News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-07-11
SECRETS OF DRESSES.
Wealthy Women Who Often Pay
Their Dressmakers with Jewelry.

Fancy woman going about in heI
carriage with two men on the box, .
team of blooded horses in harness, 8
crest on the blinkers and not enough
money in her purse to pay for making o
morning dress. A wealthy poor woman
the irony of it And yet the New
York mod ste declared to a World re-
porter that there are plenty of them in
society.
"Only week ago, she said, 81 made
lace toilet for q customer and what dc
you think she paid me with? A snake
bracelet! The jewel know must have
cost 5000, which more than covered the
bill, but L didn't want it; 1 preferred tc
be. paid in cash and told her so. Then
she took from her hand small diamond
cluster ring and begged me to receipt
the bill. 1 was obliged to do so, as she
is an old customer. Rich? The world
thinks so. She wears beautiful clothes,
always comes in O coupe, and / know
she has maid, for have seen her.
81 once made wedding dress for q
fashionable young lady who agreed be.
forehand to give me five rings in lieu OF
the money. The jewels were all engage
ment rings that had been received from
discarded sweethearts and which she
never would be permitted to wear as the
wife of her accepted lover. We had an
understanding 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, kept the jewels two
years and cleared $50 ON their sale.
"About ten months ago a lady came
to me and left an order for three toilets,
/ had never done any work for her, but
she was well recommended and l felt
sure she was al right. Well, do you
know when I sent home the goods she
came back with the bill herself and told
sne she could not ray it, as her husband
in fit of jealousy had stopped her al.
lowance. Her jewels had been pawned
for 800, but were worth s., 200, she
thought. Would | take the tickets, re-
deem them and hold the case for a
year, This was most astounding form
of settlement. / referred it to my attor-
ney, who paid the money on the loan
and brought me back leather case con.
tanning an assortment of rings and
bracelets and set of earrings. That
was last April, and / haven't seen OF
heard of her since.
"No, 1 rarely lose anything. We
Women, as a class, are honest. l have
been swindled by adventuresses, but my
regular customers always pay.
''There lives at the Windsor Hotel q
wealthy widow who has been a source of
annoyance to every dressmaker she has
had any dealings with. The first time
[ made her address, l sent it home with
bill, which she deliberately discount
ed, item after item, sending me check
for third less than the amount due.
On investigation / found that she had
pursued this method with other mods
tes, so bottled 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
| politely withhold delivery until the
| whole apnoupt-Syas- DPi5 The womal
she orders, and is in every other partl'
Mar a most delightful person, but sh
has mania for discounting her dress
making and millinery bills that amount
to positive dishonesty.
ZONE customer / had was the wife c
an old miser, who promptly paid he
bills but never allowed her any pocke
money. At her order the bills wer
made out in pencil and she would in
them and add as much to the differen
figures as she dared. The collecto
found no difficulty IN getting checl
from the husband, and the additiona
sum. over the original debt we gave t.
the moneyless wife of the millionaire
A dressmaker doesn't need to be IL
business very long before realizing tina
all that glitters is not gold.