Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-09
$. P. c. c.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Clerks-A Long Felt Want
in Dry Goods Circles.
How the shopping Fiend Makes
Lille Pleasant tor the knight
OF the Yard stick.
Cincinnati Enquirer.

Cincinnati Enquirer.
While purchasing a box Of papel
collars in one OF our lum-tum dr.
goods houses yesterday afternoon, thu
Enquirer noticed that the younl
woman serving him seemed to be suf
iering from some sort Of an interna
trouble.
She would glance across the aisle L
tho opposite counter, and then turf
suddenly around 10 frantic reach fol
something on the shelves behind her
while her back, which was the only
part Of her visible to the public gaze
would shake like a mound of calves
foot jelly When her face came into
sight again it would be red as an auc'
tiOneer's flag.
After the third or fourth eruption
the reporter began to feel uneomfort-
able, and intimated as much by q
timid question.
No, sir, am not laughing at you,
came her sharp answer. 81 am
laughing at the trouble across the
way"
To the inexperienced eye there was
no trouble visible across the way.
Nothing was to be seen there but a
dspper young gentleman, with his
hair parted 10 the center above an I'M
commonly sour face, waiting upon two
ladies'.
Don't you see what | mean2n
asked the young woman, after a min
ute.
II must confess
What goose you arel Why, any
body ought 20 see that that clerk is
almost distracted. Halt his stock is
on the counters, and he will have TO
take down the other:half before those
ladies will go, without buying a yard
Of muslin, even.
How do you know that2n
Every man and girl in the store
knows them, They are among the
worst members Of a large class of
women who make shopping the pleas.
ure as well as the business Of their
lives. Now hear thatlp
"Pl lease let US look at some Of the
Fruit of the Loom muslins," the
younger Of the two ladies was saying
to the salesman.
DO you wish to purchase some of
it2' he asked.
we wish to look at it, SIR
But surely, madam, you know"
The lady half rose from her seat.
aud looked up and down the hall as
though searching for some one, while
the clerk made a rapid dive behind
him for couple of bolts Of muslin,
which he threw down on the burdened
counter with sigh.
There, they have Dog and Cat
and Stag and all the varieties of
muslin before them except Fruit of
the Loom, and, although they know
what grade OF muslin that is as we'll
as they know their own names, they
must have it down. You saw the
poor clerk make a sort of protest, but
If he had not yielded they would Ger.
tainly have complained Of him to the
superintendent"
The Fruit Of the Loom" was not
what was wanted. The ladies
wished, now, to look at some I'M
bleached muslins, and the higher
grew the pile Of white goods on the
counter the more vivacious they be-
came.
When the salesman was finally com
PEELED to climb up on a box in order
to see his tormentors half the clerks in
sight knocked off work for minute to
laugh.
"Oh, yes; it is all very great fun so
long as some one else is suffering, f"
went on the talker, who had been the
very first to discover the fun, "but
wait till the fends"--
Il beg your pardon. The what2"
Housekeeping fends-that' s
what we call them. Wait till they 20
to some other counter, and then those
men will laugh on the other side of
their faces. You see, the white goods
counter is not so badly troubled with
them. Our stock and the laces and
dress goods suffer the most"
We have to know Just exactly
where everything is, SO that when a
customer calls for some article we can
put our hands right on it. But after
the stock has all been jerked out onto
the counters 1t takes time to put it
away, aud il another customer comes
in before we are put to rights ten
chances to one we have to overhaul
the whole counter to find what is
wanted. And then there is trouble.
To move loose goods that have Just
been displayed is death and destruc.
ton. 1t is like turning kitten loose
in work basket"
There were a couple of pieces still
upon the shelves across the way when
the shoppers finally arose and ex-
pressed their determination to call
some other day, at the same time
a king the way to the silk counter.
There, what did | tell you? |
knew they would not buy one red
cents worth of anything"
Possibly the prices may not be
right"
Don't you suppose know whether
people want to buy or not2 We can
tell as soon as we set eyes on q woman
il she really wants to purchase. When
a lady comes to me and tells me openly
tn at she merely wants to look over my
stock am willing to show it, although
of course | would rather sell; but
when she makes believe wanting
som ething in particular when she
wants nothing, it makes me mad"
Every clerk in the house is glad to
turn over his whole stock to please
bona fde buyer; but as for those
6ends who come in day after day,
not any in mine, thank you"
In his despair the white goods man
had actually run his fingers through
his we'll oiled hair, and when the re
porter left the silk man was growing
white around the gills, while the
other lambs stood around with anxious