Omaha daily bee., 1890-05-04
MISS CLARISSASS COMMISSION.
10
Tt
How 1t Was Executed at a Fire-sale BY
an 0bserTsnt Friend.
BATTLE FOR THE CHINA SILK
Contact With n Pushing, Pulling,
Flushing, Crushing Crowd OF
Selfish, Oily Bargain
Seeking Mortals.

silk'' at the sale which is enrrossinr tn
G womanlind of our town this week was dull
7 received. l have executed the commissio
and barely live TO tell the tale of nv insist
ence, persistence and resistance. The para
doXical advertisement of water-soalSed dr..
/, goods is really without significance. for
although there is any quantity of thing
much the worse for water and smoke. there i
an equal amount quite unharned and as good a.
new.
On Saturday, being anxious to crafty vol
and strong in the elixir oflife born of the day
l took my small boy by the hand and sailed
forth. AT the double2doors of the fashionable
emporium found my way barred by polite
gentleman of color rcsplendant in livery, who
SAID in the most conciliatory manner:
You can not go in until some one comes
out"
Fancy my fatuous smile and my manifest
uneasiness while tried to affect graceful
unconcern during the bad quarter of au hour
while waited
Presently the door burst open and. in a
rush of heat and the odor of human fatigue,
Two wild-eyed women emerged with diShev-
elled hair, hats raltishly hanging over one ear
and arms piled high with bundles
Blessing the law of displacement and conf
dent that such disarTay was due to the vulgar
push of the bourgeoise took firmer hold
on my son and in a moment was part of the
ENHANCEMENT of heated flesh that moved
slowly and with difficulty
Alas for human divination No fight of
fancy outside those closed doors could
| picture even vaguely the pandemonium
within. Men, women and children in a vast
| pushing, pulling angry, Scolding crowd surg
ing now this way aud that, and meanwhile
| driving the harrassed clerks quite mad with
! their unintelligible questions and indiscrim-
| mate overhauling of the materials on the
! counter
Finally, by diut of persuasion and through
| the willy urging of the necessity of air for nv
small boy, secured position. in the neigh
borhood of the desired silks Happily they
| will wash, else You would never be willing to
wear them after the infection of promiscuuns
handling. In front of me rose wall of
women. every one of whom was more or
less inclined to embonpont, Il vast noun
tam OF flesh, as warm, restless and threat
cning as NesuviuS.
After a brief period in the tumult and
clbowing my personality seemed to desert
me and desire for struggle and supremacy
pervaded the rcmotcst reaches of my being
was recalled to myself by a voice shrill
with excitement, whichtried.
For Gods sake, ladf, get me drape off
that before it IS gone pointing to u crushed
miserable detected looking piece of China
SILK which, III its palmy Gays might have had
some claim to beauty, but which, now, was "a
poor thing indeed.
This voice. if you please proceeded from
something which had been contemplativelv
regarding rs the back Of wOmans head
Not until she spoke did IL recognize the fact
that the soul-windows were not a new va
l1ety OF hail,-pins and the peculiar straw-col-
ored formation dignified by the name of nose
Psyche knot. So much for the confusion !
born of the mingling of many nations
| gently reminded her in her waspish
Hdgets that there was a boy at the other end |
of the arm she was breathing and meanwhile |
she was reduccd to state of limpa and tempor-
aly subsection by small encrgetir'1niib with /
determined red flannel b0Gni eyes who seized |
her by the shoulder and removing her with
more force than chivalry deliberately occupied
the space thus left vacant.
My enjoyment was tempered however by
the fact that he proceeded in his triumphant
course Attlla-wlse aud presently stood close
beside me with the evident intention of max
ing no exception in my case. Here the sturdy
resistance of my Scotch ancestry became as
sertive, and prepared for struggle In
deed, did he but know IL, he was arming me
against himself His breath was ra5olcnt
although felt desperately like fainting. his
alcoholic breathing prevented me. reviving
me with every fresh eXhalation.
Imagine my state of mind when he seized
the material on which by dnt of long en-
deayOr. had secured a faint hold aud ey-
claimed to the clerk.
Pm take this and be quick about it,
Here was my chance, | fixed his shifting
gaze with my indignant eyes and answered:
Excuse mc, sir, but you will do nothing of
the sort. | WAS here quite three minutes be-
fore You and I shall take the advantage of
We'll, III take ten yards of it," he re-
joined, whether or no.
In the brief second | recalled that Won
wanted only five yards, but in the spirit of
toward the beery boor | took ten
Yards of the twelve and went away leaving
MIN disguised and revengeful. AS / turned
% take in my full measure Of triumph | saw
lim take bottle from mis- pocket with the
,I'dent intent of drowning sorrow therein
,ibSw lbeM 'nere epd was rbe log of his his
shoulders of the Women in front of him re
'eivcd IA practical illustration of how the
waters come down at Lodore.
Having executed your commission gcner- {
uSly retraccd my steps with difficulty and :
icing pushed by the crowd near Il counter on !
he west side discovered a possible origin of
he fire in the intiammable temper of a clerk :,
here.
Finally, reached the glove counter and /
ere CHANGED upon two manifest bargains :
gloves, held, however, in the pudgv hand 1
stout matron of sober build but with the d
asii"e bedizcnment of parti-colorcd ribbons "
nd nOddiug flowers. She was of the nature v
> excite untipathy under amy circumstances:
ut when she held IN her hands, covered
'ith split gloves, world too small for the
esh hidden life lines and dimples deep as "
'ellS, two very desirable pairs of five and n
lrec-quarters she appeared odious. As She "A
'pied me looking over her shoulder, she laid e.
ne gloves aside with superior air and said: n
LAS ilVc and three-quartcrS is smaller than ! n
lc popular size, you probably have "A ouan- y
ty and viii look further.n y
! hastily appropriated the discarded ones | d
18th the rcmark that while the lady is look p
- | will take thescrih Tubleau and vix- i
lish looks of malice calculated to freeze the c;
oo&in the veins of onefdo given TO sweet fC
,ss and light as myself. t.
However, ! felt repait for my mornings ~
Orlt in having outwittcd two swinish types u
I'd having gotten - wpith of gloves for 50, e.
tenderness IN my side from II
ndlT skinny pokeSai of bony elbows p
I'd conscious feeling 3f oiliness from the is
lctuous contact of 'toqSolid flesh Ia
took my offspring Under my arm and IL
ought my battles o'el' until reached the -
rect, and filling my lungs with the pure air -, ~
heaven exclaimed; "a plague on sales I
d the evil fate that bl5Iigs them to mar a W
mper and spring day ,i3o Sincerely. ~" W
About Carpets. fo
Buying carpets is like. Duying a house. a ii!
rm on horse; it must Suit your eye, YOUR cI
rise, your comfort. Nd lady has a pleasant ea
collection of carpet department or the mn
Dre wherein her carpet was purchased if -
pattern is poor, the cOlors hideOus ar the