Evening journal., 1898-09-03
CLAY PIPE cuRLINe-IRoNs.
An Inquisitive Man Finds Out That
Up-to-Date Girls Have RETURNED 10
Method of Their GrandmOthers.

This is the story the puzzled tobacco
clerk told the customer:
Business was lax. and il was toe
hot to work. anyway. We were just
laying q bet as TO which we'd rather
be doing. staying sPaniards with the
boys in Cuba or killing time where
we were. when all OF a sudden a girl
came into the shop. She was a swell;
you could hear her skirt rustic all
over, like a ghost, you know. And
she was pretty, too. l supposed she
was after cigars for some poor fellow,
and was about to bring out our most
expensive and worst sort, when what
do you think she asked for? Clay pipes.
And she wanted the penny kind, too.
Now, we only keep two sorts-ten-
cent-apiece ones and the two for
cent. But she wanted only one, and
nothing could induce her to take two.
"'It's no economy TO burden your
self with something that you have no
use for she said. Economy doesn't
mean cheapness, but utility
"Those were her very words. They
kinder knocked the argument out OF
a fellow. OF course, it's policy to
make as much out of trade as pos
sible; but 1 wanted her to get the
worth of her money. But she had a
will of her own, she did, and what's
more. she broke the bowl off the one
that she took and asked if she might
leave it with us, as she only wanted
the stem. And she put that stem into
her purse-a gold purse it was, all
done up in pearls. and went out. Now.
what I'd like to know is, what did she
want with that stem? She couldn't
smoke with it or use it for soap bub-
bles. Is it some new fad for n lemon
ade stick?"
1t is not always wise to give an opin-
ion when you are ignorant, so the
customer kept silent, but he thought
very hard, and by and by when he
passed a hairdresser's establishment
he was blessed with an inspiration
He entered and inquired if there was
anything that a fashionable girl could
use a clay pipe stem for.
"Well. not a fashionable girl, "vouch-
safed the owner; mot If she was one
of those up-to-date ones. But if she
wasn't"-here an expression of pity
ing boredom came on his face-'if
she wasn't she might possibly use it
to curl her hair with"
The customer thanked him and
went out. He had taken only few
steps when it was his good fortune
to meet an up-to-date girl with whom
he was acquainted. He did not wish
to be rude, and he did not banker
to let her suspect that there are Q
few things that man doesn't know,
but would like to know At the same
time he couldn't let an opportunity
slip by. So he began;
"You have wonderful hair. Nat
prally curly, of course" and went or
to tell her what the hairdresser hac
just told him.
"All nonsense" she averred. n,
doesn't know what he's talking about
Now, it's the up-to-date girls that dc
curl their hair that way. Our grand
mothers did it and what beautiful
soft curls they had. Lately some one
made the discovery that clay pipes
gave softer and more natural wave
and curl TO the hair than irons did
and it's now the latest fad. It's cheap
too, and awfully convenient, for you
,can put pipestem in the smallest re
ceptacle. I always carry one in my
purse. You insert a hairpin in the
large end of it, you know, and make :
handle; then you heat it and wind
your hair around it. You see. we
moderns can't improve 80 much upor
the ancients. Old things are best"
He gasped family and lifted his hat
He felt sure that the tobacco clerl
would gasp also when he knew the
secret.-N. Y. Sun.