Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-23
GREENS
Displays Made by the Vendors in the
Markets.
HOLLY AND MlSrLETOE ABUNDANT
Provisions for the Annual Feast and
Moving SpectacIes.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS

SCENES AND INCIDENTS
IL anybody Is at all skeptical that Christ
HAS Is near at hand, trip through the
markets Will prove conclusively that San
Ia Claus annual visitation time is really
only day and a half distant. It is in the
markets that the ideal Christmas spirit
prevails 1t Is true, people find it neces-
sary to eat in all seasons of the year, but
the housekeeper who intends to keep
Christmas scrupulously does not fail to
lay in plentiful supply of provisions for
the Christmas dinner. Christmas and good
cheer, both of heart and stomach, go to-
gether, SO 1t is not surprising that the mar
kets just now present scenes of moving
spectacles.
Washington just now appears to be the
center of the sale of greens of all kinds
They are plentiful in the suburbs of the
city and its environments, and the colored
population pick UP many an honest penny
at Christmas time by going down about
Mount Vernon. Marshall Hall, River View
and other places and cutting the holly and
the mistletoe and bringing them to the
Washington market.
Hyah'S yo' holly and mistletoe Only
- cents bunch for the holly. Young lady,
doant fergit ter take sprig of the mistIe-
toe home. Yo' lovah'll be lookin' out for it,
Yo' sutinly would look sweet standin' I'M
dab the mistletoe''
This appeal from the vender seldom fails
to sell a sprig of the pale green stuff, with
the waxen berries. 1t is no easy task, by
the way, to gather the mistletoe, as it
grows generally on large trees, high I'D
trcm the ground.
The holly is much more easily gathered.
1t grows principally in swampy places, and
little climbing has to be done to secure it.
With its waxen leaves and red berries, it
makes splendid object for decorative pur-
poses
The little park on Market Space was
nearly surrounded this morning with SELL
some Of the Italian tutti-frutti and candy
sellers left, but they appeared as If their
occupations were gone.
Discouraged at the Prospect.
"Ah! No-a," one of them said, with an
expressive shrug of the shoulders, "beeza-
ness mighty bad. Me sella notin' fer many
days. De poop dey chase-a de fat duck,
de turk, de chick, an do fat-a de peeg.
Dey buy-a de little trees. Beezaness YER
bad, YER bad"
When he had delivered himself Of this
discourse he rolled his eyes in disgust at
trio, which just then passed his push-cart.
The trio consisted evidently of mother and
two children. boy and girl. The youngster
was clearly matched, as to weight and age,
with a large, fine turkey. If it had not
been that the turkey had not lost it's heal,
and the boy had half Nelson on it, the
prospects are the bird would have gained
the first fall.
The little girl had Christmas tree, just
about her own size, which she carried
proudly in her arms. 1t would have taken
10 little moral suasion, coupled with con-
siderable physical force, to separate the
two ewly-found frends-the little sri and
the tree. The mother had small pro-
vision store in her arms. carried her purse
in her mouth. and wore glasses; but in
spite of this handicap managed to control
the movements of the two children, pick
out what she wanted from the stalls, bag
gle about the price, make the purchases.
She did 1t all with neatness and dispatch.
1t was an undOubted triumph of mind over
matter. 1t would have made 4 picture
with the name How to do Christmas Mar
keting Without the Aid of a Drag
Perhaps it was not done Intentionally,
but when three extremely gawky-looking
countrymer, certainly on their first visit to
the capital. passed by the holly and mistle-
toe vendors, one of the latter shouted out:
"Hyah's yo' Christmas greens, in bunch
es'
A emile went up from the marketers, and
the courtryrnen looked conscious.
One most conspicuous feature of the mar
ket stalls is the Christmas rabbit, with its
inseparabe companion, bunch OF celery.
Apparently there have been thousands of
little Dummies slaughtered to make a Wash
ington holiday dinner.
A fat woman this morning had bought
one of the rabbits and was moving grandly
down the expanse Of the sidewalk leaving
Trailer wrecks in her wake. Her hands
were full of all sorts Of bundles and pack
ages and it was wonder that the body of
| the rat bit managed to stick there as long
| it did. Suddenly 1t shot downward and
! the lady of avoirdupois nearly had an apo
plectic fit. A sympathetic passerby stopped
/ and picked up the rabbit for her.
oh! My goodness" she said, her face
shining wit hap
Il thought that fool rabbit had come to
life again. 1t gave me such shock"
Do Their Own Shopping.
1t is a well-known fact that some of the
! most prominent people In Washington So
| cial and official circles do their own shop
| ping. Ladies who are noted for their hos
pitality and for the excellence of their table
| viands, can be seen in the markets select
ing and buying their store Of provisions Tor
| the Christmas dinner. An aristocratic-
looking old lady, with face clean cut
morning, in one of the markets, examining
| the stock of vegetables with critical eye.
| She rubbed elbows with a dowdy looking
| old woman, with red face and shawl over
| her shoulders, but did not seem to fear
| contamination. She was buying some pouI-
! try, when the old Irish woman, who had
been watching her, put hand ON the
| lady's arm.
''Excoose me, loidy," she said, but If
yez won't t'ink I'm introodin. let me snow
yeZ how to pick out foine burrd. l used
| to raise fowls meself, an l know what is
best wild Them
Then she carefully explained how to tell
whether a fowl is young or not, and gave
other points CO no little value. This was
received by the MISUNDERSTANDING lady
with not trace Of amusement.
Il thank you very much.'' she said, "for
| taking the trouble to give me such yalu-
| able information. I'm sure 1t will help me
greatly hereafter"
She smiled sweetly and said "good-bye''
| in manner that made the other declare to
| the bystanders, after the object of her in
| terest had walked away:
AN it's the foine loidy she Is indade
and that's no mishtake Size is wan of the
quality, she is, an it's nleself that knows
it"
The high-bred lady was undoubtedly
somebody of consequence for she had a