The Portland daily press., 1900-06-13
DEMAND FOR RED BANANAS
washingten shopkeers are Selling then
Because w omen Persistsd.

Especial to the New York Times.)
Washington June Ell notice." re-
marked q visiting Northerner to native
Washingtonian, THAT most Of the shops
here have red bananas, which are almost
forgotten fruit in New York. sup
pose that Is because 1t Is so much further
South. regret that they have gone out
Of fashion in the North, for they used to
be as cheap and plentiful as the yellow
ones, and were a good deal better"
"It isn't because we are further South, :"
replied the native. RED bananas were
almost entirely unknown here Q few
weeks ago. The boom you notice in red
bananas was produced entirely by the
energy of one slim, yellow-haired girl,
weighing about 100 pounds. She is from
the North, too" he added.
"Tell me about It," said the visitor,
becoming interested.
1.-THE young woman, replied the
native, had no idea Of creating any revo-
luton in the fruit trade. She merely
wanted something and was determined
to have it, and that is combination
which has effected some bigger revolu
lions than the restoration OF the red
banana.
"She was seized with desire for the
dimly remembered fruit which she had
eaten In luxurious quantities in her
childhood, and she went to the market
and asked a dealer II he kept them. Many
other persons had done the same thing,
and they had received the same reply
that red bananas were no longer sold.
The difference was that the the other per-
sons went away, dissatisfied but CON-
quered, and did no more. This young
woman went further.
..She went into another store, and
asked for red bananas. The shopkeeper
smiled at her ignorance and said, You
can't get a red banana anywhere In
Washington She went into third
store. and received the came answer.
Then she began to inquire into causes.
One shopkeeper told her that the Cuban
instruction had ruined all the red banana
plantations, and that not single red
banana had been imported into the
United States since 1885. Another laid
the trouble to the existence of ruthless
banana trust. Explanations were plenti-
full and various everywhere she went, but
the result was the same everywhere-no
red bananas ON sale in Washington.
Instead Of squelching the artior Of the
banana purchaser, as thess representa-
lions had always done with others, they
IutItiy duucu iucA W tuc Hdiut. lnt
dropped all other business and spent the
day touring Washington in search of red
bananas. She argued with storekeepers
with great eloquence to prove that the
red banana was infinitely superior to the
yellow. They generally admitted it, but
declared that no red bananas could be
secured for love or money.
"At last, as the day was declining, she
went into an obscure little shop and
found n lonely red buch. She instantly
bought it, at a high figure, and carried IL
back to the man who had smiled most
cynically at her energy, and had asserted
most positively that no such article could
be bought in Washington. He fairly
gasped with surprise, and asked her
where she had bought 1t. A little way
down the street., she answered, with
scorn Anybody can get red bananas in
Washington, provided he doesn't confine
himself to trading with you.'
Next day she stepped into the cynical
mans place, and there was magnificent
bunch of red bananas. She bought it
and went into another dealers shop and
exhibited 1t, with the same result. The
day following dealer No. 8 had red
bananas for sale. The other store
keepers speedily discovered the revival of
the red banana, noted the new attraction
in their rivals windows, and started in
to supply themselves.
"You know how such a boom will
spread concluded the native. "You
can buy red bananas anywhere In Wash
ington now. The storekeepers are doing
good business in them, and its IS all due
to one girl who wouldn't take No for an
answer"