Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-01-17
A CLARKSVILLE GIRL I'm THE
NORTH.


Christmas Chimes and New Year
Calls.
For a month New York has been
in holiday attire. One night the
wand of an enchanter touched
lightly her lovely spires and towers,
and the rising sunbeams fell in
golden splendor upon the glittering
transformation. The great stores
were filled with fabrics rich and
rare and laces dainty enough for
Queen Titauia. Upon beds of Grim
son, amber and blue veIvets lay
diamonds, rubies and pearls. Great
cases lined with cream and pink
satin held fairy gems and quaint
Egyptian bijOux. In Tiffany's the
sparks of a thousand fires seemed
concentrated and glowing in the
diamond eyes of crested serpents,
whose supple bodies quivered at the
slightest touch. Here golden bird
held in its tiny bill a twig frosted
with snowy pearls: there an eme-
raid butterfly iuttered with wide
spread wings over a dewy flower.
On a raised japanese screen lay
rich laces Of great crimson hearted
rubies, round which clustered tiny
diamonds. An antique service in
solid gold, with cups, urns and
vases carved in raised figures, stood
upon a dais of black velvet; another
of silver, with gold embossing,
rested upon sky-tinted satin stand.
Plate glass cases held rings in every
conceivable design and setting, and
jeweled sprays for hair and corsage
caught and held the glittering SUM-
rays. A gleam of snowy marble
showed at intervals down the long,
wide vista formed of these glisten-
ing rainbows, and from d tower of
living green rayed out the fair, sad
face of some olden goddess, so life
like and human in its pain one
could scarcely believe it cold, dead
marble. A bronze urn god stood
next white-faced Enowe; Apollo,
with golden Tyre upraised, entreated
again witching woOd-nymph; a
fearful Niobe, with lovely, dropping
head, was outlined against SOM
bre background, and lastly an aFch,
laughing Venus peeped from q
framework of scarlet blossoms and
tangled vines over all the rosy
light of a morning sun, made misty
and dim by the many screens and
windows through which it had to
pass ere its entry.
Outside, the streets were filed
with busy pleasure-seekers and
those on Christmas presents bent /;
the women in rich and beautiful
garments, and their escorts equally
Well dressed; Broadway, Sixth Av-
enue and Thirteenth street blocked
mp with carriages, cars and stages.
For one to stand and look up or
down either of these streets was
marvellous. Here WAS a naughty
old lady In Fustling black satin
trimmed with a wide band of fur
and soft lace in theneck and sleeves;
next her an italian rag-picker;
there a dainty, highbred belle in
velvets and silks, and, following
just behind, Spanish flower girl,
entreating in soft, musical tones, a
buyer next would come couple of
Broadway swells in tall silk hats,
long ulsters and the inevitable
canes !; then a fresh-faced Irish wo-
man, leading perhaps & child Of
two, and after her a Wall street
broker. AT intervals would sud-
denly appear the almond-shaped
eyes and long queue Of a Cinnamon
in the odd dress of his country, and |
then the thick lips and dusky face |
of negro. The sea of heads was
occasionally broken by the blue
eyes and golden hair of a German,
or the olive-skinned, red-lipped Jew.
In fact, it seemed as if every nation
under the sun had its representa-
tives In the city.
The weather was bright and |
balmy until within week of the
holidays, when a sudden and sharp |
snow-storm occurred overnight and |
put an end to sunny skies. Then
foE the ohlmiHg of bells What |
lovely cutters dashed up and down!
some swan-shaped, some oval and |
Others square-just large enough for
two. A "nobby duck" and "his
girl" would dash by like the wind,
with maybe a scarlet sleigh filled !
with soft robes in bright colors and