Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-02-27
A GERMAN MARkEr.EAlR
The Ancient Teutonic Custom as II s,rz
Flourishes at Hanover

tAourishes ~ hanover
This week there has been an onno.
tunity to see a market-fair in Hapovs.
which occurs only thrice a year 80
lasts but two or three DAYS, saws a ~"
respondent of the Hartford C0tr7y,
In fact am just returned from wan
dering about town In a drizzling rain
humping umbrellas in the crowd :,
chaffering Hanoverians, and receivin.
an occasional curse from some boots
owner because of the unintentonal
but none the less wet stream of wafs,
which my umbrella-tip pumped down
upon her cakes or candy. The staIs
and booths for the display Of the wars,
were to be found in various parts ~
the town, according to the nature ~
the sales; thus live stock was to be had
in one section, books in another ,no-
tons in the third, and so on. To-dav
| spent my time in the old portion n
the city, and here the center of bustls
and interest was the ancient Marks,
church From the square upon which
this church stands the lines of booth,
stretched up the streets, radiatinrricb,
and left from the Market s0uaTe
These booths were hastily rigga5
affairs, built of boards, with their ion,
covered with canvas against the rain
so that they looked like a row of In.
dian wigwams. Every conceivable ar
ticle, and some inconceivabe, were IA
be purchased along these rows, behind
which stood men and women CRYING
up their wares or doing out small nor
| tions to the peasant buyer.
Before 4 o'clock of this rainy after.
noon the oil lamps were lighted and
flared picturesquely in the wind
/ Through the middle of the strees
surged the crowd of buyers, many n
them country folk, who had come IN
solely for the fair. They clattered over
the cobble-stones in their sabots and
beat down prices with high heart and
| volubiltv. Above rose the gray Old
houses and high over all the venerable
1 and massive church, under whose
walls for five centuries humanity wa,
/ bought and sold, lived and died II
was a scene for a Dickens and | sighed
for his insight and his graphic power
/ VI htHNl l'Liphs
AT some of the booths a foreigner
was especially tempted to rid himself
of few pennies or marks. For exam.
! pie, here hung by the score those long
porcelain-bowled pipes which are 50
! typical of this country, and hard BY
were all manner of blue eartheuware
drinking jugs, mugs, and tankards,
! with bibulous notices in German script
! aud metal covers that were Joy 10
! see. In some eases some magic SIGN
/ like Aus Itaien" was hung in front
Of the booth. and there you are sure to
find cheap jewelry, taWdry painting,
/ or bizarre house ornaments, those be.
hind the improyised counter being
dark, soliow, and melancholy eyed
and wearing large rings in their ears
after the manner of their race
There seemed to be no congruity
here in the arrangement of the sue
cessiye stands; beside one exclusively
/ devoted to worsteds would be another
where the succulent sausage aud the
! maodorous but beloved limburgH
reigued supreme, and a little farther
on the toys of childhood hobho5bei
with a murderous array OF knives Big |
and little ranging from the tiny nail.
trimmer to the long, keen blade Of the
hog-kiiler. The motley sales and sights
only made the scene richer and a char
acteristc picture OF foreign street lie
| am told that the articles to be bought
at these fairs, though cheap are shodd!
and unreliable, and are avoided by tie
willy citizens, the chief profit accruils
from the open-nouthed country bump
kins who judge by outside show and,a
! oily assurances OF the proprietors