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Several considerable days before Miss Dressmake arrive up, Mrs Jno W. Smith spend many literary hours pursuing stylish magazines full of smiling ladies dressed in colours. Each ladies in them pictures was surrounded by diagrams & patterns showing how she was made. Mrs Smith select these portraits carefully, to see which she would rather look like. She prefer portrait of lady named “Style 41144B.” She say she would request Hon. Dressmake to fix her appearance like that.
“How you describe this dress, please?” I ask to know.
“It is a pan velvet shirred and basted with the yoke separated from the white,” she report.
“Eggs can be cooked in similar stylish fashion,” I communicate. She do not seem to assimilate them words I said.
Day before arrival of Hon. Miss Dressmake this Mrs Smith derange back parlor with delicious variety of cloth to resemble drygoods emporium. Spools, tapes & other patterns are confused everywheres. You would expect Panama Canals could be built from such a preparations.
“Are dressmake-ladies expensive artists to employ?” I ask it.
“Deliciously so,” she pop back. “They cost $1.50 per daily, not to mention wear and tear on food and sew-machine. I expect this lady to make me 2 ball-dance gowns, 1 wrapping-kimono, 1 stylish walk-suit, 2 costumes for afternoon tea ceremony and ½ doz. pajamas for Hon. Jno Smith. She will be employed nearly 4 days.”
“How can you possibly make any profit from her?” I ventriloquate. No reply as yet.