The San Francisco call., 1910-09-04

IT WAS a venerable gentlewOman-
AL OF the olden time"-who dis
Il coursed upon social degeneration
and upheavals. If she did not say,
with Job, that the leaders in the fash
iona5le world Of today were those whose
fathers he would not have employed to
tend his fochs, the tone and substance
OF her plant was the same as his.
There is Mr.. Magnus. now. who has
Just been elected TO the senate. He is
4 ulti-millionaire. I am told. Why. DO
you know. my dear. that when I was a
child We used 10 drive 10 the mountains
every summer by the old post road?
About fifty miles from town there stood
right upon the roadside a log cabin.
Yes, my child a veritable log cabin.
And in Il lived an old woman everybody
called Old Aunt Nelly Magnus' she
maoe and sold the best cookeys I ever
ate. Or so II seemed 10 me then My
father allowed us children 10 stop al her
cabin and buy them by the dozen. She
was a. good cid soul and used 20 slip an
extra cake into our hands in saying.
'GooGoy, and ] hope you won't forget
Aunt Nelly on the way back 10 toWn?'
That was the Hon. Josiah Magnus'
mother, my dear children, If his
speeches in congress are as good in their
way as her coOkeys were. ne will be a
bright and shining light in the national
councils. Her cakes were all exactly
alike. can see them now as 1 speak
OF the oIden days. They were round and
bit corpulent, yet light and crisp. and
they had glossy ring on the top. a
sort Of cUriey-cue we children thought
was made by dipping her finger in
mo!asses and smearing it around, until
our mother told Us that she dipped a
piece Of rag in white of egg while the
cakes were hot, and brushed the sur
face with il, leaving them in the oven
for moment 10 gloss them. We en-
joyed the cookeys all the more after
that To tell the truth, the idea OF
the molasses and the stumpy finger
vas not appetizing.
The cookey has gone out Of fashion,
but they made up a fair part Of our en-
3oyment in that day. I associated them
with grandmothers. ana big jars kept
ont OF the reach OF childish arms in
the pantry, or maybe in grandmother's
own room There were many varieties,
but each had its own shape and flavor.
I hope the up-to-date child does not
suspect what he has lost"
Social revolutions and the evolu-
tions OF the mushroom of the present
evil and gay world were forgotten in
the reminiscence OF the cookey age.
I ventured to consult her concerning
the spelling OF the almost obsolete
word. She arose to the occasion:
THAT de' business is another mod
ern efectation- It is OF a piece with
1Eollie' and Bette and Jude The
word is derived from the honest
Dutch koekie.' Bret Harte knew
better than TO write T'n bet a cookie
IN The Luck OF Roaring Camp
'Cookey' Il is. and 'cookey' ii should
remain"
with the blessed old grandame
deplore the passing OF the cookey
And with her. resist stoutly the
attempt to minimize its worth by
the diminutive.
In my day and generation, and south
OF Mason and Dixon's line, we. "the
natives" varied the nomenclature by
speaking Of ginger cakes" Nine out
OF ten varieties Of the old-fashioned
cakes In miniature were seasoned
with ginger. I used to fancy this
was done 70 make them less harmful
IA young stornachs. Certain IT is,
mat we could dispose OF a greater
number OF the delicious things. and
with less after-inconvenience. when
ginger entered into the composition
And as to shapesl Lives there the
man or woman who has passed
milestone No. 80 who does not re-
call with a thrill the horse ginger
cake" or cookeyz He was always
chestnut sorrel In complexion: his
legs were thick and indeterminate:
his neck had no semblance to the
clothed with thunder arch Of Jobs
charger But we preferred him to the
stars and hearts and diamonds. nib