The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-09-26
! Secondhand Dresse.

get rs many large ones rs we can y
"Why sop he was asked.
''Because the people we buy from are
Americans, who are generally small.
while those we sell them TO are fer i'm
ers, the Irish principally, who are large
and well developed. This goes toshow
| that the Americans have the most
money. Frequently cast-off clothing Is
very fine and but little worn. line
women who ride in carriages wear out
| their esSes in the back just between
the sho llders. Then they sell them To
us. They are easily repaired, and look
80 well after the changes are made thai
we sometimes sell them for SD and
| so. The original owners could easily
make the changes we do and continue
! to use Tie garments but by the time
they are worn this way their freshness
is gone, and even If that were not SO
they would be ready TO part with IN III
ANYHOW. Women do not like a dress
that lasts too long. They ike to be
changing ali the time
And they are probably glad to gel
nd OF their old garments at any price.
| NO, the a not. hey always
want good price, and they know how
| to drive smart bargain sometimes.
| They always want more tn IN they get.
but rs rule they know what The goods
are worth to Us. and know that they are
| well-paid accordingly. Sometimes they
put their prices so high that we can not
touch them. Not long ego re e.yed
postal card from n woman living on
| West VI Washing on street, asking me to
ca and examine some clothing on a
erta n day | did no. like this, be-
cause | knew BY the mention of the day
that she had notified otEes in the same
business to come some other time. still.
being in that neighborhood the day in
question, | ca led and was shown the
goods. /, he said she could not sell them
to NE Il at day, but that 1 might see
them and WI te down on a slip of paper
the price would pay for en- h article.
| saw there was no chance fer trade.
and concluded to tea h her a lesson
while | was at it. / took the list and
wrote down what ! won pay. Offering
in the aggregate about twenty dolla :
more tn l could have Sold the goods
for myself. The result was what had
expected She would not ell 10 any OF
the dealers who subsequently ca led be-
cause they did not offer as much rs
had The next thing | knew he sent
me- another postal to call again, but
wrote her that | had no use for tic
30 Ids then. She then tried the other
dealers. but they also refused to buy,
ana the In / heard of the things was
that she had them sill and could no,
sell them
.You have said that YOU. buy most OF
Your goo 5 from mer.can women.
Why Is thisa''
I'm the first place Trey have the
money to buy them and the: core they
have them When the goods are won
su i GENTLY to he discarded they sell
them because they are more liberal thaH
people of other nationalities. The
Germans, for instance, a e often well
suppl ed with money, but they are
more frugal than the Americans. Ire,
do not sell old clothes because they Car
do better sometimes by disposing O
them to their help or giving them I,
their poor kindred. 1t is a common
thing among the Germans for the lad,
of the house to get n wgman TO cons
and work week OF two about tn,
prem ses in excl ance for an old dress
We'll, the dress is worth it, It you Sc,
| | the Americans are too proud to dt
things that wsy. If they hire anybody
they pay them in good money. and i
they have anything TO sell they sell i
for money.
You often get hold of garments tina
need no repairing whatever, don
you.
eyes. Agreat many women VIII BIZ
dress. wear it a few mes, and thei
take dislike TO it, and we not unfre
queutly come into poss ession of it. Al
!, You never see them in tie stores yol
might think tkc trade was con ned t,
the coarsest goods. but that is mis-
take There are many ways of dis
posing of these goods. One thing yol
may depend upon, you will never SEE
' them displa5 ed openly in any store
. Ii a woman comes in here and want
to buy dress we take her b OK int.
that large room there whe most 0
; the goods are kept in boxes or hid AVA
, under curtains on the shelves, an.
! show her ust what she calls for aut
I nothing more. 1t would be Impossible
: to sell the richest garment You mic h
!. name if any OF our customers felt tina
! it had been seen by anybody VIII
would reeo gnize it upon her back. A
rule we make changes IN women
. clothing simply to disguise it, and "
!. often succeed so well that the persol
: who sold the garment would not recog
nize it. All. II the American peopl
!, were only large enough" said th
dealer. ruefully, 1--WE would have fin
business, but as things are we are ofte
compelled 10 carry goods from season
!, to season, until we have cali fror
one who can wear them. If the ric
women were large and the POOR one
3 small the business could not be ovel
. done"
..How do the Irish happen to
your principal customers?"
i Il suppose it is because they con
!. prise the laboring class of the city
: the people who have the least none
J and who have, at the same time, an al
: probation for finery."
: .What class of garments do yo
: sellF''
j. ns1oIr vx-ra,,v onI Ell; rf