Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-28
BARGAINS In CANADA

| They Are Such as Cause Amer1c.s
Women to Laugh the Wrong Side
of Their Moufhs-A Tourist From the
States Considered Legitimate PIunder-
Tbs Facts.
IcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DrsPArcHd
OTTAWA, ONT, Aug. 25-The very
large influx of Americans to Canada this
summer will cause the average storekeeper
to wear q radiant smile-for he is aware
certa in line of goods are believed by them
to cost much less here than in the United
States And then he knows that nearly all
women are delighted at the mere suggestion
''of getting things cheap, you know"
Already we have wept over some 'bar-
gains" exhibited to US in triumph with
"My dear, just half the price they charge
us in Pittsburg, you knowp' And then we
examined the three boxes of kid gloves All
of them were spoiled in the cutting, and
known to the trade as third" and 'sfourths."
The little fingers were dwarfed. They
might fit a baby. And the cores Of the
thumbs were baggy, twisting the palms our
of shape. We have never yet found En-
glish or Canadian gloves anything else than
perfectly disgusting in cut, shape and
QudAAtys 1uc uuuIeSScu klu groves DOugnt
here wore out on an average in three days
while the plain silks were invariably
shoddy.
Exasperated with our disappointments,
we tried importing, to fud if the home
market offered any better, but found it Just
the same, only that the expressage was 25
cents per pound, something outrageous for
common goods, but then we bought-ex-
periei,ce. All or nearly all the English
L.
dip in water. And all grades of white
goods are fearlully and wonderfully
loaded" with lime, flour and glue. so that
after sewing the miserable things, one-half
will disappear in the first laundering leav-
ing skeleton fabric as a residue. OF one
thing we are quite certain, American buy
ers would stand no such imposition. They
know better.
Canada can offer American ladies soms
little bargains in wooens OF high class, such
as broadcloths, tweeds, Scotch plaids and
shawls. That is, if they can find an honor
able store. But that is nigh Impossible-if
you are known as an American. Canadian
shoes we will not mention. They NAV be
safely catalogued as fearfully shoddy. The
stores here do not fit shoes. One must
wrestle with them or have them sent home,
which seems to US dreadful loss of time
We nave gone around the stores and found
them all the same-willing to send boxes of
shoes home, but unwilling to spend tenth
part of the time in fitting them On lady at
once. Indeed the store clerks pronounced
kla-arks) were as much dismayed as If we
had asked them to fit our garters! Then
they would ask S6 for a pair of plain kid
slipper, such as we would pay 81 for in
Pittsburg. and Canadian lady would not
pay over 81 so for the same wonderful
shippers. That is q sample of what it costs
to be ''an American abroad"
Very recently one dear Pittsburg girl
went home laden with her Canadian pur-
chases-"bargains," she called them. But
her boxes of silk stockings turned out
shoddy. Her kid gloves fell in ratters, or
were otherwise dreadful ''misfits." The
Customs office charged duty on lot of
China silks and Indian fancy work. So on
the whole there was a very small margin
LETT to pay for her annoyance at being well
cheated. This being the condition of the
general mercantile morals need anyone
wonder at the absence of that security for
our American ladies that they invariably
find in respectable houses at home?
We have just met a real American
boodler-a bank president who had the
felicity of wrecking a bank, and living
here now-with such lots of money. When
We were introduced. to this much envied
gentleman, we observed nervous shifting
glance that invariably avoided ours in con-
versation, while he kept watching the door
and everyone entering it. Poor wretchl A
friend who knew him we'll told us he never
long in place or city, but kept
wandering hither and thither, like the poor
jew of tabled memory. He had grown
up family with him-for he was overr79
years old.
Since our boodling element came to Can
ada new industry has been developed bya
class OF men who offer themselve, as
''guides" to point out the best hiding
places, and most ENJOYABLE, who also act as
general utility men. 1t costs criminals all
the way up to So per day. though the charge
is generally according to the amount of the
,ash and crime GOLDEN ROD.