West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-09-11
SECONDHAND SHOES.
Advantages of tho Traffic to Poor
Women.
The Interesting History Of "A Pair q,
Black Satin Siipprrs-How They
Helped To Catch IA Rich
Husband.

hcipod to Catch Rich
Husband.
"lt is astonishing how much money
poor folks can save by buying things
secondhand, said Harlem house
Keeper to a Snn reporter the other dav
My chambcrmaid was badly of for
clothes when ] hired her. not long ago
esterday she came To me and begged
an advance of Sevcnty-lve cents i'm or
der to buy n pair of shoes. You can
Get nothing worth having for that price.
said |. Better take couple of dol
lars, which you are welcome to- But
no; Seventy-tvc cents was all the nd
vance she would take, aud gave il 10
her I'm the evening she exhibited a
pa of apparently new and really stvl-
ish and serviccablc shoes. for which
She said she had paid only sixty cents
They're secondhand, ma am. she OK
planned, IN reply TO the surprise cx-
pressed; and then, upon examination.
] found that they were so. but so skill
fully repaired and renewed rs 10 be al
most n good as new. while originally
they must have been lady's fine street
shoe, worth seven or eight dollars
Mary then went on 10 inform me
that she was in the habit of buying
many articles of her wardrobe second
hand' anu that, If poor girl only knew
how To buy with judgment i'm that way,
she could keep herself respectable
looking on n surprisingly small OUTLAY
J am ready TO believe her now. though
l never would have thought it before"
The reporter obtained the address of
the second hand shoe dealer with whom
the lady's servant had dealt, and ON
the following day visited him at his
shop in West Forty y-eighth street The
dealer was n shrcwd, good-humored lit
Tie man, and he was also communico-
tive. His shelves were covered with all
sizes Of women's and girls shoes. nice
ly repaired and reittcd. ranging i'm
price from twenty-five cents to one dol
lar and fifty cents; ard by his work
bench i'm the rear of the shop was
pile of dilapidated shoes recently So
lccted from the wagons of the collect
ors and awaiting renovation.
81 have been in the business about
twenty-five years" said the dealer. i'm
answer TO numerous leading questions.
''and, OF course, | make it pay or I'd
be In something else. Collectors get
these traps from all sorts Of places.
Some OF these uncommonly mean ones
were like enough picked out OF ash bar
relS and refuse heaps. Then they po
from house 10 house and from tenement
to tenement buying up what they can
get. The very best of cast of shoes
won't fetch more than n few cents
while there's many fair TO middliuU
ones can be had for the asking. and the
owners only too glad TO get them out
OF sight Then for small advance on
what the collectors paid, get the nick
OF their loads, and ] neither know nor
care what's done with my lcavinps.
But. then, ] don't leave many out OF n
fair to decent wagon load; and let me
tell you that i's an alfred. mean.
bu-ted-Out pair Of ladies' Shoes that
cant make something attractive-look-
out Of, especially TO thin purse with q
st OF toes upon the ground. Examine
these"
The dealer took down pair of
ncatly-mcnded, well-polishcd No. 5s
OF substantial but graceful build.
" They're labeled fifty cents. as YOU
see, and that sort Of shoe always have
a steady demand for. chiefly from poor
servant girls and young work-wonen.
Well, tnat pair cost the collector four
cents, and / gave him six for en- a
fair profit for meP Well. / should say
so. or what am ] here for2 Now. take
"a look no those black satin slippers.
This is the second time they've come
back % me, worn and rcpaircd as Won
sec. and ! may sell them over and over
again, at sixty cents pop and never
bought 'cm back for more than ten.
either. have particular regard for
tHat pair OF black satin slippers.
There. regular Jolly romance about
'cm
The reporter begged for culightcn-
mont. and the dealer accordingly pro-
CO c.dcd
They're not a child's size, a. YOU
might imagine. though thcy are ladies'
shoes. about The smallest that's made
outside Of Spanish countries. Tho
grown woman whom they first fitted
without hurting must have bad feet
small and pretty enough 10 dance
among the dais.cs in % Chinese para
disc Well, soon after I sct ont shat
dociorcd pair Of Cindcrcllas for sale
along came "a sometime customer of
mine She was fine looking young
woman, Che daughter Of "a fashionable
boarding-houso keeper. not far from
here. ] hal known her from her child
hood Thorough going style too. only
she was lattcrly mighty careful to wear
very long dresses, fashion or ~ fash.
jon. ON account of the size Of her fDct
which were bigger than OIL outdoors
regular BarthOldis You know, such as
even Chicago belle could afford 90
Ia gn at Well. as soon as this young
lady saw those slippers sho Do ON em
iite 20 hawk ON bug Just what ] m
look ng for. Mr VI r said she. de-
yt,urIut,. tho Itntufio. with L.r oyos ,,T