Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-04-17
How They Charge i'm Paris.

+ Paris Corresponaeot Phtodslphia Press J
/ / heard OF a funny incident the
other day, which illustrates the
/ peculiar method Of charging adopt
ed by French trades people and
/ mechanics An American lady
who Is keeping house here, recent
lly sent to have an electric bell in
spected which seemed to be out Of
order Thebell-hanger came look
ed at the mechanism, and showed
the lady that there was nothing
the matter with it, she. having
merIy misunderstood its method
Of working. When she came to
pay for the services rendered, the
bill ran as follows;
'For comig 10 the houseta dis
lance Of square and half one
frame 40 cents.
"For looking at the bell, one
franc and a half 80 cents.n
Fifty cents for being told there
was nothing to be donel
Another American lady recently
went to the shop ofone Of the most
celebrated hair-dressers In Paris,
and made an arrangements have
her hair dressed daily agreeing TO
pay twelve dollars per month ian
exorbitant price AS Paris prices go)
for the daily services Of a coiffeur.
AT the end of the month the bill
was sent in. Itamount d to sew
enty-five dollars. The lady was
charged the fall original cost OF
the curling tongs and the furnace
used, and was also charged for sun
dry articles in false hair, such as
braids, curls, &C., which she had
never either ordered or wanted, but
which, on one or two grand festive
occasions, the hair-dresser had
brought and used, taking them
away with him always on the fol-
lowing day. Arranging the custo-
mer's own braid was charged at
eight dollars. A pair of small
curls was sent down at fourteen
And finally the price agreed upon
for the daily hair-dresser was stat
ed as being eighteen dollara in
stead of twelve. Fortunately our
countrywoman was a lady of sense
and spirit. She sent back the bill
ct orce with a statement that she
owed twelve dollars only, which
amount she was willing to pay,
and that she would not give him
one sou more. Itso happened that
see was not alone when she made
her bargain, but had friend with
her, 60 she could bring credita-
BILE witness as to the price agreed
on.-Owing to that circumstance
only she escaped being made vic
tim to an atrocious swindle.
How to Put Down Mating.
AS the summer is approaching,
and the time of mating draws
near, it may be well to call the
attention of housekeepers to the
fact that, as there is right way of
doing everything, there Is decided
ly right way to put down Canton
mating. 1t is the almost univer-
sal practice to put it down wrong.
Most persons cut the lengths, and
then, laying the breadths in their
proper places on the floor, proceed
to drive vast number of tacks up
and down the edges. This method
serves the purpose of keeping the
covering very tightly on the floor,
but it Injuries the boards and ruins
the mating. Every tack breaks
one straw, and perhaps more.
These Canton mattings are
made on boats, where they are
woven in short pieces about two
yards long. These short pieces are
! afterwards joined together on the
shore in lengths of about forty
yards. 1t is easy to see where
these two yard pieces are joined,
and the first thing to be done, after
the mating is cut into the proper
lengths, is to sew these plat es
across and across on the wrong
side to keep the joints from open
ing. Then sew the breaths togeth-
er, and tack it to the floor in the
same way that you treat carpet
Mattings made in this way will
last fully twice as long as where
they are tackled i'm every breadth.
A good mating should last six
or seven months.
| ~mzxz