The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1914-12-04
SIMPLY SKIRTS
a Buiness Adventure of Emma McChesney

By EDNA EERRER


ptnOChl6 nanQS, DuL Two tuiu6p lAci
are upon which they stand united
Every member of that fraternity which
Is condemned to a hotel bedroom, or {
sleeper berth by night, and chained
to a sample case by day agrees II
this. first: That 1t isn't what 1t uset
to be. Second: II only they coult
find an opening for a nice, paying
gents furnishing business In live
little town that wasn't swamped witt
that kind of thing already they'd buy
Il and settle down like white man
by George! and quit this peddling
The missus hates it anyhow; and the
kids know the iceman better than they
do their own dad
On the morning that Mrs. Emma Nc
Chesney representing T. A. Buck
Featherloom Petticoats) finished her
talk with Miss Hattie Stitch, head OF
Kiser & Bloch's skirt and suit depart
ment, she found herself In a rare
mood. She hated her job; she loathed
her yellow sample cases; she longed
to call Miss Stitch green-eyed cat;
and she wished that she had chosen
some easy and pleasant way OF earn
Ing living, like doing plain and fancy
washing an ironing. Emma McChesney
had been selling Featherloom Petit
coats on the road for almost ten
years. and she was famed throughout
her territory for her sane sunniness,
and her love OF her work. Which
speaks badly for Miss Hattie Stitch.
Miss Hattie Stitch hated Emma Nc
Chesney with all the hate that fiat
chested, thin-haired woman has for
pne who can wear a large So with
put one inch of alteration, and hat
that turns sharply away from the face.
For 46 weeks in the year Miss Stitch
existed in Kiser & Bloch's store at
River Falls. For six weeks, two in
spring, two in fall, and two in mid
winter, Hattie lived in New York,
with a capital L. She went there to
select the seasons newest models
(slightly modified for River Falls),
but incidentally she took a regular
rousseau with her.
All day long Hattie picked skirt
and suit models with unerring good
taste and business judgment At
At night she was creature trans
formed. Every house of which Hattie
bought did it's duty like soldier and
a gentleman. Nightly Hattie powdered
her neck and arms, performed sacred
rites over her hair and nails, donned
q gown SO complicated that a hotel
maid had to hook her up the back. and
was ready for her evenings escort at
eight. There wasn't hat In grill |
room from one end of the Crooked |
Cow-path to the other that was more |
wildly barbaric than Hattie's, even in
these sane and simple days when the |
bird of paradise has become the ma
tional bird. The buyer of suits for
thriving department store In hustling |
little middle-Western town isn't to be |
neglected. Whenever show came /
to River Falls Hattie would look
bored, pass a weary hand over her
glossy couture and say: ooh, yes.
Clever little show. Saw 1t two win
tiers ago In New York. This won't be
the original company, Of course" The
year that Hattie came back wearing
set of skunk everyone thought 1t was
lynx until Hattie drew attention to
what she called the brown tone" in
It. After that Old Lady Heinz got
her old skunk furs out OF the moth
balls and tobacco and newspapers
hat had preserved them, and her
laughter cut them up into bands for
he bottom of her skirt, and the cuffs
II her cost. When Kiser & Bloch had
heir fall and spring openings the
own came ostensibly to see the new
tyles, but really to gaze at Hattie
n q new CONNECTION, undulating up and
own the department, talking with a
eavy Eastern accent about this or
hat being Smart" or good this
ear" or having "a world Of STYLE"
nd sort Of trailing her toes after her
0 give a clinging. Grecian line, like {
ictures Of Ethel Barrymore when she t
7as thin. The year that Hattie con-
ded to some one that she was wear Q
IL only scant boomers beneath her Il
inky silk the floor was mobbed. and q
ley had to call IN reserves from the 4
asement ladies-and-misses-ready-to- Il
ear,
Miss Stitch came to New York In Il
arch. On the evening Of her arrival h
le dined with Fat Ed Meyers Of the 7
.rauss Bans-Silk Skirt company. He II
formed her that she looked Ike . O
d, and that that was some classy lit lie
. gown, and II wasn't every woman d
no could wear that kind Of thing and Al
t away with 1t. It took = certain It
yle. Hattie smiled, and hummed
'-key to the tune the orchestra was ri
Rying, and Ed told her 1t was .
anne she didn't do something with ye
at voice. sc
Il have something to tell you" said II
little. Just before I left had te
k with old Kiser. Or rather, he yo
d talk with me. You know I have
city much my own way in my de- lu'
rtment. Pity II l couldn't have. / ha
de 1t. Well, Kiser wanted to know wi
" l didn't buy Featherlooms. / ha
d We had no call for 'em, and he Gu
ne back with figures to prove we're Nj
Ing 4 good many hundreds a year pei
not carving them. He said the fai