A WOMAN AT A WOOL SALE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 401, 9 January 1909, Page 11

A WOMAN AT A WOOL SALE.

'*■ Not even the assurance'thqt/tlris was thetfalfe^v»rh«M'{:-» ■ would tempt Barbara to tho-Sydney Street , Schoolroom yesterday' afternoon.- Sho-jdo- -.. clared that it was too hot to go-poking about',"among : tw€iity..tliousand;bdes Oi *■ ' tte^riubiW'tHatwero,- Bhe'beheye^,to, displayed:, She drew <a'hot stuffy .picture .of: ■ the. schoolroom - piled '' high with, bales ' all- . round- the' walla, with dnly, )a little space. m. . the centre where the brokerr-she called.him. , tho auctioneor-put up tlfo various-lots to ■aale; .'showing little greasy-;samples'.from:.. each balo as he did so. Indeed, it was eviVdent":fchat'in'Jbor; mind wasmst ; . the 'saiae? dilatory wrf-of- thing ; i sale -of household sfurniture,. .with /just, ,tjie. : sanje- of .-inspecting iho goods-:be-< 'tween the purchases. ■ ' . One thing about gdirigVto a wool sale. is ' that;. , you neveri know till .you get-there,: whether ; like; Voices ;■ gently , fiorbo dog-fight; with twenty. furious; combat-, ■'' This'isttiieVway of'ife In front .of;the hall. ;■ is a little .rostrum'affair where stands the, ;■ ■wool-broker, .supported, as they -say .of bride--gropttisVoii*•either-side'/by. -a ' cled<ir-andvin r .• -.front.''of;-him',; in 'a . wide; semi-circle, aro tho. , tows .of desks- where tho buyers sit, men re- , presenting British, • Continental, and Ainen-, l can houses. ;■ It was-chiefly due to t bo. competition from tho Amorican;buyer's.that wool _ reached such; a . good -price last month, ■,and, because - their.- ardour, had cooled yesterday, the price' fell a . penny a pounds, -They all, have catalogues, long, dry lists- of-wool- of . various-classes, these;representing -to-thoin the^lots ! ofi; wool rthat ;)hey. : >:hay^lreadyy;n-; ■ spected iir tliq-different stores, and there', is. ; not a thread of wool to be scen.m tho building) except in tlioi form .of . clothing.- 'F.very- . '.thing : at -first.-'is--dullAahd tamo looking ..to a, 'degree/ and that >is .what .lnak'es'.t-lie affair: ': soV;rintehse)y'i. surprising -. .vtoj r tiev ■; ;* biii'"'as--:the-.Cquiet'i gentleman ; reads'out'the first lot." thero is - soinCtimes,; a. perfect; hullabaloo. • Half > a -dozen,-a dozen, . men ; ,'- ; - spring ito r their.. ■ feet,; shriek, howl,, . . shake'threatening hands at the. broker, yelp, and yell and roar,'m a dozen different-keys,, arid-, with all the strength of leather lungs. ! Yot£caiwio.t ' ■ canAdistinguish. 110 wonder if-tIMS' fmen-'arb bandits,..anarchies, -intei-;; ated- and avenging, and as you-.gaze at tho untroubled face of .the broker ,who..confronts, .their- -raging i.ybu'^ajjy/Surely:^tbis.jife ; . bravesbmaniin. all'the world."; -.You..do .not 1 ; have time to-say-more <than tl)jt, .for the v tumult. , the men;sit.down smilingly-enough,' apd!the': broker calmly-names the buyer, and without pauso the next bid has : begun.;. .That, is greeted m the'same, way,.; and; so-the nest ■ and'-the next.--There, will be a lull for sev-eral-bids perhaps, and _then tl\6 hullabaloo begins again, and once more tho hall resounds'with doggish sounds, once moro half a dozen men seem on the. verge of apoplexy,, onoe . more- the- broker's ;.lifo is, in:..a .dozen' dangers. Seriously, it is impossible to cxag- ; gerate the noise 'and- confusion-of .tho .bidding, and to tho-outsider-,it: seems",, very, wonderful- that the broker vis over able r r to extricate from all that clamour>the voice,of an:- individual bidder.-' - Thore were;.- several ; sales two, seasons ago .that-"were as exciting aa'' , a play,.b\itlaßtyear'dullaiiddecorous were VUhey^Never.aripple':pfyelpß|;,ftom : 'ifiefrow of., ;.:biiyers;to-delight^the"hearts'ofi-tho'trbkers;:'-; ' nothing '.but : quiet and, apathetic'" bidding, done a most ladyrlike-manner., - This .seaBon- things?, have-livened .up.-ngain,- and ; the . sale last month <iyas very entertaining:: Yes-, terday, in- spite of tho -record sale, the. whole was " quieter, - though -very a much brighter than it was a year ago. i Tho thing is distinctly worth going-to see, especially;if once more \the sales<-aye '.held in the Concert .Chamber of ■ .Hall, whero' the : gallery .accommodates,.;so niaiiy.: - spectators, and affords: such an excellent; view- of' the proceedings. ;• The city dwellers ;. aro not,;. of. course, so. intensely ,- interested in the sales- as are.,the-country, men and women, -and .do -not .realise-how r greatly., they; are indirectly affected-by 'a rise or fall of a ; •ponnya' pound; but the girl who has--watched-■■.mbws'-^a^TO:Heritjie l possession "of "luxuries/:sometimes - • o f. -even - necessities, 'depends-, on-the: price that wool. will fetch,-to her-there -will'bo:insal|*Welling- . ton-few sights more exciting, than- a- big wool , sale;,

The. story of- a 'wealthyvAmerican." girl .who . hai" deo.ided;;to',. devote, herself ;to-the 1 alleviation of- distress ■•m; the East End *of London. , is . told in ■ the. <-■ New. , "i'orls The girl. is -Miss Palmer, .'"elder.-.'.of. the 1 two unmarried daughters of. General ,\V. Ji.Palmor, formorly- president-of ;the Denver and ..Rio Grande Railway Company., General Palmer, who has..three daughters,' has a, fortune estinjated aVm<6re -: , than'r£4,ooo,oooi' ..m'erjVhaving'.ibTComejnterestrf/in'ychanfable "End :.*>f: /and; was?greatly.:iinpressed' ; wrth : : the .poverty; fand ; .'ralsdry«eiisting" : ;aid; her in. f .h6r.imissipn.;'of i helj) \sh6')decided : ; to Haker a- . course of a professional -hurse'in one 'of the - London: hospitals. With = a-former; maid;as '. hoiisekeipir,';: she ■ obtained modest-.' qiiarters v near ono ;of the;; big -'institutions,:; and'' has v. since followed' faithfully' the'rigorous-: routine pursued .by the'other nurses.