Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-08-27

PARIS, August l5.-His wife keeps
the household books while he is work
Ing. In the evening they go over them
together, to learn exactly where the
money goes. The money is his salary
as a salesman in a retail shop sSo
monthly, plus the firms annual Christ
mas gift of $50. | have not only seen
this couples books, but | have dihed
with the two. True, we ate at a 1es-
taurant, at twelve cents each; Dut'
then. that is their habit. Il will not
make my wife a household drudge
he says.
NV friend Pillon is a salesman IN
one of those cheap general supply es-
Establishments SO common in Paris, that
initiate afar off the Louvre and the
Bon Marche. He has travelled. Cnce
he worked for three months with
nick and shovel He has been sol
der. street car conductor, a railway
clerk and a life insurance collector,
always willing to take the first work
offered, in land where clerks prefer
poor, steady jobs to better paid I'M
certain ones. His present place is OF
the steadiest-no promotion, but no
fear of being thanked" He married
at the age of 20. Now he is 80 and
his wife is 20. She is dainty and well
read. She never worked before her
marriage, and was educated up to 10
in one of those distressingly cheap
convent schools, where growing girls
are fed on bread, cheese, beans and
wine and water, with stewed prunes
for dessert On the other hand, the
Sisters gave her manners, culture and
great self-respect. Before she had the
housekeeping and children to look after
she earned forty cents a day addressing
envelopes at home. They have home,
although there is no word for home
IN the French language.
This home-althoug they eat in
restaurants in two rooms Of an
apartment house, with the use Of cei-
lar five flights down. 1t looks so neat
and worthy that it seems almost
shame to analyze the furniture-one
pine table in the kitchen, one painted
and vanished table in the bedroom,
six chairs covered with hoWered Gre
tonne, one secondhand bureau, one
bed, a few pictures and brackets, SIX
pots Of flowers, ore sofa-beu 1of tAe
5-year-old boy, four cretonne curtains
draped from the ceiling to floor IN the
bedroom, also white curtains at all
the windows ard enc baby carriage,
-whieh ServeS< f0r crib as wen. ne
furniture, worth scarcely SIS, makes
more effect than might be thought.
IT is clean and dainty; and then there
are books, new books, bright III their
Paris paper covers. An cid school
friend OF madam supplies them, the
one gift this proud couple delehs 10
accept from the outside world.
In winter they use two economical
stoves, consuming $40 worth OF tuei
a month cooke, ninety cents Tor ZVo
pourds). This itenS, which appears
excessive, is justified only by the
draughty condition of the rooms in that
old Paris house. Last winter, too, the
young wife cooked for herself and boy,
the husband only going to the cuisine
populaire. He must always eat away
from home; his lunch time is too snort
and his closing hour too late for any
other programme. The food expenses
for that year Of unsatisfactory lunch
ing and dining apart prove to my
friends satisfaction that little is to be
gained by making his wife a house
hold drudge" The items, set down
with such mingteness by the painsSak-
ing housewife, present an unique hui
man document to those interested in
the details CT Paris living. Still, |
would not advise Americans with ideas
OF long stay at the Exposition to try
to duplicate the performance. Only
Parisians can do it.
The problem being how TO live in the
gay capital on $50 monthly without
getting into debt or disgrace, the man s
personal expenses naturally come frs,
because he represents the family to the
outside world. For example, he must
be we'll dressed
HERE ARE THE ITEMS.
The Husband (PersonaD Two pairs
OF shoes, $3.50; resoieing the same,
S1.S0; / felt hat, $1.20; laundry, q
shirts a week, at 6 cents each), 1924;
barber and baths, $3.50; l pair Of trou-
sers, $3.50; neckties, 81; l pair Of
eyeglasses Cat a bazaar, 30 cents; l
doctors visit, 60 cents. Total for the
year, $24.14.
The Husband (Food). Three hun
dred and thirteen days, at "a cents
each, in the cuisine populaire, s75.02;
81 Sundays, at home, at 81 cents each,
$17.6S. Total for the year, s92.7O.
The Husband Extraordinarily
One suit of clothes, SIS; / sack coat,
81; ] overcoat, s11; l umbrella, $1.20.
Total, S34.20.
The Wife (Personal).-1 pair of
shoes, 81; l hat trimmed by herself),
$1.20; material for gown (made by her
SELF, $3.50; laundry. so cents a month
Including tablecloths and sheets, she