January, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
43 
one-half feet wide, and long enough to fit 
in the window frame, leaving as little 
space as possible on either side. While a 
single board of the required shape and 
size is preferable, the window shield can 
be made of narrow pieces put together 
with cross strips underneath. 
The shield is attached to the window 
frame by means of hooks and screw eyes, 
the hooks, which should be substantial and 
quite large enough to slip on easily, be¬ 
ing screwed into the window frame out¬ 
side the sash. A screw eye is put 
into each side of the board as near 
the extreme outer edge as is prac¬ 
tical, and only about an inch from 
the exact center, so that when it is 
hooked into place it hangs in the 
window at a slanting angle, the 
lower edge of the board being out¬ 
side the window and the upper 
edge extending well into the room. 
Two sets of hooks, one at about 
six inches, the other twelve or fif¬ 
teen from the lower edge of the 
sill should be put in, as this ad¬ 
mits of two different heights for 
the window opening. When the 
board is in position the window is 
pulled down until the lower edge 
of the sash touches it, and as the 
board extends downward and 
reaches well beyond the outside 
sill, it is impossible for the rain to 
beat into the opening, while the air is 
freely admitted. Another scheme for pre¬ 
venting the rain from beating under the 
sash of a closed window is one that is be¬ 
ing used in a number of new houses. This 
consists of a weather strip of tin about 
an inch high, that is placed 
along the outside sill and fits 
close to the sash of the win¬ 
dow, forming a regular 
groove into which it is 
lowered. When the window 
is closed this weather strip 
protects the crack thorough¬ 
ly and keeps the rain or 
snow from beating in, as 
well as making it perfectly 
airtight. 
Christmas Decorations 
JhTOLLY, while it is the 
A A Christmas decoration, 
is most difficult to arrange 
gracefully on a table because 
of the stiffness of its leaves, 
and the ease with which they 
fall off its branches. There¬ 
fore it is more used in the 
general house decoration. 
Especially pretty branches 
may be hung along the stair 
balustrade if wreaths are not 
used for that purpose. It is also much 
used in window decoration and for the 
fireplace if you are so fortunate as to 
possess one. Do not lament because you 
cannot afford roses, for few roses com¬ 
bine prettily with the Christmas greens. 
The scarlet carnation is better, but the 
red poinsettia is best of all. Gather plenty 
of ground pine, laurel, hemlock, smilax, 
ferns, if you can get them, of all varieties, 
cedar and pine for their fragrance and 
don’t forget the pigeon berry. This berry 
has taken the place of the holly to a great 
extent. It grows on a stem without any 
leaves, and these combined with fern or 
laurel make as pretty decoration as any¬ 
thing that could be suggested. Fill the 
cases full of fern or little hemlock branches 
with the branches of the pigeon berry 
move it) and place the basket on the table 
upside down. This is covered with moss 
and holly, spruce and pigeon berries placed 
plentifully over its surface. If you can¬ 
not get smilax, use the ground pine to 
run from this centerpiece to the various 
places and corners of the table. 
This compartment radiator in the butler’s pantry is large enough 
to be thoroughly useful for its double heating purpose 
standing 
up in the middle. If holly is 
not plentiful, or is not to be had at all, 
get hemlock with a quantity of small 
cones on it. This makes a delightful dec¬ 
oration. It may be brightened by inter¬ 
spersing with bits of holly or pigeon ber¬ 
A large mirror set in the bathroom wall and flanked by small windows is 
really serviceable. Below the windows are closets for various toilet articles 
Convenient Bathroom Fittings 
T O take the place of the small cabinet 
fitted with shelves and a mirror in 
the door, that occupies a prom¬ 
inent position in most bathrooms, 
one entire end of a bathroom in 
a California bungalow has been 
filled in with small cupboards and 
drawers and a mirror. This sup¬ 
plies all of the features of the 
wall cabinet on an extensive scale, 
furnishes space for towels and 
other accessories, and makes as 
complete and attractive a bath¬ 
room as one would come across 
in a long day’s journey. 
Instead of the small mirror over 
the washstand, in which, if one is 
just the right height, it is possible 
to see one's whole face at the same 
time, there is a full-length mir¬ 
ror set in the wall and flanked on 
either side by little square win¬ 
dows. They are quite large enough 
to admit all of the light necessary 
and are so high that the important question 
of whether the curtains are drawn or not 
does not have to be on one’s mind con¬ 
tinually. Below the windows are small 
closets, their tops forming shelves that 
are just the right height for holding the 
mirror and other shaving 
paraphernalia. The upper 
parts of the closets are ar¬ 
ranged to hold bottles, tooth 
brushes and other toilet ar¬ 
ticles, and are so spacious 
that everything necessary 
for toilet use can be kept in 
them, thus doing away with 
dust collecting shelves on the 
bathroom wall, not to men¬ 
tion the various articles that 
are apt to accumulate on the 
washstand. 
In the lower part of one 
side are three drawers for 
towels, while in the other is 
a single compartment deep 
enough to accommodate the 
larger and more bulky bath 
towels. Between the closets 
and in front of the mirror is 
a box-like compartment with 
a hinged top where all the 
necessary articles for clean- 
ry. Branches of pine with the cones on 
not only furnish decoration but also give 
to the home that delicious odor without 
which no Christmas is Christmas. The 
cones may be gilded. A pretty centerpiece 
for the table may be made by taking a 
small round basket (if it has a handle re¬ 
ing and shining shoes are 
kept. Electric brackets at 
either side of the mirror give all the ad¬ 
vantages of a dressing table as far as 
lighting is concerned, so that there is no 
one-sided illumination as when the bath¬ 
room has but a single light. Complete and 
ingenious as this arrangement is. it occu- 
(Continued on page 63.) 
