The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-02-09
CAN YOU REMEMBER
WAY BACK WHEN
You Could Get a Whole Pooketfui
of Candy for Cent, "lickerish
Strings, Grab Bags With won
derful Prizes 'Never'thinoT


In the days before pennies went
for war taxes and there wasn't any
such bugaboo as the high cost or nv
ing lowering over every act Oh your
daily life. there was time when you
could get a whole pocket full OF
candy for a penny Dollar day sales
were unheard Of then. Likewise
candy in boxes was luxury rather
| than a necessity as it is now. Most
of the candy was displayed in long
tin trays in the window. and what
variety there was to choose from.
Down town there were Burke's and
Johnny Pelgen's stores, yeritable
palaces Of sweets. Iceland moss they
called the rich red squares of anise
favored candy. and taffy was the
aristocrat of the candy window. The
only chocolates were the plain cone
shaped chocolate creams, with once
in a while a variation 10 the fancier
kind. Boston baked beans, peanuts
coated with a heavy brown overeoat,
and old fashioned peanut candy in
rich slabs loaded to capacity with
peanuts caused many mouth TO
water, as you climbed up on the win
dow ledge as far as you could and
figured on the purchase about to be
made.
But while there was plenty Of
variety to be had in the stores down
town. the little stores out in the
neignborhood were the ones where
you got the real bargains. There was
little store out near the Terrence
school years ago. that proved a most
enchanting enticer OF pennies The
little old woman who ran the store
lived in the rear, and a funny, noisy
little bell that tinkled its summons
far back in the store, every time the
door was opened, brought her hurry
ing breathlesSly TO the counter.
There in the old fashioned glass show
case were the dishes OF candy, and
such q feast there was. Her arms
athwart the case, Sthe propristress,
Familiarity known as Miss Vizney,"
would point out the bargains with
pudgy forefnger.
Chocolate dipped 'tcarmels" you
called them, were the products de
luxe, judging from the price, for you
got only four OF these for a penny.
Hobnobbing in the next tray, how
ever, were a world OF little Ticker
ish" drops In the shape Of little
dolls. You got seven of these for
penny, and sometimes where two
stuck together you got the extra one
thrown in And such lot of chevy,
hcorice scented bonbons you had for
a cent Enough to last all recess and
through the study periods, for you
surreptitiously crammed a confection
into your mouth on every occasion.
Sometimes the suspicious teacher
caught you. and usually eonhscated
the candy IN your pocket and forced
you to empty your mouth of the
chevy, sticky tidbit.
"Lickerish" shoe strings and hol-
low tubes some several feet long
were sold at a cheap rate. a penny
a yard, and this was the stable com
modify Of purchase when you expect
ed to treat the whole yard full OF
kids Frequently you INDUCED in
grab bags. those alluring envelopes
with a prize hidden in a couglomera-
ton of peppeTulints, cheap gum drops
and heaven knows what else. The
prize generally was a ring Of marvel
ous hue, or a whistle, or something
like that Marsnmallows and snow
drops and baked beans" were al
way pOPAIGls Oul LAIpIS Va 1903 Ndkl-
gerous for consumption behind the
shelter of an open reader. The first
named were too apt TO stick In ones
teeth. and the beans often slipped
out OF nervous fingers and clattered
On the desk and across the floor, thus
calling attention TO your guilt
Chewing gum once was sold in
packages Of twenty-five sticks for z
nickel, but it was & real bargain The
most popular form Of this comuidty
was IN the long white sticks of
paraffine. more or less favored with
wintergreen or peppermint and
sweetened. But even II those halcyon
days. there was comparison with the
days Of the preceding generation
when my land, why we'd always get
twice as much parafine gum as that
for a penny. and do you know. !
don't think they're making It any