Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-15
ART OF BEING SHABBY.
Woman Urges 1t on Those Who Have
Small Means.

There are two ways of impressing
people," said a woman who had knock
ed about the world a good deal, accord
ing to a writer in the New York
Times. You can be very smart or
you can be distinctly shabby. For a
woman of small means l recommend
the second way, and I can speak with
some authority, since l have followed
my theory for a long time.
Before adopted 1t myself
watched it in operation. l 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 I was at loss
to account for the fact that she COM
manded instant and implicit obedi-
ence, even in the most exacting re-
quests until one day when the hotel
clerk, having seen me in conversation
with her, said casually:
You know she's awfully rich.'
| lis she? said I. I 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 1 be-
came quite intimate with the old lady,
and by reason Of helping her with her
affairs in one way or another I got a
pretty good idea of her income, which
was certainly not more than $4,000 a
year. Also, as our intimacy became
apparent, I found myself more and
more often questioned in the same ca
sual manner.
"'She Is tremendously rich, isn't
she?' people would say. And l would
answer noncommittedly that she cer-
tainly had enough for one woman to
live on. To which the invariable re-
ply was laughing. I bet she has,
$50 one day I told her of this and
asked how the rumor of her great
wealth ever started. She laughed.
Its my clothes, my dear she
said. AS you know am interested In
80 many things that I have not much
money left over for clothes. Two
| gowns at a time are all can AFFORD
and going out so little wear them for
at least year or two.
"They cannot imagine woman
economizing in clothes, and they IN
| terpret my lack of vanity as the care
lessness a woman known to be rich
| has for details. I'd love to have clothes
II I felt 1 could afford them, at least
| would have liked them once, but now
that I find the consideration bestowed
] on my eccentric shabbiness / am not
sure that the change would not be for
the worse.
"T 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 woman OF mil
lions like myself. I was thinking OF
getting a new bonnet this year, but as
Il might lower my social position
shall probably continue to wear the
one 1 bought eight years ago.
This Is a scheme that works in any
number of directions. 1 personally
cannot afford to dress as well as most
of the women know, so / make q
point of dressing less we'll even than l
can afford They all know / could do
bit better than I do, and the result
is that all have feeling tnat II
ever walked up 1 would probably out
shine everybody.
This Is such a world of snobs that
YOU have only to get 1t thoroughly un-
derstood that you don't care snap
about snobs to have them all on their
knees about you. wish women who
try to keep up appearances would get
this idea through their heads"