The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-01-29
"The principle is the same. dear-.the

Sheet which she had folded into as
small compass as she possibly could,
and stuffed under her sealskin jacket
Look here, Philip she said to her hus-
band, isn't this deliciously cheap !
thingp Fancy! I only paid a penny
per yard
's'What's it forp said Philip, with
grunt. i don't see what the use of it is.
1t may be cheap, but what's it forP'
well, dear, said Lizzie, meditative-
ly, i don't know what it's for, I'm sure, |
but it would have been aperfect sin to let
it 60 by at such ridiculously low price.
It'll come in useful some time
"She had wardrobe" continued the
strong-minded lady, perfectly full Of
remnants she had bought at sales and
subsequently made into dresses. Some I
times she kept the remnants for years
before she had them made up. They
were consequently most old fashioned,
and frequently have heard people say:
There is Lizzie with one of the dresses
Noah's wife wore when she came out of
the ark In other points my aunt was
perfectly sensible. She could talk poll
tics like o professional politician, was
well versed on the literature of the day,
and entertained friends in a graceful and
charming manner. But to see her rise
at an early hour of the morning and go
off to a sale at the same time her hus-
band left for business, not to return un-
til he did, late at night, was heart
rending spectacle. l couldn't reason
her out of such proceedings, though /
tried my hardest to do so. She was
quite obdurate. suppose you know"
continued the strong-minded lady, "that
bargain-hunters are really the most un-
worldly people living. A lady, let us
say, can obtain certain article at Har-
lem for fifty-two cents. Very good.
She hears, however, that in Twenty
third street the same thing is sold at
forty-eight censs. At once she jumps
up and goes down town. She pays ten
cents to the elevated road for her jour-
ney down and ten cents for her return.
But she says: Ihave gotwhat I wanted
for forty-eight cents, while at Harlem it
would have cost four cents more She
has positively no idea that the article in
reality has cost her sixty-eight cents
She would laugh at you if you were to
endeavor to convince her of that fac"
"She's an exception" said the young
companion, with a smile.
.Don't you believe it," commanded
the lady of the vigorouS mind, almost
stirring the bottom out Of the cup which
contained her chocolate. "She's no ex-
ception. / don't say, either, that she's
| the rule, but assert that she represents
q very large class of bargain-hunting
ladies'. l should recommend complete
course of logic as a remedy of what
must consider as an abnormal state of
mind. Doctors may say what they like
about female fobles, but I'm female,
and I know what those foibles should be.
| I suppose you have never heard that
there exist ladies who make it part of
their daily duty to visit the principal
stores of the city, look at quantities of
! goods, and never buy cents worth.
assure you that's fact. Some of the
big stores here have made that discovery,
and have, moreover, by engaging the
services of keen-eycd and observant
shop-walkers, SO arranged things that
these ladies become known to the sales
men, who consequently decline to waste
their time with them. In a large
| Twenty-third street store the other day
/ was told that whenever one of these
ladies comes into the establishment the
shop-walker conducts her to the desired
counter, says to the salesman the word
cave which,, of course, you know,
dear, means beware and leaves her,
satisfied that she will not remain very
long in the store. When salesman re-
ceives cave customer he at once de
clares that the article she desires to set
is sold out, and won't be in stock agair
for a long time"
'Well, what do these women mean by
such aimless shoppingp"
"Why, my dear, it's q cheap enter
tainment. You remember Jonas Chuz
zlewit, who used to visit the outsides O
theaters and the insides of churches be
cause they cost nothing. Well, the sam,
principle is involved in this aimless shop
ping business. OF course it is an out
rageous thing to do, but you know Their
are lots of people who will do outrageou
things, and think nothing of it. Itusual
/ ly takes couple of months before
'cave' customer can be satisfactoril,
, distinguished, this city being so larg
that she can divide her Improbable pat
ronage among many stores. These la
, dies generally carry sachels, and hay
, all the appearance of the most inveterat
, shoppers. They make minute inquire
, as to the goods they are inspecting, an
, always turn away with the words, sol
| rowfully uttered: This is not exactl
, what / want. How extremely annoy
ing And," continued the strong-min6
: ed lady angrily, as she paid the waite
{ for her chocolate, and in her deep al
3 straction forgot to "tip" him, 'you rea
of the poor wretches who are taken
!. the police station because they are sal
/ to be disorderly in causing annoyance
!. in the public streetsp have seen
q poor little banana-seller captured by
policeman, and numerous others VIII
). are endeavoring to make livelihood
. because they have forgotten the re
!. tape which must be employed in I'll
q act. But think of these women-thes
a distractions to honest purchasers! The
9 may flourish and they may do as the
n like"
? "Weli, how could any one prevent itp
n asked the girl, impatiently.
J, II don't say they could, my dear
It don't say they could. / am simp
Q speaking of the injustice of things
d how everything favors the rich an
Is nothing the poor. The invetera
i, shopper is, in my opinion, a positi'
u nuisance. She can't explain her bus
1t ness satisfactorily. 1t was all very We
r for Longfellow to make his namb
n pamby Precissa exclaim: i can n