, 1876-12-17
MATCHING A PATTERN.

MATCHING a PATTERN.
One OF the fascinating young mensin uptown
dry-goods stores {says the San francisco l'"sD
is in trouble. 1t is the custom in the establish
ment from which he has just been dismissed to
discharge a man who fails to sell to one OF
three successive customers. "SWapplng Is
the expressive technical term By which this fall
ure is known in the dry-goods business. The
rule is not universal, but it is by no means cx-
ceptional in dry-goods stores. However unjust
it may be, it has wonderfully stimulating et-
feet on the elegant young men amenable to It,
and when they cannot sell goods 1t Is safe
inference that the customer Ia either super
naturally obdurate, impecuniuus, or misery.
The young man referred to had q first call last
Friday morning; that is, the first customer VINO
entered the store was by the rules OF rotation
his exclusive victim. Next morning this
privilege would fall to the lot Of some other
clerk, and SO on to the end Of the list. The first
@ customer ssswapped" him and went out with
out investing q cent. The second was IN an
equally unproptious state Of mind, and retired
without cifecting purchase. On the decision
OF the third hung bis Tate His ample cneek
mere unlikely purchaser could with difficulty
have been found. An old striped shawl was
thrown carclcssly over her shoulders, and par
TALLY Concealed roll Of calico which the pa!p!-
! t3t1rT
she came to have matched. Now If there IS
ANYTHING in the dry-goods business more soul
narrowing thnn another it Is to match goods.
The exact shade and texture have to be found'
and last, but not least, the price must eorre-
spond. 4 feeling OF sickening despair perme-
aied the heaving breast Of the unfortunate clerk
as he asked, "Well, ma'am!"
She laid down five yards and half Of calico
OF m eccentric pattern, and intimated that the
success Of great dressmakng enterprise
+, hor ff,rt n Hr6frfr
anu a half OF the same material.
The ewes Of six expectant clerks we're upon
the doomed man. He felt that the crisis OF his
peril had come. With an appearance OF calm
liycd under the counter and handed out end
less rolls of calico, varying from the radiant
strawberry and moss-ro6e-rnnrked. to the SOBER
est grar. But he came not within thirteen sup
Elementary colors Of the required pattern lie
bnrrowed in the cavernous depths Of lower
shelves, and rausaeked upper ones from the top
round OF giddy step~laddcr, but hc found 1t
not. An hour aud half had gone By, anu his
stock was nearly exhausted. The proprietor OF
the store and the bookkeeper and porter had
come out tn witness his death struggle. Six
times had the wearied lady started for the door,
md six times be called her back aud resumed
his lrenzieu search. The last calico was un--
rolled, and he was about to drop. bis hat and
gracefully step down and out, when happy
ttExcuse me, madam" said he; "there's one
piece overlooked. Let me see that goods"
and be took her bundle and, diving under the
counter, hacked of % yard and halt with the
energy and promptness Of rekindled hope.
"Hcre its, madam; exactly what you re-
quired," said he, confidently, spreading out the
purlo:ncd goods.
Sue looked at it attent:vcly for five minutes:
alt does look like the pattern" said she, shut
still think it's not what want. It's q good
deal coarser than mine. II l can't get any ything
nearer to the pattern I'll come back and take it.
Good morning."
She did come back in an hour, but not to buy
the goods He tried to dodge behind the cou n
ter, but with the kcel-sghtedness OF womnnly
revenge she spotted him, and he was ignomln~
ploycr. The worst OF it was that the latter, IN
view of the Improbable energy shown III his at
tempt to effect sale, had concluded not to DIS
charge him. With the evidence OF his guilt SO
unmfstakable, however, it would be fatal to the
discipline of the house to keep him, and he was
promptly dismissed. Until the old lady sue
cceeds i'll getting warrant for his arrest his
name is charitaoly suppressed.