St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-20
carpets on my floors, and am permit
ted to have cat to keep the mice away.
This ic how | dO if all

carpets on my floors, and / am permit
ted to have cat to keep the mice away.
This is how | do it all.
NV friends, Jeanette, medical stu
dent, aud Elsie, an artist, hire with me
a furnished fiat of six rooms, fol which
we pay $40 month. l have the lightest
sleeping room. for there must convert
my ideas into salabIe ''articles," and
Elsie takes corner of the dining room
where the light is just right for her
painting. :,
She answers the door bell-l can't
have the flow of my ideas interru pted
by peddlers and milkmen, and jean
nette is away most OF the day.
We take turns in attending to some OF
the household duties, such as sweeping
and dusting. | always get the break
fast. That earns for me quiet morn
ing with my ideas.
We have good things to eat. There
are always either baked, boiled of
stewed potatoes, cooked on the cute
little kitchen range. We have grain in
some form, and then broiled fish
usually.
The baker leaves us half dozen fresh
rolls each morning, and those with
cup of chocolate and bit of fruit COM
plete breakfast upon which the girls
usually compliment me. (We make it
point to say nice things to each other
when we have the opportunity.
We don't ''set" the table at noon.
Each one gets her own lunch, which
consists of a glass of hot matted milk,
some fresh bread and butter, cheese
and fruit. Elsie leaves off painting at
4:3O and gets the "heavy'' part OF the
dinner. Jeanette prepares the dessert
We don't often bother with soup, but
we always have roast or some special
meat, potatoes of course, vegetables, 9
salad, dessert, and each tiny cup OF
black coffee. Then we take turns in
disposing of the debris, according to our
engagements for the evening. At bed
time we each take cup of hot milk,
and sleep peacefully for eight hours.
So much for the gastronomlc end OF
the combine.
Saturday evening we make it point
to stay in. Elsie reads aloud, Jeanette
mends the family clothes and linen. L
do the millinery and make furbelows.
When any of us needs new headgear l
stroll up Fifth avenue. pick out some
thing pretty, go on to Sixth avenue, and
| duplicate the materials of the original
| S25 hat for 81. I make all the tiXings,
and cut and fit out the house gowns
which the girls wear; they sew them
| themselves.
Each spring and fall we hire woman
| to come 10 rne house and make us a
street dress apiece. We pay her S3 a
day. and she does all three gowns in a
week. These dresses cost US about SIS
each. and they are we'll made and fash
ionable. We have always something
left over from the season before, which
| does for second best. Our jackets last
two years. We have couple of sum-
mer and two winter house dresses, made
of inexpensive material, which easily
become very effective by touch OF just
the right colors in the right places.
(And we change our gowns always be-
fore dinner: we think we owe it to each
other whether we have company or not).
Now about the actual expenses. Each
of us spends $240 in six months. Our
fiat. food and gas and fuel cost us each
$3.50 a week.
Flat. food. etc Si56 00lJacket. ..........S7 s.
Street dress. =. Is (0ICar fare, furbe-
Shoes 60| lows and acces-
Gloves; Gloves a-o.sos S6 SS sories.''- ..'- IS 81
Total. ................. .S24o C
Of course we have to shampoo oul
own hair, do our own manicuring and
all such things. Our magazines and
books all come from the library, but we
buy the newspapers.
And that is the way we girls live
very lavishly, very comfortably. We
find plenty of opportunity to practice
the golden rule, but it is good discipline
We try always to be cheerful and tC
meet our obligations promptly.
1t costs ME just $40 a week for the
privilege of remaining single, and if
choose to save up my extra money for
why, even for a trouSseau. that is my