SECOND GOP^. 10 Sherman Street # ^ dildreth's — 6-$ Pacific JJvenui near Sackson Boulevard Chicago •'t 56798 TWO COPIES HEOEiV 'f Ciifi>f- ^r^^H -'Od of th« APR I 9 1900 A -X- . ^• " Hts first, best, perfect corroborant." COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY CHAS. N. MILLER. .J THE WELSH RABBIT. Pedigree ^ Preserves Panegyric c^ Performances* 'E is a contention from the outset ; yes, from statt to finish. His name is disputed, digestion de- nied, assimilation doubted. The autocrat of the lunch table, he divides honors with no gfastro- nomic neigfhbor. He is the piece de resistencet >nd quarrels with accompanying viands, however mild, meek and ingratiating. In dietary observances he admits no fellowship, scorns all alliance, and shares no intestinal privilege. He nests quietly enough when alone, but, forced into association with an auxiliary morsel, becomes an organised disturbance* In the company of gormands and trencher-men, he is proud, haughty and exclusive, but ** among foam- ing bottles and ale-washed wits ^ he is *' base, common and popular.** You will find him affable with gour- mets and sipper s, see him familiar with tipplers, and catch him wallowing with topers and toss-pots. Pro- miscuous in his cups, he revels in every beverage — vinous, brewed, distilled — that courtesy can suggest and cnteftainment supply. Withal, he is a soberer anti-narcotic and a restorer anti-spasmodic. He is always suspected, seldom trusted, some- times abused. Strangfers accuse him of dyspepsia, yet, on the tongue of a friend, he is d)rg^estion''s self. Those who know him not charge him with insomnia, but he who trustingly lies down with him hugs a gentle soporific. He is the most mis- applied, misunderstood, misrepresented creature that tampers with man^s omnivorous appetite. I have seen the strong man moved with a desire to receive him and, in the alarm of fear, refuse to entertain him. I have heard the weak man call him a tough, assail him without cause and convict him of misdemeanors without testimony; and I have thought he who would clear this clouded reputation and reconcile these inconsistencies might smooth the Welsh rabbit^s way for an enjoyable reception at a communion of saints, as well as of sinners, fix for him permanently at the board the place he deserves,. and prepare for him at last, as Lamb did for roast pig, **a fair sepulchre in the grateful stomach of the judicious epicure.** This would be a gastronomic service to mankind such as Fluellen rendered, when he introduced the leek to Pistol, and would *Met a Welsh correction teach you a good English, condition.** First, his name. Decidedly, WELSH RABBIT. Meddling lexicographers in the vanity of theii boastful erudition have sought to grace his homely patronymic in a borrowed robe of their own verbi- age, just as meddling cooks in the coxcombry of their kitchen art have attempted to embellish his form with excess of ingredients. An erroneous terminology — RARE- BIT— h.a.s unsettled the orthog- raphy of his correct nomenclature much as ill- sorted condiments have confused the method of his proper making. The name rabbit is an expressive slang term jocularly applied. The dish originated or was popularized in Wales, time out of mind, a country of cheese eaters. Macmillan's magazine has given a reasonahle explanation. It says: — "Welsh rabbit is a genuine slang term, belonging to a large group which describe in the same humorous way a special dish or product or peculiarity of a particular district. For examples: An Essex lion is a calf: a "Fieldlane duck is a baked sheep'^s head: Glasgow magistrates or Norfolk capons are red herrings: Irish apricots or Munster plums are potatoes: Grave- send sweetmeats are shrimps.'^ Similar characteristic localisms are not wanting on this side the water: — Massachusetts dates for Boston baked beans: Stock Yards woodcock for Chicago's ubiquitous spareribs: pan rabbit for scrapple — mush fried with bits of pork. Welsh rare-hit, clearly an error, should dis- appear from bills of fare. His name settled, his preserves, the fitting occasion for his advent, the proper mannjsr of serving, and his friendly and compensating performances, are all recommending topics of discussion. His preserves. Where Wchh. rabbits most haunt and thrive, the air is not over-delicate» The best in the world are trapped at the lunching tables of some old established ** porterhouse,^ where the walls are hung with pictures of dogs and horses the floors sanded, and tables without covers. You can hardly snare or shoot a good one in the elegant refectory, the gorgeous restaurant or the fashionable hotel cafe. A mahogany and beveled plate glass enclosure makes a poor rabbitry. The tavern, inn or half-way house is the ideal and perfect warren. They are often caught at sea, and many a fat and juicy one is to be had on the American and Eng- lish Atlantic "liners.^ You shall not trust French cooks and culinary artists to take him: in their too much compounding and embellishing he eludes them always. You will rely upon a grillroom man cook, one with a strong grip on important kitchen points, to run him down successfully. Few women have ever captured one: when you meet her who can, you shall call her Diana and admit so expert a huntress to the chase. This accept as certain, the plainest Welsh rabbit is, itself, an intense relish lunch, to the sharpest zest all-satisfying. Therefore avoid flavor- ing sauce and seasoning till served. Overcharged with condiments, he cloys taste before gratifying appetite, impairs gusto before appeasing hunger, banishes desire before filling the void. Never an appetizer, entirely out of place as a dessert,, he is exclusive diet. You shall not dt&g him into a menu of edibles for mixed service. He sulks in the aristocratic society of lobster, terrapin, partridge, canvas-back: frets in the presence of oysters, steaks and chops: and flies into rebellion against plebeian neighbors — hash, sausage, liver. Entertain him alone and avoid internecine tumult. Have your rabbit plain and large: plain, that you may eat him heartily: large, that you may be wholly satis- fied. You misunderstand him, if you are ignorant of the nature of his peptic action: you misapply him, when you force him into gastral fellowship: you misrepresent him, because you depreciate his inability to coalesce. Taken aright, the sea-sitive stomach may receive him without resenting his heartiness and the weak digestion may attempt him without fear. As "the hand of little employ- ment hath the daintier sense,** so the stomach with this single responsibility hath the less distraction. A time and place all his ov/n hath this Welsh rabbit, on occasion, the lunch incomparable. He knows no out-of-season retirement, but is an all-thc-year-round game, surrendering his place to none of the finned, furred or fea'thered tribes. He is an unrestricted and privileged character in the spirit-mortifying and flesh-crucifying season of lent. Denationalised, pan-racial, he enjoys the freedom of every city. The mimic player, for the support he renders after the scene is closed, has exalted him particularly into an histrionic tid-bit. When a warm bite is wanted, as the side feature of a fanc- tion, he comes quickly, is served easily, and with- draws speedily. He enlivens and relieves, without appropriating, an eveningf. As an after-theatre snack, he causes no delay to lose you the last train. You may break from the card-table, enjoy him, and resume ere you forgfet **who played three- spot for low.^^ So rich, gorgeous, inexpensive, quick, satisfying! such a prompt appetite queller after fasting! such an adorning tassel on top of one's "nightcap" indulgences! such a pick-me-up when one is drooping under the somnolent influence of social tipple!— it is at times an accomplishment to conjure him in captivating form. Wheife revelry has license, he is first and last,, laying a solid foundation for a bout or weaving a hiding blanket for the sins of a bat. Periodical abstainers, "unfortunate in the infirmity/' find him a ready excuse for occasional temptation. Under a teetotaler's jacket, he will tamper with the appetite and prick the sides of intent till he "hath carous'd potations pottle-deep." Fiolicking with fly-by-nights, he mixes alike with **wassailers of high and low degree," careless whether the drinks hit him up or wash him down. Buoyant in the social swim, he floats on the " highest top sparkle " of pleasure's wave or in tempestuous seas doubles Cape Horn, with his friend Coloiiei "Jag " of Kentucky without tacking or coming about. Among companions " dy- ing scarlet," he is the Major De Boots — every- body's friend— drinkingf with any tinker in his own language. But no misleader of either young or old is he: — a guide and a deliverer rather. He will steady and direct the erring feet of your ^'wander- ing boy,'' when, confused, he is feeling for the home trail: or he will drop in upon a group of rounders, half-seas-over and laboring under a flood- mixture of beverages, that "to divide inventorially would dizzy the arithmetic of memory" in a tay^ter eloquent at reckonings, stow the cargo, trim ship, and set each on his due course. The inveterate drinker has him always for defense against "the enemy." Knowing his performances, were I to name him, I would call him a retrieving St. Ber- nard whose mission is the rescue of bewildered noc- turnal "strays." It is now half past ten: about the best time to eat one. Here, waiter, order us two Welsh rabbits. Have them made plain. Set the condiments on the table and bring two bottles of Bass from the bar. Nonsense! not harm you in the least. Just the thing you need: my word for it. Yes, I've heard about cheese digesting everything but itself: cheese raw and cheese cooked are different things. Fine absorbent! Here they come! Throw on a little Worcestershire: some like a few drops of the sauce from the chow-chow boltle: now a sjxinkle of paprika, and there you have him, "crov/ned, gar- landed, wanton." Raise the edges and let a little oi the sauce find its way to the toast unde^neath^ He's ready: eat quickly: grace before meat^ but after the Welsh rabbit. Don't for8:et your ale. Oh, excellent! What's that? You could eat another? No, no! I have told you he is an appetite queller: he would pall on you, and you'd stall at the second mouthful: but you may drink another bottle of brew: that's his first, best, perfect corroborant. Listen: to-morrow you shall laugfh at the man who told you the Welsh rabbit is dyspeptic and sneer at him who said he is sleepless: for you have caught the trick of his digestion — a bath in "reaming swats," and learned the secret of his wakeful- ness — that "He'll -wsLich ike horologe a. double set. If drink rock not his cradle," Come, finish your bottle. There, we are all through, and it's only eleven o'clock. Good Night, COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY CHAS. N. MILLER. Grace before medt, bat after the Welsh rabbit. 014 484 629 1 AN EPICUREAN ODE. There is soulful zest in a plover, And the man is not badly stuck Who tears the canvas cover From off the canvas-back duck? And just a single word to the wise — It's a lucky day for you, When you pick up the terrapin that lies. In the rich and savory stew. And the reed bird (who isn't a sparrow) Has a sweetness all his own, As sweet as the splendid marrow In the depths of a well-grilled bone; But these dainties are rank and bitter, And their finest witchery pales In the light of the golden glitter Of the rabbit that comes from Wales, — Detroit Free Press. O. F. COE PRINT 340 DEARBORN ST., CHICAGO. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS lillllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllll 014 484 629 1