The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-20

of yours, you are cOntented to enjoy il in your
hearts warm depths and without declaring it
from the summit OF an uptuTned tub-that the
season OF Christmas eve is a sanCtfyng season,
and that to buy and prepare for the feast
during the hallOwed time, is like asking a
blessing on il. You don't think of this,
Jones, as you are cheapening a turkey or in
vestlng twopeLCe in horseradish as a garnish for
your roast beef (hOw IS 1t that you never eat
hoseradish at any other time of year, JonesN,
but reverence for the glad season is in you, and
you are governed by it in all your actions. The
good influence shines in your face, Jones, as
you may convince yourself If you will take a
peep at II in the draper's plate-gass, as you
wait outside for your good lady who IS proudly
within the shop investing that unexpected
hree-and-siXDenCe of yours in a new cap with
cherry bows. Nay, Mr. Cynic, you are quite
wrong when you cry, "Bosb twaddlo cant!n
You never will convert lne to your opinion that
the cheerful serenity of Jones CountenanCe on
this particular evening is due, not to any sort
OF "mystiC influence but simply to Jones' rare
prospect of feed off turkey and rich pudding,
and merry evening of pipes and grog to fol-
low. | don't deny that Jones is a man with an
animal appetite, and with hankering after the
heshpots, and that the weight OF the yiands
with which his basket is crammed is COnsidc-
rably mitgated by the buoyart properties of
much Of his soul there too.
But you must know that Jones has bought
other goods than Will come TO the spit or the
pot. He has the worth of threepence in holly
and the same i'm mistletoe. You may see that
he has, iot there 1t bangles by the side OF his
basket. And there, am landed high and dry
again ON the ground on which take my stand,
MIR. CyniC, when you broke in with your unplea
SAINT observations. How is il that Jones InCom-
modes himself by carrying home that bulky,
priCkly bush, when he mas so much else to
carry? You know, | know, everybody knows,
that holly and mistletoe have been seen hanging
in the shops Of the GreenPrOcers for a week pa5t
it has been hawkcd and bawled about the streets
by CostermOngers ever since last Wednesday.
Why then did not Jones, since he must spend
his money in such nOnsense-why didn't he
make his holly purchase any day as he came
home to dinner or returned at night any time
during the past week? Why for the best of all
leasOns-he didn't believe in holly or mlstletoe
till this evening. He has seen lots of it about,
but he had no mind for it--no more than he
would for pluCEing green apples growing within
reach. He is glad to see so fair prospect, but
ripe fruit for his money. Holly, with him, is
not ripe until this "eVc." Tue ruddy berries
have now an interest for him they possessed
not in the morning. Had he then, bv accident
pricked his hand with the holly thorAs, he
probably nave exclaimed 'bow" or "bother'
1t, or may De-tor he is hasty man and not
over choice of words when put out-he would
have used stronger eXpctive than either; but
should such calamity betall him now, III
wager as much spirits as would serve to make
Jones's snapdragOn tomorrow, that he bears
the scratch without the use of any naughty
words whatever. You may laugh, Mr.. CyniC:
perhaps | know Jones better than you.
II any one doubts whether Christmas eve
marketing is an institution amongst the poorer
gate, or Newport, or Spitalnelds, especially the
two former, at the time in question. Take
NeWgate Market. One night q week-on a
Saturday night-some business is done by gas
light, but by comparison not more than penny
to "a pound with the amount of trade done there
on Christmas eve. Barter is not at a standstill
all through the day, but it is strictly confined to
blg and little meat merchants. Ordinarily be.
tWiXt these two ClaSses-the Consgnces and sales
men, and the shopkeeper who comes there for his
goods-there exists comfortable amount of
cordially; money and meat changed hands
smoothly, and all is harmony and content. But
on the day before Christmas day il is slightly
different. Once year the wholesale ones of
the market find it profitable to go into the
retail trade, and the regular retailer very natu-
rally does not like it, He sulks and grumb!es
at the wholesale ones prices. The wholesale
one, however, takes his unklud remarks in per-
feet good humor ''Never mind about five and
eight pence being cruel price," he says; Elf
you don't like to give IT, you may leave lt-that's
the figure; it'll fetch it, and a good deal more
for the trouble OF cutting up between this and
twelve o'clock. They'll be swarming here like
/ flies soon as the gas is lit"
| By 'ther" he means the Chrstmas-eye mar
keters, and he is quite correct IN his prognOst-
cation. by the time the gas Is lit the market is
laid OUT the covered Wavs are rOofel and
arChed with meat, the narrow lanes are he1ged
with it; there are groves OF pork thickets of
mutton, and allowing four of the huge quar-
ters TO every bullocS-an ordinary and reason
able allOwanCe-mOre animals OF thai kind than
in life could have found browsing on Mltcham
Common. All cuts of prime parts too. At
ordinary times are freely exposed for sale every
part OF a beast, from his tall to his snout; you
may see the heads OF sheep and sleeps
"troners," and heels of The bovine species i'll
heaps hip high, the tails OF OXon in lunches,
and the intestinal parts of sheep. pigs, oxen.
. ana calves burdenng by the huudre i-Weight
mighty hooks screwed into posts and beams.
There is none of this on Christmas eve; all is
cleanliness and pTopriety. Taere is saW-dust
on the market stones and white C oths on the
butchers boards and Clean aprons and sleeves
on the butchers selves. and the butchers are
rosy and the meat is rosy, and the gas spOuts
! out with jolly hum.
There are three or four hole-andcOrner tav-
/ ernS attached to the market. One of them, Il
| lOw-CTO Wned looking ediicc the red-curtamed
, doors OF which are approached by three down
| ward steps, a greasy, mur6y-lookng hotel
| enough In general, but this evening all alive and
beamlng with extra gasets, and holly testoon-
ing the irowSy ceiling, and bic bunch OF mis-
tletUe, impaled 10 the middle post behind the
bar to which the "Old Tom" tap is attached,
and against which the bar-maid leans ana chats
with the customers in the intervals OF business.
"Egg-hOt from five to twelve is the legend on
the wall, and il being now five and past, irc.
Quenty the red-Curtamed door swings 10 and
FRO and with watering mouths Esly utcher-
men slip in, and with satisfied mouths sly
bu,cher.mcn slip out, brushing their lips with
their blue sleeves, and hurrying back TO theil
stalls. They'd nap it if their masters caught
them at il, only the best of it is, the masters
take care not to catch'em at it, so long as they
take no more than is good tor them, knowing
the sort of evenings work they have before
them.
And now the trade begins. Swarmng in al
the lanes and alleys come the buyers, in some
few cases singly, but in pairs, as a rule man
and wife; and the number OF their children may
be estimated with Uolerably accuracy from the
size of the market basket the latter carries
hundreds of them, thousands OF them, until
there is scarcely elbow-room ana for safety the