The suburban citizen., 1902-06-14
IN THE MARKET.
A Good Place in which to study Fenln-
inc Character.

Good Place In Which to study Femin-
inc Character.
If any young man should ever be dis
passionate enough to wish to test his
betrothed's characteristics, housewife
ly and otherwise, let him observe her,
'unobserved, when she goes to market.
There are a great many type OF mar
keters. and most Of them are far from
being admirable.
There is the elegant lady lin her own
cstimation), who dresses for market as
regally as she would for an evening
function, almost. She Is attired in rich
silk. ard carries her train negligently
in one hand, allowing part of 1t to
sweep over the far from immaculate
floor. She is decorated with wonder
full Persian embroiderles and hand
some lace; her hat is nothing less than
marvellous, good 'chatelaine swings
from her waist, and her diamonds and
opals shame the sun. She saunters
carelessly past the stalls, disdaining
to ask the price of anything, and pay
ing at a high rate for all her purchases.
Therefore she commands abject re-
spect but the glances which follow
her are more curious than approving.
She offends against the eternal fitness
of things
There is the otherwise sensible wom-
an who falls victim to vanity in the
wearing Of her one diamond ring. She
always considers a good deal about her
purchases, and in the process Of con-
sideration-as everyone knows-it Is
such help to lean the cheek against
the right hand, and to pass it across
ones eyebrows. The friendllest OBJ
server must admit weak vanity in this
type
Then there Is the strong minded
woman-she who wears common-sense
shoes and otherwise defles the aesthet-
ic She holds that dressing up for
market is all nonsense, and goes to the
other extreme of making herself
fright. She also brings forth a set Of
manners considered by her appropriate
to the occasion. Thus, she regards 1t
as no impoliteness to doubt the asser-
tlons of stall-keepers as to the fresh
ness of eggs and the tenderness Of
meat, dispensing with all formalitles
OF "if you please" and "thank you"
She ranks among the extremists, and
is severely criticised by those from
whom she buys.
Then there Is the economical market
er, with her whole soul bent on saving,
steeled with desperate resolve to pos
sess herself Of every half-cent which
may hang in the balance. She wants
to know the price of everything and
then disputes about it, driving hard
bargains. She finds fault with the
measure given her, pointing out where
one or two more potatoes or apples
could be piled on half-peck. She is
| detested by the stall-keepers.
Next, and perhaps most objection
| able, is the woman who must handle
everything she buys or doesn't buy.
She turns over meat with hands that
are rarely of the cleanest, strips corn,
fingers tomatoes, and picks up slices
Of cheese. She is a horror.
Last, and most contemplate, Is the
marketer who steals She regards 1t
as Indispensable to taste everything,
and does it by fair means or foul. She
reaches out forehnger and secures
fragment of butter, a shred of cheese;
she abstracts, absently, as it were,
small punches of grapes, peaches,
scraps of dried beef; she has even been
known to bite into a pear, make face
at it's tartness and replace it on the
stand with absolute sang frod
Language fails for her description.
She is detestable.
Rare, indeed, is it to find the happy
medium among marketers; she who
dresses modestly and senslbly, com
! porting herself with consideration for
others, polite, discriminating in her
purchases, but not mlserly. When she
is found, you may rely upon her all.
around worth. Character is revealed
! in marketing. Philadelphia Record.