The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1911-08-05
ART OF BEING SHABBY
WOMAN URGES IT ON THOSE WHO
HAVE SMALL MEANe.
How an Old Lady Made Everyone
Think She Was RIch and A.
ways Had the Best oi
Everything.

There are two ways Of impresains
people," said a woman who had
knocked about the world good deal.
according to q writer in the New York
Times. you can be very smart or
you can be distinctly shabby. For
woman Of small means l recommend
the second way. and can speak with
some authority, since have followed
my theory for a long time.
Before ! adopted II myself
watched It in operation. ! know an
old lady OF some means. but not rich.
who lived In a good hotel. Everybody
dressed rather expensively. and every
body received more or less considera-
tion from the management. but this
old lady was the mogul Of the place.
she paid no more for her rooms
than the others and she spent less In
the dining room, and ] was at loss
to account for the fact that she com
manded instant and implicit obedl-
ence. even IN the most exacting re-
quests until one day when the hotel
clerk, having seen me In conversation
with her, said casually;
"'Xou know she's awfully rich
"1s sher said I. 1 had no idea
"'Oh, yes. indeed. She goes around
in those shabby clothes because she
doesn't care. but she has several mil
lion dollars.
1T happened that after that ! be-
came uuite intimate with the old lady.
and by reason of helping her with her
affairs in one way or another ! got
pretty good idea OF her income. which
was certainly not more than $4,000
year. Also, as our intimacy became
apparent, l found myself more and
more often questioned in the same
casual manner.
"'She is tremendously rich, isn't
sheT people would say. And ! would
answer noncommittedly that she GER
tainly had enough for one woman %
live on. To which the inyariable reply
was laughing: I bet she has
80 cae 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. AS you know ! am interested
In so many things that have not
much money left over for clothes.
Two gowns at time are All ] can af-
ford, and going out so little wear
them for at least a year or two
rThey cannot imagine a woman
economizing in clothes. and they In
terpret my lack Of vanity az the care
lessness q woman known 70 be rich
has for details I'd love 10 have clothes
II felt could sfford them. at least
would have liked them once. but now
that find the consideration bestowed
on my eccentric shabblnesa ! am NOT
sure that the change would not be for
the worse.
I have the best table In the dining
room. The other day some people who
must spend twice as much as do had
a table near me and annoyed me By
their talking and laughing. ! com.
planned. and their table was changed.
"If they should object they would
have to leave. for the management is
not going to offend q woman Of mil
lions like myself I was thinking Of
getting new bonnet this year. but ~
It might lower my social position !
shall probably continue 70 wear the.
one bought eight yearn ago.
This Is q scheme that works IN any
number Of directions. personally
cannot AFFORD to dress as we'll as most
Of the womea know. so ! make q
point of dressing less we'll even than
! can afford. They all know could
do bit better than do. and the re-
suit Is that all have a feeling that II l
ever walked up ! would probably out
shine everybody.
''This Is such world OF Bnobs that
you have only to get it thoroughly IN.
deratood that you don't care a snap
about snobs to have them oil on their
knees about you ! wish women who
try to keep up appearances' would get
this idea through their heads"