Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1884-12-29
Serial Shirt Fronts.

i've genius of the American people is
on the wane he's hopelessly left, that's
all, ~ remarked one of the leading pat
ent lawyers of Philadelphia yesterday
afternoon as he sat with his feet on the
office table and smoked patent Con-
necticut cigar warranted to deceive
the most expert Judge of Havana to-
bacco. James," he continued. adj
dressing the Office boy, "bring me that
package that came from Washington
yesterday"
The lad produce large paper par
eel from which the lawyer took what
was to all appearances an ordinary
colored shirt, being apparently of
white linen, with a small design in the
form of horseshoe and jockey cap
stamped all over the bosom and cuffs.
Il have just taken out patent on
this for man in Lackawanna coun-
ty." Here the speaker inserted his
thumb nail at the bottom of the shirt
bosom and proceeded to tear of lay
er of paper, of which the SHIRT was
made. He then tore off another layer,
and then another and another, until
six separate sheets in the shape of the
bosom lay on the table, and he still
held what looked like the original
shirt in his hand. "You see it's re-
ally remarkable idea. Here is this
shirt, made of very tough paper, that
won't tear without good deal of
pressure, and the bosom is made of
seven layers, one for each day in the
week, if a man chooses to be lavish
with his linen, or, if he like to be an
out-and-Out swell, he can change half
n dozen times day. No, on this sam
pie all the fronts are the same, but
they will be made in all sorts of styles,
so that a fellow can wear this horse
shoe figure if he wants to go to Coney
island to the races, or crossed base
ball bat design if he is going to see the
Philadelphia play the Athletic, or n
neat little design in dots or bars, or
something of that sort, if he is going
off with his girl to Atlantic City or the
matinee. That'll be all fixed by Civ
ing a card with each shirt for the sew
en- fronts. and the whole outfit will be
sold for the small sum of 80 cents for
the assorted patterns and 35 cents for
the white. Why, it's the biggest thing
that has been struck since the tele-
phone was patented"
But what about the novelette, part
of the scheme?"
"Ah, | had forgotten to show you
see this" and the lawyer handed over
one of the torn-off shirt fronts, on the
back of which was printed in fine type
one chapter of "A story entitled: The
Phantom Jockey, Romance of
Sheepshead Bay" There you are,
chapter one of sporting novelette,,
and it's continued and finished on the
other six fronts. OF course, some
times you will run across the same
yarn twice on two shirts, but some
thousands of different stories will be
printed, and the lots made up to give
each city aDd town as few duplicates
as possible. Anyhow, the card will
tell you what story is on the shirt, and
you can be careful not to buy the same
one twice. Some men will get SO in
terested in the story when they rip of
Mondays front that they will tear the
whole week off, so as to learn the he
ro's fate, but that will be all the bet
ter, and is, indeed, part of the scheme
in printing them all. Oh, | tell you
this invention is going 10 be great
90, and, aside from its other virtues
will do more toward driving the Chi
nese laundrymen back to their native
land than all the political howls tha'
ever were heard. - Ph,iadelphid Times