The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-19
WORLD.
A TROUBLESOME CONSCIENCE.

II never knew till last Wednesday
what a wonderful conscience I have"
said the top floor girl, to a representa-
tive of the Philadelphia Ledger. THE
shabby way 1 treated one of my custo-
mers made me realize how well equip
ped I am with that intangible sub
stance
For the past six months have been
acting as shopping companion to
women who have more money than
brains. I flatter myself that in my own
case the superfluity is on the other side
of the ledger, so between US we make
respectable combination. the taste.
"One of my latest customers is a
Madison avenue woman who is totally
devoid of sense in the way of dress. No
I matter what she puts on, she has no
more idea than a cat whether it is be-
coming or not. Saleswomen love that
woman when she goes shopping unat-
tended, because they are sure to get
rid of some of their antediluvian stock
when she comes around. However,
that is not to the woman's discredit.
She is no worse than nine-tenths of the
other women you meet, and 1 only
mention her because she is responsible
for my conscientious shake-up.
L went shopping with her Wednes-
day. Among the many things she
wanted to buy was a black silk coat.
She was in a hurry for it, and thought
! she could not wait for her tailor or
| seamstress to make it. Through shop
after shop we searched, looking for
coat whose lines were becoming to her
peculiar figure. At last we found one,
but it was already draped on another
woman when we saw it, and was ap-
n ranflW eaG aG Nv
| and 1 looked at other coats, and l in
the meantime kept my eye on that par
| ticular garment, ready to snatch it up
provided the woman who was trying it
on concluded not to buy. Presently 1
| saw that she was undecided about the
coat She didn't know whether to take
it or not. She saw me watching her
| and came over and spoke to me.
I hope you won't mind my bother
ing you,' she said, but you seem to be
a woman of excellent judgment in these
matters, and I should like your advice.
| Is this coat becoming to me or would
you prefer another style?'
Il give you my word, that was a crit
| ical moment for me. l wanted the coat
for my customer, but it was so very
! becoming to the other woman that
had not the heart to tell her otherwise
think, however, that 1 should have
not confided in me further.
1 have SO little money to spend for
| Clothes she said, that 1 feel this is
| more expensive garment than l can af-
! ford, but l have had so much trouble in
getting anything made to fit me that
don't mind paying a few dollars extra
If 1 can only get something that 1 look
well in. Perhaps you know she added,
what real heartache incompetent tail
ors and dressmakers can cause
THAT appeal fixed me- l did know,
and l loved and pitied that woman as
a fellow sufferer. If my customer had
discharged me on the spot 1 couldn't
| have done that poor woman out of her
one chance of securing a becoming
wrap.
If you can possibly afford it, said,
take the coat. You cannot find any
| thing more becoming
"She closed the bargain at once. That
wrap having been disposed of, my Gus
| toner could find nothing in stock fit to
wear. She started home thoroughly
| disgusted.
50 I'm awfully disappointed she said
| I wanted a coat to wear tomorrow.
did think we saw one that would have
fitted me-the one that tall, red-headed
woman bought. Didn't it strike you
| that ought to look we'll in that?"
|
lie, and I 6idn't-exactly.
don't think said. that you
would have looked so well in it as she
did
And that was quite true, in a sense,
because the other woman was much
more attractive, by nature, than my
Madison avenue customer But, al
though I saved myself from telling a
| plain whopper, 1 am not satisfied Still,
don't know what I should have done.
don't know whether it would have
been better to lie to that other long suf-
fering woman, and thus safeguard the
interests of my customer, or to do as
did. The thing worries me, and l wish
some of my friends with morals to
spare would tell me what they think
about it,"
Every one of the dozen people to
whom the top floor girl had unburdened
her conscientious muddle. considered
herself something of an ethical expert
but nobody ventured to express an
| Oninion