The Falls City tribune., 1910-12-16

w nature we prom
ised to do the
family shopping. Among the thou
sand and one commissions handed
over Il immediate response to the
thoughtless g%ood-nature was the or
der for purchase of THE Fools
Calendar" We set forth. a list
three-times-forty long In our groan-
ing, much-abused handbag, and
entered the first shop come upon,
in our sub-consciousness feeling that
we. like the rest of the jostlers.
fitted In pretty well with the title of
that calendar. Down the aisle came
a rat~tled-looking, hair-disturbed, gen
orally disturbed gentleman whose
province seemed the directing of fren-
xied fanciers to the respective de-
partments of their fancy. but the
Christmas spirit 80 possessed him he
was not quite himself. not able to
place his "Madames" and "Sirs." As
short-skirted, ro~se-wreathed hated, we
steered his way, he glanced with
wrinkled brow and questioning worry
to what might be our demand. ID
you cell calendars here?" We asked
in heat OF hurry, TO which he replied
glibly, Yes, Sir" and v knew
he was not using the usual form of
address to a woman He led us then
with rapid step to the calendar
square. where spread out and uprose
floor, roof and pillars of calendars,
II would seem every time-chronicler
for every taste. And then feeling very
like a fool ourselves. we asked In a
low voice, Have you The Fools Cal
endar?'" mo" says he. But" and
n CLEAN of keen intellect lights his
eye. We have Saints and Sinners"
We wanted to shrek with laughter,
we forgot all the hurry and ~not-money-
enough or time-enough. 1t paid for
all the crowding and mobbing and
back-ache and heart-ache of the day.
Funny enough was the woman en-.
countered in mid-afternoon entering
the much-advertised. m~uch-crowded
book.room of n department store In
haste to get at the forty-eight eenters
and ~thirty-niners; she was high and
broad and muscular. an Amazon that
httu nnl nave Dli VI tAlia CIVIL W
make her way-but the spirit of
Christmas-the modern-was strong
upon her,-and as we passed her on
the way out into blessed out-of-doors,
even In our hurry We could not but
notice her wild look. her painting
breath. her elbows out on defensive
and offensive the way in which she
marched on, u~nswervingly, unrelent.
ingly, like an avalanche, toward the
bargain books.
Overheard at the book counter;
"Don't o think a nice little book
like this Is a good present to give?"
"A little book? What is the Nance"
"Why ! don't know, but it's a nice
little book in clean white binding.
believe I'll get a dozen. A dozen,
please, and see that they're all fresh"
The calendar square again. Won.
en- madly struggling; another Amazon.
this n brow-beating a pale-faced
girl afflicted with a cold and, wearing
a too-much Christmas air: Cant you
get me envelopes TO put those calen-
dars in?"-dimensions of calendars Is
by "a inches-"It's so hard when you
get home to hunt around and pack
things. | wouldn't have bought the
calendars If | hadn't thought you
would pack EN-. Say, take that new
one out of hat nice box, hang 1t up
and give me the box. Not allowed to?
What's the diff, they'll never know"
And the pale-faced clerk bends to the
Amazon's will.
A large, canny. prosperous gentle
man at a candy store, carefully select
ing and considering purchase of %
cents worth of kindergarten mixed.
Brave, foolish, b~ig-hearted shop
girls many spending their present
all, and drawing on the future. to
make a Christmas for the army at
home.
We do a generous deed, one that
calls for large sacrifice. We have
gone down town all saddled. all
bridled, for the days work. three neat
long pencils neatly ~sharpened to long
points. when we become n of a mob
assailing the enclosure where blank
books, tissue-paper, holly-stickers and
all that are confirmed firm the greedy
hands of thousands hungry to get
their share for the urgent necessity
of doing up gifts with approved ornate
complexity. The clerks here all pale
and grippe-y looking; one. so wee and
pallid, has momentarily lost her rea-
son because of the loss of her pencil.
"A line Of people wait with feverish
dmpatience. scowls deepen, muttered
igrowls are heard. the wee, pallid girl
grows more pallid and %grippe-y look
ing. With mighty effort of the will.