The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-04
THE TALE OF A HAT.
And How ons DR. SIS Suit Made Swells
of Four People.
From the Chicago Times.

are four young men who hold llerkships
IN the city. They are all young men of
hne families who have drifted here from
other cities and linked their compare
lively humble fortunes in a cosey bache-
Ior halI with attendant desultory gas
stove meals supplemented by the proven
DER OF the bakery lunch room and Occa-
slonal banquets and dinners to which
they are invited They 20 in the b ST
social circles, their letters of introduc-
Jlon having served as omen Sc
sames to the exclusive set. They share
and share alike in all things. Collars,
cuus, necktieS and other articles of an
parel are common property, aud the com
mon purse, though frugal, is open to all. 1t
is seldom, however, that these young men
are seen together at small social func-
lions, and for very good reason.
IheY own but one dress suit between
them, and they have but one silk hat
when they can claim. Fortunately the
nat ntS each one OF them, and so do the
evening clothes. They arrange dates be.
| tween themselves for the use Of these
articles of apparel If Harry. for iu-
stance, is invited To banquet or recep-
tlon Monday evening, he announces The
| pleasant fact in time TO claim the dress
outfit. and that night the Others remain
at home, or go where dress of the full
order is no. required The evening
clothes have been in the little bachelor
family for some time, aud in certain
lights they will glsten in spite of
the vigorous and frequent use of the
sponge. The silk hat, however, is a COM
paratlVely re ent acquisition. It was
purchased Mt the beginning of the opera
season. Masculine headgear at recep-
JlOn or dinner repOSes unseen in the
cloan room, but at the opera no swell
can promenade the lobby between
acts with his evening clothes topped by
white Fedora hat which bears the unmis-
! taxable marks of a cleaner. The Young
| men agreed to this and they unanimously
resolved that as they hoped to 20 often TO
the opera, both on invitation and on 81
standing room, that il would be necessary
! TO purchase silk tile. But the 81 stand
/ ing room was not TO be had without The
| 81, and they must economiZe they agreed,
IN the matter of the tile. One of the four
is obliged in his business to visit the Blue
Island avenue district, and he said that
he had noticed in the window of an out
| lying halter in that diagonal thorough
! fare a collection of silk hats marked
Amt daisy Only So" True, these
hats were not made on the latest block,
| but one of them might do in an emer-
| gency. 1t could be shined up with
soap when necessary, it was agreed So.
/ after due consideration, the four Clipped
In half dollar each, and commissioned
the father of the idea to buy the coveted
tile
The next evening the young man re-
! turned home with the hat He had taken
the precaution to place it in a Dunlap hat
box which his employer had discarded
as he did not think it would fit his social
station TO be seen carrying box bearing
the inscription: IS hmitgall. the Daisy
/ Blue Island Avenue Halter" The quar-
/ tette Inspected the tile and voted that il
/ would do-becans Sc it would have TO do
| Its odd shape suggested The Wearing of
! the Green" but one of the four said he
had seen Londoners wearing worse
looking hats. This young optimist
is the nephew of lady of tide
in England, and this heightened connec-
ton had afforded him entree into the
most exclusive circles here One of
his closest friends is Hobart Chatfeld
ChatfeldTaylor. who took him up the
moment he learned that the young mans
aunt was Lady Soandso He was in re-
ceipt OF more dainty notes and invita-
tions than the others, and be put in the
first claim for the hat, saying that MIR.
Chatheld-Taylor had invited him 10 oc-
cupy his box at the Auditorium on the
occasion of the first apl earance Of Calve
as Carmen. AS the four never quarrel
they courteously gave in and agreed
that their English chum should be
the first to spring the new tile on the
public.
Well, the first performance of scar
men, came to pass, and the young In
gliShmen turned up in great style He
had worn out the common whisk broom
on the evening clothes, and they were
very presentable in consequence Es-
peCially was this the case with the
trousers, which had a tine crease, the re-
suit of being slept on for three nights by
the E,n eli his pbI1Tp ha
hat, while its out-of date outlines called
TO mind The str, ct parades of Col.
Haverly's Mastodons IN 1899, looked very
acceptable. 10 caught the eye of MIR.
Characterization at once. He eyed it
critically, and kept on cycling 1t until the
young Englishman grew nervous Did
the critical examination mean admiration
or contempt he asked himself. However
he took no chances, and when he seated
himself in the box he tucked the
hat away under his chair. AS he did so
his eye caught the Blue Island avenue
label in the top. "Ain't | daisyl" and
he hastily dropped his well-cleaned gloves
over il. After the first act of the opera
the young Englishman promenaded the
foyer with Mr.. Chatiield-Taylor, and
they went into the refectory and split a
bottle Of Bass. While the dapper young
man in white apron was carefully pouring
the ale Jne young Englishman noticed
again that the Chatheld-Taylor eve was
on the hat. When they returned TO the
box the curtain was not up, and Mr. Chat
feld-Taylor, finding opportunity, leaned
oyer and said:
Say, old man, l must have a hat of
that London shape Of yours. It's stun
ming"
do you like it," nervously asked the
embarrassed guest, kicking the hat as far
under the chair as he could, in order that
the Blue Island avenue trademark would
be out of sight.
"Yes, and l must have its mate
{ Happily the curtain arose just then, and
the Englishman breathed more freely at
the interruption. He was not TO get of 50
elsily, however. for when they parted for
the nigh Mr.. Cha feld-1aylor called him
aside and said:
"Old fellow, I'm going to send my man
up TO your digginRs tomorrow after that
hat. / must have one like it,
This was an awful prospect but late
tn / night the four chums held a council
Of war and prepared for the emergency.
An old English derby hattie one the
young Englishmau had worn from Lon
don-was unearthed from the debris in
the closet IT was soaked in the wash
basin until the London trade mark could
be peeled or Theu one of the four tor-
rowCd the landlady's mucilage a1d the
LONDON device was carefully pasted over