The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-10-30
THE BARGAIN COUNTER.


Love of bargain is innate. 1t is not
entirely the desire to get something for
nothing that fires the average persons
soul for bargain hunting, but it is COM
bination of love of risk, pride of judg-
ment, and the following out of personal
or necessary schemes of management in
money matters. This combination of
mental forces varies with the individual,
and is itself in turn varied by outward
circumstances. The masculine mind,
though not free from indulgence in this
trait, usually hides it away under that
handy cloak business" which is good
for all weathers and all turns of domestic
comment, while a women is much more
frank in her delight in bargains. Her
work is largely made up of small multi
tudinous duties, and she inevitably be-
comes addicted to the pursuit of small
game. Making money by small savings
is ordinarily wOman's only available
method, and naturally she loses that
acute perception of the relative worth of
the game and the candle, until she be-
comes the target for the indulgent sar-
casm of the other half. Sometimes fem
mime love of bargains remains UNI
quenched when the purse grows fat.
But generally other factors-pleasure in
buying freely, ease of selection when
money is not the question, and the de-
light of doing as other fortunate people
do-reduce the desire for bargains to in
significance. When this does not hap
pen, the bargain passion becomes debas-
ing, and IN direct proportion to the full
ness of the purse AID the methods of
bargain pursuit. But are the contracted
perceptions of women in this respect al
together laughable? Are the continuous
and time-honored stories about women's
passion for bargains fair pictures of the
motives which lead them to scan with
eager interest the tempting advertise
ment and to hurry to the shop? Let us
go to the bargain counter, and see if we
can read between the lines.
What a crowd is here! Is it possible
women like to be crushed and pushed
and driven like this? There are many
attractive, pleasant faces, but how few
without careworn lines! See that dark
eyed young woman over there-the one
with the baby in her arms and the study
boy cinging to her skirts. She has stood
there long time waiting her turn and
growing paler, but there is no trace of
irresoluteness in her manner. Why did
MT she leave those tiresome children at
home? Because there was no one to
leave them with. Why doesn't she go to
the ordinary counter, where she can sit
on the stool and buy at leisure? Because
she has just ten dollars in her pocket, the
savings of a month, which must buy that
long list of needs which she carries
crumpled in her ungloved hand. The
words in the list are not all spelled right
and the pencil lines are cramped, but
she knows that remnant of flannel will
cost much less than the same sold by the
yard. Her roughened hand tests the
cloth, and her choice is slowly and care
fully made While mentally she debates
the quality, width, color of the flannel,
and whether it will wash. Soon she dis
appears from our view, to repeat at 9th
er counters the same tedious waiting and
choosing. When she gets to her tiny
three home on the fourth floor
of block on narrow side street. her
arms ache with the weight of her pack
ages and her baby The children ale
tired and fretful, and she drags them al
most roughly up the dark stairs, too tired
to be patient. The sight of those mean
but neat rooms cheers her little, the
children find their battered playthings,
and satisfied with crackers, cease to drag
upon her. She gets the supper-a pot of
baked beans-from the oven where they
wore baking while she was gone, and
then she irons till her husband comes.
That pot of beans tells of thrifty country
training. Yes, they belong to that null
titude of people who come yearly to seek
their fortune in the city. John could
drive horses, so he is driving horse-cal
for two dollars day. They are not
starving. They have food, clothes. and
shelter, and rejoice that they are not ILL.,
The poor woman will suffer in time foi
all this strain of both strength and cour
age? Oh yes! but she cannot afford
such luxuries as considerate rest and
change. She is thankful for bargain
| coun+arc ,Tornorio R0zoor