The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-10
Run1mage Sale Is
Mecca for
Society

Have you been to the rummage
sale-the running SALE" as one
small boy minus his two front teeth
called it as he eagerly helped his
mother and her friends? It's been
on Tor two days and is going
strong today-so, strong that the
ladies in charge are afraid they'll
have to close tomorrow.
Dealers in antiques and in what
Mrs. Malaprop called objects of
bigotry and virtue" watch it
eagerly and pick up a bargain
which they know they can sell
again to a collector for several
times what they laid for it. This
season it has rather outdone itself
as memorial to Miss Mary
GWynne, who FOR many years de-
voted her life, in spite of. falling
| health, to the work Of the Child
Welfare Association. Many articles
that had belonged to Miss Gwynne,
who passed away during the sum-
mer, were among those placed on
sale, and were gladly bought by her
former associates as cherished
mementoes Of much-loved as.
sociate. The proceeds are to go to
the maintenance Of the Mary
Gwynne Center, and the proceeds
up to the closing hour on Saturday
night were something over $3,O0O.s
Mrs. Walter Tuckerman is in
charge of the sale, and has spent
practically all her days at 1928 +
street, where it is being held It
has not this year been closed for
luncheon ais it did in previous
years. The ladies in charge realized
that the lunch hoLr was the only
time when a. good many of their
customers-men and women who
are employed downtown-could pos
sibly get there. So they have gone.
out in relays "for a bite"-or had
| 1t sent in to them-and gotten
their "bites" between sales.
One never knows there Just what
instance, a lovely little statue,
evidently Florentine, in silver and
ivory, was discovered by one of
the ladies on a table which they
had mentally labeled, cheap mis-
cellaneous," marked at SO cents.
Taking into nearby jeweler, they
were told 1t was worth about SIS.
1t was naturally transferred to an
other table
Serving behind the counters when
l looked in on Saturday were Mrs.
Horace Westcott, Mrs. Lansdale,
Mrs. William Hammond, and Mrs.
Frank Moves, selling fancy articles"
at rival tables on each side Of the
door. Countess Szechenyi--it seems
to me she was selling old shoes
and Mrs. Breckenridge Long was
sitting in" at the lamp table-pret-
ty well depleted, for its fame had
gone forth and customers had
swept it almost bare Mrs. Stanley
Rinehart had left the book counter
in charge of an associate while she
went out on a necessary 3errand:a
Mrs. Lawrence Townsend was as
usual selling hats and making them,
too, very deftly-with a great box
of plumes and feathers and I'M
trimmed shapes as well as any
ones-spring, summer, autumn, and
winter--no season neglected. Mrs.
Townsend evidently was not well.
and quite exhausted, but she stuck
bravely to her guns, or her hats,
until that pretty Mrs. Edwards,
who has recently come here to live
from Philadelphia, told her to go
home and rest, promising to stay
on the job until the sale closed at
night. Mrs. Edwards kept her
word and the hat table was never
unguarded. Mrs. Townsend, who
has almost as many connections in
Philadelphia and New York as in
Washington, rather took Mrs. Ed
wards under her wing when she
arrived here recently from the
Quaker City,
Mrs. Edwards, by the way, was
proudly telling all Corners that she
had bought the very smart little
hat she was wearing at that same
counter the previous day-and Mrs.
Frederick Nelson, who seemed to
be vibrating between the hats and
the racks of frocks, the latter in
charge of Countess de Sibour and
Mrs. Jordon and selling at both,
told her friends gaily that she mad
bought one of Ailsa Melons hats
and she expected to get lot of
fun Haunting it in Ailsa's face.
There were, by the way, several
of Miss Melons frocks that had
been contributed to the saIe-un-
usual and distinctive, of wonderful
material, and bearing the names
of the most famous makers of
Paris and New York. They were
absolutely fresh, and except for the
extreme slenderness of the original
wearer, which made them impos-
sible for many would-be customers,
would have gone like hot cakes.
AS it was they did not linger long
and for any one who could wear
them, were certainly bargains at the
$50 or $25 asked for them. heard
Mrs. Walker say that she had
bought one for her school girl
daughter.
$
Commander and Mrs. Claude Mayo
gave luncheon and paper chase
yesterday, starting from the Toll
House tavern.