place, and had been leader Of soeiei,
for many years. very fine variety o
cayiare, which | am sure have heart
you say you were fond of. -
To a spruce young naval officer: ''W,
are shockingly late, aren't weY Oh
, the cooks, the coolss Fortunately tn,
oaviare can't spoil. IL will not be Al
good as you have eaten abroad often
: but mind! rely on your telling mt
whether 1t Is as good or not. ~
To the great niece of Mrs. Elk. Gov
Dilingsworth, who was not remark
able for anything except her lineage
! Mrs Withers said, II don 't call mysel
) Judge of oaviare, but IL what | an
. going to give you today isn't quite a
good as that you have eaten ct you
uncle's, the governors table, i hay'
BEEN dlsgracefully imposed on.
10 Judge Sutton 1t was, "You liy,
so elegantly and are such gormana
: Judge, that don't know how you vii
make out on our simple meal but on
; thing / eau recommend, ard that is thl
caviare. Ii is particularly delicious
kind, made OF the roes Of the sturgeon
: Until lately 1t was reserved for tn,
: use of the Russian Imperial family. bu
small quantities are being exported
4 now.
i In q half hour Mrs. Withers hat
g advertised this feature Of her dinner
i and sung With appropriate variation
/; this modest lay. The simple meal
! went on through all its elaborat
! courses, when two servants came II
= bearing TWO little trays which wer
4 presented to each guest In turn, Mrs
o Withers exclaiming:
g "Ah! here is our appetizer 4 !
: sourcon OF cnviRre, Col. Black, is th
!, best possible introduction from Dime
q to diner out. " S
d Servers and served felt that solem
moment In their lives had come. Thre
people present were Immediately equu
to the oconsion, and the Others, not lilS
g ing to make perceptible pause, beoam
i extremely attentive to their right or lei
" hand neighbour, until certain prelimi
naries were settled how much the
were expected to take, and how it wa
d to be- eaten. The lieutenant gallant
1t gave the example ut once, and wen
into action with large slice OF brea
IS and large spoonful Of cariare, Di
s- Dove, "a mild man OF mournful aspect
IS abstemiously chose u tiny bit of brea
and microscopic morse of cavlart
Eight people in his neighboIhoo
behaved as though he had given thel
Is a valuable prescription and took to
man, tiny bits of bread and microscope
10 morsels of oGviars. The third hero {
'f the evening was heroine; stout lady
- lady who had decided views abou
-. -I4N1 IA 4.