Delaware gazette and state journal., 1897-05-27

and Express. "Oh, dear!" came tbs
exclamation OF a lady who stood before
various coils Of ribbon. ''it's clos
ing time ana / simply cannot match
this shade.' "You need not hurry
madam" the neatly dressed girl in
black on the other side of the counter
advised her. 'The signal is not for
the customers. but for the salespeople. p"
On this assurance the lady continued
her search.
At the first tap of the bell the clerks,
who had been standing half listlessly,
seemed TO revived at once. 1t was as il
an army had received orders to strike
its tents aud move forward to possess
fat country. From unsupported corners
long strips of denim cloth were pro.
duced and deftly flung over the bales
Of goods, the naked edges of the shelves
and the open trays Of miscellaneous
articles There was a sound oil shutiling
feet as the crowds OF shoppers moved
toward the street, casting last back
ward glance at the alluring prospects
OF bargains unwillingly relinquished.
They found at the doors that guards
were stationed to challenge any who
might wish to etiter. but to give free
egress TO the throngs inside.
A department store during the day
time is much like big kirmess. or
continental fair There is no open sky
and no bawling huckster to offend it
with his vociferations. But every
counter is u booth and different want
is supplied as you move from one TO
another and the babhle of voices that
arises differs from the clatter of fish
| wives and the chatter of bargaining
Ia, I,nt ,t hn,
taken on modulatiors, and has grown
| more discriminative, less violent in its
avsrsions and preferences. For one
| half OF humanity the store has the same
attractions as a market day ia Eastern
Europe. But at the clash OF tho gong
the scene shifts and the market place
becomes a military camp.
Thus il was in the big establishment
| which reporter found himself one
| day recently at nightfall. The transi-
| tion between the hustle OF business and
| the stern silences of military order was
| accomplished with the stir and yet
| precision Of martial evolution. This
| particular store, it should be said, en-
ploys about 1000 persons upon five
| floors and half of them are women.
Their disappearance from the scene was
AZ discreet and taking an Amazon
march as one would wish to see. The
reporter stood near the entrance of the
girls cloak room, with the manager as
his sponsor The apartment occupied
one side of the basement and was
divided into two sections. In one OF
them was succession of petitiops
separated hy little avenues, lettered like
| avenues that lie between Tomkins
square and East River. Each avenue
| had hundreds Of hooks and each hook
bore a number. The other section was
| fitted up with numerous mirrors, rugs,
tables for bnoks and sofas and easy
| chairs. 1T was, 10 short, the boudoir
OF the girl of the counter.
Into the first section came the sturdy
tramp OF young women trooping in two
abreast by whole companies. The
dozen girls who stood at tina head of
each avenue we're ready for the "Ayenue
| A. No. 30, please, said brisk maiden
| with blond curls Her jacket and hat
| were whisked out of the first partition
and handed to her. She slipped into
the garment, gave reckless iab with
a hat pin and, without pausing
moment, faded out of the doorway look
ing. jaunty enough under her yellow
curls.
Girls wandered along chatting, arm.
in-hrm and come of them swept their
cloaks and hats in little bundles from
the counter behind which stood the
avenue guardians Others found their
things stacked for them on the little
tables where their luncheon had been
served. They did not have to ask for
the whereabouts of their nossessions,
that had been prearranged. They faded
away, too, and the sound of laughter,
lnuiiied by hat pins, came from the
second apartment.
That was bright idea OF ours to
| put the mirrora In there,'' explained
the manager. THE girls used to block
up the room by standing in line here
and adjusting their mats. We didn't
| like to tell them to move on, 80 we lust
| htted the room yonder with mirrors.
| and you notics there is steady process.
| sion toward it, From it there is a
direct egresa to the street, aud SO we
| keep things moving"
When the reporter regained the main
floor the bivouac had hegun, In siy
divisions, one after another, the army
| of clerks had abandoned The field.
Thenceforward the stric. order of n
| fortress was to prevail. In no fapciful
| sense was this true. For the building
| was in command of an alert young
| fellow, who was called captain OF the
watch, and under him we're pair of
pickets outside and a dozen guards
| inside, with orders to admit Ito one, to
| arrest stowaways and not to permit Rpy-
body to leave the building after 7
| O'Clock who could not show a pass and
tell why he had not left before. Tho
early hours of the evening when the
store clnses and the early hours of the
morning when it reopens are the oppor
tunity of the sneak thief and sbon.
litter, hut they find it about az hard
TO get into the department store as il
is to get out of prieon.
| Inc commissary department had pre-
ceded the night watch. In the inter-
val, luHt after the hour of 6 had been
struck, dozen picSsts and rorters had
scurried over the building seeing that
no gas Jet was left turned on; that no
water was running and that no windows
remained open to admit the damppese
OF a thunderstorm upon the perisbable
fabrics. When everything was snug
they took their departure, most of the
electric lights we're turned out and
twilight fell apace in the spaces of the
great building. The captain of the
watch was on guard at one entrance.
and under him Mas force of some 35
persons, including the dozen guards. a
half,score or more of swespers and
nearly as many more scrubbers,
| AT once the work Of nranor;no Al