Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-18

twirled. glasses tested by striking them
with a pencil. and the very gas stove
rooster in the kitchen and the battery of
copper saucepans passed in review as be-
fore battle
1t was necessary" the girls now tell
their friends wisely. Otherwise the land
lord could charge us anything he pleased
when we move out" Frankly. I am not
sure they VIII not have some surprises still
when that great day of reckoning comes
A friend of mine once came UNEXPECTEDLY
on a landlord who thought himself alone
in the parlor on such an occasion With
his umbrella he was jabbing hole in his
own parlor carpet,
That same afternoon the girls trunks
came.
We are settled" they exclaimed I'VE
Will sleep here tonight and wake in our own
furnture,''
One hurried out to buy provisions for
picnic meal She came back all flushed
with enthusiasm. her hands filed with lit
tie paper parcels.
Girls she said. I'VE won't have to do
any cooking. Just below there is beauti-
fui delicatessen shop-'charcuterie de luxe
they call it-luxurious! There is a calfs
head in the center of the window with a
collar and a necktie and the LOWEST sau-
sages, and potted meats, and boned turkey,
whole cold chickens that they will cut up
to suit. pressed meats. galantines. the love-
hest bacon. larded veal, cold boeuf- ala
thingr'
She had also bought a bottle of red wine
for Is cents. 1T will last week. she
explained.
1t did
Tired an1 happy, the girls sought their
three respective beds.
There are no sheets on mine." exclaimed
Mabel.
Nor on mine!" called Lucy
Nor mine mourned Jane.
1t was even so. They had not noticed
that there were none in the inventory.
That night they slept between blankets.
The next morning 1t was Mabel's first turn
a the bath tub. The two others heard her
splash. Then they heard her call:
. There are no towels!
First Things Needed.
And that was also straight goods. No
towels had been included in the inventory.
And, in general. linen being looked on as a
personal item, it is not included in these
furnished rentings; nor is silverware.
we have no knives. or spoons or forks"
called Jane from the dining room.
That same morning the house agent gave
them the address of a novel industry. Up
two flights of stairs in a court on the Rue
Saint Honore they found a firm ready to
rent them complete silverware and linen at
a moderate price per month. AS the silver
ware was plated the girls were not even
asked to give security.
1T is a gorgeous layout Mabel observed
as they spread the mass of it upon the dim
ing table. They had been delighted with
the lavish supply of artistic crockery and
china ware beforehand AS for glass, there
Were five services for wine!
Wen really have to give a lot of din
ners." Jane decided. That was early in
the game, before they had made up ac-
counts for the first week.
More Troubles.
Everything turned out to cost a little
more than calculated. Even the accom-
modating renter of the silver ware and
linen gave them a surprise. They found
they were not allowed to wash the rented
linen. They might not even keep 1t as
long they pleased. Each week the wagon
called and took it all away, leaving new
ly laundried supply in its place! And then
they found the laundry bill was extra.
These folks make a living by washing
their own linen" observed Jane, judicious-
ly. Still the service so satisfactory
that they kept it up.
l have observed their 'bonne." or maid
of-all-work. "Bonne" is a strange mock
cry of a generic name. 1t means good"
in the feminine, as bon does in the mas
culine. and these poor girls who work wn.e
others lounge about are called good girls
or goods 1t does not stop them from
taking their percentages.
The 'bonne" of these three girls IS like
all others here in Paris. She is active, in
dustrious, of unfailing good humor, quick
to carry out Instructions. Her tact is ad-
mirable, and though she works very slowly
she works steadily. She Is able to match
rlDDOnS at a SnOp, DO the girls nair Is 4
plain cook-which means a lot In Paris
and, above all. she can keep accounts
Her name Is Marie and she is strong at
accounts. When she returns from market
ing-they live no longer on deicatessen
things-she presents her little memorandum
book correctly spelled and added up.
There is reason for it. By old Gust ,n-
which the courts themselves have more
than once upheld-the bonnie receives from
every tradesman a commission of l cent to
the franc one in twenty-5 per cent
This she boards up against the time when
she shall marry. Such is her anxiety TO
amaSs the dot that she will steal stray
postage stamps and paste them in her
Postal Savings Bank book-and the accom-
modating government viii give her credit
for them. Lucky Is the family whose
bonnie" confines herself to percen ages
and does not combine with tradesm3n to
doctor the accounts themselves.
At the end of their first month Jane-U no
undertook the accounts-made her report
upon the financial status.
I'VE are getting along finely at 81 a day
apiece" she reported. I'VE have no debts"
Good exclaimed the two others.
"f,ut we have cash left over either"
That's all right
But we also owe the bonnie her wageS"'
1t came as a kind of shock to Mabel and
Lucy, who must absolutely keep their bare
e /.