Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-18
Drawings by Henry Raleigh
ARTHUR BUTTS was a
~ @gents' furnisher.s You
:. e 49, AZ. :xr4a.,4 .rc,..

~ gents furn1Sher. on
saw that the instant you
saw him. Only the proprietor of
sixhaberdasheriesc could possibly
afford such mag mu- nificence.
!; !: q: 4 !: !
If on Monday he was SYM TX
phonic in lavender, on Tuesday ~
he was equally gorgeous in pink;
while, likely as not, Wednesday
would find him with shirt, scarf, III
hose, and kerchief all attuned ~
and in the seasons accredited -
hue of blue.
Hewas the towns @derniereri,'
@drbiter elegantiarum,' @glass Of
fashion, and then some!
Strangers first beholding
Arthur were accustomed to blink
at the sight, and then to wonder
what he would look like if sar-
torially peeled
Through the judicious en-
p1oyment of heels, he managed to stand as much
as five feet above the pavement. Contrasted
with normally slender human, he looked like
an overdecorated buggy whip. In brief, ana
tomically considered, the distinguished mer-
chant of Midopolis, sans habiiments, was
callow and colorless runt. Paste him a
sheet of paper, and you had fashion plate.
Paste him on the jaw, and you had a grease spot.
There are men whose chief asset lies in their
figures; others again who thrive because their
figures lie.
Arthur emphatically belonged to the latter
class. Seemingly handicapped by reason of his
observation-disclosures in reality it contributed
heavily to his success.
Nature frequently experiences shock of re-
pentance after beholding some of her unfor-
tunate experiments. There are certain little
brothers of the grass atrociously designed
and lacking in every attribute of attraction.
They possess neither the delicate deckings of
the bee-fy nor the polychromatic wealth of
the lepidoptera; but their very insignifcance
proves compensatory quality through which
they manage to escape voracious attentions for
which their more evident associates seem to
advertise.
Throughout his struggling boyhood Arthur
was such an egregious misft that everyone
discounted his ability and formidability; but
keen student of physiognomy might have de-
tected in the closest, furtive eyes, the well
boned, pointed chin, and the deep, retreatin,
head an innate sagacity and shrewdness which
ised various possibilities in the youngsters futur
There is an incessant world conflict betwee
types of men,-the vigorous, healthy, bluff, and
enthusiast is empowered by his wholesome Dirt
with the force successfully to wage his way in tn,
but the sckly, slight, unsightly, little man is free
no mean opponent in a battle of wits. He early
to rely upon strategy and the more subtle artii
checkmate his bodily inferiority. Back of his
even servile mask often surges a hardship qui
BRAIN adept in subterfuge and assimilation.
tered by the jibes and impositions of his comp
there seeps into his heart vindictive determine
send the worlds laugh choking back into its thro
Unhappy little people, their natures early sou
the inequalities of existence, the bit of amb
between their teeth, they ride to their goals
doggedness that seldom recognizes barrier or haz
Of this type Butts was an efficient example T
Of rigorous stinting and recourse to every av;
though often Legitimate, opportunity, bit by
year by year he managed to husband sufficient
to embark in business. Rumor whispers of
usurious transactions with his fellow employees
the period Immediately antecedent to proprietor:
Be that as it may, Arthur was money maker
money saver At twenty-five he owned one sh
thirty his name was lettered on the doors of six.
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