FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK^PART X €91 



This must have been a long speech for Father as he is a man of few 

 words, but Mother's happy smile and glistening eyes as she told me of 

 it showed how glad she was that he had been the one to think and speak 

 of the kitchen. 



After this day by day the plans grew and took shape. Meanwhile the 

 eldest son, a young man of eighteen or nineteen years, had been reading 

 and thinking. He was naturally of a mechanical turn of mind and one 

 winter while attending a short course at his State Agricultural College 

 had gotten an idea of some of the modern inventions most useful on a 

 farm. Out of doors he had gradually begun making use of various labor 

 saving devices; now the thought came and grew: "Why shouldn't Mother 

 and sisters have their labor lightened in the same manner?" 



THE BASEMENT. 



Plans for the house included only a part size basement with one room 

 for furnace and fuel and one for fruit and vegetables. He suggested en- 

 larging the basement, making five rooms instead of two, and having one 

 for engine room, one for dynamo room, and one for laundry. He ex- 

 plained how electricity for lighting might be generated and stored while 

 the gasoline engine was running the washing machine or a pump to 

 furnish the house with water. It seemed like a big undertaking but the 

 more they thought and figured the more they thought they could do it. 



The mother had had visions of beautiful new furniture for each room 

 but she knew that that could be waited for and so the money intended 

 for furnishings went to pay for the conveniences which make that home 

 what it is today — one of the most perfectly equipped of farm homes. 



The furniture from the old house was moved over to the new; one or 

 two beds, a dining table, chairs, range and other kitchen equipment were 

 added and the family began to enjoy life in the new home. True the 

 living room was almost devoid of furniture but no apologies were neces- 

 sary, the choice was so obviously a wise one. 



HOW THE WORK WAS LIGHTENED. 



And the mother said, "This house with its ten rooms and its large 

 attic and basement isn't so hard to care for as that little house of five 

 rooms. The washings and ironings were so hard to do in the kitchen 

 where we cooked and ate. Now our engine does the washing and while 

 it is still cool in the morning we can finish the ironings with the electric 

 iron. With my built-in cupboards, and dumb-waiter to carry things to 

 the basement to keep cool, I am saved many steps every day. I thought 

 at first that I wanted a summer kitchen in which to cook during the 

 hottest weather — we had a small one built on back of the old house — but 

 instead of going to that extra expense we put a few dollars into a kero- 

 sene stove and a fireless cooker. You would be surprised to see how cool 

 I can keep my kitchen and all my work is done in the one room with no 

 running back and forth." 



I might add that the laundry chute for soiled clothing and linen which 

 went directly from the bath room on the second floor to a basket in the 

 laundry room was another great time and labor saver. As soon as pes- 



