Wichita eagle., 1888-11-17
MASCULINE SHOPPING.
Ths Head of the House Has Some Fun
As Buyer.

l had occasion yesterday to get q few
'things" necessary In well regulated house
hold went into q large store on the corner,
where. as l gathered from their advertise
mcnts, they were more than satisfied if they
made anywhere near a living profit. I'm
scruplous so called competitors, they claimed,
were trying to undersell them, but. SO far,
these one horse concerns had received only
the well merited scorn Of discriminating
and long headed public. ! felt greatly
pleased At getting on the track of place the
first thing where they were content TO lose q
fair percentage l couldn't help feeling sorry
for the small concerns that were struggling
along and trying to keep up appearances, but
then theyshould have known better than TO
have started in
There was O wide stone sidewalk around
the store, and besides the other people there
were several coachmen standing along the
outer edge wearing lcpg, sloomy expressions
on their faces. Personally, | arrived on the
elevated road, which passes along be, few
blocks away on somewhat shorter stilts, it
seems TO me, than 1t does farther uptown. l
went in and began to look arcund. l wanted
to get q number of things, but I'll could
think of was two yards Of felt, GO l went over
to a man who looked like Hamlet when Polo
MUS is talking to him and ssked where they
kept their felt. He told me. but looked as il
things were getting worse and worse in the
state of Denmark.
went to the place to which Hamlet di-
rected me and found fishing tackle end rub
Der dolls. Hamlet's s.dvice to the purchaser
is not satisfactory. However, ! found the
felt department. at last and sat down on one
of the cloth covered door knobs which stood
along in front of the counter mounted on
sticks. The young lady who had the man.
agement OF the felts was very busy matching
piece of green felt TO blue sample for "a
customer so had time to rest didn't see
anything moro of Hamlet but Coriolanus
went past once looking for Volscians. Down
the kid glove alley noticed King Richard
II meditating on the melancholy fate of SOW
ereigns and the probable relative demand
that there would be next week for four and
six button gloves respectively. Everything
seemed to be intended for rest They ap-
peared to want TO encourage people to stay
and grow old with them / saw that the idea
SO many folks labor under that life is short
is deusion- ] sent word to the managers
desk by one of the cash boys that if there was
any charge for sitting on that button after
the first hour that would make it all right
The young lady got around to me ct last,
however, and asked me what color wanted.
/ didn't know that ! lad lost the sample
while / was paving around in the grass in
the front yard before / left home looking for
my street car tickets / told her thought
wanted sort OF dark green, though She
said she didn't see what / could want of dark
green felt l acknowledged that didn't
know what wanted it for, but was pretty
sure that that was the color. SEE said that
If had lost my sample she didn't SEQ what
could know aIjodt what wanted, and | had
to admit that il was some 90. Then sic
showed me some red felt, and yellow felt.
and purple felt, and various other colo-ed
fels Ny mind kept wandering back
foolishly to the dark green, but II /
tried to say anything about il she soon
put me on the right track again, and spread
out some light rose colored felt before me.
She was Jus. ready TO cut me OF a piece OF
this when the crazy notion that wanted
dark green got the better Of rae again and
told her tha. I must have IL. ! apologized
for my freak, but l explained 70 bar that l
would never be happy till gctit and sueaked
home with it under my overcoat and hid 1t
50 that no one would ever know that hsd
bought dark green felt Just because wanted
it when / could have got hight rc~e coiored
She scattered slabs Of felt night and Ie<t for q
minute OF 30 and dug roll q the poor, crack
Drained dark green gu. OF the bottom of ,hs
pile and Gu. OF two yards She seid II csrno TO
t3. 81. reduced from 81. 73A, and gave her .
8 bill She gave tbs felt to girl Ia .
pigeon hole 70 tie up and p1. the money and
q CHEEKY little note % the casaisr. sayinz that
she bad made q sale And ioped he was entoy-
ing the same blessing. IN a bttls round tlr
pepper box with fur collar ca each ED ot
1t. ard dropped i, down tbs end Of snail
brass caves spout which cams up By the ssds
Of The pcstofsce box the girl ras H. Sts
pulled sort Of thing around over tie Top
OF tie brass tube and II began 70 hum kiSd
Of sad. sabdued tune, and judged shs. al
was over.
ressed ny elbows oa tire counter ard 4
thought ard watched he er1 cf tia. brass
money digez.ing apparatus for q very lonz
t;rae- saw my mistake, EOw ia: !: was
too late I bad of.sa besn warned from
yeuth up against putting my Eso1sy IN vnsrs
I would never Se. it beck- ard tia4s raus os i
what taey Eeant had often wos6sres
when ry financially sharp frseucs bad toi< 4
gne that snuE. neTcr pct rsy money into
aaything where zaas nos oer.z4n Ct srss<y
returns, Whist tAey were rrssrrtrz 20: iAls
~as svidsn;iy f. Tine wore CO aad O.
bran pipe hnmrood the sEss sd rs<sas.
down In ia shroGe and rssusec 10 gre ~ NJ
e. ! woGid1. have cared &c nsoeh IL I
hada1 been ted 20 rnany t.r,s rsst 20 p1s ny
money TITO szythkng d-anr kso- srJ.A.zx
Ebcz. Tir,s wess On &rd I h1nx 70 the e1s
lscysd ssocl. tha1gs hAd ss.z ago stvsz sp
so2e. I noescsd thAs Carts1sl Wsssey vas
preparing eo - koce wssle kActssh rax
having . bcy s.ks dc~n ske arapls iscs In
Ass 6eyarszssot Al - osns tae xxza psss !
-sccsed AID began 30 breasss kAr1 Tss
zsri pulled so-e.nsnS as>t scok css sAs pep
pe. box usrs fSe rhlsts-x wsxs sse youzx