Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-24
SENDING CHRISTMAS GIFTS.
Scenes mt the st-omce-Crowds on tn
observation-disclosures of the Day.

streets-Incidents Of the Day.
A violent outburst OF masculine mug
nation was barely averted In the post
office Friday morning.
IL was about noon. and a large crowd
had assembled around the one poor little
window where stamps are dispensed to
the impatient public.
Each person had his or her arms crowded
with Christmas packages which were TO
be sent through the mails, and the poor
clerk fiuttered around In his narrow Office
like a captive wild bird. Hours before,
the mere lifting OF the colossal Column
bian stamps had exhausted his strength
but he labored on indefatigably. and even
stereotyped his features into a set, CHASTITY
smile. -.
The men In the crowd had started out
with the intention of being courteous to
the ladies', but II was a severe tax on their
politeness. Some OF them undertook 10
| give I'D their places before the window
to the fair ones, but as fast as one lady
disappeared anothef would take her place,
and so the Chesterlelds found that they
would nave to spend the whole day waiting
for q chance TO get one stamp.
MEN STOOD NO CHANCE.
Once the gathering of the weaker sex
thinned out, and only three women re-
NAMED. The first two smilingly usurped
the places of the busy men who had been
waiting three hours before the window,
| and then Lady No. 3 proceeded to fur
Their DELAY the game. 1t is no exaggera-
ton to say that she had at least sixteen
packages to be mailed. Every blessed one
of them, from the box containing the 10
cent handkerchief to the parcel with the
| 30-cent lace In II. had TO be weighed, and
the exasperated men all realized hat they
would have to give up their dinners that
day. But the little clerk finally weighed
all the packages, and with
skill equalled only by that Of public-school
scholars when the school board visits their
| classroom. he calculated the total cost
I'm Columbian slabs. Then the lady gave
him a five-dollar bill and the clerk
handed her the change. The fair one dis
peared and the dinnerless men scrambled
TO get their stamps, but ere the first one
had reached the window the bundles and
the lady returned, and her suffering VIC
Tins despairingly made way for her.
81 beg your pardon" she said to the
lightning calculator with the sterco'yped
smile. but / think you save re three
cents too little; didn't your
The men ground their teeth md look"t
more daggers than a side-show. freak
could swallow in an hour. but the clerk
counted the money over ana four Of
course that he was right. To substantiate
his statements he showed the paper con-
tanning his calculations to the lady, and
she said, 90. l beg pardon" and tripped
innocently out.
KEPT PRETTY BUSY.
This incident, which really happened
Yesterday, gives an exact Idea OF the post
Office Just now. The big granite building
is crowded all the time from early morn
ing until dark. and 1t looks as II the whole
populace is sending packages away.
And yet the employees say that the rush
Is not so great IS heretofore, but they
likewise admit that they are sufficiently
amused"
The yuletide mail does not appear 70
contain a single Christmas-caru. n
Judging by their absence in the stores
OF Richmond, they seem to have gone
entirely out OF fashion.
OF all the people who are rushed with
work at this season, the express-men sur
fer the most. They are literally over
whelmed with packages and bundles OF
every description, and their wagons are
running day and night. IL would be i'm
possible 10 give a general description OF
the articles handled by the express-men.
They include almost everything. with a
large predominance OF turkeys, chickens.
ducks, baby-carriages, hobby-horses, and
"fr, sh country-butter."
BROAD STREET THRONGED.
The rush on Broad street is growing
worse every day. and Friday the wide
sidewalks Of the thoroughfares were
packed with people. To make matters
worse-or better, perhaps, every negro
nurse In town took her baby-carriage and
its i~nfantlle freight and Joined the merry
procession.
The ~chubby-faced young Americas"
comfortably ensconced In their furs and
carefully tucked In their carriages. en-
joyed the confusion immensely.
Sixth street from Broad TO Marshall
looked like a country road Yesterday, as
IT was lined with holly and cedar trees.
which eountrymen have brought to town
TO sell.
A feature Of the Christmas shopping
this year is the great number of auction
sales now in progress, and the spirited
bidding OF the ladies who purchase the
various articles knocked down."
The weather in Richmond was anything
but wintry Friday, and 1t looked as If
Santa Claus will have TO come in a
seersucker suit this year, instead Of I'm his
fur-lined clothes. At noon the thermome-
ter registered GO degrees, and by 3 In the
afternoon It had jumped six points
higher.