The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-17
The Man and the Bill.

What, twenty dollars for hat. ex-
claim, the man who has to pay his wife's
millinery bills, why II Is absurd.
Twenty dollars for a few bits OF straw
and silk that couldn't cost more than
a dollar at best and a feather that
merchant could get for nifty cents? When
was a boy, remember women used
to fix UP their own hats-had boxes
where they kept the flowers and feathers
and things from one season TO the next
and when spring came all they had to do
was to get the box down and. with a
little thought and cleverness. trim
hat that was as pretty as a picture
That is what my mother used to do.
She would have as soon spent twenty
dollars on spring hat as she would
have robbed my father outright"
Then the woman vino buys the hat
and wears it tries to explain. Sh" as
sure. the man who pays the bills that
hats are now works of art. taht it re-
CURES a skilled designer and born ar
tist to make hats that are becoming and
fashionable and that the intrinsic worth
Of the fabric is of minor consideration
Those trimmed up hats that our moth
,rs wore were all right for those days
but times have changed. Still. the man
protests of course. he ends by paying
the bill. hut the stub in his check hook
that marks the payment is token of his
unselfishncss That little stag dinner
party at the club for which he lad to
pay $50 is another proposition.
But suppus" tn" man VINO paws IN"
bills ventures forth some fine day 10 the
Hops with his wife. SUPPOSE he sees the
nat that cost s.. or 81. or $59S. and then
suppose he sees the hat that costs SO
or So suppose the SalNswoman makes
1t clean 10 him that the wife in question
j. of that peculiar type of beauty that
really needs to wc;rr s." hats It doesn't
ned much persuasion. I, j. usually
So obvious What then" Well. usually
the decision - in fav"r OF ne nat that
is . wUr:, "f art AMI .,,.', In. 'Ili comes
IN tn. man makes on; tin. ,h"ck for 81
with something OF ih,. SAM joy III sp-nd-
in; that H.. .i",~ when 90, raN* for that
little stag Dime! ''arr> 90 IL, '.i"".
It was a ,Ir,~r iItrir "onram WHO
knew thu Value Of i.rs. ing Well and
who had learned that To, r." ar" ways
md Ways OF a"pr"2"h:n= tn" man who
pays if,r bIH~ Sn. TAI zone to 10y
,avur.t. >nup III q street IN search Of
nc new SurIn. >uit. Thcr. Ma the
suil for So and then rh":,' Vas that
interesting. black iali"Ia :ilN Tor $50.
she fingered over The 20 suit. II
would do. Of course. and il would b'
Servicea bic. IT was almost too service
abb. to be interesting. If she decided
on that one the man y 10 paid the bis
would have II" comments to make. II
she decided on th. ON" Tor 500 the man
y. no paid the bills mi %ht-~ell. there
IniCht have to h." one of those trying
explanations that rather put a damp"r
on ones joy in spring shopping
Wait" said the woman to the Sale>-
" oman ho was helping the woman q"
decide. Il ill telephone. Will maxi"
him Decide" In Il minu'" NOR" tn"
message. had gone over ia" " ire T."
tn" oiIir" OF TIA" man who paid III"
bills. aud in tiN" minutes move he was
on the scene.
TIL" rest wa easy. or course TIA"
man pr-irri"d the suit l"ht cost Sh"
No one ..v.u In"n;I"n"d Tia. fact that
II Wa $50 more expensive than tn"
other Tho issue was not ON" of timnn'''s
',Gt simply ~ taSt... and III"
man rc,c 4 "cr"j pleasure" in his own
md;-nI"nt that Ia" had 80 readily pre-
f.Il.d ~. moi" expensive "f tn" tw"
creations.
And the S6"-sut proved t" L." tn"
suit that every ON" admired. ii proved
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