The Washington herald., 1913-02-23

oh" I exclaimed. ia no idea there
| were two of you"
They giggled-just plain giggled-at me
and with me. Now. I've never assisted at
| a giECling interview before, but I felt II
wouldn't do.
Then the taller one. who has a merry.
! round face. black oil-silk hair and Irish
! blue eyes. and whose substantial form
was clad in a morning coat. presented
them both.
THE SUBDIVISIONS OF DUTY.
81 am Jacques Worth" he said with the
| air OF one retailing a delicious. side-split-
ting joke, "and this is Jean. don't know
anything about fashions and he knows all
about them. know about business and
he doesn't. He makes the money Tor me
TO look after. So there you have US both.
And he glanced at Jean and laughed.
and Jean smiled family.
| He is smaller and siighter. is Jean. and
he favors the latest thing IN frock coats
| for morning wear. He has the face OF an
artist-delicate features. soft. wavy hair
and soulful eyes. He IS a dreamer of chif-
fons and laces. / suppose, and in the
gentle. kindly glance he cast upon me
there was a world of reckoning as to
what would suit my svelte figure best
1 adjusted my hat consciously under his
scrutiny and tried TO believe had soui
above frills and furbelows anyhow.
I'VE don't like being interviewed at all.
continued the rollicking Jacques. evidently
determined TO be master of ceremonies.
while Jean spoke never a word. but kept
his aquamarine eyes on the fur around my
throat. And why should We be inter-
viewed? We don't like to talk of our
selves, naturally. and what can one say
of fashions?"
"Oh. Oh" protested. surely you must
have much 10 say of them"
NO, really, there is little to tell you
just now. 1t is the 'morte' season, and If
there are to be any surprises We do not
yet know them
PRESENT STYLES TO SURVIVE.
well, first and foremost. relieve my
mind and tell me that narrow skirts and
graceful, clinging things are to endure a
little longer"
We had formed ourselves into a nice
little, cosey triangle by this time. l on
the sofa and Worth on chair each
side of me; so l turned exclusively to
Jean as l asked this vital question. and
he RESPONDED before the jovial Jacques
had chance.
There is no doubt that there will be
very little alteration in the present styles
for some time to come" he said gravely,
as IL we were discussing a question of
state They are very becoming and
women will not discard them. Fashion is
a peculiar thing, mademoiselle. 1t is one
part real and two parts imaginary. 1t is
created only to be destroyed. Sometimes
it changes every two months. As a mat |
ter of fact. what We personally wish to
do is always to suit a certain type rather |
than to create a new fashion" |
That's it." cried Jacques enthusia sti- !
cally. Then when we have made for |
some tall, slender American a costume
admirably suited to her long lines, in |
comes a stout little LADY from Shee-ca-go. |
oh, what a lovely robe! must have one |
like that! she exclaims." and he gave a |
faIsetto imitation of the Chicago woman. |
rs it any use TO turn her away from it? |
Not at all. And others demand the same.
1t becomes the fashion"
But don't you insist upon women
having only what suits them. as your
did,"
Here gentle Jean took the floor again.
1T is not possible to do quite as our
grandfather did in that direction" he
said soothingly. II We were TO attempt
Il we would be labelled old-fashioned. We
are still conservative. We do not deal in
freak ideas. and We try to suit our Gus
toners types as far as they will let US
and yet please them with prevailing fash
ions. Also. We still have those beautiful
materials especially designed for us, as
We have always done, and II you get one
Of those dresses of Worth you may be
sure no other woman can go to another
firm and buy one like II"
"AhF' I remarked shrewdly; but can
you be sure that the other woman Bop,sI
getzGHe-same thingrof Werth~ =