Year: 1874

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Mrs. Lucy II. Hooper writes from
Paris to the Philadelphia Press: I
have of late heard much of the trials
endured by those Americans in Paris
who live in their own apartments and
undertake to keep French servants,
and the experience of one gentleman
really merits special attention. His
wife discovered one day that the
greater part of her underclothing had
disappeared as we'll as valuable Jew
eled watch. The police were called IN,
search was made, and the missing un-
dergarments were found in the trunk of
the lady's maid, as well as variety of
other articles abstracted By her Stom
the stores of former employers. The
woman was arrested and committed for
trial. When the trial took place her
counsel adopted novel but extremely
successful line of defense. "Gentle-
men of the jury" said he, "the par
ties that have come here to prosecute
my client are Americans. They are
wealthy; they could we'll afford to sup
ply this poor woman with undercloth-
ing; she did not steal the things; she
needed them, and she merely took them.
Moreover, the lady was culpably care
less in leaving her drawers and trunks
open to expose my client TO temptation
and besides, ,'as / said before, these peo-
pie are rich Americans, so hope you
will acquit the prisoner The jury did
acquit the prisoner Immediately, whera-
upon she turned round and sued her
employer for false imprisonment, and
he was obliged to get permit flom the
police to enable him to quit France, he
being on the point of returning home
with his family.


Another friend of mine heard one
evening low crash in the kitchen, and
on hurrying thither he found his waiter
man just escaping through the door,
with blood streaming from his head
and face, while the enraged cook was
in the act Of poisoninga heavy cut-glass
cacafe to hurl after him. " What is
the matter ?" the gentleman indignant
ly asked of the coachman, who had
been a witness of the scene. Jean
merely shrugged his shoulders. " A
little political discussion, monsieur
that is all. Marie called Antoine a
coward, whereupon Antoine threw
some wine in her face. Marie then
stuck fork into Antoine's cheek, and
cut his head open with a saucepan. II
was all about Gen. Trochu and the
war;" My friend has since packed his
trunks and gone to boarding, and he
swears that if ever he lives to get back
to New York, he will look upon the
biddies as slandered angels, after his
experience of French servants. Add to
these little discomftures the fact that
wages for really good-that is to say,
accomplished-servants are nearly as
high as they are with us, and ore will
readily perceive that housekeeping Oh
this side of the water is not any more q
bed of roses that it is at home.


An American family comes over here,
they take a furnished apartment the
rent of which may range anywhere
from sixty dollars a month to five hun
dred. They engage their servants, and
think they are settled in Paradise for q
little while. A months experience
teaches them they have got into very
different place. Everybody that they
come into contact with looks upon that
American family as gold mine, to be
worked for his or her profit, and it is
worked accordingly by all manner OF
petty thGfts, exactions, and cheating.
The waiter breaks glass and china, and
the cook wastes food and fuel in order
that the household bills may be large
and the per centage which they inva.
riably receive from the tradespeople
who supply you may be greater. If you
give your cook fixed sum for your
daily expenses, she will inevitably ap-
propriate certain portion of it. The
wit and ingenuity wherewith French
servants carry on that eternal chase
after half francs (ten-cent pieces),
which is the characteristic of the lower
orders in this country, would be admir-.
able and amusing, were it not at once
immoral and exasperating. Such are
some of the minor miseries of the
greater ones have spoken before.