Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-25

bug. They maintain that men who used
to be glasses of fashion and models OF
come perfect slouches," as one 9th
avenue tailor expressed it, with regard
to their clothes. They don't care what
they wear now. 1t seems, except as to
much of their time swaddled up in furs
in the winter and in busters in warm
weather automobilfng. The women's tai
iors have the same sad story. Womens
tailored suits are in nothing like the de-
mand they were a few years ago. be-
cause. as one Of the women's tailors put
it, "a woman feels that she can wear
any old thing under her wrap when she's
automobiling and so she dresses strictly
for comfort underneath and adds the
fancy touches with her wrap and head
gear only when she's motoring"
All Of which, of course, is very sad. In
order to realize just how sad 1t Is one
has only to attend one of the frequent
hilarious dinners of the New York auto
mobile dealers and notice how distinctly
gloatful and divvleishly smiling they be-
come when allusion is derisively made to
''the devouring automobile"
u ECENTLY I saw the following adver-
IN tisement in a New York evening pa
per:
ITO SUBLET-Gentleman who has en-
gagged finely situated table for eight
persons for the New Year eve festivi-
ties at.the Knickerbocker Grill will dis
pose OF his claim on the table for the
sum Of $50. Address," etc.
giving numbered box at the ONCE of
the newspaper for his address.
Which. you will instantly perceive, isn't
such q poor little way Of picking up
few honest pieces-of-eight. Really. when
read that quite felt like heaving a few
powders at myself for not having
thought of the scheme myself.
You see, tables-not necessarily finely
situated. but just tables situated any
wherein the big. hot-stuff restaurants OF
New York are always at big premium
on New Year eve. The cautious chaps
tables long while in advance. paying the
head waiter sum In advance for the
-opttcn. But this is a precaution that the
average man doesn't take. SO that when
he tries to find room with his hooty-
whoopy party on New Year eve he finds
himself distinctly up against 1t. His
only possible plan Is to slip the head
waiter a yellow bill. and generally he's
lucky II he can get anywhere near the
aeaa ,op 81 , lae mere are
and hotel grills on New Year eve and mo-
body who can't show a ticket calling for
a table is allowed to even enter the
plant. When the cops surround the place.
creased" before he will permit the anx-
ious man with party to get by, and once
inside. the anxious one Is more than
lucky II he can even get room at table
with his folks after digging up yellow
money to the top waiter, for these places
generally are packed to suffocation long
before 10 O'Clock at night on New Year
eve. At Churchill's-now no more-on
last New Year eve saw well known
rounder, who was accompanied by three
women, hold up 500 bill as he stood
wedged In the aisle and announce that he
would give it to anybody then and there
present. who would give him room at a
table for himself and his three compan-
ions. He was jeered at by all hands. and
had to go out and continue his search for
a place to sit down with his party.
Wherefore. 1t seems that the crafty
ones, judging from the advertisement I
have presented. got busy this year and
cornered some tables for purely specula-
tive purposes. / don't see any reason
why that wouldn't be fine and dandy
money-making scheme IL worked syste-
matically. One has only to make a tour
of all Of the leading restaurants and
grills In town. engage three or four tables
in each, making deposit to ho'd Them and
then, month or SO before New Year, ue-
gin to advertise the options. offering the
engaged tables at toploftical prices. 1t