The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-04
THE TOXIN OF
 CHRISTMAS The Story of a Little Shop
 Girl
Her Struggle With Late Christmas
 Buyers That Might Easily Have Been Spared.

Been Spared.
 (Arthur B. Reeve, Exclusive Service
 THE SURVEY Press Bureau.1
 Whir1s of fine feathery flakes filled the crisp night which foretold the coming of a white Christmas on the morrow. The wheels of the delivery wagons scrunched along with that ringing sound that tells the tale of the emperature better than the ther- mometer itself.
 Under the flaming arc lights of the streets the snow glistened in the air and on the coats and hats of the gay, pushing throngs, laden with bundles. Everywhere. seemed to be joy, pros perity, good will-on the surface.
 Struggling into the big store a hu- man tide contended with another hu- man tide struggling to escape. With in the store, aisles were crowded, a vista of faces and furs far the eye could reach. The counters ov- erhowed with goods waiting to be bought and sent their mission of love. And yet there was no peace and good will here. It was struggle and chaos and ill huTnor and stihing air, an inferno of exhaustion, from which the human tide that surged out of the doors was glad to escape
 One huge counter was laden with paper Christmas bells, garlands and wreaths. There were bells in the brightest of red, in the brightest of green, bells in red and green togeth- CT. bells of enormous size that could be folded up and showed into an over coat pocket, little bells that could be strung along dancing merrily on cord, bells that betokened the mes sage of peace on earth-and tonight a riot at the counter to get something that had been put off until the last minute.
 Behind the long counter half Q dog en girls, first floor sales girls" were busy, selling, answering questions, handing back. change, crying out now and then shril1y, check" trying hard to be courteous, now and then spt1r- red on by the watchful hoorwalker, who with piercing eye seemed to see even half a moments pause in the rush to sell. The, time schedule of these girls had not been heightened by night work but in this store by a reduction of the lunch and supper periods. It was the glad season when even the law does not protect-the 18th to the 24th of December.
 Tessie's fingers were numb< In the mad rush she had cut them here and there on the sharp edges of the pap CT. painful cuts that smarted with a pain only deadened by her exhaustion. Her feet were swollen with long hours of standing. She knew nothing about the toxin of fatigue about which the doc tors and social workers study and write. But she could have told them from her own experience of the sub tie poison that fatigue was injecting into the glad Christmas season for her.
 There was no pause for the little girl with the dreamy face, sensftv we mouth. and delfcate blue-veined hands.
 t.Yes, ma'am. five cents for that size These are two for five. No. we're all out of the largest size. The ten cent size? How many, please? Five? Fifty cents. Your change? Just a moment. No, the holly boxes, cord and ribbons are at the next counter. Postal cards across the aisle. Half dozen bells? Thirty centg, plea seq
 All the worldIiness of rich New tropolis was passing in ka1eido- scopic crowd before the eyes of Tes- sic but she was too tired to care much about anything, too tired even to watch the clock on the gallery at the end of the aisle.
 Hello Tess
 It was Magic, who had worked with Tessie last year at the handkerchief counter but had been laid off in the slack season during the summer.
 Tessie had not seen her since then. She remembered Mazie asv a plump faced girl who had lost a good deal of her freshness in the store but none of her wi1fulness. Was this the same Magic? True, there was color now on her cheeks, but it was not the color of the crisp night air. Her black eyes sparkled, but there was a look of boldness in them that grated on the sensitive nature of Tessie. Yet there was no denying that Mazie was pretty Even her cheap fur coat and rakish hat did not wholly spoil it.
 Hello Tess. They told me that you were at this counter I thought I'd stop and see you. I came in to get some Christmas cards. always send little cards to the feIlers who are so good to me, on holidays. It jo1lies 'em along, and I'm careful not to send 'em anywhere it'll cause trouble
 She laughed, the laugh of girl of the world But it sent a shudder through Tessie. Still, the coat was fur and the hat was rakish.
 .tYes, got lots of fellers. nice fel- lers," added Mazie, We go to dances and balls and suppers and-oh. I'm having a grand time. got swell date tonight"
 Mazie was talking at Tessie but not to her. Tessie noticed it and follow ed her rowing eye.
 Over by the picture post cards was a well-dressed young fellow with face that showed a Knowledge of the world somewhat beyond his years Tired as she was. Tessie saw that the young fellow had caught Mazie's eye.
 A querulous cusutomer interrupted. She wanted to see some garlands and wreaths but Tessie, absorbed in watch ing Magic, had not heard her.
 In an un1ucky instant the hoorwaIk- CT called out, Here, no gossippir1g, now. Wait on this lady,
 The harshness of the foorwalker brought a flush to Tessie's pale cheeks as she mechanically showed how to fold and unfold the long gar lands Again ard again she had to