Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-26
PICTURESQUE VENDORS
OF CHRISTMAS FLOWERS
industrious Negroes Come Far to
Sell Wares to Holiday Shop
perS at Market.
SOME MAKE MUCH AS $50 a DAY
Men DoZc Through Night, but Wom-
cn Find Sleeping Quarters About
fown-Quaint Cries Familiar TO
Whole State

Famous all over the State is the
, o.n richmond market for Its PIC
olu coiorcd folk who bring lar-eSs of
MOWERS and Sreen tniass IN from the
t ecu al the year round and sit in
me marketplacc and cry their wares
&c hurrNing shoppers. .f'lowcrS, lady?'
AN, a niee bunch of flowers TO yo'
MOVERS. lady, Fam!iiar is t h%S so soms
Last year. the Administrative Board,
over the indignant protest of 100 Rich
mona women. moved the wer-seliers
TO the market at Sixth and Marshall
streets. Just II little further down and
lhtrc thcy sit every day in a double
row the entire length of the great
covered area surrounded by their Of
feriugs.
Al Easter and Christmas, they reap
golden harvest from the sale OF the
gracious yield OF mountain and field
Monday OF this week found more than
score of old-timers lined up with
great quantities OF Christmas greens
and quaint old-tashioncd bou1ue,s OF
life everlasting dyed in pinks and
piues and puppies that Mother Nature
never dared perpctratc, surrounded
with green stuf. other bouquets had
as center a close bunch of holly
i". on stalks stripped OF their
leaNcS which lent surprising note of
glowing red TO the dark green of the
mountain cverGrecnS.
CAME TWELVE MILES TO
SELL CHEERING WARES
Buy nice Christmas wreath. LADY,"
some runnin' cedar, LADY, Want Il
these vendors OF Christmas cvergreens
IN old fashioned clothes with com
iofIers Wrapped around their heads
10 ward OIL the damp breeze and shawls
around their shoulders They warm
Iheir hands over buckets of live Goals
and when business grows dull they
bucket of hot coffee was giving aid
and comfort to 4 nice looking co!ored
woman in the marketplacc yesterday.
She drank II right out OF the bucket,
and when she had drunk her FIJI, she
passed it in kindly fashion to her
meighbors the while she ate sand
VIC, wen WIN eNsry evidence OF satisfac-
non. Her husband, typical country
darky, leaned against a convenient
post until AN approaching customer
would suddenly galvanize him into
How far dIl you come" he was
Twelve miles" he answered with
vide grin we lives at Malvern
Further questioning elected The in
formation that for Two weeks 1revi-
ercrgreens and the making Of wreaths
and bouquets has been In progress.
we packs en- air-tiEht in Il bar'i."
he he ,e%platmed and they don turn
how 10 Tx EN- to keep en- fresh"
SOME MAKE $50 \ DAY
DURING CHRISTMAS TIME
Sunday afternoon, the couple had
brought their load TO the city. "And
We been right here ever since" added
the husband.
"But YOU so somewhere in town
At night"
she" indicating his wife, some
time 10. but we mcnfolhs jist set up
aud dozc till mornin'. but we kin
sleep all day to-morrer.'
How much on an average do you
mako Il day selling this stuff?
Hits poor days work in Christ
mas times that we amt made nfty
dollars" he said. some niggers that
nave t" buy their stuff in the country
don make that much. but there's lots
OF evrGreens on our place and We don
nave TO AK nobody for en-"
Mistletoc was conspicuous FOR its
absence this year.
hit grows TOO high" explained on
old darby.
"iut don't you ever shoot it out of
the irces"'
'shooi it OUT" There was "A fash
Of white worries in an expansive grin.
II amt never hycavd uh shootin mis-
tlctoc outcn a tree befc'. | reckon
tries dat soons git home. 4 sQir'i
rifle Bugnter scatter it