New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-29
THE PUSHCART WOMEN.
HER CHARACTERISTIC LIFE IN GHETTO
PRETTY DAUGHTERS OF
HUCKSTERS.

There is nothing the matter with the herrings
themselves yet they do not carry conviction. The
trouble lies with the yellow. soupy liquor in which
they weller and the fierce. almost bloodthrsty. ez
rression Of the bewigsed saleswornan. In the push
cart next beyond stands just such another key
filed with similar herrings but the woman OF that
pushcart is mild to look upon, with riot OF curly
drab hair and e fetching smile These be trffes.
Vet even Eester-st.. among the pushcart people
Of the Ghetto. they bear money value
The next pushcart Is laden with fresh fish. and
the langushng eyed damsel who is even now ar
ranging her stock in slippery, symmetrical pat
tern is evidently the daughter Of the old woman,
beEigged and bent. who helped her wheel her cart
into position by the curb. Next to her a lad is
lingering the hammers and screwdrivers OF a hard
ware dealer. He has asked the price Of every box
Of acks every corkscrew and pair of scissors on the
cart and now he is trying TO decide between the
ten cent knife with blades and brown wood
handle and the tgelve-center with two blades and
trimmings OF nickel. It is hard work On the
next infinite variety OF bread. rolls cake
and cookies is set forth. Queer-very Queer-sonle
Of them decidedly are; that dark brown bread. for
instance baked in loaf the size and shape of a
prize Hubbard squash. 1t sells at two pounds for
five cents; one cent buys an enormous hunk To
Gentle taste II seems little salt, but otherwise
sweet and wholesome. big box overhows with
rcund biscuits ike the veIvety white nchens
brrh trees. and there twisted and slashed and
snged loaves galore. and gingerbread to burn.
Next. a cart 8estooned with Hamburg edgings;
then one devoted TO pickles-diH pickles. picked
Russian mushrooms and picked fish. The Jew
sbhors the acutely green pickle Of the factory.
but INDUCES early often in the pale, corpulent
cucumber. The biggest picked cucumbeTs would
XII baby # they hit him in the right place
THAT BLUE AND WHITE WRAPPER
Two women are suuabblng excitedly over
calico wrapper at the next cart 1t is a hashy.
slimpsy thing but the wrapper merchant asks ~
cents for II Both women want the garment, put
neither Will pay the price It is the only one OF
It's kind left The dealer is paving over his STOCK
OF maroon. scarlet. navy blue. nile green, brown
black and white. striped. checked. dotted. figured.
yoked. bloused plain founced. trimmed and I'M
trimmed wrappers in vain search Tor another
Abraham! Abraham he mutters. sadly. IVY
oio not puy more of Dat plre ano vite?" In re-
Spouse their intimation that he might reduce
the price VEIL he says. Il viz make grand re-
ougtion-vivty-vive cent! Dere. dake ia
They hesitate.
VeIP'-in tone of desperation-"dake i'd for
Fivty-do cent Vat you want do-tsarcastically)
give i'd ayayg"
The elaboration of the women drives him into
q frenzy. ''Sellt'' he bawls at last In mingled
anguish and evaporation 'Dake id-you rob me
cake i'd at WITTY I bay more. but dake i'd
WITTY cent?
But the women have changed their minds.
Neither wants IL now. AS they saunter away In
opposite directions. the wrapper man rearranges
MS stock. swearing III Yiddsh.
sweeping away TO the horizon down the narrow
canyon % street is a double Of pushcarts-
As lar as one can see there are pushcarts. push
carts. Past them flows never ending river Of
people-and such a noisy river! Every man, woman
ana child in IL is talking laughing, shouting or
swearing, Out in the middle Of the street drivers
sen 70 t1elF horses as they manGuVre their way
sslnong pushcarts and pedestrians. Each pushcart
&c ne centre Of a running fire of decker. chaf or
ssSafIel And then there all the people In the
10y aoorWays and on the Stops who are looking
-; flrtng, nursing babies. spanking children.
LINKING soda, eating watermelon gossiping,
-, performing Ia public most of the "aried and
-atlltocnoas Offices of daily living, and each
hhl1utins MS or her quota Of racket to the hurly
L OF this is market night special time for shop
f-Is n the Ghetto, and the Ghetto has empted it's
,lsn population into its streets; and there
ss1..ss Jews IN the Ghetto there Peers
sAnng the British.
MYSTERY OF THE FRUIT.
'one~of the prettiest girls in the Jewish quarter
- ne daughters Of pushcart pediers and they
N efcW up into pusheart hucksters themselves
posneart is simply peripatetic shop. the
Nofaan who pushes the pushcart only a peri
nsssuc merchant He-or she-is a petty trades
u.s.. %Ao sells his goods from cart In the open
SER. OF over counter ia shop. They the
fae.e-s oT hiTelings Of no man, but independent
tbs t.is N the commerce Of the city,
usrna isusaeart fraternity is exceedingly huet-
mar sac unstable quantity. Nobody knows how
Tor 1nsle are IA it Or. Rlaustein. of the Educa-
- 7iiiaslee, has. computed their numDer. but