1 Mother Saves Money on yy
Her Christmas Presents
By E.
Ma. 'Tou see, I read in a paper somewhere
luiea and hyacinths and daffodils and plant them in the cellar and tend to them right
then-bring them into the light a little while befora they are ready to bloom, they would
make nice Christmas presents. So I bought a lot of bulbs and little flower pots and
followed directions, and you can see for yourself that they're all going t to bloom In
time to. make lovely Christmas presents. ; -
"You know how mother loves purple well, she gets that deep purple double hyacinth.
I'm going to tie a lighter shade of purple crepe paper, with a big ribbon bow, around the
pot. And you, know your sister Daisy is just crazy about daffodils she gets that one
marked 'Daisy.' And so on. All I have to do is to get some ribbon and crepe paper and
make -the plants look artlstlo and Christmassy, and we'll be giving people something they'll
really love to have."
"Ma," solemnly quoth Fa, "you're a wonder!"
' 'Didn't ypu ever know that-before?" laughed Ma.
.'The only .thing that bothers me," commented Pa, "is how you're "going to get -the
things delivered." '
- "Oh, you'll have to take around as many as you can," declared Ma.
"Who me 7' queried Pa. - "Say I ain't any express wagon."
"But Just think of all the pleasure you'll have being a sort of flower Santa Claus,"
urged Ma. "I could pay some of the boys to do it, but I know you'd, be careful and not
break anything, and wouldn't get them mixed up, and you're such an old dear, anyway "
Pa wriggled and rattled his newspaper and cleared his throat to Show that the flattery
didn't sink In. ,
"Well." he growled; "I didn't say I wouldn't, did ir .
More Genuine
For New
By Herbert Corey.
NTSW YORK'S apt to have a little Christ
mas for about a cent this year. But
It's fair guessing that - the Christmas
spirit will be of a better quality than
S3 In any"- recent year not even exclud
ing 1907. r
'That" says Wall street and before New
York waa spugged Its Christmas was tooted
to the Wall street tune "that waa the grand
est little Christmas ever. We went home
with twists of money in our ears."
The rest of the country waa busted. It was
In tha middle of panic times. But brokers
get just as much for selling stocks as they
do for buying them. Every broker who had
not been fighting the market had his safe
stacked with soft money. In auch times giv
ing is as wide and thoughtless as the Missis
sippi. It was the stingy and picayune little
house that gave as small a bonus aa 10 per
cent- Doaeno gave- their "clerks an. amount
equal to their annual salaries. . , . : ...
"This year," said a banker, "five or six
houses may give boom-time presents to their
employes. But most clerks will be tickled to
get word that they may hold their Jobs an
other year. There's more happiness in that
sort of a gift in this sort of a year than in
being given a hatful of money when folks
are flush."
The only real favorite of Christmas for
tune on Wall street this year will be James
N. Wallace, president, of the Central Trust
company, if gossip is correct. Every year
he gets $50,0"00 from his adoring directors.
He will get that sum this year.
"They're afraid he might go somewhere
else if they got to holding out on his stock
ing," said an observer. "He Is the finest
handshaker west of the Crystal Palace, Lon
don. He has handshaken his company into
more' good things In Wall street than any
other four men in the district."
ALL brokers who can will hold on for 1914,
of course. They're optimists by nature.
Also, they think they nave reason to be
lieve that next year will be a better year
for them than last year In which, according
to one unofficial statistician, the Stock Ex
change earnings of the financial district did
not average $500 per broker. They have been
able to hold on to their offices because in the
last few years many of them have built up
an Investment rather than a purely speculat
ive business. But while they're holding on,
they're not buying many d:amond lavallieres
for their second cooks. -
"It's safe ' to say that $2,000,000 less will
be spent for Jewels in the Fifth avenue shops
this year Aan during Christmas time of a
fairly prosperous year." Bald the manager of
one of the rat stores. That may be a
most conservative estimate. One year a west
em millionaire came into this man's store.
"I want the finest pearl necklace you have
In the store for the old woman," said he.
This quotation is verbatim. He got the
necklace. It cost approximately $60,000. The
next day he came raging into the store. He
had discovered that hla wife's dearest rival
had purchased a diamond necklace for some
thing more than $100,000 in the same store.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he yelled at the
store manager. "Do you think I'm going to
stand for my wife getting showed up that
way? Gimme another pearl necklace."
With jewels being purchased at that rate,
tho manager's estimate of this year's de
crease In trade seems not excessive. It Isn't
only the westerner who buys that way. One
year a New York man paid $100,000 for Jew
els which he presented to women. He is a
bachelor.
LAST year Tony worked for $6 a week In
an uptown store. Five' dollars covered
his necessary expenses. For 4 10 weeks
he had held out $1. a week in order to buy a
warm coat for his . mother. The week before
Christmas the office snitch came to him.
"We're getting tip a puree for the manager,.
Tony," said he. "I've put you down for $5."
Tony told the snitch with considerable elab
oration and attention to detail where he could
go, - and when. He waa fired that night
Tony's mother didn't get the warm coat, but
it la a pleasure to. state that . the office man
ager got a bunged eye. Tony is today per
haps the only .pugilist Spug In the - world., ;lt tha we w you" (this is what the wire
Most of his ineome Is derived from fighting Wppera call the. "convlneer") ; J-we have heard
seml-flnal,i Between times he organises -
Spug circle
lack nerve Ji;;.V:;;:':f .
"They can ; fire one guy because lie don't '
give up," says Tofly, "but they can't, fire the
whole force. An' I'd like to see some ivory
handled floorwalker .try J to 1 chase me when
I'm prantitog?.- nnwtr-i9f.,!"A'v-ir
The ( tremendous growth of the Spugs In
the paat two seasons is largely because in
this organisations tha '; underpaid and timid
employe finds protection a;;;: hist Christmas
K. Wooley. V. ? " ' :
HEN FA JENKINS cam noma last night ha casually
remarked that thera seemed to be a lot ef extra '
pi ants-'occupy in -Hhe-- window epaeer-They -elK
seemed to be In pots of about the same size, and
consisted mostly of1 all, slender green leaves. '
"Why all the grass?" facetiously observed Fa.
, "I Just brought them up from tha cellar to
' day." explained Ma. ."They must bloom by Christmas,
: you know. , " - . ... ' ' .' '.,i
"Going to decorate our fair dwelling?" queried Pa.
"No they're Christmas presents," said Ma.
iJ"O.0-O-HJ" breathed Pa. "I was wondering why
'. I hadn't been called upon to dig up for Christmas.
Some Dew wrinkle, isn't it?' Well, as long as it's
cheap, I'm for it!" '- . - "., .;
"I wasn't going to say anything about it until
" I felt pretty sure It would succeed." beamed
last fall that If you'd take oulbs of Chinese
Christmas
York This Year
blackmail. It la safe to say that the fore
men in nine out of .ten sweatshops In the
crowded downtown districts have extorted
Christmas "gifts'' from the miserable, fearful
Utile foreigners under them. Spugging lias
spread as rapidly as have the principles of
unionism among these people as fast as the
Spug theory Is presented to them. That is
why the Spugs hope their party at the Grand
Central Palace will be attended by 16,000 on
Christmas day which will be about a record
for Christmas parties. Hot coffee and choco
late and palatable sandwiches and plenty of
trots and tangos, and a 40-foot Christmas tree
which was presented by the state of Maine
will be features of this event.
B"
IG TIM SULLIVAN Is dead. But the ex
ecutors of his estate will give a Christ
mas dinner in his name, as they know he
would wish them to do. In the old days Big
Tim annually fed between 6000 and 6000
down-and-outs and fed them to breathless
ness with turkey and pie and mugs of Bteam
ing, coffee.
"No one will be admitted without a ticket,"
the placards lrt front of the clubhouse alwaya
read. But just before the long line that had
been stamping its myriad feet In the tingling
cold began to move through the opening door
Sullivan was sure to sidle up to the doorkeeper.
"No matter about the tickets," he always
whispered, "if the lads look hungry."
It's perfectly, true that there's a fight on
for the political control of the Bowery and
that the old Sullivan clan seems to be under
neath the pile. Therefore there will be two
Christmas dinners with turkey and every hun.
'gry man In town can eat himself Into an ill-
ness at each. And It's likely that there Is
something ol a selfish motive underneath both.
But there is also sentiment on the part of the
Sulllvans. If you. don't believe it watch their
Irish eyes fill with teara when they speak of
Big Tim and the Joy he took in these turkey
feasts.
Christmas lv In g in- New York-will be-cut
down to a paring this year. Wall street's com
parative impecunloslty accounts directly , and
indirectly for much of this decrease. The Spug
idea for the prevention of useless and the
promotion of useful giving accounta for
more. People have learned to give more
thought to their gift bringing. Thousands are.
daring to defy Christmas extortioners for,
perhaps, the first time since they opened a pay
envelope. Perhaps It is only fancy but It
seems as though the groucnes are fewer and
less malevolent and that wider smiles are seen
on more faces.
The subway can never take the Christmas
place of the old fashioned one horse sleigh.
And a tier , of cubicles ire a hlgjh building
will never seem as homelike as the big white
house under the evergreens. But just because
there is less of blare and ostentation and
smoke of money this seems a more Christ
massy Christmas than New York has seen lit
"
The Newest Graft
THIS is the very latest graft It combines
phychology and credulity and the humane
sentiments. It has proven irresistible.
"Oh," said the spokeswoman of the pair of
pretty girls, fixing limpid eyes upon the vic
tim, "we are so frightened!"
So the victim sits back in his office chair
and mildly swells up a big, ana tells the
pretty lady that she has come to Just the
right shop. He won't let anyone frighten
her.
"Mame and I were taking lunch with Dr.
Marcus Broone In Chicago yesterday," says
the pretty spokeswoman, "and he said that he
had to go to New York. He dared us to ride
aa far as Englewood with him. So we did
just for a lark. And then the train didn't
atop at Englewood and here we are."
Business of tragic throwing of troubles on
the auditor's shoulders.
"But what become of Dr. Marcus Broone?"
' "He said that he had to go on to Wash
ington. He will come back tomorrow morn
ing ana iaae us oacK 10 wnicago. But. we
haven't any baggage and we can't go to a
hotel, and we haven't enough money to go
back to Chicago."
Silent appeal in two pairs of pretty eyes.
"But how did you happen to come to me?"
asks the victim, vainly try;ng to elude the
falling sword.
"Oh," says the spokeswoman, . "we - almost
Tha victim'' lnw- m., v.,. Vn,
ity. So he stakes -the two marooned wander-
era to the money they need for hotel fare, and f
for railroad fare, ajid possibly for a little bit
of shopping they positively must do before ''
they go back to Chicago. And then, long aft.
erward." "asks" Mary Tupper Wilkins about
her two rfenlds. . And Mary says she never
beard of t htm before. ,
Thte graft hka not failed in a single known
Instance. ' , , .
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