Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-07-14
ART OF BEING SHABBY
WOMAN URGES IT ON THOSE WHO
HAVE SMALL'MEANS.
How an Old Lady Made Everyone
Think She Was Rich and A.
ways Had the Best OF
Everything.

T0ofe are Two ways Oh lmpI0oeAAo
people," said q woman who had
Knocked about the world . good deal,
according to = writer in the New York
Times. You can be very smart OF
you can be distinctly shabby. For q
woman Of small means l recommend
the second way. and I can speak with
some authority, since have followed
my theory for 4 long time.
Before adopted it myself
watched 1t in operation. I know IN
old lady of some means, but not Rob.
who lived in . good hotel. Everybody
dressed rather expensively. and every
body received moro or less considers
ton from the management but this
old lady was the mogul Of TIE plaza
"she paid no more for her rooms
than tho others and she spent less IN
the dining room. and va at Z loss
to account for the fset that she COM
nanded instant and Implicit ooedi'
encs. even in the most szaeanS ~
quests until one day WHEN the hotel
clerk. having seen mo tn ooovsrseuon
with her, said casually:
"'You know shes awfully rich.
ITS sher said I. I had no idea
"'Oh. yes, indeed. ghs goes around
in those shabby clothes bScause she
doesn't care. but she has several MIL
lion dollars.
1T happened that after that b.
came quite intimate with the old lady,
and by reason Of helping her with hef
affairs in ono Wy or another / got .
pretty good idea OF her income. which
was certainly not moro than 5000 .
year. Also, - our intimacy became
apparent, I found myself moro and
more often Questioned In tho same
casual manner.
"'she 10 tremsndously rich. isn't
she7' people would say. And I would
answer noncommtttsdly that she Ger
tainly had enough for ono woman to
I've on. To which the invariable reply
was 4 laughing: Z bet she has.
so one day I told her Of this and
asked how the rumor Of her great
wealth ever started. She laughed.
"It's my clothes. my dear. she
said. A you know am Interested
in 80 many things that I have not
much money left over for clothss'
Two Gowns 1t time are all can A.
ford, and going out 10 little I wear
them for ut least q year or two.
"Thsy cannot imagine q woman
eoonomidng in clothes, and they IN
terpret my lack Of vanity % tho care
lessness 4 woman known to be rich
has for details. I'd love to have clothes
II l felt could afford them, at least l
would have liked them once, but now
that ind the consideration bestowed
on my eccentric shabbiness l am NOT
sure that the change would not be Tor
the worse.
~ have the best table in the dining
room. The other day some people who
must spend twice As much al do had
a table near me and annoyed me by
their talking and laughing. l COM
planned, and their table was changed.
1T they should object they would
have to leave. for tho management 10
not going to offend . woman of MIL
lions ike myself. I was thinking OF
gstting 4 new bonnet this year, but 40
II might lower my social position
shall probably continue to wear the
enc 1 bought eight years ago.
This 10 q scheme that works In any
number Of directions. ! personally
cannot afford to dress ~ we'll AZ most
Of the women know. 30 I make
point Of dressing less we'll even than
I can afford. They all know I could
DO q bit better than do, and tho re-
suit 10 that all have feeling that II
ever walked up I would probably out
shine everybody.
This 10 such a world Of snobs that
you have only to get it thoroughly IN
derstood that you don't care snap
about snobs to have them all on their
knees about you. I wish women who
try to keep up Appearances would Ct
this idea through their heads"
Tho Rolling Tank.
Experiments have been carried On
recently by one Of the transatlantic
steamship companies with view to