Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-06
New York is a Victim to the Wiles of
Fakirs.
MANY QUEER GAMES PAY WELL
An Amusing Side of Life in the Big
Town.
NEW CENTU RY ETHODS
pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star.

d
cheap scale only in the more shabby quar-
tiers. There's a 400 in the canvassing and
| book selling world now, but they're not
canvassers or book agents: they are pro
moters." Their victims never know that
| these new recruits to the species of pro-
motors have anything to sell or any sort
| OF an ak to grind until they have been so
overwhelmed by the personalities of the
| promoters that they are virtually helpless,
| so that they supinely yield.
A perfectly tailored and handsome wo-
man, for example, is driven to the door of
| a swell residence In a perfectly appointed
| victoria, with rigid coachman and foot
man on the box. The footman leaps to the
| ground and holds open the carriage door,
| and the swagger woman debarks She is
| radiant and smiling, and. as like as not,
she has some ST. worth of yioIets pinned to
| her waist Her card case is something
| beautiful in design and finish. She presents
her card to the obsequious butler, who
| ushers the swagger woman into the recep-
ton room with an obviously serene faith
| that she is some great social figurante
| whom he has not before seen. Shortly the
| mistress of the estabfishment-it is not her
| day at home, and there Is a slightly puZ-
zled expression on her face-enters carry
| ing between thumb and forefinger the card
| of her visitor. The mistress of the estab-
lishment gaZes pleasantly but still puz-
| Zledly, at her visitor, who approaches her
effusively-but not too effusively-and be-
| slows upon her high handshake that be-
speaks quality in every movement.
With the Oil of FIattery.
| Il fear" remarks the mystiffed mistress
of the establishment, that L am under
| the disadvantage of not
| Now, please don't chide me for my I'M
conventionality, my dear madam" inter-
| rupts the radiant visitor, "but 1 am sure
| that you feel there is no such a thing
| as conventionality in art, do you not ?" and
she archly lays her head to one side and
| smflingiy surveys the mistress of the es-
| adjustment. who is rather fiattered to be
informed that she has formulated any
views whatsoever with respect to art
WELL" begins the mistress of the es-
Enlistment, motionfng her visitor to be
seated, Il am sure had not really given
much thought"
And Mrs. AstorgfIt told me the other
| day that you were devoted to art and
| particularly to book illustrations" goes on
the perfectly-tailored woman. land / think
| Il was Mrs. Vandergould who told me how
| perfectly enraptured you had been for
years with Omar-long before the craze be-
| gan and the world in general took him up,
| you know-and it is so charming to be In
should think"
oh" replies the mistress of the estab-
| lishment. fattered in spite of her vague
suspicious. Il really cannot lay claim to
| of Omar. but did read him quite a num-
| Der OF years ago. and"
shrewd Tactics.
| ooh, yes" breaks in the swagger visitor
| land Mrs. Vandergould surely told me- IL 1
remember correctly, that you had become
| so enthusiastic over him that you We're seri-
ously contemplating the study of Persian
| so that you should be able to read him in
the original. How charming, to have ones
| enthusiasm fired in that way. don't you
think?'
| 81 fear" answers the mistress of the
| establishment that Mrs. Vandergould has
| unconsciously exaggerated the extent to
winch L succumbed to the music Of Omar's
verse, but
And am making such an effort" in
! terrupts the promoter -interrupting In
| such a smooth skillful, unctuous wav.
however, that it really does not seem like
| lnterruption-'to search out all of the
lovers of Omar-one fancies that where
| there is such a community of interest
| those who partake of it should really get
| together and-er-compare notes, don't YOU
| think? l am really thinking seriously of
| attempting the organization of a society
of ladies who adore Omar. Have you
! many editions of that lovable poet 2"
| Really" replies the mistress of the es-
| Establishment, Il fear that L have not kept
| pace with the ed
Because / have the most sumptuous edi-
| tion-really, the most beautiful ever is
| sued" puts in the swaeger visitor, rising
| May 1 ring the bell for your man, so
! that he can get it from my footman? L
| should so like to show it to you"
The Deed is Done.
| The mistress of the establishment al
ready partially hypnotized in spite Of her
| suspicious, which of course clinched
| by this time, summons her man." who
shortly returns from the front door with
a really fine edition of Omar, or Horace, or
Virgil, or Tennyson, or Rossetti-as. the
| case may be. Having sprung her mine as
| it were, and shown herself in her true col
ors, the promoter feels the necessity for
| keeping up a constant glib conversation at
| this period Of the interview, going over
| the illustrations enthusiastically as she
| sits by the side of her victim, naming the
| socially famous women who have already
| possessed themselves of several copies for
| themselves and for their friends, flattering
! the mistress of the establishment upon her
taste and appreciation In instantly point
| ing outAwhich the mistress of the estab-
iishment hasn't done at alI-the beauties
of the book-and so on. Thus the deed is
| done.
1t may seem incomprehensible but thus
the deed is done in nine cases out of ten.
Women who have yielded to the oleagf-
nous persuasons of these newfangled skirt
ed book agents, and put their names down
for really considerable amounts for vol
umes that they actually didn't want, hest
tate not to inform their storming husbands
in extenuation that they were hypnotized,
and they doubtless tell the truth. At any
rate, the hypnotic theory is the only way
to account for the open-handedness which
clever and accomplished and wealthy wo-
men of the world in this town "give up to
this new type OF an old nuisance. and buy
books, fake antiques. and bits of bric-a-
brac, even jewels. from oily, well gotten
up velvety audacious women they have
never seen or heard Of before.
Great Town for Fakfrs.
However, it would positively appear as IL
the tall pillars in the great realm of fakir-
land make their initial moves here, where
gullibleness is the rule instead Of the excep-
ton, and hence gradually work their blithe
wayto Ipswich, Schoharie, Chicago and COM
munities where the truly rural fancy is not
so easily impressed to the dollar-exuding
point as 1t Is in New York For example
there is a bovine-eyed Turk now occupying
a suite of rooms at one of the great hy-
phenated hotels, who is now waiting so
much real money in his own direction that
there is a continuous performance express
sion of surprise on his face. He is sure
enough Turk who has picked up fully
eighteen words of English and who pos
sesses an appalling amount Of information