The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-08
TIDE
ON BROAD. STREET
Preliminary Rush and Decorations
Under Way. :
THE SHOPPING HAS BEGUN.
Yesterdays Scenes Along This Thoroughfare
..Ausuc Well for the Sho9keepers When g.
the Real Rush Comes-The News -
boy aud the Candy Shop.

Christmas is more than two weeks off,
but already mamma is picking out Christ
mas presents for papa to pay for; little
Willie is gluing his eyes to gorgeously-
arrayed shop windows, and poor man is
wondering how he is going to do 1t and
keep a roof over his head. Little Willie
only wants a, bicycle and a pony and
fire engine and a bag Of. COOLERS and
some fire crackers and an overcoat, so
he tells papa, and poor man sneaks or
in a quiet corner and reads the report
Of the Constitutional Convention.
Already the tide of Christmas trade has
set in at the retail stores along Broad
Street. Bedecked windows, the first
symptom Of Christmas. are being IN
yelled daily, and the rush of business in
all quarters is compelling the storekeep-
ers to seek help. From noon until mid
night last night Broad Street possessed
much Of the hurry and scurry of holiday
times, limiting vaguely OF what. is COM
ing. Holly is creeping into Sight in the
decorations. and by the end OF next week
Juvenile eyes will be gla6dened by the
sight of papier mache Santa Claus in all
his glory, with a horde of goodies in his
inexhauStible sack.
THE SCENE YESTERDAY
The crisp air of yesterday and the hur-
rying crowds, eager-faced children want
ing this and that and the other. lovely
woman having all she could do to drag
refractory little ones along, and that
only on the promise of:what Santa Claus
would do. when the Yuletide arrives-al
combined to mako it all look like the
merry day of the fire cracker.
From Murphy's Hotel to Adams Street
the crowd swayed and eloowed cheer-
fully, already replying to divers little
letters wh:cl: have been sent to. Santa
Claus incidentally woman was inspect
ing seal-skin sacques and diamond
brooches and those things which really
make a man wonder what makes coal
so high. Man meanwhile is guessing
just how much he will have to pay for
that gorgeous present which mamma is
going to give him, and in guessing .nere
is worry.
In the stores there is babble With
the work Of decoration which is going
steadily <:aead. with the rushing hither
and thitner3 of clerks and employees. with
the Scor-walker wearing inches off his
legs through continued walking, with a
hustle everywhere. the seen is. on to
be looked at. The bargain hunter.
strictly speaking. has little chance in this
is too busy to bargain: that r markable
desire which runs rampant about Christ
mas time to buy everything in sight a.lt;
give it to someb6v is too pronounced.
RUSH WILL INCREASE.
And as the days so the rush will stead
lily inc ease until tho coming Of Chr ST
mas proper. Then there viii be grad
ual decrease until New Years. when the
usual slump will come and everybody
. will be walking over town trying to
swap some Of the things he doesn't neeG
for something he can't get And there
is. markedly this year. a prosperous look
about it al that augurs well for Tie snop-
keeper. Richmond as a city OF. wo-.ins
people is possibly never shown so well
as on Saturday afternoon and nights
preceding the holidays. In the afternoon
it IS a bridge of carriages and milady
in all her Silks. at night it is the man
who earns his money with his hands
and his modest little wife e hS side
telling him. what I. he doesn: wan t. 81
Last night there stood before win.
dow at a shop in Broad Street neWshoy