The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-29
SOCIETY WOMEN BOOM DEALERS WARES
tied English Mtrons
mend and Many Earn Handsome Incomes

Liz C1SNereSl Oh smart society women
is needed to do business there At some
place not too far from town she rents
q little place perhaps only for a few
weeks and invites weekend parties,
motor spins being the great attraction.
ne guests are, of course, selected with
the utmost care and they are invaria-
Dly those with leanings towards motor
Ing FROM town" arrive two or three
cars of the best style and with the
most experienced drivers to take the
guests out. Even those who are a. 1T
lie DIT nervous become reassured un-
uer the gentle driving and congenial
circumstances. There Is no racing, but
instead every one returns hungry to
an eXceHently served meal and most of
tnem express their enjoyment by or
derlng cars for their own USE The
nostess. nos or course, says very little, but
sne does not fail to post on to the chief
ofnces of the firm a list OF her guests
with notes as to how each might be an.
proached by an ordinary agent Of the
nrm. The entire expenses of the par
tles rest upon the motor firm.
occasionally q London business
mouse viii give so many shares to a
ceftaln society woman only that she
may talk about her holding, and de-
eIare whether consols be up or down
or dividend stopped in other organiza-
tlons, she has not the slightest fear.
as hers are always so good
Nothlng seems to be purchased by
society folks without some woman
pocketing commission. Lingerie has
only to be mentioned to any dozen
women and more than half will have
some special shop or private worker
to recommend-quite disinterestedIy. of
course. The whisper Of a complaint
against laundreSs will bring q shoaI
or urgent recommendations, the agent
Tor the accepted firm, besides getting
her own laundering done for nothing.
receiving some 20 to 40 per cent upon
all the work she has Influenced.
All Sorts of Inducements.
1t must be owned that all sorts of
tradespeople offer inducements to the
society woman for the sale Of their
goods that they would not dream of
suggesting to the ordinary commercial
traveller. One society woman, who had
not then entered the business Of max
ing money by pushing trade among
her friends, was written to-after buy
Ing a Turkish bath in Bond street-and
begged by the firm to recommend the
bath to her friends with the promise
that, should she send a list of names
and addresses Of those to whom she
had spoken, they would follow up the
quest and when four of these had been
PNA00C~0O0 ~ 4udhG purchases
or bath, the whole cost Of her own
purchase would be refunded
A number of society women change
their line Of business each season. If
IN one season a woman sells horses
for some firm or friend, she may the
next season spend all her enthusiasm
over the values Of a certain complex
ion cream.
But there are others who, having
mAdp Hnn nTnf1fohlo RI mill
cling to this, building up season by
season such a splendid business that
one might almost think 1T might be
possible to sell the good will.
1t is to the society woman known
for her musical parties that the young
singers go, and feel themselves safely
established If they have the oppor-
tunity to take part in one of her par
ties, for she is one of the biggest So
ciety musical agents, and will find
them engagements.
Just as when drummers are seated
around the board at a commercial ho-
tel, word will pass of the dealings of a
certain traveller, so in drawing rooms
at o'clock tea will society women
tell one another Of Lady So-and-So,
who sold a motor car and tackled on
to the list price another 6 100 for her
self, beside taking the ordinary per
cent from the makers. Sometimes q
fair one will complain that she can
only make SiXpence on a bottle of
rouge that lasts long time, while
someone else gets big checks from a
toilet specialist, besides which this
other may be in just the circle where
she can sell pedigreed black sheep from
the estate Of a friend or make lump
sums as q sort of "middle-man" be-
tween lovers of pet dogs.
And if the more successful of these
commission agents do not boldly state
the monetary result of their work, 1t
is probably communicated by confiden-
tial whiSperings, for friends will tell
how the whole cost of ball has been
paid for by the money made on little
"sales" which so soon mount up, or
how similar trading ventures have pro-
vided the rental price Of country
house. Lady Mary.