The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-12-20


v \QO nature we prom
~ ised to do the
family shopping. Among the thou
sand and one commissions handed
over in immediate response to the
thoughtless good-nature was the or
der for purchase of "The Fools
Calendar" We set forth, a list
three-timesforty long in our groan-
ing. much-abused handbag, and
entered the first shop come upon
I'm our circumstances feeling that
we, like the rest of the Jodle
fitted in pretty we'll with the title OF
that calendar Down the aisle came
a rattled-looking, hair-disturbed' gen
orally disturbed gentleman whose
provfnce seen ed the directing OF fren-
yied fanciers to the respective de-
partments of their fancy but the
Christmas spirit so possessed him he
was not quite himself, not able 10
Mace his "Madames" and "Sirs. AS
Ihort-skirted, rose-wreathed hated, we
gteered his way, he glanced with
Vrinkled brow and questioning worry
to what might be our demand. DO
In heat of hurry, to which he replied
glibly, Yes, Sir" and never 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-chr~'!icler
TOR every taste And then feeling very
/ like fool ourselves, we asked in
low voice, Have you The Fools Cal
4 pndar%" mo" says he, But" and
CLEAN Of keen intellect lights his
eve Eve have Saints and Sinners.
we wanted to Shrek with laughter,
We forgot an the hurry and not-money-
enough or time-enough. 1t paid for
all the crowdfng and mobbing and
back-ache and heart-ache Of the day.
Funny enough was the woman en-
rountered in mid-afternoon entering
the much-advertised, much-crowded
bOok.ro0m of department store in
haste to get at the fOrty-eight centers
and thirty-niners; she was high and
broad and muscular, an Amazon that
need not have put on extra effort to
Christina the modern-was strong
upon he. ard as we passed her on
the way out into blessed out-of-doors,
even in our hurry we could not but
notice Nr villa look her painting
breath, ner elbows out on defensive
and offensive the way in which she
marched on, unswervingly, unrelent'
fngly like an avalanche, toward the
bargain books.
Overheard at the book counter:
SDont you think a nice little book
like this Is a good present to g1ve?"
"a little book? What is the manner
"Why / don't know, but it's 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 one brow-beating a paletacet
girl afflicted with a cold and, wearing
a too-much Christmas air: Cant you
get me envelopes to put those calen
dars n?"-dimensions of calendars II
nv "a inches-"It's so hard when yol
get home to hunt around and pacl
things. I wouldn't have bought thu
calendars if | hadn't thought yol
would pack 'em. Say, take that nev
one out of that nice box, hang it III
and give me the box. Not allowed to
What's the diff, they'll never know,
=. And the pale-faced clerk bends to tn
Amazon's will.
A large, canny, prosperous gentle
-1Ir e%n select
ing and considering purchase of 2
cents worth of Kindergarten mixed.
Brave, foolish, big-hearted sho
girls many spending their presen
ali. and drawing on the future,
make a Christmas for the army g
home
we do generous deed, one ths
calls for large sacrifice. We hav
zone down town all saddled, a
bridled. for the days work. three net
long pencils neatly sharpened to Ion
points, when we become one of me
assailing the enclosure where blan
books, tissue-paper, holly-stickers ar
All that are confirmed firm the greco
hands of thousands hungry to g
their share for the urgent necessit
of doing up gifts with approved orna
completely. The clerks here all pa
and grippe-y looking; one, so wee ar
pallid, has momentarily lost her re
son because Of the loss of her penc
IA line of people wait with feveris
tmpatience, scowls deepen, muttert
growls are heard, the wee, pallid g
grows more pallid and grippe-y loo
ing. with mighty effort Of the wi