Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-24


days. the buying public of Los An
geles yesterday made their last pur
| chases and then retired to their home
| to spend a quiet Sunday before tn
| excitement OF the Christmas morn
| ing.
There were more than a hundre,
thousand people on the downtown
streets yesterday afternoon and tn
way they hurried and chattered a
they spent their money would hav
caused miser to expire Of heart fail
| ure.
According to the reports of mer
chants of the city, about 100000 ha
changed hands during the past tel
days of the shopping and this ha
broken all previous records. A dis
patch from New York shows that tn
shoppers Of the great metropolis hav,
spent S6,000000 for Christmas and /
is to the credit of the little city of tn,
Angels that its people have showr
such a liberal disposition.
The shopping season began earlle'
than ever before and the hundreds u
visitors who are in the city did NOR,
than their share of the buying Pres
ents of all kinds, sizes and descrip
tlons have been bought and wrapped
up for distribution on Christmas morn.
ing.
0uOppClS SlOW
Clocks that won't run, fountain pens
that won't write and carpet sweepers
that won't sweep have been prominent
in the list. but what does it matter. il
Is q Christmas present and that's what
counts.
Even the newsboys began to do q
little financing and yesterday the
youngsters sold their papers with light
hearts, for each had a miniature stock
ing pinned to his lapel and nearly every
purchaser helped fill the stock
ing with a coin. Francis Murphy, the
evangelist, was prominent among the
kindly spirits who thought of the
newSies and many times during the
afternoon he stopped some youngster
and offered a donation. After the
work of the week the shoppers were
pretty well exhausted and were nearly
ready to quit yesterday.
With the exception of one or two
of the department stores, the retail
houses We're nearly deserted yesterday
afternoon while the crowds surged to
the candy and fruit counters to lay
in a store of sweets for the holiday.
Many a bad stomachache to come was
carried home by fond parents for their
little boys and girls, but they were
all happy over it and every one jostled
the other fellow and pretty, we'll
dressed girls stood side by side with
oily appearing Mexican women, and
all bought and bought until the last
dime remained in their pocketbooks
and those who had credit played it to
the limit.
Not for Her Sweetheart
If "Scroodge" had been there and
had exclaimed his historical, Bah,
what & ANYHOW IN would
have been promptly and numerically
ducked in the Los Angeles river if
enough of that stream could have been
collected in which to administer the
DOSE
Prominent among the shoppers at
the Broadway Department store yes
terday afternoon was a pretty young
woman, who walked from counter to
counter inspecting articles for men.
AS she walked she seemed pensive and
at last she stopped before one counter
and gazed long at a handsome shay
ing set, marked $5.33.
The young man behind the counter
stepped forward courteously and Of
fered to take the young woman's
money and give her the shaving stuff.
II am looking for something nice for
a Christmas present for a man." said
the girl demurely, and the clerk
PNoSSd Lol a. IIOllleuL anu IHen SdlQ.
'Er-may | ask how he stands
that is, if he" stammered the clerk.
and finally blurted out, rs he your
sweetheart"
girl.
The clerk, Strengthened and there was
the look on his face of one who has
solved great problem.
oh" he said, there are some nice
manicuring articles down at that other
counter for just 80 cents"
The clerk and the girl exchanged
glances of perfect understanding and
the brother-in-law's present cost 80
cents.
Cowboy Goes Shopping
In Mehesy's curio store about fifty
women were clamoring for a chance to
get rid of ther money yesterday after
noon when big. overgrown young
fellow, with lorid face and cow
boy hat stepped cautiously through
the crowd. He lowered head and
shoulders above the throng and he
stepped as though he feared he might
be walking on glass.
Slowly he wended his way to n
counter where a pretty girl with big
black eyes was selling moccasins.
Il want a pair of them things" said
manner to clump of Indian footgear
heaped at one end of the counter. The
girl picked out Il pair of No. 9's and
asked demurely If that was right.
The ranchman took the shoes and
held them in his hand for a long time,
turning them over and examining
them Finally his face flushed a furi-
Gus scarlet and, leaning over the
counter he queried from the startled
girl:
Say, will them things fit kid ten
months old?'
you see," he continued, "I got a
sister back in Moo York and she's got
baby wanted to buy the youngster
sumpthin, so 1 says to myself that a
pair of these things will be about
right but dinged if I can tell what size
they ought to be-"
Japanese Profit From Season
The girl produced a pair of No. .
baby moccasins and offered them to
the man. For a MON mt the ranch