Household Accounts

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 September 1911, Page 4

Household Accounts

(By Harkloy Hnrker.) Heaven help me," groaned: "My thrifty wife Heaven bless her." "Well, Heaven held me," groaned my neighbour, as he lighted his pipe by the garden gate and began to smoke to the moonlight. " 1 started off with the idea that our married lifo should never vex my wife with tho care or money. 'But I never know when the c.ook is paid up; when the chambermaid asks for money, as her month is up, 1 never am certain; I pay it, scratch a line in a book, and am done with it. Once in a while I try to straighten out. .But, blesu you!—" and with disgusted whiffs at the 11100,11 110 lapsed into silence. 1 am the next neighbour. .1 ovenheard all this. It amused me. .1 too, started off in housekeeping with the notion that .1 would handle all the money, for the sake, of course, of relieving my wife of all the care. But, my neighbours all, could .1 hope to succeed in such (bookkeeping? The cooks came a,nd went in an endless procession. No sooner had I got a date fixed in my mind—"January Gtli cook came" — than the good, soul was replaced' by one who came February "Ist. I lost the run. I was all out. To pay Saturday night was my next recourse. But in three, we oiks we were provided) with a cook who "came Wednesday the 11th," as J .saw by my notebook. Tn short, I was soon all at odds with every servant, _ including the man-servant. Sometimes I had the money in my pociket when I came home from the office, oftener .1 dad not. There was no system. '['.here was no exactness. Jvow, just after one year's trial of this, I said to my wife one day: "1 have a business of my own. You have one of your Own". To think of earning the money, and to care lor other people's affairs down at my office in earning it, is all I can do. My dear partner, good wife! you run this end of our joint interests hereafter.'" The result has been magic. I neither know nor c-are now how the wage:; run. On the occasion, my wife gives mo warding as Igo to the office in the morning that - she will need so much money at night to pay bills. I bring it home. Nor is this all. I relegate to her wisdom the entire domestic spending of the money. She is queen. ~&he reports to me totals. There lias never bee nany attempt to measnro bv allowances, weekly 01* monthly. We tried that five months, but it seemed to us too unconfidinff. too mechanical, to say the least 7 with all deference to those who like it. The management of the home was the only burden divided, or rather left undivided, in the woman's hands Now do not, my reader, accuse me of preaching a paragon in the person of this modest little woman. e point is. sir, you do not save you 1 wife nor your money .by attempting to do everything. Your empress would not 'be fretted, hut ennobled, by having this care. That is. provided you ireally did trust her. It would not do to scrutinize, to complain, to challenge bills, to expect her to work miracles. You must_ simply (believe in her woman's wit. You must pay the hills, with cordial thaivks that you did not have the other trouble of contracting them. You must confide your economical advertisings to such generalities as are consistent with a. statement of your income in round numbers, or advices as to the ship that did not come ini. If you are a wage-earner or a salaried 1 man, all tli'at trouble is saved you. The empress knows how much you have It is fair to state changes in your plans. It is to f)'e expected that you will offer civil answers if she asks for a cabinet meeting. But do, for goodness sake, trust tho dear woman to run the house.