Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-10-15
goods, and the days work has begun.
A very economical way of doing bust

A very economical way OF OOlnS DuSl-
ness.
went into some of the brio a brac
stores and made q few purchases.
When I asked for my bill the mer-
chant took up a small frame Of slid
ing buttons, called a soroban to do
their figuring in the same manner as
we often depend upon slate or pen
Gil. There are no signooards to be
seen upon any of the buildings
throughout the streets of Chinatown.
Around the doors and over the walls
are numerous scrolls of yellow paper
covered with Chinese characters, pre-
sumably in the Chinese language,
which advertise the prices OF their
commodities and other wares for sale.
At one place on the sidewalk | dis
covered a news stand similar to our
own which was covered with Chinese
papers, pamphlets, and other reading
matter, much of which undoubtedly
came from China. All Of the charac-
tiers read up and down instead of
straight across, and much Of the read
ing matter was printed in various col
ors. Above the stand was bulletin
board with papers attached upon
which was printed all Of the latest
news: and around it the Cinnamon
were gathered in large numbers.
went into Chinese drug store for
a few minutes and became very much
interested in watching the druggist,
who was also physician, compound
ing prescriptions for his different
patients. Dozens Of little piles of
powders and herbs were strung out
upon the counter, and to each pile
was added other ingredients as fast as
a clerk could pound them up in NOR
tar and another could weigh them
out in pair of brass balance scales.
Some of the medicine consisted Of
scorpions, lizards, beetles, horned
toads, powdered elks horn for the
headache, and much more of such dis
gushing and nonsensical trash. There
must have been some four Or five
thousand different kinds of drugs in
the store, and yet not single one of
them contained label. So great was
the memory Of the Druggist, who
must have been an educated man, and
so we'll versed was he in the nature Of
drugs and their complicated names,
that no labels were required.
I next visited the meat, fruit and
grocery stores. The meat in the
markets hung up much in the same
manner as in eastern markets; but
for variety of kinds am inclined to
5hink the Chinese market will take
the lead. For instance: here hung a
chickens leg; there gizzard; on
peg piece of breast; upon long iron
skewers hung beef ivers; around
them quarters Of beef and pork; be-
strings of rats; on the counter was
something that looked like dressed
dog, and beside it a skinned or rather
singed animal that very much re-
sembled a cat. In boxes upon the
floor were members, OF the reptile ia
mily, and near them were other boxes
containing snakes. Many of the ar
ticIes, such as smoked ducks and
geese, dried oysters, CLAIMS and fish,
were imported from China. Also the
greater part Of tle vegetables. There
were the entrails OF poultry for sale,
rooster COMBS, the claws and beaks Of
chickens which were used for soups
and stews. Nothing is wasted in
Chinese kitchen. In the grocery
shops were great tubs of rice, bundles
of sugar cane, betel nuts which the
Chinese chew in place Of gum, fruit,
candies, and nuts of various kinds.
The shape Of the fruit and vegetables
are unlike anything ever raised in this
country. They have not been Amer
icanized any more than have the Chi
nese. Cabbages grew long instead Of
round; potatoes were curved, and
Chimes oranges looked like a variety
Of young pumpkins. Everything look
ed odd and peculiar, even to curious
shaped bulbs and leaves which were
used for salad.
Although the wives of Chinese mer-
chants are kept closely housed as a
general thing, [ saw several we'll
dressed Chinese women upon the
street, and a goodly number of them
whose clothing resembled the cloth
ing worn by the men. Many of their
dresses were high colored, consisting
of full trousers of dark blue cloth, an
overdress of blue or black material,
and with scarlet or blue vest richly
embroidered. Numbers of them were
dressed in dark blue suit throughout.
They wore their hlua- black hair comb