The Washington herald., 1912-06-21
THE INVASION OF
PEACOCK ALLEY
Flower Girls Descend Upon Con-
gress Hotel and Hold Up
Many Delegates.
SHOW GOOD sA1EsMAESHR

Chicago. June 2o.-Girlsl GIrlsl
Christ They sprang up in an entirely
new crop and held up the city from
end 10 end You have heard Of lucky
persons path being strewn with fiow-
era Wen. this was not precisely the
same thing. but It was an effort in that
direction at least
As early as o'clock in the morning,
an hour when most beautiful girls have
not yet given q morning nod 70 their
curling tongs, this vast army OF flower
bandits was up and doing-nominally
and oficiaIly. too. The outbreak was
said to be on behalf Of the Frances
willard Hospital. But, o charity, fair
charity, how many dates are made and
broken In thy nameI
At frst those persons who were
staying at the Sherman took this sud
den invasion as q sort of local out
break. Early rfsers were inclined TO
from downstairs in the cellar OF the
College Inn. that most exclusive OF
Chicago's ail-night food emporIums.
These buds" to the number OF q hun
dred or so. had perhaps dallied a little
later over their supper than usual and
were now on their way home, but how
to account for the flowers was more
dificult.
Flowers Everywhere.
As you started from the elevator to 70
to the dining-room and stopped for a
moment to buy q newspaper one girl held
you up with q fne young forest OF car
nations and another ieveled q bunch of
American Beauties at your head with all
their thorns ready 10 prick you II you
should fail TO buy one Of them. Then. as
A.,
girl bearing a bunch Of sweet peas would
bear down on you and insist upon nego-
tiating a sale at once.
Even into the very dining-rooms them
selves they carried their horal pieces. In
self-protection a man had TO buy and
thrust a flower into every buttonhole he
had in sight Delegates rushed through
their breakfast and hustled away to the
political grounds at the Congress Hotel.
and the comparatively unsolicitous So
c4ety Of that noble army OF lady denisons
who parade Peacock Alley, no matter
whatever else they may say or ask you
to either negotiate or buy, are as silent
on the flower question as the eedilla Is
in Taft. ..-.
. But It soon developed that instead Of
being a College Inn outbreak. this flower
girl fest was q city-wide epidemic. All
the way down Clark and Wabash and
Michigan Avenues the girls were encoun-
tered in droves OF hundreds The lady
sturdies who have occupied Peaeock Al
ley 50 sedulously this week resented the
invasion Of the younger set tremendously.
and no wonder for what chance had a
middle-aged woman. whose feet hurt her,
to discover a long-lost gray haired uncle,
or somebody elses younger son., out Of
the seething mass OF humanity when these
little snips OF flower girls were holding
up every man in sight.
Move on Coliseum.
But at a few minutes past noon both
the prudes and the parasites Of Peacock
Alley had their revenge. Having wrench
young men in sight about II o'clock q
little crowd began to move toward the
Coliseum.
Many Of the Southern delegates, with
all that politeneSs which Is the birthright
OF every Southerner, either real or pro-
fessional, explained that they could not
buy flowers because their coats were al
ready overloaded with badges and medals
that their garments could neither afford
the space nor stand the strain.
One young siren in Alice blue ap-
preached an old delegate who was limp
Ing heavily, and to his amsEement as
she held a bunch Of flowers up to him. !
she burst out into song. Every morn |
I bring thee violets," she carolled gayly |
and with her sweetest smile. Yes, my |
lear" said the delegate, with a gesture |
which would have done justice to St. |
brushing aside a regiment Of |
Suffragettes. but II you knew me better !
you'd have remembered that wear moth |
ng but cslla lilies before o'clock in the |