Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-05-04
T HUSBAND.
Wife's bookkeeping System HAD
Previously Puzzled Him.

vVffiesa bookkeeping System Had
Previously Puzzled Him.
Two mem We're engaged in CONVERSE
tom on q Fulton street. car a few days
ago,, when one called the attention OF.
the other to a fine looking woman on
the street and said: 4.rz, =
THAT issa client of. mine and about
the smartest woman II eSeI Knew
may say the smartests person She is
executor Of her fathef'ssestate and her
accountssare perfect Notsundries; ev-
cry little detail Isl accounted for and
the whole. drawn.up as weln as an ex-
perlence6 clerk could, do,itt. Yet l have
always thought that;the keeping of ac-
counts siss as much, out, of "a wcman's
line as, well, say, nursing. or house
keepiny-tSsout of omsSr a
The. other a gfinned,, them laugh
ed outright and brought! down hds fist
on his knee and laughed again as he
said:
II think you lare,right, ABOUT women
and accounts. Some can keep them
Just as SEINE can whistle, .ayrsoms@ men
can do fancy work. But ypai KNOW my
wifea Smart, isn't She? AbGsif the
smartest woman I ever knew. And
you know her housekeeping is perfect.
Well. it lis too bad to tell ahaut her
troubles But l laugh every time 1
think OF IT Here he laughed. heartily
again, ars8 his friend begged Cor the
STORY. :
"It'ssa shame 10 tell it!'s said he;
but as 1 told her, lotasof zaen find
IN keeping accounts-tflat is,
personal accounts-and leave the 9th
rers entirely to thu, boobkeepegs But
well, NE live onfsthe allowance, plan.
Each has so much for personal ex-
spenses~ children and all, and. a certain
.sum is set apart for running the house.
Tfas Observation-Disclosures Submitted
atoa1na. every Saturday night and when
I.hand out the next weeks s. allowance,
I talk gravelys to thra, tots of the Inn
prcpriety of spending, two cents .
wssk for candy. or 1 did uatiE nay wife
ssids she would suggest to, thsm that
! tkaY speak to, me about the lack OF
necessity forrny srfoking- But ! new
az looked att my wife'S books She
aiways saidf they balanced and once
! showed me how naatly SHE. kept them
and how nVeely sfa,puts in the balanct
4 with red INK and how carefully saa
+ ruled the hines. She never left theE,
around anywhere but { knew that sas
sept thera on a sert OF. simple double
entry THAI: her ather had taught hsr
and I hare besm very proud of hal
success,
Last week she sfft the books q
! her desk and Z inst took them up with
out thinking. They looked fine. Pret
ty socn 1 nonced In, Is. W. in many
and occasionally ia her private &C
coursr I thought over all tee thing.
t~hossinitiafss might mean: Girls kicl
work, meaning she had to hire extr:
lelp. or got kiu1ono washei.' But tn
AMOUNT paid was always too small
Ske came in and l said thaf l had beel
looking at her books. Yes she said
sereneU. Then I told her that / an
not ordinarily curious. but that I ds
want to know the meaning of thos
initials and the color came into be
chicks as it did when she came dowl
the elsie at church on our weddini
das. George, she booked pretty An
she said: Oh, John. / wish yo'
hadn't looked. I hate to tell you- But
-r, 500. it is so dificnlt 10 remembe
what one spends and .sundries- an
/ profit and loss iook 50 careless VEL
/ / might as well tell. g. 4. w. mean
4 4 saow. waat1iRsT-a l11
moaaly money Tor. ---Brooklyn EaGsl