The San Francisco call., 1897-11-14

some bananas and pineapple or so, Civ
ing tropical touch to the varied collec-
tion, would delight the heart OF Ceres her
self did she behold it.
This man has legitimate place in the
daily life of the city and fills it ually
we'll and honestly. He does not indulge
IN the numerous sharp practices OF his
sporadic rivals in the field, being more
anxious for steady patrons than for eud-
den profits, and the consequence is that
he becomes well known on his special
route and makes a satisfactory living and
little more year after year.
1t is the high-shouldered and swagger-
ing individual with the banged" hair,
the spring bottomed trousers, the perma-
nent "ctggereete," the rawboned and
overloaded steed, the Extensively loud and
insstent manner, and the putatIvely sur
prising bargains" OF whom the we'll
posted housekeeper bewares.
The tricks" of his especial branch OF
trade are so numerous that they fairly be-
wilder the ordinary mind with their
Kaleidoscope variety. This class usually
deal IN seconds" at the best, and are the
residuary legatees of the commission men,
judged worthless and unstable by~those
who have business reputations to main
tain.
To see a crowd of these enterprising
youths acting rs self-appOinted coroners
and holding informal inquests over lots
of fruits and vegetable in various stages
OF decon position IS an object-lesson in
the art of evolving something out of moth
ing.
Oranges unpleusantIy mellow in spots
are tenderly wrapped in white tissue
paper and placed in inviting rows in clean
and new-Iooking boxes. Potatoes are
carefully sorted over and pdt in sacks,
with the best ones at the top and bottom
and the poor ones IL the middle, since
complying ont" is often insisted upon by
unkindly, suspicious patrons.
"Sprouting" of both potatoes and
onions is carefully done, and so that they
can be made to look all right their loss of
value food after they have energet-
Cally begun the process of growing does
not trouble the minds of the operators
Berries and small fruits of all kinds are
refreshed, even after they have almost
reached the point of fuzzy deliquescence,
by the simple plan of purchasing box or
two of similar kinds which are like
C@sar's wife, and spreading them over the
others in the form of top layers.
Really fresh berries are made to pay
nearly double profits By mercy changing
them from solid to basket boxes"
Basket boxes" are ordinary berry boxes
filed with six small splint baskets shaped
like the frustrum of quadrilateral pyra-
mid. While the close e-titting tops of these
present an almost unbroken surface 10
The observer. the bottoms OF the dece ptive
little things are so much smaller that
four triangular avenues of emptiness run
the whole length of the box. and three
''soid" eceptacles will fill a little over
five of the basket kind, which, however,
sell for the same price as those of honest
weight and substance.
In fact, ev ry ariltice which experien ce
has shown to be successful in making
well-uigh spoiled prod of the earth
! look if they were still worth buying,
and evolving a much out of as little as
possible in every way, is employed in these
preparations for raids on those persons TO
whom the word "cheap" is the open
sesame of their pocket. books.
This preliminary work being satlsfac-
o:ily concluded the 'tater man" har-
nesses his generally shadowy and stagger-
ing horse to his piled-up wagon, and with
a cho ce selection of satellites goes forth
10 find his prey. His haunts are the
poorer downtown and the far uptown
streets, and with one hand, for some oc-
cult reason known only to his kind,
placed carefully behind his ear, he shouts
out his misstatement regarding his mer.
cnandise with all the strength of his
seemingly brazen lung.
He varies the monotony of his trips by
exchanging extremely offensive remarks
with any of his own genus whom he may
chance 10 come across, and scraps more
or less friendly, are often ind ulged in to
settle the disputed question of rights to
certain neigh borhoocs. when none OF the
finest is in the vicinity.
The fact that the temptinglv large
| buckets IN which be bears tomatoes
grapes and onions to our doors, as well as
the rough boxes in which there are sup