Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-20

a man with huge basket oHtin horns.
and those who have not supplied them
selves with that very necessary adjunct
to tie proper enjoyment of Christmas
eve may do so at little expense.
PET ping through the crowd like a ver-
liable kriSs kringle is a man from whose
hat and among whose beard hang strands
of glittering substance and whose coat
is sprinkled with the inffntesimal seq
ments of sparkling powdered snow. This
is the floss man. Would any one who
has bare green Christmas tree await
ing their homecoming dare leave the
downtown district without having first
patronized him
Closely akin in utility to the floss man
are the wreath vendors. Squatted along
the curbing they offer their wares for
sale-holly. wrea1hs. evergreen and crow
foot Usually negroes of octogenarian
appearance, they ply their annual trade
with vim and vengeance. For weeks
before the coming of the Christmas sea-
son these aged darkies, in cabin and
howell, have twisted and turned the ever
green's of the forest into the holiday
wreath, and outside of the tree itself
their product is one of the few which.
going to make UP happy Christmas
tide, is not product of factory or ma
chinery.
Center market and Market space. too.
are goals for the Christmas crowds. and
lighted with the fiaring, smoky coal oil
torches from the stands of the hucksters
and vendors is visited at least once dur
ing the evening by almost every one of
the great crowd Here il is that tine
pTocrastinating householder may pur-
chase his Christmas turkey and take ad-
vantage too. Of the reduction in prices
due to overstock and the latenesS of the
hour. and they pick their way through
the piles of evergreens, which send up
their aromatic odor to join in the aroma
of Christmas eve. in search OF bargains.
Christmas eve has become an institution
in Washington. Days before the 24th of
December parties Will. be planned. to- go
downtown Christmas eve" Schedules will
be made. and over the telephone Dimple
Delight will whisper that all of the girls
and boys are going. and that after they
have done the streets, supper Will follow
at a good restaurant. And it is pretty
safe bet that when dainty shrinking
creature is seen, with one hand stopping a
pink ear to keep out the bleat of the
horns and the clans of the bells and
the other keeping strange hold on the
arm of man who looks Just like" Jack
Dalton in the drama Discontinued at
the Altar" that she is his bestest bestest,
and that before the night is DER he will
leave in her hand present which is even
now bullying the pocket of his coat.
Christmas eve Is the strong night for
the working girl. With her neaT-ermine
stole collar and her almost mink muff she
sallies out with a crowd of her friends to
do the town. And she does. There is
nothing from ice cream to chocolates that
she doesn't annex, and window shop
ping is her favorite pastime. With her
best chum she will stand in front of a
gaudily lighted window where jewelry
and trihkets are displayed and the Two
will discuss the relative desira bilities of
everything in the show case.
Say, Myrtle, amt that hundred dollar
watch just grand? You know | was say
ing today in the store to the lady floor
walker that l wish l could give George
that's my Teller. handsome watch but
i don't know as l mind. l got him a per-
fectly swell stickpin Ummm. j did. A
gold monkey wrench with a pearl handle
He's chauffeur. v know. Amt that APP
propriate, but uh course, | don't wish
him any hard luck SOS he'd have TO use a
wrench
That's fine will come 1.-THE reply AN
you give 50 for it? That's what | call
dom well by man. Not like that stingy
Gladys. who got taken on for a week at
the ribbon counter next to me. She got
plain white tie fer her Teller. f was
sOin t give a man a tie I'd git someth
swell. red or green er somethin. Well,
come on. don't stand here all night: let =
20 and see what ketchum's got I'm his
window. And the two move on through
the crowds until the window display of
some other store attracts their vagrant
fancy.