The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-07-05
SECRETS OF DRESSES.
Wealthy Women WHO Often Pay Their
Dressmakers with Jeweiry.

Dressmakers with Jewelry.
Fancy a woman going about in her
carriage with two men on the box, n
team of blooded horses in harness, a
crest on the blinlSers and not enough
money III her purse TO pay for making
q morning dress. A wealthy poor
woman-the irony of it! And yet an
uptown modiste declared to reporter
that there are plenty of them in soci-
ETY..
"Only week ago." she said, II
made lace toilet for q customer and
what do you think she paid me with2
a snake bracelet The jewel | know
must have cost 5000, which more than
covered the bill, but didn't want it.;
| preferred to be paid in cash and told
her so. Then she took from her hand
a small diamond cluster ring and beg
ged me to receipt the bill. / was obliged
to do So as she is an old customer
Richl The world thinks so. She
wears beautiful clothes, always comes
in coupe and | know she has a
maid, for have seen her.
II once made a wedding dress for a
fashionable young lady who agreed
beforehand to give me five rings in
lieu Of the money. The jewels were
all engagement rings that had been
received from discarded sweethearts
and which she knew she never would
be permitted to wear as the wife of her
accepted lover. We had an under
standing that she should have the
privilege of paying the amount due,
with interest, and getting back the
rings, about which she had woman's
sentiment Well, l kept the Jewels
two years and cleared $50 on that SALE
about ten months ago lady came
to me and left an order for three tot
lets. l had never done any work for
her, but she was well recommended
and l felt sure she was all right.
Well, do you know when l sent home
the goods she came back with the bill
herself and told me she could not pay
it, as her husband in fit of jealousy
had stopped her allowance. Her jew
els had been pawned for 500, but
were worth $1,000, she thought.
Would / take the tickets, redeem them
and hold the case for a year2 This
was a most astounding form OF set
Element. referred it to my attorney,
who paid the money on the loan and
brought me back q leather case con-
tanning an assortment of rings and
bracelets and set of earrings. That
was last April, and l haven't seen or
heard of her since.
mo, l rarely lose anything. We
don't have bad debts, as tailors do.
Women, as class, are honest. /
have been swindled by adventuresses,
but my regular customers always pay.
'"There lives at the Windsor hotel a
wealthy widow who has been a
source of annoyance to every dress
maker she has had any dealing with.
The first time 1 made her dress sent
it home with a.bill, which she DELHI
erately discounted, item after item,
sending me check for a third less
than the amount due. On investiga-
ton I found that she had pursued this
method with other modistes, so l bot
tied up my Indignation and waited for
another order. 1t came in due course
of time. The material was her own. |
made it up and charged the balance due
on the first account and politely with.
held delivery until the whole amount
was paid. The woman is abundantly
able to pay for everything she or.
ders, and is in every other particular
a most delightful person, but she has q
mania for discounting her dressmak-
ing and millinery bills that amounts
to positive dishonesty.
Zone customer l had was the wife
of an old miser, who promptly paid
her bills but never allowed her any
pocket money. At her order the bills
were made out in pencil and she would
ink them and add as much to the diff
ferent figures as she dared. The col
lector found no difficulty in getting 9
check from the husband, and the adj
ditional sum over the original debt
we gave to the moneyless wife of the
millionaire. A dressmaker doesn't
need to be in business very long be-
fore realizing that all that gitters il
not gold. New York World