SECRETS OF DRESS. Wealthy Women Who Often Pay Their Dressmakers With Jewellary.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 389, 31 July 1889, Page 6

SECRETS OF DRESS. Wealthy Women Who Often Pay Their Dressmakers With Jewellary.

Fancy a woman going about ih frer carriage with two men on the box, "a* team of blooded horses ih harness, a crest on the blinkers, abd not encfugh mdney/in 'Her^fpifirse ,tb pay for making *a 4 morning "dress'r ' poor, women— the irony of it 1 . And yet an uptown^ modiste declared to ' a' New York • World ' reporter that there are plenty of them in society; - * '•' -*• * Only a week ago,' she aaid, 'I made a lace, toilet for a customer, an.d ,wha^ do you think 3 she'paid.'me withr? ( A snake bracelet ! The jewel I know must have, cost $200, which r more than covered the bill, but I didn't want it';' I preferred to be paid- in cash and told her so. ( Then she took from hex hand a small diamond fluster ring and>begged me to receipt thejbill. .1 was obliged to'do so/ as she' is aft. old custJomer. '"Riclf?The world thinks so. 1 ,She wears beautiful clothes,, always cqmes'in.-a .coupe, _ and I. "know she has a, maid, "for I hay \\er. - 'I once -made. a wedding"rdress\ 3 for, a w fashionable ypvmg'ladyy who agreed before--' hand' to giv r e me" five' rings in lieu.qf jthe "money* ;,The,-jevtels "-wetelall engagement rings -that had been reqeived From discarded sweethearts, '-arid.. /which she^knew sh*e would never -fee permitted., to' Avear as" the wife ol heFaceepted/loye'r., We'hM'an understanding- that, s.lre^-slbpul.cl " have .'the oferpafying. the va3^6ißn'tv a3^6iBn't 'dueyiwith . interest, and getting' J3acl?lSie i 'fings, J ! about .which- she had.^wom'anfs^s'en^iment.c Well, I kept'the jewels two years'ahd oleared^BO on their sale. _* '*" '" -,' - '•"' . •„-'/»•» ' 'Ab.out^ten months ago- a lady, came to me and left ah- order- for -thirqe; 'toiletis. ' I had never done any work fpr .her, , bilb she was well recommended andl.felb sufe'she W*as all right". ' -Well, v do you Vnow when I senthome the goods -she" came' back with the bill heteelf-and tpld me she could not ,pay it, as her husband in a fit-of jealousy had stopped her allowance. Her jewels had been pawrted : for $1130, butt -were worth $1,200,, she thought.- Would 'l take the tickets',' redeem' tbferii, and hold the case for a year ? This was a most astounding- form of settlement. ' I 'referred it to my attorney, Who paid the money' on the loan and brought me back a leather case containing 'an assbrtment'bf rings^aiid bracelets, and a se't r of eaarings. That was last April, and I haven't s'eeri'or heard of her since. 'No, I rareiy-'lose anything. 'We don't hare" bad debts, as tailors do. Women, as "class, are honest. I haye be'dri swindled by an adventuress, but' thy regular customers always pay. * ; •' ' 'TKere lives "at the Windsor Hotel a wealthy wida>v who has been a source of annoyance to every dressmaker she has had any dealines with. The first time I made her a dress I sent it home with a bill, which she deliberately discounted, item after item, sending' me a cheque for a third'less than the amount' due. ' On investigation I found th*at she had pursued this method with modistes, so I bottled "up \riy indignation and waited for anojjher order. It came ■-in- due cbtirse of time. 'The material was her own! ,1 made it up and*"'cHarged the balance^"' due' on 'the- "first" account, 'and politely withheld until the, whole amount! was paid,- Thfr woman is abundantly ajble v tbpay fop everything she orders and is in ever^rother particular a oJost delightful, person, bitt she-'. jias ( ,a :I mania for discounbimr ,bbr- dressmaking;aipd millinery bills thafc'amounts to pbsitlye •flishoiiesty. ' ' One customer I had wastHe wife ot an old miser, who promptly 'paid her' 'bills but never allowed Her ..'any 1 pocket money. At Her order the Hil.fsVerein'ade.ont in pencil, and she' would. inTsf'fehe'ijJ; and^jadd^as much to the different figures as slie dared. The collector found, no difficulty in getting a cheque? from the husbanq,, ( and' the additional s.um over fcheoriginard'ebt'we'gave to the moneyless wife of ihe'miiyqnaire. • A dressmaker d oesn't neeot 'to Jbe .in 3 'business very long before reffismg *£hat "all that glitters is not gold." ' >v