Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-11-26
A CURIOUS TRADE.
what becomes OF tho Halt Worn Dresses
OF Women,
Chicago Trlbuno,

what becomes OF tho Halt Worn Dresses
OF Women.
Chicago Tribune,
There Is one line OF business In Chicago
that has been quietly increasing year by
year, without much comment on the part
OF the public or much advertising on the
part OF those Interested in tho trade.
This Is the purchasing and selling Of wo-
mems secondhand clothes. The lady
whose dresses accumulate In her ward.
robe until they get somewhat
passe In style has qusst way OF dlspos.
ing Of these garments which she Is not
apt 10 contldo to her nus and, nor Indeed
| anyone except some dear friend whom aha
knows 10 be in a similar situation. With
the proceeds from half dozen such cx-
changes she II enabled 90 purchase new
gown MISUNDERSTANDING upon the good ma
ture OF her natural proyldero or testing the
elastic capacities Of his purse,
Party dresses are particularly apt to 80
10 the secondhand dealer, for fashion de-
crees that such dress shall be worn but
a limited number OF times, and II Is thus
laid ON the shelf long before II IL sum.
ciently damaged T. warrant Anch a pro.
oeeding, Plush cloaks, which never wear
out, but which become as wearlsomo TO
sAiNAA hhHNAn ao q fNAhNAoNNN JNcNt GhN va
other sort OF apparel which can be found
almost Invariably IN the stores OF the en-
terprising merchants. A plush cloak will
wear out any number OF Innings, but
by the time lady has tried lining OF all
the primary colors and got down to tho
secondary, she naturally gots little
tired when she looks at her familiar out
door friend, companion OF her walks,
cover for her deceit, and aid TO her Coz
queries, and begins TO think of other
eloaks and wrapplngs new To DC sure,
the cloak cost her SEQ, and will only
bring So from the cautious dealer, but,
the likely way Of getting new garment
being to dispose Of the old, she takes the
J opportunity by the horns As n result OF
her ingenuity she is enabled TO declare
herself
UTTERLY cLoAisLRss,
prey TO the nipping winds and martyr
, to her self-sacriilcing economy. II she
have not wit enough TO convince her hu6-
band Of this, then Is she no woman But
Q never word does she breathe OF the
secondhand dealer IN clothes who news
4 himself In cautious silence, knowing the
9 idiosyncrasles Of bis fair patrons. lie ID
I apt 10 be a man OF experience, this dealer,
I and he has learned that the sex IN coy,
Q even In It's money-making, 40 he has es-
Z teemed II necessary To make surreptitious
tours OF the houses in the afternoon
D when my lady Is apt 10 be by her
9 self, and beg her with his persna-
sive oriental oloquence TO bring forth
I whatever she can spare and 90 enriched
/. by him. Sometimes these Witty mer-
chants will get hold of young gentle
woman with weak nerves and not over
/ much stamina. aud by dint OF many ges.
, lures and much picturesque persuasive
A ness, Will induce that silly little gentle
woman TO part with much more than she
4 intended at first and much that she Will
J sadly regret afterward. II Is even whiA-
pered that there have been occasions
when the silly gcntlewomen had counted
: their greasy dollars overnight and
/ discovered sort Of shbmo IN
selling good clothes for song, and 30
. gone 10 the bland dealer, whom they
: found suddenly grown hard and lrresp1n-
sige, TO buy back some seryioeable dress
d which their better Judgment told them i
4 would have been economy TO have kept
q But lttle sympathy would the perplexed
D dams get from the dealer In old clothes.
: He must make his profits, chi Well,
$ then, he gave her so 30 for the dress. she
G can have il back for $5, That righIr He
/. must liyei {Tno dress had cost her $40
1 ut the start.) But she pockets her prlde
aud unpockets her purse aud goes home
Q with her freshly appreciated garment,
q having paid what abe received from the
$ sale OF another dress to reclaim the irst
With.
d But this is q little feminine tragedy that
IL Is believed is rare. As an ordinary
Q thing the traffic brings no such woe, and
n beauty's eye exults rather than concealt
/ a tear when beauty's lips discourse on hei
!, old-clothes man. There II that mauyt
o dress that she always did look fright In
o and the lemon dress she got so soied The
o frst time she wore IL, and the navy blu,
i walking suit that
b WAS TOO TIGHT
/, ACROSS the waist from the nrst, and thai
!, brown silk with all those trigh'ful old
Il fashioned points, What Is TO be don'
/ with them7 They merely encumber space
y that better favored garments would b.
d better by occupying. For gowns, llG'
II their nistTesses, mustn't be pushed to'
q close 10 the wall Dresses wrinkle an,
il crush IN an oyercr0wded wardrobe
l. every one, even q man, must know II 4
q far more trouble 20 make over al
d Old dress than 20 construct new one
o aud II one gives the making OF her gown
into the hands Of dreesmsker II IN
8 more expensive JOB. The temptation
u therefore, to reconstruct dress Is fapiN
}, going out Of favor between the oppcssnl
!. fres Of the radicals who DesGech the NO
Il men to give up their fritterings and use
Is less labors aud the golden persuassons
II the old-clothes men
r Now, then, who buys these dresses
!, these pretty drGped dresses Of cashmer'
e aud null, from which an arlsiocratic per
= fume sta floats, and which bear 10 thei
ir drapIpg the impress Of taste for classi'
effects and = knowledge Of South Ken
o slDgton methodist
a Perhaps the best use they serve is Y
provide workng-gitls with ready-msae