South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-12

mucn about the big Partisan baZaTS
/ that she was athrill with eager ex-
| pectatiOn.
Better take IL the Galleries Lafay-
cite first" suggested Warren as they
| left the hotel together. You can
| take bus from there for the Bon
/ Marche."
Dear. wouldn't you have time to go
! BY the Lafayette with me-it's only
/ half past nine" pleaded Helen, who
\ dreaded starting out alone.
All right" good naturedly, that's
not much out Of my way. Hurry up,
/ less get the bus"
1t was going to be another hot day
/ There was still no relief from the heat
wave that had settled over Paris since
! their arrival But as Helen climbed
gleefully TO the top Of the bus, the
I thought Of the day III the Paris shops
made her unmindful of the heat.
There YOU are" Warren pointed
/ out huge building just ahead. From
the top futtered white banners and
/ flags lettered gayly in red Galleries
I Lafayette. 1t looked more like
. great exposition building than & store.
! But when they left the bus Helen
was astonished 10 Gnd all along the
sidewalk in front of the store were
stalls piled high with the cheapest
kind of merchandise
/ There were tables OF crockery.
I kitchenware, cotton dresses and
4 waists, and around each was chat
tering crowd of French women pull
] ing over the goods Large cardboard
/ signs-"5O confines Il franc. ~
/ francs were everywhere.
Why, dear. would you think they'd
/ allow these push cart peddlers outside
a reputable store? Why. it is like
cheap market place!"
They're not push cart peddlers,
| laughed Warren. This is all part of
the Galleries Lafayette-that's how
| they sell their cheap goods Our
stores have bargain basements-here
4 they have stalls outside the shop.
I Now I've got TO leave you. Don't
/ overdo il and get too tired. Better not
I he on your feet too much this hot
day"
/ She is Lonely.
Helen's interest in the scene about
her soon banished the mOmentary
\ feeling of loneliness as Warren disap
/ peared in the crowd. For some time
/ she stood on the sidewalk watching
/ the stalls and the chattering pushing
/ crowd about them. Warren was right.
! Unquestionably this was part of the
| store, for bare-headed French floor
/ walkers with frock coats and twisted
mustaches, walked up and down the
sidewalk.
Although Helen had often heard
that the Galleries Lafayette was one
/ of the best Paris shops. this street
! sale of goods made her most skeptical.
/ But when she entered, she saw that
! il was really a very beautiful store.
/ In the center was a great rotunda un-
der "a, crystal dome. An imposing mar
BILE staircase with double esculators led
TO the upper galleries
| Everywhere was a lavish and SEEM
| ingly haphazard display of goods. 1t
was all very different from a New
York shop. There seemed no aisles.
| only a vast labyrinth of tables filled
with goods I'm chaotic diSOrder-the
most tawdry heaped carelessly with
| the most expensive. The confusing
! display of the great quantities OF mer-
| chandise the riot of color, the crowd,
] the uproar and tulnult were to Helen
most bewildering.
Hoping that the upper galleries
would he less crowded and tumultu-
Gus, Helen made her way to the long
line of elevators. CHANGING over the
| directory of the floors, she located
''lingerie" and "trousseaux''
] French lingeries is a luxury coveted
| by every American woman, and as
Helen stepped from the elevator at the
| third gallery into what seemed a great
exhibition of white goods, her heart
beat with expectation.
On every side was a network OF
ia bles and counters heaped with white
| acknowledgements jupOns and
robes de mutt over the tables were
| cards with Occasion" or Grand Oc-
casion", the French phrase for bar
| gains.
! Almost everything was hand en-
broidered and mostly unlaunderei.
the blue tracing of the patterns being
still distinct.
Helen was surprised TO find that
while even the cheapest garment, those
| as low as six or seven francs, were en-
broidered by hand. the garment itself
was made by machinery. the seams
carelessly stitched and the buttons half
off She thought of the poor women
in the converts were most of the work
is done. How poorly paid they must
be to embroider such infer Or goods!
Ungainly Garments.
She looked first for some dainty,
low-necked night dresses with short
butterfly sleeves but she saw only un-
calmly garments with high necks and
long sleeves. Was this the much
lauded Paris lingerie?
At last in some glass cases. where
the most expensive models were dis
, played she found some exquisite low
] necked. short sleeved gowns.
How much? Quei prix?' Helen de
manded OF a passing clerk, pointing
to a garment in the case.
The girl opened the case and looked
? at the ticket. Helen could not under
stand yer, but STOPPING over. she reaC
the ticket herself-9O francs. Eigh
! teen dollarsi
Helen tried 20 make her understand
with a few words of French. mucl
English and many gestures that SIT
wanted TO see some gowns of that Gu
but much less expensive. The gir
touched a loud gong, which was sig
mai for an English-speaking clerk, an'
one promptly appeared.
Almost all of our low necked an.
short sleeved gowns are in the eXpen
sive models" the clerk explained
| But, OF course, we have some for les
than 90 francs. Now here is quite
:. pretty gown for 35 francs"
n Seven dollars, Except for he
e rousseau. Helen had never paid 81 70
n a nightgOwn in her life. And she ha,
|. no intention OF paving il in Paris
e where she had expected 70 get thing
Y ! ridiculously cheap.
o Well, I'll let the nightgOwns e
1 for the present but I'd like 10 Sc