The Washington herald., 1913-12-21
''Pocketbooks Inside Out"
Washington Shoppers Order
Girl With Plenty of Money, Girl With None, Equally
Eager for Bargains Spend Time and Energy
in Search of Suitable Gifts.

/ TO look on them when they are in all
their glory of candied and guaranteed
acheless paint.
Trivial? Certainly. but there are few
who would trade the season itself for
any other. The streets shine with re-
fiected lights that entice you to loosen
The very lights themselves wink wisely
and tell you, with terrible confidence that
makes you blush. that you are a Crouch
|, and a tightwad unless you mortgage your
automobile (or your watch. as the case
including the cook.
Walk, Talk, or Eat.
On all the streets it's just the same
They walk, and talk. and eat. and drink
and shop. Or they just walk and talk
and eat and drink, or walk and talk and
eat or walk and talk, or walk. All walk,
Nowhere In particular. many OF them-oI
us-except to satisfy the craving to join
the crowd, TO stop the gnawing Of the
Christmas spirit.
In spite OF the spirit, in spite OF the
gnawing Of the mighty hunger to join
the crowd, there is a change this year
There never was so much shopping ten
days before Christmas. There is to be
not SO much rushing in on Christmas eve
with the family presents. not the insane
fear that Sonny's rubber ball will roll
under the old family bedstead. or that
baby, precoclous little demon, will wan.
der into the hall closet.
It means that fifty weeks. instead OF
fifty-two. elapsed before the beginning
OF the last spurt for the finish. Nearly
two weeks ahead. the bulk OF shopping
was finished. Many stores are advertis-
ing: I'VE shall not keep open on any
evening before Christmas" The rest
would like to. Possibly, next year. they
may.
The Salvation Army soldiers and sol
diersttes have collected funds earlier
have a chance to do some Christmas
shopping themselves. with the result
that the homeless will eat turkeys a lit.
tie more carefully selected, cranberries
q little less shriveied.
And, speaking Of cranberries, they are
here. So are the holly berries. And the
mistletoe. F street has had opportunity
for several days to purchase from q
smiling country darkey sprigs OF that
osculatory herb mot a bad title for a
song, by the way).
Trees in Profusion.
From mistletoe it is a short step to
Christmas trees. Often, IL may be said
parenthetically. they grow in the same
woods. On Commission Row, in Louis
lana avenue, between Ninth and Elev-
enth streets. hundreds OF trees from
Maryland and Virginia, and even from
Maine and Vermont, have been stacked
ready for the visit of the superlatively
fortunate minority who have somebody
or somebodies for whom to buy this
final touch-as necessary to q successful
Christmas celebration as is q bow-wow
joke to a sausage sandwich.
This, though, is all general. 1t may
be seen, on streets OF different names. all
over the world. There is Just one thing
here that Is not to be seen In such pro-
portions elsewhere.
1t is cruel, pitiful. to drag the following
phase out of its peaceful tomb. but in
no other portion of the known world may
be seen so great q proportion Chat ends
the phrase) of "cliff dwellers"-not the
sort that live in apartment houses with
their families and need only confine them
selves to sample-size trees, but those who
plod into the second story front with q
sigh, or a laugh, or a well-chosen oath.
and wonder what they're doing back on
the farm, and wish they never had heard
OF the Civil Service Commission.
The tens of thousands who uphold this
part of the government have among
them thousands who haven't been home
to see the folks for several years, and
who may go home only to find that the
folks have moved, or died, or have grown
chin whiskers.
The anvil chorus during the year
strikes a high, piercing note to wall
about the joyous, carefree life Of the gov
ernment clerk, with his short hours and
big pay" to use the mail order descrip-
ton. But the cry dwindles and fades
into echoes at about this time.
When Christmas day dawns, these pets
Of the government will arise from dreams
Of pensions, walk groaning from their
humpy beds, stretch, and start to dress
for work. Then, remembering, they will
repeat the sigh, or the laugh. or the
Hell-chosen oath. They may not eat any