The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-18

Us hearraches ard It's hustle and
crowds IN TIA stores, IS N full
swing n Seattle. For days past
the streets have been throngei with eager
purchasers and sghcseerS. The stores ara
making a brave display o: their Christmas
offerings, not in one. bur u every iiaa ef
business. In the windows of tho depart.
ment stores are enhancing EXHIBITS Of rich
and costly articles suitable for Christmas
giving. toys indescNbable n deSisn and IN
Vulnerable n variety. The working forces
Of al the large establishments have been
doubled. ard the lights are nor 6i1lnle3 til
10 o'clock.
SEATTLE has never seen 4 Christmas Ike
the approaching fete day OF the Na=arene
Never before were the city and it's oeonle
50 prosperous Never was there such free
buying and such generous giving. There
never was a Christmas IN Seattle with 50
much money IN the banks and in oircula-
uon among the people And there never
Was a time when the peop,e Of Seattle had
so much 10 Re proud Of IN endeavor and
successful achievement as this present YIile-
tide
There are innumerable evidences Of the
fact that Ssattle's Christmas shoppers are
buying more freely than ever before. One
prominent First avenue merchant said yes
ter1ay that this years business was % PER
cent better than any previous Christmas
holiday trade. The bank clearances Offer
indiSputable testimony OF 1ha face that the
Christmas shopper IS out IN numbers, in
tent on securing what she Tor hep may early
IN the season.
Il is picturesque. an interesting and an
eager tarong OF people. young and old.
that daily floods the stores just now. They
crowd the big establishments from The
Easements. where toys are kept. TO the
upper floors, where they loiter amid the
elegance Of velvet tapestries and Moquet
carpets. Mary OF them are simply bent on
seeing"
1T takes almost 80 per cent. more work
to sell customer u s. bin OF goods now
than at ordinary seasons said one OF the
merchant kings Of Seattle yesterday, look
ing down from his Office on the crowded
aisies below. our sales people so TO each
new visitor and say. What can show
you?' The reply in nearly half the cases
is: oh, nothing. m just looking. Next
week il viii ba much different. fer by that
time the Christmas buyers Will have ex-
anined the stocks ana VIII probably have
made up their minds what they want TO
buy"
Indeed this is the great question TO be
solved 1t causes all kinds Of peTplexi-
ties and anxieties az first and in tho later
stage Is apt 10 develop into heartache
when one at last locates the very desideaTt-
urn of his Yuletide giving and hnds the price
beyond his purse This. then. IS the very
good reason why people, mostly women
and children, devote the days before the
Christmas week to seeing the stores. an
occupation in which the average man
finds little delight or amusement.
Were giving the children near we"
of Santa Claus" one woman explained 10
the manage of the toy department Of one
OF the big stores yesterday. as she led
flock Of six through the aisIes. mo, they're
not ali mine" she went on 10 adj, with
blush mounting 10 her face. Three OF
them are and the other three belong 10
neighbor, who is sick. I'm simply taking
them around to show them what Santa
Claus may do for them II they're good
As she stopped at one OF the long tables
a curly-headed, red-faced boy hurried TO
the front Of the store whcge there was
pile OF drums and soon a terrific rata
plan was heard all over the place. The
elder boy in the group not past years,
found u miniature naphtha launch with