The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-26


were TWO that ! set my heart on that Mrs.
- sill not give me for penny less than
500 each, and | hate TO put that amount
OF money in a gown, particularly when 1t is
so effective that everybody will remember
II next year, IL / try to wear 1t again.
am sure you will know that economy is my
watchwOrd when / tell you | only bought
one of these gowns and then bought my four
others for $500 apiece She let me have them
at that price because bought so many, and
/ am a good customer OF hers, for always
lay my bills within a year, and i know
very few people do that.
Evening clOaks and wraps are simply
hideous in price this year What / wanted
10 buy for myself they asked me $500 for
and il did not amount to a great deal. after
all, no very valuable lace or fur. To be
sure, the cut was everything and the effect
was excellent, but do think that's an eXor-
bitant price for wrap. / was fortunate
enough to get one for 500 that will answer
all purposes. / only paid $3.50 for the girls
cloaks. One was a pale blue miroir velvet,
and the other was yellow, trimmed with
lace. with high fur collar But l had the
lace and that is the reason ! was able TO
do so well. Then we all had to have short
wraps, but. of course, those cost very much
less. / think we got them all for $500; I'm
not sure Then 1 had my last years opera
cloak done over, so ] am very well pro-
yided for.
ONE GORGEOUS TEA GOWN.
] find tea gowns cost lot, but one must
certainly have those if nothing else. You
know it is the axiom of one of the best
dressed women in New York that il
woman only has a small allowance at best
she must spend half of it her street
clothes and the other half on one superb tea
gown This same woman has married off
most unattractive daughter and four or five
of her female relatives.
1 did very well with the girls street
gowns. l only gave sos apiece fer the tailor
suits-those severely plain three-quarter
length cloaks--but had to pay $3.50 for more
elaborate cloth gowns However, they are
smart enough for reception wear. bought
myself a black velvet, but that was one of
the greatest bargains ] ever bought, for /
the evening with low waist, although /
don't suppose l shall do it, for | do think
II anything is poverty-strcken il is this idea
waists.
am anxious that they should both marry.
ana marry well, and, to be quite frank, that
IS one reason why we are in town this year.
But what / shall do when it comes to the
question of trousseau can't ina CINE, for 1
want my girls to be as well turned out as
anybody else is, and yet when a lot of us
were discussing this subject at luncheon
yesterday, we agreed that a girl ought to
nave at least $500 to buy her rousseau.
Ot course, 1t can be done with less, but then
the people in our set don't do it.
It's very puZzling to know whether it's
best to give girls an allowance and let them
see what they can do for themselves before
they start out on their trousseau: but then
they don know where to go as we'll as | Go.
and l can't possibly afford to give them
more than $1,000 year to dress on that is,
for each of them.
And do not bring up my girls extrava-
santly, but wish them to be surrounded
with the same atmosphere that they will be
IN when they are married. ] do not expect
them, to marry out of their own set. 1t
would not be advisable for them to do so,
and they must accordingly learn how to
dress and live in the way they always will,
If nothing happens.
rliS matter 0f A iExpr in ha xvi1,far +c
up good deal of money. but, no doubt,
there is a good deal of SOCIAL benefit. to be
ally
1t is all very well for people who are not
IN the social swim to comment on the amount
OF money that is spent and 100000 is GER
tainly at first sight a large sum, but there
are very few years when even with the
most careful management we do not run
over this amount.
In order to keep up the town and country
must be kept in the different Establishments.
There Is nothing much more telling than to
have the country house always open
can only be done by having each
ment of linen, china, etc. And even if only
a few servants are left those must he of the
best, and must be ready and waiting for
The style of living in a country house
need not be as formal as in the city, but
there must be sufficient number of horses
and traps ready at a moments notice, so
that virtually two stables must be kept go
ing. My husband is awfully good about most
things, and does not limit me in the money [
spend. But this autumn he has asked me
oEce or twice If did not think / was rather
rushing it,, and, certainly, when he, stopped
to think of it, to be paying over 500 for
hat and 500 for cloak or gown, does seem
somewhat eXtravagant.
l suppose it is all the effect of the war,
for every one has told me that after the
civil war there was the greatest outbreak
of extravaganza.
LIVING BEYOND INCOMES.
I certainly do not intend to set up as a
social reformer, and all can do is to make
the best showing possible on our income of
100000. l have not the least intention of
doing what lots of my friends do, and that
is ordering my household and my expenses
on the same grade as the women who have
incomes of double that amount and I am
not one of those silly people who say you
cannot live in New York on 100000 year
and go out in society
1t is perfectly possible thing to do, al
though it does call for careful management
in looking after small expenses. Our income
why we should not have very good time
although we are nothing like as we'll off as
most Of the people we know.
There iS one item that does amount up in
a way that is very trying, and that is the
fashionable charity expense. | am asked to
be patroness for all the different smart en-
tertainments, for which the tickets are now
sold at S. and upward AS patroness
have to dispose of from ten to twenty
tickets. Every woman / know is also made
a patroness. and has tickets, so / cannot
possibly dispose of more than one of the
tickets allotted TO me, and the only thing
for me to do is send a check for the entire
amount and look pleased.
This would be all very we'll If ii didn't
happen every two or three days. Last win
ter the amount of money ! spent in this way
was fearful. 1t does signify a certain
amount of social standing to be patronesscs
at smart entertainments, and | suppose this
must be counted in as one of the unavoidable
expenses incidental 20 being in the social
swim j shall allot a thousand for this one
item and try and save it somewhere else.
But, positively, am so put to ii to know
how to make both ends meet that / often
think that the woman who has 81, 800 a year
cannot have any more sleepless nights or
add up any more long lines of figures than
do She may feel badly at the thought she
cannot meet some of her bills. but then it is
not a necessity for her to buy the absurdy
extravagant things and to do the ridiculously
eXtravagant things / am forced into in order
to keep my position. for it would be the
height of business folly on my. husband S
account and the girls if / We're to do any
thing which would imply that we were left
behind in this silly race for social SUI
premacy.