"Or where there is no great city within a few hundred miles," added Walter.
"I suppose there is molasses in this brown bread," said Lucy Baxter.
"Molasses comes from Porto Rico," said Mabel, who was studying the West Indies just at this time in her geography lessons at school.
"Some of it," said her oldest sister. "But most of the sugar comes from Cuba."
"But not all," said James. "This sugar has been traveling for nearly two weeks to reach New York. First a sea voyage of more than two thousand miles, and then a railroad journey of more than three thousand miles, and yet the section where it grew is a part of the United States."
"It must have come from Honolulu then," said Walter. "I wonder whether the Sandwich Islands, being now a part of the United States, will interfere with the raising of sugar cane in our Southern States?"
"Very little probably, but now that the United States possesses Hawaii and Porto Rico, it will scarcely be necessary for us to import any sugar and molasses," said Fred.
When the dessert and fruit were brought on, new subjects for conversation were found.
"What do you call this pudding, Alice?" asked her husband.