The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-24
SHOPPING FOR CHRISTMAS
Scenes on the Business Thorough
fares During Saturday Night.
YOUNG AND OLD WE'RE HAPPY
They Thronged the Streets Until 1t be.
came Almost Physical Impossibility
TO Move About Clerks We're
Tired and Weary.

~ 10 ploUdDle tudl never DeIOFe ulu
Lackawanna avenue contain such a
hurrying, dense and gay crowd of shop
pers as that of Saturday night. Even
for busy Scranton 1t was an unusual
sight; it was not the tagging, station
ary, unmovable gathering of circus
or parade day, but 1t was a shifting,
seething good natured mass of men and
women and boys and girls, who, with
more r'less gaiety, were taking last
crack at the cheaper kind of Christmas
goods.
The throng offered an admirable op-
portunity for studying character; there
were persons of high and low degree,
pug-nosed girls and sallow-faced men,
ry-eyed women and troops of laugh
ing factory girls and of course the ON
nipresent boys of the street, who, with
out the possession of a copper cent
among them. got more fun out of the
excitement than many who jingled 500
gold pieces against fattened pocket
books. Surely, a Saturday night crowd
and a wage-earning crowd did not buy
as valuable presents as did the fashion
able shopper of the afternoon, but the
number of purchases made and the way
clerks were compelled to move at
lively pace kept an observer wondering
where all the dimes and quarters came
from.
Stores Were Crowded.
An idea of the crowd may be inferred
from the fact that at several of the
cheap goods stores men were stationed
at the doors to prevent people entering
until batch of thirty or fifty had been
permitted to pass into the street. The
sidewalks were so densely packed that
many persons chose the roadway as the
easiest way of progress. What with
the troops of persons crossing and re-
crossing the street, the changing of
street car gongs. the murmur of con-
versation. the jostling and showing and
the bright lights and holiday decora-
tions the scene reminded the traveller
more of gay Paris on shop night than
life in small inland city.
1t was quite amusing to observe how
some people with very little to do made
an awful fuss about it, while others
with more to think of in a minute than
many are occupied with in day
seemed to wear their tribulations. with
ease.
A sour-visaged man with his fore
head wrinkled like the ridges on a
washboard came humping along down
the avenue. He had medium sized
bundle in his left hand and with his
other hand was pulling along a young
American of eight winters, who held
like grim death to little 10 cent wagon
painted red, of course. The boys ex-
perience might have been likened to q
boat in mid-stream, trying to make
sidewise progress against strong cur
rent. He was being pulled along vio-
lently by his father and in his flying
career was being smartly bumped and
thumped about; his little red cart was
forever getting tangled In somebody's
legs and at every such experience the
father tried to overcome the difficulty
by a vigorous Jerk, with the result
that the boy fell to the sidewalk three
times in one block. The pair probably
reached home safely, but out of temper
and sadly in need of repair.
A Family Party.
In marked contrast was the expert
ence of happy family party, father
and mother and three children, who
trooped along at the heels of the pair
with the red cart They were evident
ly poor. but were well-fed and happy;
the man weighed over 200 pounds and
had cherry cheeks like Santa Claus: in
his arms were half dozen bundles of
various sizes and shapes and two of the
children were clinglng to his coat. The
mother, with hat awry and hair dishey-
elled and carrying a number of pack
ages. trailed the procession with the
youngest child. All were good natured
and did not seem to be In the least con-
cerned by the jostle of the throng.
The father with beaming face and
large avoirdupois forged slowly along
like snow plow In packed drift; he
was oblivious and nonchalant to every
thing save his own brood and laughed
ard joked when after passing the
gauntlet all stood waiting on the cor
ner for South Side car.