The Saint Paul globe., 1902-12-04
BARGAIN BUYING JOYS
DELIRIoUS TIMES HAD BY
WOMAN WHO SHOPS
Scenes at Counter During Special
Sale-Women Mix and Don't Wait
to Be lntroduced-The Enslishman
Who Came to Wed.

The man who said that women loved
a bargain came very near telling the
truth. Whoever believes it would have
had his belief strengthened if he had
been at one of the downtown shops
the other morning when a silk sale
had been advertised to begin at $50
sharp. By 8 o'clock crowd of per-
haps fifty women constantly being
augmented, was standing about bare
table where at the hour mentioned the
silks were to be piled. There were all
kinds of women there, rich and poor,
stout and thin, women who could touch
the floor with their hands and other
there who would break several bones
should they have attempted it,
They all had an eager, intense gaze;
there was no conversation, but a death
like silence pervaded the crowd some
thing like there is at funeral that
is late. No woman would move an
inch lest she lose her place and new
corners patiently took their stand on
the outer rim of the crowd and watch
ed, BY the time the hour arrived the
aisle was impossible, so packed was it
with shoppers. Presently two men
clerks appeared laden down with
pieces of silk; they crowded their way
through the women and threw them
on the table whereupon every woman
made a wild grab and got an end of a
pull. The hitherto silent crowd was
now exceedingly active and newcomers
who tried to push their way through
at this stage of the game were in i'm
minent danger of having their clothes
torn Off
No introductions were necessary,
every one talked to every one else and
each asked her neighbor if she thought
this piece was as pretty as that piece.
One woman would pull out a piece and
find it was only yard and half,
while anothe-' woman would find her
self attached to a piece that would
reach to Seven corners.
They were buying Christmas presents
and the remarks one heard were some
what like this:
How do you think mother would
look in this ?"
Mamie can't wear pink
mo, don't buy that it's too green"
I'm getting this for Maud"
yes, that will do for Jessie"
But it was a good natured crowd
and it had a very good time.
The only thing about that sale is
that every one of those pieces of silk
has been handled by hundreds of
women, and when after Christmas one
meets Mamie" with a pink waist with
blue flowers on it, about fifty other
women will cast a reminiscent eye
upon II anu NO11utI NilStS oilC saw
that before But there is much joy in
a bargain sale to the feminine heart.
There is a story that has just leaked
out about a widow of st. Paul, or one
should say, a widow that was. Some
time ago she met titled Englishman
e who was over here travelling with 81
party of friends and he was much
snitten with the widow whom he
chanced to meet. He did not confide
his love, but let concealment like a
something or other prey upon dam
aged" check, and continued on his way
round the world reaching England
again before he realized that he was in
love- When he confided at last in an
American friend that he had made up
his mind that he was in love with the
widow, the American laughed him to
scorn and told him the first thing to
do in q case of that kind was to tell
the widow. That had not occurred to
him. His friend told him to lose no
time in crossing again and finding
the widow, and it might be that she
was similarly impressed.
Considering that an excellent and
highly original idea our Englishman
cook boat and train and several other
things until he reached st. Paul Rea-
lizing that no time was to be lost when
he arrived at the station here, he sent
his luggage, don't you know, right TO
a hotel, don't you know, and hurried
into a cab and had himself driven
straight to the widows residence. AS
he approached-it was evening-he
heard the sounds of reve1ry by night,
ana saw carriages galore standing out
side, a canopy to the door, and all the
windows blazing with light. She must
be giving ball, he opined, and think
ing that in his travelling clothes, don't
you know, he ought not to present
himself, he asked the driver of near
by coach what was going on. He in
formed the stricken Englishman that