The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-05-02
For Three Dollars.

"How many silk hats do you get in
the course of a season, anyhowi" asked
one clerk of another in the office of
big insurance company the other day
as he picked up his associates shiny
"stove pipe" and glanced inside.
"Here's an imported hat from Paris,
if the stamp don't lie; two or three
weeks ago you had a London hat and
shortly before that you were sporting
one of the fashionable makes here.
You must spend half of your salary on
hats"
The fellow clerk smiled and looked
about him for a moment. "Will Won
keep mum If let you into a good
thing? he asked and the promise was
quickly given,
"Well lost a silk hat bet on the
election and one day l ruefully put
away $S and suggested to my success
full friend that we 60 over on Broad
way and get that hat. "Broadwayi"
said he. "Not much. You Just come
with me-" So he marched me up to
Chatham street, into narrow door,
way in a rickety old building, up
dark flight of stairs and ushered me
into diugy loft. Great heaps of high
hats ran up to the ceiling along one
side of the room and the other side
was filled with derbys. The hats in
the heap were tough enough looking,
but there were shelves of silk hats that
were just as shiny and as tony looking
as any you ever saw in Broadway
window.
"a number of men stripped to their
under shirts perspired as they worked
away on hats in all stages of develope-
ment, for a real hot stove in the centre
of the room kept the temperature
pretty high My friend had evidently
been there before, and was cordially
greeted by one of the men who stepped
forward.
This gentlemen wants 10 buy me a
elk hat, he explained, and in two
minutes he was fitted with a dandy
looking bit of head gear, the lining
stamped with very English looking
trade mark, with lion and a shield
and that sort of thing, surrounded by
the handsomely engraved name of a
firm and the address in Piccadilly. I
don't know whether there is any such
firm in existence, but what's the oddsf
That hat was just as glossy as any
you ever saw on Fifth avenue, and
rather envied my friend as l asked the
man how much should pay.
"Three dollars, said he.
"Well / was prepared to find the
price lower than on Broadway. ]
thought So, or possibly $5, would be
the figure. But So knocked me silly
Without asking any questions said;
Let me have one at the same figure, and
there l was with two elegant silk hats
instead of one and $2 to the good.
"My friend explained the mystery te
me after we left the place. 1t seem,
that the majority of the 'bloods' around
the town, after wearing their expensive
head gear for a brief period, which
Goes them very little harm except al
to the lining, leave them with tn,
fashionable dealers. The protector o
the industry we had just observed ha
an arrangement with these men to pur
chase all the hats that are turned in Il
them at fifty cents apiece. 1t doesn'
cost him much more than fifty cent
more to put them in first rate shap,
again, 80 you see he can make a mic
thing out of them at SO.
"But here's further wrinkle in tn
thing. You don't need to spend a
much as SO even when you want
new silk hat. These Chatham stree
folks are quite accommodating, by tn
way, and urge you to come in an
have your SO hat ironed up wheneve
it gets mussed free of cost. l ha
uine ironed couple of times, and on
day after getting it thoroughly soake
and demoralized in rain storm ca
led again. ! had had it then moi
than six weeks, Suppose you Civ
me this hat and a dollar, suggeste
the proprietor, and we'll give you
brand new one,' closed the ba
gain right off and walked out wit
that elegant hat of London make th
you were speaking of. Oh l tell 20
there are ways of being nobby wit
out being extravagant in this town
; fellow can only find them out.