"Cayenne Pepper is not a member of our family at all, although it has the same name. I have looked up its genealogy, and I find that it received its name from the city of Cayenne, in French Guiana, near which it grows. It is in the form of bell-shaped pods, and grows on low, bushy plants instead of vines. "The pods are green at first, but red when ripe. No doubt you have seen strings of them hanging in the grocery store when you were on the shelves. People sometimes use the pods as they are, but usually they are dried, ground, mixed with yeast, and baked into flat cakes like crackers. When these cakes are ground, Red, or Cayenne Pepper, is produced. It is put up in little boxes just as we are. "Pepper used to be regarded as a great luxury," the speaker went on. "Until the eighteenth century the Portuguese handled almost all of it. It was not uncommon for rents to be paid with pepper. If any of you have read ancient history, you know that when Alaric took Rome he demanded, among other things, one thousand pounds of pepper as a ransom. "My home was in the East Indies," said Pepper, "but there are members of our family living in the Philippines, India, Mexico, the West Indies, and other tropical countries." "Your story is a very interesting one," said a voice, "and now, if you care to hear it, I will tell something of my life." "Yes, do tell us," said several at once. "Very well, I will follow the example of our friend Pepper and introduce myself at once. I am known as Ginger. I have relatives living in China, in India, and in the western part of Africa, but I came from the West Indies. The Ginger family is not like that of Pepper; it has no lofty notions." Pepper seemed a little inclined to get angry, so Ginger hastened to say: "I mean that our vines do not climb trees or poles, but run along the ground. I was a _root_ and not a _fruit_." "When I was about a year old I, with countless friends, was dug from the ground. We were cut from the vines and put into vats of scalding water." "That was _dreadful_," said Pepper. "We were treated in that way to prevent us from _sprouting_," continued Ginger. "After being taken out of the water, we were thoroughly dried and then ground. We were then put up in cans and boxes and sold as _Black Ginger_. Others were scraped before being ground, and they were then called _White Ginger_. "We were placed on board a great ship and finally landed at New York. After remaining in a large store there for some time, I was brought to the corner grocery, and so I found my way to this shelf. "I am gradually wasting away, and I shall not last a great while longer. In my tropical home I seemed to be of no use to anybody, while now I am called for frequently by the cook, and my services seem to be appreciated, so I am happy." "To be of some real use in this world is the greatest joy of life," remarked a strange voice. There was silence for a moment, and then Ginger said "May we not hear from you, friend?"