The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
A MATTER OF OLD CLOTHES.
INTERLUDES At THE LECTURE OF
HERR BEEFANBEER.
A Sumner Alleged to Have Been spent in the
Country, the work OF n Hrown,nE Club,
and the Reprehensible Practices OF q
Woman who Buys old Clothes Cheap.

what n privilege II Is to sit down at q feast
OF pure intellect after tho frivolitics Of tho sum
mer." said the dark.hAired woman as the mem
bcrs Of the Suburban Browning Club were as
sembling for the first lecture OF tho autumn.
al have been enduring all tho shallowness of
hotel life in tho country since Juno. and l hope
IL will he the last experience of the kind"
"What!' exclaimed tho woman with the
wizencd face and tho handsome dress rs she
stared suspiciously at the speaker. You were
in the country all summer
Wasn't 1T dreadful y replied the dark-hairod
woman. Three months Of enforced associa-
ton with vulgar or unaspiring people, straininR
after fashion, the discomforts Of q summer
hotel, and the entire absence of the congenial
atmosphere OF tho higher life"
HIN, said the wizcned woman. Now, peo-
pic used to no glad to go to the country, and
they thought It their duty to pretend at least to
go when they couldn't afford to; but l had sup
posed that they had got over that notion"
The President OF tho Club-Ladios, it will be
our rare good fortune to-day to listen to a
paper on 1.-THE Ethcreality OF the Unknowable
and the Spirituality of tho Inane," by Herr
Bccfanbeer. the eminent Browning scholar.
whom I now have the honor to present to you.
Thr ladies had a vision OF the bald spot on
the back Of Herr Beefunbecr's head, and Herr
Bcefanboer's short, dangling arms, and behind
them an impression of Rlobularity, as the emf
mont critic made his salutatory bow. Then
Herr Beefanbeer began by polsinv the ethoreali-
ty OF the unknowable en- the extended finger
tips of his right hand and exhibiting 1t to his
audience.
EYES, assentcd tho dark-haired woman.
" one lesson taught by the ennohling work in
which we arc engaged is apprcci ton of the
comforts of the city in summer who shall say
now that the pursuit OF culture is of no value in
the practical affairs of life y
But" persisted the wizencd woman, when
''"' i'vp'. -" e
used to shut up the fronts OF their houses and
n ,iu,o !" . .hO oa ,bsr tha,oht ,hcir friends won,dn,t
times when 'hey 'housh' 'h''r ir'ehoS "ou'uh !
see them.
How funny!" exclaimed the young married
woman.
Reproduced. It is far worse to pretend to be
what one is not imam 10 DC what one Is,
Herr Beef"noeer' having exhibited the un'
NV ~ 81. 80 "a ha,a,o;,n 4, ~ a.. A.
IVY VI ~ '"ane' ""u 80" ~ Wv
the audience. Then he exhibited them both to.
ro,,ar raio,,r IN, lower,,g than a,torn,,elv
gether, raising ana covering .hein ",lerha.ely
with n light and easy movement OF his arms,
something like a nurse soothing an infant.l
"shams' cried the dark,hair d woman, l
detost shams! There were two dreadful shams
at the hotel. I'm sure they were saleswomen
from some department store. Ihey were tho
best dressed women there. One has always to
t uo wear sucS handsome dresses" A
the" icy r HeTr don', think that one need be ashamed
sum,nnr in the country" sata the vizened
woman persuasively.
Exactly" agreed the serious girl.
But continued inc darK-haired woman
these two women must have been saving their
two weeks. Don't YOU cali that wicked ! I do.
They changed their dresses four times a day.
And the jewels they wore! l understand that
brokers il You have good references. Did You
'"But'" The wizened woman began again. "of
course we know that YOU could have gone to the
that i saw You in the street at least once a week
all summer. | even recognized. or thought |
-. trimmings. Wash it stranger.
iHerr Becfanbeer. having got the heft of his
twin subjects. began tossing Them into the air,
and from hand to hand: with one arm behind
lis back, and then with both arms; standing on
:. one foot and trotting about the platform. Then
[ pear. and then found it in ali sorts Of unexpected
' places. as il he were a c]onjmrer.I
2 2 .M uDsa rr m n answered ,nS, ms.t the SsT 1sT hean. "a 1aayi
r have, been almost like meeting ones own
Then said the serious girl with a sigh.
3 thought You were in the country all summer !"
5 wizcned woman charitably. that one may well
a matter like that"
but perhaps it was my dress" said the dark
Q OF those ! sold in the spring sell all my old
I dresses" she added,
= ""How iolly!" exclaimed the young married
woman.
r "Then you really we're in the country after
. all e. asked the serious girl with a Frightening
countennnce.
, ain A room a little smaller than n hall bed
room. which had in IL a trunk almost as big as q
hall bedroom" replied tho dark haired woman
And the whitewash came off the wallis rs soor
ms won touched IL. and YOU actually couldn't sc,
o YOUR. elf in ihc looking glass. Think Of Grcssinl
IN such n place."
d the serious yirl
t "Ialways suspected the people who live op
~ rositc me of selling their old clothes" said tn
d wizcne woman. i" Is the woman who buy
- them from You fat. with a greasy face and blacl
II hair r.
a." UIcrr Bccfanbeer. having mnde the inane dis
d appear for the last time and pretended TO searcl
for il in vain. produced it at last triumphantll
i, ont Of the centre of his capacious dome O