August, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
103 
are sometimes mistakes in your bill. If 
you understand the meter first, and then 
make it a habit in your household to read 
it regularly on the day that the represen¬ 
tative of the electric company calls for the 
same purpose, you will have no difficulty 
in keeping track of your bill. If you are 
interested to keep closer track of the 
meter, you can do this by reading it every 
week and noting how much of an increase 
there is when you have guests or parties 
and when the seasons change. 
You will find four dials on your meter, 
with numbers from 1 to 10 or o. The 
hands on the dials revolve in alternate di¬ 
rections, instead of emulating the clock. 
When the hand points between two nu¬ 
merals, take the smaller one just passed by 
the hand, and read the meter dials from 
left to right. Each dial will give you a 
number, the first one meaning thousands, 
the second hundreds, the third tens, and 
the fourth units. Therefore, if the hand 
on the dial furthest to the left points to 
one, on the next to 6, on the next to 9, and 
on the next to 3, your reading will be cor¬ 
rect at 1693 kilowatt hours, which is the 
term used for the unit for the smallest 
amount of electricity consumed. Your 
electricity bill will be made out for so 
many kilowatt hours. To find the amount 
used in one month, or since the last read¬ 
ing of the meter, subtract the figure on 
your last bill from the new total indicated 
by the dials, and this will be the amount 
of your new bill. When all lights are off, 
of course the meter stops its work, lying 
ready in wait for the least signal, however, 
from any of the various lights. 
Beside an acquaintance with her meter, 
the householder should know the common 
facts of electricity. It is not the complex 
thing many people believe it to be; because 
of its magical qualities it is often regarded 
with awe, and perhaps, too, because of the 
puzzling terms used in connection with the 
current and lights. 
Electric current has become almost as 
much of a home commodity as is coal, and 
as it is a friend in need and one come to 
stay in our midst, it behooves us to get ac¬ 
quainted with its terms — just as we be¬ 
come acquainted with quarts and pecks 
and pounds in varieties of commodities. 
The measure of electricity being different, 
requires a different set of terms, just as 
the doctor, the lawyer, the musician, uses 
terms familiar to himself but unfamiliar to 
the masses. As electricity is no longer a 
specialty, but is classed as a commodity, it 
is up to the householder to understand its 
simple terms. 
Electric current flows along a wire much 
as water flows through a pipe. 
The size of the stream of electricity 
flowing along the wire is measured in am¬ 
peres. The pressure, or speed with which 
it flows, is measured in volts. The quan¬ 
tity of.electricity passing through is meas¬ 
ured in watts. Kilowatt means 1,000 
watts (regular metric system). A “kilo¬ 
watt hour” means a kilowatt quantity of 
electric current used for an hour’s time to 
light lamps or cook, or use with a sweeper 
or any other implement. 
Shopping Suggestions 
A new chair that makes its appearance 
under the rather attractive name of 
“slipper chair” is designed especially for 
use in the boudoir or bedroom. Primarily 
intended, as its name designates, for use 
when one’s shoes are being put on, it is 
quite low, with rather a broad back, and 
so thoroughly comfortable that it will 
doubtless see much service in other ways. 
The frame is of mahogany, and the chair 
may be had upholstered in cretonne of 
any pattern that may be desired. 
Small glass candle-lamps for use on the 
dinner table will no doubt be found serv¬ 
iceable in houses that are not lighted by 
electricity, particularly in summer, when 
candles are not always satisfactory. 
These little lamps have tiny wicks that 
are equal to about one-candle power, and 
they are fitted with circular glass globes, 
over which the shades can be placed, so 
that as far as appearances go they give 
the same effect as candles, with none of 
the melting or dripping of wax that so 
often happens when candles are used in 
hot weather. 
Many houses are built largely from 
material found on the site. Where the 
house stands on a ledge with a cellar 
under it the material from the cellar can 
be used in the walls. This is the reason 
why a rustic material looks best in a 
cottage among trees. The dwellings 
which have rough stone foundations look 
well in a rocky setting along the coast or 
among boulders at the lakeshore. 
Another piece suitable for a dainty bed¬ 
room is a little stand for holding shoes, 
with two boxes for small articles such as 
are usually kept in the top drawer. The 
stand is of wood, painted white, with 
cretonne-covered sides, and is about the 
size of the ordinary bedside stand, so 
that it will serve as a bedside table as 
well. In the upper part are the two flat 
cretonne-covered boxes, one of which is 
divided into a number of small compart¬ 
ments, while in the lower part is a door 
which, when opened, shows compartments 
for four pairs of shoes. 
For the informal summer breakfast or 
luncheon, whether served indoors or al 
fresco, there are fascinating novelties in 
colored cloths and doilies that are quite 
inexpensive and provide a welcome 
change from the more ceremonious white 
damask. The Japanese toweling cloths 
with doilies to match are now made in 
green and white, as well as blue and 
white, and in a number of pretty de¬ 
signs. The doilies are 12 inches square, 
and the cloths from 30 to 54 inches 
square. Then there are breakfast or 
luncheon sets that consist of center-piece 
and plate doilies in two sizes, made of 
colored linen in figured patterns and 
edged with rather coarse lace. 
Intended for hard usage in camps or 
bungalows are some couch covers with 
table-covers to match, made of heavy 
linen in the natural color with borders 
formed of wide bands in contrasting col¬ 
ors, which include green, blue and brown. 
They are quite inexpensive and will come 
out of the tub as good as new. Sets of 
the same sort may be had in burlap, done 
in designs suggestive of the futurist craze 
and in colors suitable for summer use. 
Colored linen is also used for table-covers 
which are perfectly plain and finished 
with a hemstitched hem about two inches 
deep. 
Inexpensive cushions made particularly 
for use outdoors or on the piazza are 
covered with a Madagascar grass cloth 
that is not affected by dampness, and that 
comes in solid colors or in a variety of 
contrasting stripes. The pillows are filled 
with silk floss and are 22 inches square. 
Another useful addition to the porch out¬ 
fit is the hand-woven grass mat, 18 inches 
in diameter and l l / 2 inches thick, that is 
quite ornamental, with its alternating cir¬ 
cles in Oriental colorings. 
