Page:Adventures in Thrift (1916).djvu/87

 she had gone to early market with her grandmother in a quiet Pennsylvania city.

A neatly dressed man, with a semi-official air, who had evidently noticed their bewilderment, raised his hat and spoke courteously:

"Is there anything special you want?"

"No; nothing special—we thought we'd like to see one of the city markets."

"Well, you're a little late to see the market at its best. I'll explain, if you don't mind. I'm on Borough President Marks' committee and we are very anxious to interest New York housekeepers in these markets."

"But it's not clean," protested Mrs. Larry, driven to frankness by her disappointment.

"It's as clean as any open market can be kept. Everything is cleaned up and flushed every night, but you see people have been trading here since six-thirty this morning."

"As early as that?" exclaimed the astonished Claire.

"Yes, the farmers are early birds. They are the first to arrive and the first to leave. They sell out in no time. One man brought in