The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-18

keeper or just a mere ledger, with no
more territory than the proverbial hall
room," the interest is primarily the same !
There are delicacies for the millionaire.
such as sugar corn at 40 cents a dozen
ears; soft crabs at 81. so per dozen; frogs
at 50 a dozen and spring lamb (goaran-
teed to be this spring, at that, at almost
any price, and, in fact, everything that
grows south of Mason and Dixon's line,
and lot that doesn't, may be had from
the market man at this delectable sea-
son.
I said to Bettina few days ago: Lets
go a-marketing and see what people buy;
what do you say?"
IT suppose you are getting ready for
another Bettina and story-for you
never want to go anywhere nowadays
that you are not doing 6mething of the
kind" pertly answered my clever friend
well! Don't begrudge me your wit and
wisdom--and be a dear and come with
me for ahmarket day."
1t was well-nigh o'clock when we
started our little excursion and from
the busy appearance of the streets round
progressive and wide-awake women in
Birmingham, who went early to avoid
the rush, and had fairly accomplished
their days marketing before We had
reached the scene of action.
What on earth is the matter over
there?' exclaimed Bettina as she mo-
toned to a crowd of women surround
ing something. IT believe somebody has
been killed"
mot on your ife," promptly answered.
There's a perfectly good policeman
and they are never around when there
is any trouble"
"Of course not" chimed in Bettina,
craning her neck toward the throng in
the street until small boy shrieked out,
"Rubberi"
at see what it is-a man in a cart SELL
ing w-b-e-r-r-i-e-s! And l wish
you'd gaze at the women around himi 1t
looks like a center-rush at football game
on a Friday bargain sale at the Fire
Store. Let's get in it."
And SO saying, l dragged my unwill-
ing friend to the edge of the curb, where
we could view the mass of gyrating wom-
en- around the central whirlpool, from a
vantage point both desirable and conven-
lent
The strawberry vender sold box after
box Of the luscious, big, red berries, and
as each woman left intently gazing into
her box, I said to Bettina:
''Who would ever believe that little
thing like that could stir up such a COM
motion?'
tits just womans nature" pessimisti-
cally observed Bettina. And there will
never come a day that women will not
be bargain-hunters- to the things
they eat
| But just think now what they have
saved on their allowance" 1 said, "by
buying strawberries at bargain. Per-
haps inside they had to pay as much as
10 cents a piece for box and the street
vender is selling them at two for %
cents. There are five whole cents saved
on dessert for one meal-can you blame
them?"
mo- indeed" said Bettina. For then
I could buy peanuts, If it were I, with
the extra cents and you know how 1
love peanuts. l am like BERTHE the Lamb
in Stuart Robson's old play, The Hen
rietta.' You remember when he hadl
million dollars left him his friends asked
him what he was going to buy with his
money, and he said unhesitatingly, Pea
nuts 3" -
From the scene in the Street we turned
to the market stalls insdes and as we
stopped before a vegetable stand laden
down with every green and ripened thing
ground at this season of the year. Bet
tina exclaimed:
isn't this a study in still lifel How
L wish 1 had my water colors here! l
could do the prettiest sketch imaginablel
Look at the green of the lettuce, the
rich, warm red of the radishes; the yell
low Of the carrots and the purple-topped
turnips''
At which point she was interrupted by
the kind marketman himself, Nwho said:
Begin your pardin', Miss, but them
amt turnips-them's rutebagas."
"They certainly do look like turnips,"
said Bettina thus rudely interrupted in
her soliliquy.
1.-THE color's different, Miss" was the
quick response. "Turnips is white and
rutebagas is yellow"
"Well, if you'll just glance over there
you will see that what L was looking at
was a bunch of turnips-white with a
suggestion of purple at the top
"Oh, yes," said the good natured mar
ket man. Il thought we had sold 'em
ALL but I see we haven't-and you re
right 1 hope you won't be offended If
| L corrected you Miss-a lot of EN- is, you
know.
| "A lot of who?" | piped in.
| "Why, those as has never been a-mar-
| keting much before was the reply of
| the market man. when you tell 'em
| they've made mistake they don't appre-
ciate it. The public schools ought to have
| a course on how to select meats and veg
| etables Want some sparrow-grass?"
| says he, turning to a customer who had
| just entered
| And then such an ado! Hemming and
| having about the price
'Why, this time last year the aspara-
| gus was twice as large and much cheap
| err. never saw anything like the ad-
vance in prices Mercy! How are peo-
pie to live with everything increasing!
1 believe the tariff is responsible for all
this overcharging of vegetables, and
wish that the old Payne bill and every
thing connected with it was in Guinea"
"Yes'm," says the patient market man,
as he sees the customer handling first one