The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1916-06-16
= HERE are two great public mar
kets In Kingston, Jamaica,
where the natives sell fruit and

htlS III hiHBSlOH, JdudlCd
where the natives sell fruit an,
vegetables and all sorts of loca
commodities for little more than
song. These are Victoria Market, by
tho harbor at the foot of King street
where war vessels and GOLFERS sail in
to port across the blue waters of the
Caribbean almost daily, and Jubilee
Market, further uptown, and fronting
the public square where are the great
banyan trees and all manner of tropi
cal plants.
The daily supplies are brought to
market by the natives in large fat
baskets borne on their heads or in
Danniers on the backs of the small
burros that are the burden bearers OF
the island, says a writer in the New
York Sun. These little beasts, hardly
larger than big dogs, are led or driven,
their overs generally walking beside
them.
In the open spaces of the market
woman vendors take up their positions
for the day on the bare ground or per-
haps seated on low boxes, with their
slender stock in trade spread out in
little heaps about them. These consist
of few yams. or bread fruit. or nase-
berries, OF whatever they may chance
to have, and upon which they make
during the long sunny days only few
pennies profit. They pay about
shilling and sixpence per week as
license for the srace that they and
their wares occupy and clear scarcely
enough to supply even their simplest
necessities. Yet for the most part they
are cheerful and happy, and the soft,
continuous patter of their voices as
they gossip and trade all day suggests
the name of the tree, "Women's
Tongues" whose dry pods rustic to-
gether so unsteady in the country
lanes.
1t does one good at any time to make
the tour OF the market. walking among
the women with their strange fruits
and vegetables. and buying a penny's
worth here and a ha'penny's worth
there for the sheer delight of it all.
BUY a ripe banana" they will call
out mollifluouslv. or "Buy a SWEET
,range!" or "Ha'nenny! Ha'penny!
Ruy cake," And looking down into
heir engaging brown faces one de-
Iires forthwith to buy everything.
A quartee. or "penny-'a' penny as
hey say quickly with soft elision. is a
avorite coin among the small denom-
nations; 1t is a quarter OF sixpence,
md for this price one can huy three
" four oranges. or perhaps twice as
many bananas. A stranger rarely ever
ares to pay more than this for star
pples or naseberries, which REQUIRE
N educated taste for enjoyment: but
'awpaws. resembling our cantaloupes,
nd cho-chos, similar to our white
quash. are delicious. AS for tanger-
mes and guava. they are joys forever.
Market Women in Scrap.
Picking my way gingerly one dav /
mong the scores OF seated and stoop-
ng vendors. and being very careful
ot to step into the little piles of pep
ers and what not that were out
pread everywhere, I plunged into the |
lidst Of lively scrap between two |
olored women. One of them, who !
ad been seated on box in the sun
hine, irascible with her long vigil. |
ad picked up her seat and moved IL |
ack plump into the midst of her |
eighbor and her neighbours wares, all |
dtspread together IN the ground. The
esult was scrimmage, with much |
ushing and chlttering. all of which
'as so funny that my amusement set
hem laughing also. and the trouble
ound up in a good natured romp
mong them. And, oh, but the sun
'as hot, and the binding white light
uivered out upon the waters of tn
arbor.
A row OF stalls runs along one side
I the market, where sticky sweets
re sold, most unappetizing to foreign
ensibilities. The stuff is ladled out
I great dingy cans and sold In penny
'orths and farthing amounts or more.
'ear this row OF stick ghee are racks
nd stacks of fimsy cotton goods and
ibeon, laces and embroideries, all i'm
aaculately fresh and clean, though