The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-26

greatest numbers between Geary and Ellis
streets, along Market, and the buyers of
Christmas presents are compelled to recog
nize him to quiet the minor twang to his
full-grown voice. He will screech and
bawl in your ear and lay hands upon you
in an appealing and sincere way to call
your attention to the fact that he is pres
ent and ready to do business with all
corners, from the tiniest tot to the buster
ing grandparent who IS out foraging for
his daughters babies.
The gamin tradesman is a terror.
His voice is beyond suppression.
His customers are legion.
One goes to bed at night after a weary
chase for toys and nursery features only to
be troubled by the harassing echo of the
gamin's bowling voice. beseeching nickels
and dimes for the goods he sells.
The jargon to the passer-by sounds like
the tongues of Babel with q cable-car ac-
compartment and a staccato Of coupes on
cobbleStones.
"Git yer mechanical toys. Mary and
John wild de kid in de baby buggy. Here
yer arc fer de iumpIn' frog-a dime, 10
cents, q bit.-Her-e-e-e-e-e you are gents
and kids watch de tumblin' clown on de
shoestring slidin' along at de rate of twen-
ty-tree revolutions minit.--Orstrich,
orstrich, lady? Only Is cents fer de whole
cheese including de waIkin orstrich and the
red wagon with de peoples in it.-Squak-
ers, squakers, squakers; nickel each; won't
hurt you nohow to buy one fer de children.
Squakers, squakers.-I lika sella da tissa
papa panzy, da chrisantha, da sweeta da
rose. All only costa da dime. Sweeta
wan.-Phwat's ailin wye? Your Tourk-
ish insins. The koind to bourn in your
boa.dwow and every wan smells like CO.
lone factory. Tin cints. But tin cints.-See
de perpetual motion rooster wild tree fed
ders wobblin' in de evenin' breeze. Watch
i'm. Childrens cry for it and old maids
laf. A nickel. Ony nickel.--A Jack in de
box an a solid stem wlndin' doll what says
fadder and mudder bv de simple pressin'
OF de back of de kids head. T-t-t-t-
twenty-five cents per each. What's de
matter wild youse people anyhow? Is yer
dough give out?"
Thus the merry game goes on and the
population finds itself confronted with
perpetual cry for trade. From noon up to
midnight during the holidays these little
hucksters below Mt your elbow and never
take no for an answer.
Any attempt to turn them aside and
pass along is unsuccessful fer you only
open the way to different variety of kid,
frequently more ambitious than his neigh
Dor. A nod of approval. a glance of ac-
quiescence and you are done for. There Is
no escape, and those who have tried it say
that the plan OF disgorging a dime or nickel
Will be found the most successful way of
stalking the boys off. No baggage-buster
or grlp-yanker in hotel ever showed the
tenacity they possess.
These youngsters are learning the value
OF persistency in trade, and when they
grow up into millionaires it will be said Of
some OF them that they sold toys on the
street corners when they were in their
Childhood. They jostle each other and
contend for advantageous localities just
as though they controlled the business of
the earth.
Every one of them is supplied with a
pocketful OF change, which they make
with surprising accuracy. If you make a
l0-cenr purchase they hand out eighteen
nickels III one grab, and continue to yell
out their little spiel with unbroken pre-
cision.
The most worthless toy in their hands
can easily be disposed of at good profit,
and although their earnings frequently go
into the crap" channel, so we'll known to
street urchins, it, nevertheless, gets into
circulation and few of them are troubled
with bank accounts. When Christmas
tide has gone by they resume their rela-
tons with newspapers, and, altogether,
manage to keep in the commercial swim.
Many OF them grow up with a fair
knowledge OF the world, and not few be-
come successful citizens, with record of
labor and rustling to point to with the
well-known and well-worn finger of pride.