The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-24
MERRY
CHR IST M AS
Busy Scenes of Preparations
Visible Everywhere.
SOME PRESENTS BY THE f" NEWS" +"
What 1t Would Like to See Some
Of Its Particular Friends
Receive.

''Christmas seems to set some people
Wild" said a gentleman to me on the
crowded avenue last night. Just look
at that woman in the middle of the
street."
turned and saw we'll dressed woman
just beyond the curbstone Juggling a
hobby-horse, velocepede, a small ex-
press wagon and several bundles, from
the end of one of which protruded some
thing that looked like the head of doll
The pavements were crowded with
Christmas shoppers. | did not agree
with my friend that the woman had gone
wild. She would never have reached
bone with her bundles in
tact had she tried to push her way
through the surging mob of pedestrians.
She was not the only one who preferred
the open street to the crowded pavements.
Almost every one you met carried a
bundle, aud almost everybody looked
harpy. Their were indications on every
side that tomorrow is to be memorable
Christmas.
The toy stores, the art emporiums. the
jewelers. shops, the furniture depots were
jammed with people of all ages, types
and conditions. The proprietors looked
happy; the clerks looked tired.
4*
At the Pennsylvania Railroad crossing
at times during blockade the scene was
curious. On this side the human tide,
upon the bosom of which seemed to float
a conglomerate mass of parcels, pack
ages, furniture, live turkeys, and otner
domestic fowls, surged on till it reached
the lowered gates.
Here it commenced to dam-or, rather,
to be damned, till it overfiowed the
1ffRla h hO nit
thorities have so generously allowed to
be interiorly decorated with magnificent
collection of dressed fowl and
young sucklings. There was but
slight friction, however, and when
the dam gates were thrown
open the turbulenC flood, with it's ac-
cumulated mass of dead and live stock,
flowed smoothly past the creased sides OF
the archway, without even tearing away
the floral dressing of the Turkish decora-
tions.
Between the gates, however, the oppos-
ing, kissing, noises, clashed, and flowed
in all direction, to the imminent danger
of wrecking the trains of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company.
Many children stopped to admire the
the large show windows along the ave-
nue.. Mamma" said bright-eyed but
delicate little elf, encased in white furs,
tugging at a richly dressed WomanS
skirts, will Santa Clos brin' me whole
lot O. dolls like lis nice 'un, Tristmus2"
A thinly-attired woman looked down
into the face of another robust-faced little
elf she held by her hand, and found the
little one obliyious to sights of the richly
dressed window, SO intently was she
wrapped in the care of pretty-faced but
cheap doll which she hugged to het
childish breast.
Pat won a big turkey at the shooting
gallery
"Phaith, and phat will yes do with the
tarnal feattery critter?" asked his friend
Dennis as the big live bird was handed
over.
'Phat'll OF do with hit? Are yez
fool, Dennis, or do yez think oi'm not
sane? Cum around Christmas Day an
Oil show yez phat OIL do vid it; and bring
the auld lady and the gossoon, Dennis; OF
warrant We th' baste won't kick so much
loike mule an that silf same day. Loi
still, will yez?" and Pat was soon lost in
the crowd who scattered to make way for
him and his Christmas turkey.
\ X
On both sides the thoroughfare con-
tented crowd snrged along. A look of
anticipative JOY seemed to animate every
countenance. The bright eyes of Jersey
City fair women seemed to sparkle
with additional lustre, and though
whistful gazes fell often upon the
rich wares exhibited in the holiday
dressed windows, there was still
mingled something expressive of joyous
anticipation.