Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-21
Busy Season for Aids
CONTINUED from Fifth Page.l

bucketful, but by the carload of bucketsful.
II every oyster had its pearl, pearls would
be, at this season, cheaper than glass
beads or resolutions Of respect.
To the freight companies, Christmas
doesn't mean so much-at least not just
at ChEstmas time. Indeed, there is a posi-
tive slump in business during the holidays.
They have done their part earlier in the
season, when stocks were replenished in
the stores and shops. Few presents are
sent by freight. Gift-giving Is supposed to
be confined to a single, particular day, and
the man who has ever tried freighting
knows hat single, particular days are not
to be relied upon in that business. He
knows that December % is apt to find the
gift he started December 20 lying cold and
undisturbed on the floor of a box car side,
tracked at Sallie's Siding, twenty miles
from anywhere and ten miles from a tele.
graph station. Christmas presents sent by
cXpress average in weight from three to
five pounds, so that the charges are not so
heavy as to seem to Justify any expert
menting with the freighters. Frequently
birds, cats and dogs are sent as gifts. BY
freight they might be fossils before they
reached their destinations and the recipi'
ents.
But most of all it is the messenger com
pany that profits by the Christmas boom.
The day prior to last Christmas the thirty
five boys employed by one company an
swered $500 calls. This is not an IN
1t is the record on the company's books
and the busy young woman in the sweater
can show the entry in the bank book as
further proof. The calls were all answered
between 8 o'clock one morning and 2 o'clock
the morning following. All the money paid
for the service is not shown on the bank
book, however, as it was a memorable day
for tipping. The boys were tipped until
they literally bent over with the weight
Of their wealth. In the office the night be-
fore had been stored hundreds and hundreds
of bundles which had been left there to be
delivered at certain designated hours.
Those to go at l o'clock were in one pile;
those to go at 2 o'clock in another, and so
on. Any left over from l o'clock and z
o'clock we're delivered together at 3 o'clock,
after the fashion of the man in the Vaude-
willie Joke who was out of remedy No. 3
and so took Nos. 4 and 3. Every messenger
boy knew the plan because he knew the
Joke. Indeed he would be a very slow mes
senger boy IL he didn't know that joke, be-
cause it's older than his father. But every
thing goes at Christmas time! Especially
Jokes. And money! Money goes easier
then than at any other time, and the mes
senger boy knows that better than anybody.
He knows, too, that wherever he goes he
Will be received more kindly than ordl-
narily. 1t is a noteworthy fact that people
who growl and grumble at the lad ordinarily
have nothing but pleasant words for him at
Christmas time-especially when he is com
ing to them with a package instead Of going
from them with one.
The boys have strange burdens at such
times. Last year the wheeling was good
and they could carry almost anything. And
that's what they did carry. Boxes OF candy
were more numerous than all the other
things combined, but among the other
things were plenty of boxes OF howers'
plenty OF sleds, plenty of dolls, plenty OF
chinaware and even such things as baoy
buggies 1.-TWO of them sent to bachelors by
an alleged joker, gas stoves, a pair Oh Bel
gian hares, a suit of clothes and a corset.
The boys knew IT was a corset because one
OF them accidentally stepped on the box
and the woman cashier screamed. A
woman has Just three kinds of screams,
One she uses when she is kissed without
warning, one when she sees a mouse with
a warning, and one when a corset box is
crushed. The average messenger boy early
learns to detect between the three and at
Christmas time he gets to hear all three
kinds with rather more than ordinary fire.
Quency.
The transfer wagons carry what the boys
cannot and their deliveries mount high into
the tons for a single day. Usually they
have to help the delivery crews of the big
stores, as these delivery crews working
early and late are still unable to keep VI
with the demands of the time. 1t isn't In
human power and horse strength to do so
But to tell all hat is hauled would be t.
give an invoice OF a department store-ant
the invoice of an Omaha department stor,
is much too long to print.