The Washington times. (Washington, D.C.) 1894-1895, 1895-06-09

20. no." said the lady, with smile of
wonderful sweetness and innocence, don't
you think the list is long enough al
ready? And to be perfectly frank,
am afraid that my husband will protest
against several of the articles. l fancy
that he will draw the line at the Syrian
tapestry, and / will be hardly allowed
more than two out of the four pair OF
cutains. but / cert ainly will insist on
the portireres and the vases. Please
don't disappoint me. / would like them
sent up this afternoon at O'Clock.
Certainly madam" said the dealer in
orientals. and with that madame, with that
same seductive smile. withdrew.
Would you object to telling me who that
is?" said a young man. who was in the
store at the time of the foregoing inter-
esting colloquy, to the merchant prince OF
the Land of the Rising Sun, who was all
agIow with the order.
Il don't know" replied the merchant,
anything about her except what 1 read
on her card. If sell q single one of the
articles ordered it will be a good thing.
Look at this Syrian tapestry. 1t is
only a small square of woven silk, but
painter couldn't do Moloeb and the Chill
drens' Sacrifice better than the Syriac
girls have woven it in these threads. 1t
cost $40 in Constantinople, and 1 am
letting it go for $e5. Only the richest
kind of customers touch these luxuries,
and"
A SIGNIFICANT REQUEST.
Ssh; there she is again. whispered
the young man, as the lady with the Lamia
smile re-entered the store, and advancing
hurriedly said in her most debonnaire style
and with the air of apologiZing to an in-
ferior:
Il forgot to mention that Mr.. will
not be home from New York until O'Clock
tomorrow morning and viii leave the
city at IL O'Clock Tor Atlanta. l presume
you can leave the articles with me until
tomorrow at midday"
That question made an interesting diff
ference in the physiognomy OF the mer-
chant. His brow fell figuratively from
Samarkand TO Bagdad.
II am sorry madame" he said ''but
that is not our present rule. Goods ON
approval are waited for by the wagon, and
il they are not accepted, they are IT once
returned"
But the circumstances in my case ought
to make a difference"
We'll, yes said the merchant. 81
can do this: IL You pay for the trifles for
the whatnot, Il VIII let the whole order re-
main until tomorrow afternoon"
Il shall do 50 with pleasure, and l shall
regard it as AN accommodation since it is
your rule WHattwill the curios 3e?'
''Thirty-seven dollars"
Every well. shall return in a half
hour with the money!
But she never came back and there
are several ladies who have never come
back since the merchants of Washington
learned to play the game as well as these
female im-flamTners.
JUST A : MEAN sUBTERFUGE.
There is nothing criminal in the trick
that woman wanted to play. 1t was only
a mean, soriid subterfuge, "continued the
merchant. II can't say that l have suf-
fered by these petty tricksters, but
confess that have been completely duped
by them several fines before l discovered
the game. It will deceive anybody the
first time, and by the time the profess
sional has made the rounds she Will have
passed many summers and winters.
THE simplicity of the tr1ck was its
safeguard at first. That woman, from
her appearance and manner, is no doubt
well enough off, but she has weakness
and corresponding vanity and ingenuity.
Reasoning from similar cases, / think
that she intended tagiYe some social party
or another, and wanted to dazzle her
friends with what she intended TO buy
Look at this list: Persian rug, Syrian
tapestry NEUROLOGICAL design. two Imari
mantel vases, bronze winged lion, gen
uine and from Aleppo, bronze design OF the
settee, an Alma, a Nautch girl, these
last four for the whatnot; the four pairs
of curtains, and the portieres OF bamboo
and beads. The bin for all that would have
been something like $500, and there was
an air of sincerity in that customer that
would have deceived Machiavelli had
he turned his attention to Persian rugs and
female Sharps.
SAME OLD CANE.
''But / knew it w-s the old game when
she wanted the things to stay over night.
That's where she fell down. Maybe you can
imagine that lady telling her guests of the
immense value OF the things, all in position,
how hard she had to beg Mr.. -- for them,
and all that kind of babble There is no
catching that case, for maybe they are
about to move away to some summer resort
and the things are to be sent away next
day, she will glibly explain, to be stored
unit lthey return in the fall.
''You see now how easily he " hole thingiS
arranged and what a lot OF consummate
skill is displayerd in making consum-
mate fool of ones self and cues guests"
Taking this as a pointer q visit was
paid to one OF the biggest furniture stores
Il
by no means q stranger to this one night
magnificence plan of vain and shrewd
woman.
Yes" he said, 81 have known of the
scheme being worked successfully ON this
establishment, but it don't go now. The
most curious part of it all to me is
how they all hit upon the same idea. /
know that it has been practiced at other
furniture stores, and have no doubt that
there are many others yet to be worked.
Imade my discovery in not particularly
ingenious but, all the same, satisfactory
way.
POOR PEOPLE DON'T DO IT
.sReaIy poor people ,ioh't 40 these
tricks. 1t is only people who might be
expected to have better than the good
things they possess. Ny discovery was
made on Fifteenth street, aud not very
high up ether The person who wanted
the goods on approval wanted them bad,
and she wanted them at a specified hour.
.They were about the handsomest things
9g59 TOO LATE Tt