The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-01-16
THE LINEN WOMAN.
SWAPPING THAT is PROFITABLE TO
BOTH SIDES.

rre,. Fix Up and Sell.
s+out course looking woman with a
.ra,rl about her shoulders and headgear
g. +ba vintage of 1889 or thereabout re-
Oa;,od so much attention in the big
1roodway linen store from members of
NO firm as well as from statesmen that
sbe aroused the curiosity of other Gus
.o,nsrs some OF whom had come in car
,iooes and were not used to being asked
a. ,roif few moments. The stout wom-
IN didn't look as though she would want
Cor her personal use any of the fine linen
+bot she was examining, yet as she eX-
ahmed each piece produced she made
come comment on it that proved that she
lnew her subject well. When she was
through her shopping, she arose from her
chair. and, with Il businesslike wave of
ber hand toward a great heap of fine
linen tablecoths, napkins, doilies, towels,
sbeets. etc. which she had tossed to one
side, she said that she would take the lot.
"Now how much is that?' she inquired.
"Four hundred and sixty dollars" re-
Piled the clerk.
"Well. send it to the same place." said
be woman, aud then she wrote out a
check for the amount, which was accent
ed without a moments hesitation. A
member of the firm accompanied her to
the door and bowed her out with the
same ceremony chat he would have shown
70 the wealthiest customer on his books.
The member of the firm was not ayerse
to cnlightening curious customer about
the woman and her purchases.
NO he said; 'she is not Il competitor.
She's the linen woman, that's all. Don't
luow her? Well, l suppose not. She
doesn't operate in New York. She does
business in small towns. She swaps that
linen for old clothes, old shoes, old hats,
old anything that she can get and be-
cause she buys the best linen that can be
bought and does a business that is strict
" honest her customers are the best peo-
pie in each place that she goes.
"She won't sell linen for money, but
she viii swap it for most anything, and
the peculiar thing about it is that it is
bargain in which each side gets the best
of it. Tho customer gets the best OF it
because he gives up something for which
he has no use, making the linen clear
profit; the linen woman gets the best of
it because when she apprases an article
at 81 and gives the owner that much
value in linen for it she knows that when
she has male that article ready for the
udiNNl II Mfl bli4S Il lAlNG mat VIII eAft
her q profit Of anywhere from 80 to 100
per cent and sometimes even more.
- have some very good private custom
ers, but the linen woman is my best She
buys more from me in a year than any
other ten customers l have, and, what is
more, she pnfs cash for it. | have men
in my employ who have been handling
linens for a great many years, but don't
believe one Of them knows more about
the subject than the linen woman. Don't
think she is the only linen woman. There
are about SIX of them operating in this
state and in Pennsylvania and all doing
the same kiad of business. They're get
ting rich at /. too"
In the last three or four years the linen
woman has become quite an institution
in the small cities in the southern and
western part of this state and just oveI
the line in ennsylvania. There is one
city of 10000 people in this state which
is almost kept in linen by a woman from
Scranton wbo buys her stock at the high
est prices ia New York stores and ther
swaps it off tor cast off clothing. She has
husband who sews from morning te
night putting the clothes into salable
shape and son who goes around the
country with her to carry her great pack
ages of linen Then there are daughter!
and other sous who wait on people in the
store and arother-in-law who keeps the
books. 1t must be a pretty good bushes:
that supports so many persons.
The linen woman comes to town witt
two trunks full of fine linen and goes t.
Ia. cheap carding house. The next da.
she hires a wagon, and, with her big sol
TO drive and do the heavy work, sh
starts on her route. A week before sh
has but line in the local paper sayini
that she would be around on that date
and so she goes straight to the postofiic
to get requests for calls. She goes owe
her mail carefully. She knows who anon
those who have sent for her are wort
calling on and who are not.
She is welcome visitor. The linen
brought into the house and spread out,
tempting sight for the housekeeper. The
the old clothes are brought out, and tn
linen woman goes over them with shar
eye. She is mercless in her criticism. a.
article highly colored she will take onl
when high colors are in favor anon
those who make the styles. You Jar
amazed at this, and the linen woman eS
plains:
"Ah, them miners wives, they are yer
and they see the fashion magazines, an
they know what is the style. They wi
take only those things that are the styl'
and you cannot make them take anythin
else. They know what's what just lik
all Of you, and they will only buy wha
the rich are wearing Why do | com
here from Scranton, which has so man
more people and where l can get just q
good and better things for my linen
Why do | go to all this expense? I'll tie
you. With everything l sell | have
give guarantee that it was not bougl
or traded in Scranton. They won't bu
anything | get at home, and so don't Z
any trading in Scranton at all. You Sc
they are afraid the original owner wi
come along and see it on them, and the
are very proud-oh, my, very proud, i
deed"
And all of this is very true. The mi
ers wife and his daughter are as part
ular about being in the fashion as the
richer sisters, and they won't take o
fashioned things. The linen woman has
good eye for values from her standpoir
and 1t doesn't take her long to go throut
what one has to offer her. She fixes
total yalue and then invites Won TO tai