The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-25

merchants closed their doors with
many a sigh of relief after what was
universally acknowledged to be the
busiest closing day ever known to trade
to this city,
The general aspect Of Main street was
quite metropolitan. The crowds moving
on the sidewalk with their innumerable
bundles coming out of every doorway
and stopping to look into every window
fac walking difficult
course every pedestrian carried a
Eterio1s. parcel done up in white
err. Those wla did not were as lone
e as oystersH at church suppers.
st every males shopper was laden
WIN like a pack horse or a sumpter
Rule, while frail women We're bowed
Eeneath the weight of bob sleds and
bther heavy giftss One dignified and
portly gentleman who looked as though
he might have been a bank president,
stepped into a Consolidated car with
the customary package, As he rose to
get out he accidentally hit it against
the door, causing the mysterious bun
die to emit the noise peculiar to the
fifty cent drum. The parcel belonging
to a diffident young man in the same
car became undone, exposing to view a
five cent doll The other passengers
having similar gifts of their own were
not disposed to make the revelations
a
done on other occasions.
A large per cent Of yesterdays shop
pers were of the male sex. Crusty old
bachelors who hate the atmosphere CT
the department store as the devil hates
holy water and consequently put off
their purchases till the last. moment
were to be seen in great numbers. They
bought the most unnatural things too,
for old baehelors-boXes of confection-
far a. fhinoG n
nature which. one never sees or expects
to see in old bachelors quarters. One
of them was even trying to match a rib
bon. He was as much out of his ele-
ment as the women who bought cigars
of tobacco dealers.
Then there were lots of children who
had waited till Saturday when school
was over to squander their little pen
MES on gifts. for papa and mamma.
Many of the children gagged the tastes
of their parents by their own and took
away tin horns, humming tops and
candy for the delectation of their ell
ders.
Women shoppers abounded and pre-
dominated as always. There was the
class that commenced shopping at the
first opening of the holiday sales and
unhaggingly kept at it till the last.
Others had completed most of their
buying but had been led away by the
attraction of the hour. A few had re-
ligiously determined months before to
adhere strictly by the good old rule to
start making purchases early enough in
the year to avoid all the rush and hurry
of the last weeks and to employ the
period between THANKSGIVING and
Christmas in restful contemplation of
the hurry and worry of their sisters
who had been less thoughtful and
prompt. But at the last their good reso-
lutions broke. down. Tempting exhibits
in the windows and inviting offers in
the newspaper advertisements, How
could they resist buying when every
one else was making purchases?
Others went out sightseeing with the
intention of making no purchases until
after the holidays when goods will be
marked down and bargains plenty But
it would have required stole yestey-
day to haves resisted buying. Few
women are stoics.
The Spys list of purchasable articles
helped many in forming their selec-
tions Many pwomen were seen in the
stores carrying the list clipped out and
with the articles needed marked by way
OF a memorandum. One woman had Of
fered the list to her husband and told
him to apply the Australian ballot syS-
in making the selection for the
present he most desired. A long line of
crosses designated the articles that had
received his vote. The list was badly
scratched. though, the condition of his
pocketbook preventing him from vot-
ing the straight ticket.
Al tbe stores shared in the rush Of
business yesterday. The Boston store
was crowded from cellar to top. The
Barnard. Sumner & Putnam Co., the
Modern Merchandise Co., and many Of
the others had more business than they
could well attend to.