The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-10
BY EMILY HOLT.
convright, 1902, by Emily Holt.

..Tbere goes Mrs. Tommy Tophat,
doing a double-quick step on the side
NIX and waving her shopping bag
The overloaded and elusive trolley
80. % announced Mrs. John Matrimo-
,isl Bliss, as she polished lamp Chin
news by the muslin-veiled pantry win
dow IN treat you to ice cream
coda. Miss Emily, if that misguided
vourg woman isn't out extra early In
order to have the first pickings Of
Sales & Soakems Monday bargains"
81 don't quite see why you call her
misguided" answered. Miss Emily
Lonely. who had volunteered to stone
,ba raisins for John Bliss birthday
,alxa Seems to me she is very clever
and conscientious, and putting herself
"a mo end of trouble to save her hus-
hand all she can.
..Not that he appreciates it, though.
Yesterday she showed me a stunning
set of de luxe memoirs of Madame du
Rerri she had bought for next TO
rofhing-a dead give-away, Mr.. Top
flat called it, because, as he explained
IN the men at the dinner table, neither
ne HOT Il40 wiz - 40 ~
French"
Mrs. Bliss giggled softly.
"Oh. you always see the husbands
side. Flossie Bliss snapped Miss
Emily.
Miss Bliss gigg1ed again.
Don't be unjust, you dear thing"
she chirped. II was thinking of the
days when I had as bad a case of
bargainitis as Mrs. Topflat."
Some people say it is a modern
disease of the nerves, to which wom-
en- are peculiarly subject" replied
Mrs. Bliss, soberly, but i think it has
a germ. If it has, I can testify that 1t
is susceptible to culture, as the bacte-
biologists say, in almost any environ
ment where there are shops, and big
editions of Sunday newspapers, and
women with the price of two shoes
laces and a paper of hairpins in their
pockets. I know, besides, that it IS
contagious, and infectious, and mighty
hard to cure, because I've had it my
self in one of it's worst phases"
"Are you joking?" asked Miss Emily,
doubtngly.
Indeed, I am not. Ask Tommy Top
fiat if bargainitis is a joke, or get my
John to tell you if he saw anything
funny in those distressful months
when I seemed bent on trying to buy
the town at a reduction.
Now, for goodness sake, Miss Emil
ly, don't jump at the conclusion that
am one of the soulless and unnatural
females who prefers Materlinck to
matching samples, because 1 don't. I
am a bear, as John would say in the
retail dry goods market, whenever it is
a case Of hammering the prices down,
and I hope l know how to enjoy the
spending of my allowance. But there
is limit. and the limit is reached
when a woman gets into the way of
boiling an early breakfast and having
the maid to run the domestic end of
things while she hustles off to the
opening of an all-important sale 1t
may be a sale of tortoise shell combs
or teapots, or canary birds, or church
furniture, and there may not be the
least necessity or chance for purchas-
ing any one of these things, but that
in the way that bargainitis pursues
and effects its victims.
That is precisely the way the 9TH
erwise sane and soft-hearted wife of
Broker John Bliss used to snatch
meal and an excuse for getting down
into the shopping district. 1t is also
one of the reasons why many snug
little flats and suburban homes are
given up, and the boarding houses ana
apartment hotels receive the patronage
of married couples.
you simply can't have bargainitis
and comfort, too.
Il know it is sort of exhilarating to
knock about the shopping district of
morning. Whether you have $50 or
fifty cents to spend, it quickly becomes
pleasant habit to drop in and see
what's on at the remnant counters.
You can always listen to gay electric
piano concert in the basement, spend
an intellectual half hour in the art
gallery, and, as the bargainitis fiends