The Washington herald., 1911-09-24


yet started. the good-looking fioorwalker
| joins the conference.
Say, you know Mary s.? She spent
her vacation on the farm. Since she's
been wearing a radiant smile and a dia-
mond ring. Now, we can't explain the
connection between the diamond ring and
the farm. The only way to find out is
to spend your vacation where Bessie
spent hers
Say. listen. this is a pretty good one"
said Name, reading out Of the weekly
two-page leaf1et gotten out at the farm
The kids will put our farm goats TO
shame. Where our goats are buffers and
high climbers, the kids are comical and
| high kickers."
Say. what do you think of this for
| high-brow stun?
! My girl works at
! I work at
She smokes rag weed.
| smoke cigars.
| She got awful mad on account Of that.
And went swimming with Baldy
! In the Potomac.
| II the bosses watch him
| With both eyes,
| He will take to the wood
| And again back ties
! He's a gay galute,
AS ever you have seen,
When he is bathing
With that mermaid in green.
Listen to this, me for the farm: Next
Sunday afternoon. just after dinner, the
third performance OF the Sl9S Kids,
Black-Face Minstrels, will take place in
the darcing pavilion
What do you know about this?
Miss -, formerly in charge of the
k,aV- nra-
ton and. we learn, has been married
and is not coming back. Is matrimony
prevailing as an epidemic in this corner
of the basement"
Say, this is the limit:
"A customer to whom complimentary
tickets had been given for a theater
show called up on Monday to know II
the would refund . cents on each
of them. as she did not get to use them.
The girls at the transfer desk are smil-
ing yet over the incident
Miss -. of the transfer desk,
was quite started Monday, when a nice
looking young man asked her If she had
lost a diamond ring. She said another
shock like that and they would be say
ing Don't she look natural
Approaching the shoppers, now rapidly
filling the store. we left the rest Of the
news to be distributed later.
Soon shopping was at high tide, and
people surged in, bringing on their faces
the countless worries of the multitudes
and on their tongues impatience and
irritabiIity Of the pulsing streets.
Distractions mistakes, reprimands, the
harsh features of a busy day. filled
the atmosphere, and personalities were
merged into one big human machine,
the purpose of which was to fill the pub
lie NAV with its needs.
Wrappers, perched high in their stalls,
forget the smiles and greetings Of
friends, forget they are girls at all, and,
with an absorbed, tense concentration,
empty the chute boxes, make change,
wrap tie, twist. and break, call the
number of the saleswoman, fling it to
her, only to grab another chute box
and repeat the performance, until the
little fingers are going rapidly. COM
pletely, increasingly, Of their own voli-
ton.
From the gallery the superintendent
overlooks the measured pulse Of countless
individuals, all moving with the intelIl-
genCe of a single motor.
Over the entire space of the first floor,
stretching two city blocks the electric
lights intensity the conglomerate color
ings and gHstenings of countless stalls,
in which are 1900 girls and women and
half as many men.
The odor Of perfumes and the sick
ening Whit of heated breath, the smell
of toilet soaps, the dust and scattered !
papers on the floor, the perspiring and |
dlsneveied determined army of shoppers |
on a hot day, the vail of a baby, the |
fretful reprimand of its mother all come |
up TO you and give you to understand |
the shop girls day.
Something for All. |
Over the almost limitIess area Of floor
space in this store stretch stalls for food, |
clothing, cloth, Jewelry, ornaments,
housekeeping utensils, furnishings, pic
lures, pianos. rugs, carpets, shoes, host
cry, handkerchiefs, gloves, bags. building
notions, and every other item
that can be desired.
And in each of these departments is |
the necessary human material to run IT, |
saleswomen, men, cooks walters, cash /
girls, bundle boys, floor-walkers, eleva-
tor boys, seamstresses, photographers |
and department heads.
From this general pRndemonium and /
seeming confusion attention is focused /
to individual stalls, where specialists are |
meeting their problems.
AS there came a lull in the insistent \
duties of the courteous and intelligently /
kind superintendent of these girls, he /
came and stood with me at the railing
Far down to the front Of the store he /
pointed out a slim blond girl with her
white throat exposed in a low-cut blouse. /
So cool and dependable she looked and |
so aI-sufficient a girl Of about twenty
three.
That's our house. detective" said the
superintendent.
Passing down the steps we elbowed /
through the store and watched the sure
ness and competency with which the
sales were made, the tactfulness with /
which the buffers and those who merely /
take UP time were disposed of.
We saw many a blum called.
heavy-featured man was talking to /
girl at the jewelry counter. His con-
versaton was low and confidential. Her