Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-29
" DOING" THE Mr1IrNER

"When first went into business for my
self Il astonished me to find how many
women there were who considered it smart
to beat a milliner, but nothing that women
do in the way Of business meanness or I'M
derhandedness is capable Of surprising me
any more" said a woman milliner.
Look at this, for example," and she ex-
hibited q check for $50. filed out in femi-
nine hand. folding the name under 20 that
1t couldn't be read. ''Th1s checx represents
as deliberately mean q transaction az could
be imagined, and yet 1t Is a. scheme that
has been worked upon me four or nve times
by different women since I started in BUSH
ness. The woman whose name il on this
check Is the wife Of a prosperous man and
she lives In a beautiful Mt. Pleasant home.
1t is we'll known to tradespeople that her
husband lets her have all the money that
any woman. even one with extravasant
tastes. could possibly need. And yet she In
not above turning so mean trick as this.
She came here for the first time yesterday.
I recognized her at once, was pleased to
think that l was going to have her for a
customer. and would have given her any
amount of credit she asked for. But she
didn't ask me for any credit. She picked
out two hats that she liked, each Of them
happening to cost $35.
SenQ Inem 10 my mouse THIS evening,
she said to me, and / will return you
check
We'll, that looked even better-she was
going to be fine new cash customer, it
seemed.
Il sent the two hats to her, together with
receipted bill for the full amount-$7O.
She gave my delivery man this check for
$35. She handed the man the check in a
sealed envelope. took the hats and the re-
ceipted bill for $40, and there you are. I
had had this thing. as 1 say. worked upon
me before, but could not think it possible
that this woman would do it. I thought she
must surely have made some mistake. So I
went up to see her this forenoon. I ex-
planned the situation to her. but she simply
would not listen to me-in fact, she brazep-
ly told me that was trying to cheat her,
and she all but showed me the door. That
ends the transaction. l am out $50. There
as that. When the dodge was first worked
upon me, about two years ago. I was SO
angry that 1 instructed my delivery man
not to accept any more money or checks
placed in sealed envelopes. but to open the
envelopes and examine the contents before
giving up the receipted BILL He did this in
a couple of cases where regular women GUS
toners gave him checks in sealed envelopes
and found everything all right. The women
became very wrathy over what they called
my delivery mans impertinence, and they
withdrew their patronage from me. so that
I had to instruct him not to open the sealed
envelopes any more.
This woman whose check have in my
hand. gets two hats for the price of one.
and of course she will not come back to my
place any more. She will. no doubt work
the same game upon other milliners and
different sorts Of business houses that deal
in women's wear, and l cannot believe, from
the way she treated me this morning that
she will suffer the least compunction OF
conscience over her catty meanneSS or
downright dishonesty.
Her scheme, Of course. is merely another
version Of the old money-in-the-envelop
scheme the professional sw1ndlers used to
employ before 1t became too stale. I would
not, Of course permit my delivery man to
accept payment in that way from strange
woman, one who received the goods sent
to her at hotel. for instance. That old
scheme was worked to death at hotels years
ago, as everybody knows. But this woman
presumed upon her credit, and upon my
knowing that she was supposed to be what
we call good to cheat me out Of just half
the amount of my bill
IT couldn't begin to name half Of the &C
tually dishonest things that some women
will do in their efforts to get the better Of
miliners- Not long ago woman who had
been a customer of mine for long time
came to me in a state of great apparent
distress. I had bill Of $50 against her.
My husband is very angry about that
BILL she told me. He declares that I am
borrowing money and having the trades
people put the borrowed money on their
bills for goods and he is perfectly unrea-
sorabte. Now, here's what I wish you'd do
for me. Cut your bill down to $50 say.
and will pay you $40 now and the rest
later. and you give me the bill recepted in
fun so that I can show it to him and tell
him how good you had been to me in cut
ting down the bill. Then I can get some
more hats
Il told her that I couldn't cut the bill
down at ali-that 1t was fair and just ac-
count and so on
Well. she said. then I'll pay you the $40
now, and then won't you let me have the
PHI receipted in full only for me to show
MIN: And III be here with the remainder
CT the amount in a week or So
Il didn't like the sound of this. either;
naturally enough. since I've been fooled so
often by these schemes
No. said l. but will do this: You nav
me the $40 now. and I will then let you
have the bill receipted in full II you will
give me your personal note for the re-
amount
she agreed to this. and took her $40,
and handed her the bill for 500 re-
ceipted in full. Then sat down to
draw her r. personal note, for the re-
calmly turned and walked out of the place.
She was stepping into her carriage before
had time to realize what was happening.
There would have been no use in my ny
Ing out after her. especially when the store
was filled with people. and so 1 simply let
her go. with piece of paper showing that
she had paid me full 800, when she had
realy only given me $f0 on account. That's
another one, think. that would be pretty
hard to match for meanness.
Last fall woman whom knew to be
good. SO far as what we know as
the blue credit book showed came to
my place for the first time, and selected
three very expensive hats. One Of them
cost $50. the second $50 and the third S55
She gave a gasp when I told her the aggre-
gate cost of the three hats she'd picked
out.
oh. I know my husband would never
in the wide world agree to that BILL she
said to me.
But do you need all three of the hats
at the same time? said to her. Perhaps
II you took them separately, at short inter-
walls, and he. received the three separate
bills. he would
No she interrupted. well do 1t this
way: Make out the total bill for the three
hats an even $1O0-my husband isn't stingy,
but he thinks that even $50 for hat Is a
frightful price And I'll pay you the differ
ence now. and he'll never know the diff
ference-for / must have the three hats
$50 we arranged 1t that way. She paid
me the difference sos, and the hats were
sent to her. The bill followed a month or
so later and her husbands check for the
500 promptly came back. About three
days after I received her husbands check
the woman got out Of her carriage and
came TO