in which the family gathers at meal-times is a little below ground. When this is the case, and when there is no possibility of convert- ing the back parlor up-stairs into a dining- room by introducing a dumb-waiter and pan- try, or when expediency or want of space precludes such a change, the best must be made of existing circumstances, and the ef- forts redoubled to render the despised base- ment as pleasant as possible. The wall-paper must never be dark in a room like this, which at the best of times is never too light. Choose instead a creamy ground well covered with some small figure, or, better still, an ingrain paper of a solid color — a soft gray, a pale green, a cream, or one of those indescribable neutral tints that make good backgrounds, and furnish well but not obtrusively. Unless the room is wainscoted with wood, a very pretty and inexpensive substitute can be made of India matting, secured at the top by a narrow band of wood moulding. The matting can be washed oflf with salt and wa- ter whenever it needs cleansing. An excel- 4 THE DINING-EOOM lent plan is that of having the walls done in hard finish, and then painting this. The sur- face can then be scoured as often as it be- comes stained or specked, and will always look neat and fresh. An additional coat of paint can be put on when the first becomes worn or faded. In a rented house the tenants must, of course, take what they can get, and in many cases the landlord is unwilling to make changes. Still, pretty pictures, draperies, neat furniture, and a well-set table will do wonders, even for a room that appears un- promising at the outset. It never pays to purchase an expensive carpet for the ordinary dining-room. Some- thing durable should be selected, like an in- grain of a mixed color, or with a minute, closely-set figure. Better still is a rug, an art square, or a Smyrna rug, neither of which is high-priced, while either is satis- factory both in appearance and in wearing qualities. The floor should be stained or painted, for a distance of from two to three feet 5 WHAT TO EAT — HOW TO SERVE IT from the wall all around the room, in a neat dark color. Borders of wood-carpeting are handsome and last a long time, but are cost- ly, and one does not often find hard-wood floors in a rented house. The rug may be either laid loosely or tacked down around the edges. The draperies in a dining-room should not be heavy. Not only do such darken the room, but they catch and retain the odors of food, and hold constantly in their folds de- pressing reminders of former feasts. Scrim, lace, or light Madras or China silk, decorates the room and softens outlines without im- peding the entrance of light or air. Shades are essential, and so should be also window- screens from the appearance of the first fly in the spring until the last one has vanished in the fall. An open fireplace in a dining-room is un- surpassed for cheer and comfort there, as it is everywhere. A screen should always be in readiness to temper the glow and glare while the family are at meals. The chimney. is a potent aid to ventilation, and helps to 6 THE DINING-EOOM disperse those odors that will collect in the best-ventilated saUea a manger^ and which are so appetizing before meals and so un- pleasant afterwards.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

in which the family gathers at meal-times is a little below ground. When this is the case, and when there is no possibility of converting the back parlor up-stairs into a diningroom by introducing a dumb-waiter and pantry, or when expediency or want of space precludes such a change, the best must be made of existing circumstances, and the efforts redoubled to render the despised basement as pleasant as possible. The wall-paper must never be dark in a room like this, which at the best of times is never too light. Choose instead a creamy ground well covered with some small figure, or, better still, an ingrain paper of a solid color — a soft gray, a pale green, a cream, or one of those indescribable neutral tints that make good backgrounds, and furnish well but not obtrusively. Unless the room is wainscoted with wood, a very pretty and inexpensive substitute can be made of India matting, secured at the top by a narrow band of wood moulding. The matting can be washed off with salt and water whenever it needs cleansing. An excel- THE DINING-EOOM lent plan is that of having the walls done in hard finish, and then painting this. The surface can then be scoured as often as it becomes stained or specked, and will always look neat and fresh. An additional coat of paint can be put on when the first becomes worn or faded. In a rented house the tenants must, of course, take what they can get, and in many cases the landlord is unwilling to make changes. Still, pretty pictures, draperies, neat furniture, and a well-set table will do wonders, even for a room that appears unpromising at the outset. It never pays to purchase an expensive carpet for the ordinary dining-room. Something durable should be selected, like an ingrain of a mixed color, or with a minute, closely-set figure. Better still is a rug, an art square, or a Smyrna rug, neither of which is high-priced, while either is satisfactory both in appearance and in wearing qualities. The floor should be stained or painted, for a distance of from two to three feet from the wall all around the room, in a neat dark color. Borders of wood-carpeting are handsome and last a long time, but are costly, and one does not often find hard-wood floors in a rented house. The rug may be either laid loosely or tacked down around the edges. The draperies in a dining-room should not be heavy. Not only do such darken the room, but they catch and retain the odors of food, and hold constantly in their folds depressing reminders of former feasts. Scrim, lace, or light Madras or China silk, decorates the room and softens outlines without impeding the entrance of light or air. Shades are essential, and so should be also windowscreens from the appearance of the first fly in the spring until the last one has vanished in the fall. An open fireplace in a dining-room is unsurpassed for cheer and comfort there, as it is everywhere. A screen should always be in readiness to temper the glow and glare while the family are at meals. The chimney. is a potent aid to ventilation, and helps to THE DINING-EOOM disperse those odors that will collect in the best-ventilated salle à manger^ and which are so appetizing before meals and so unpleasant afterwards.

What to eat, how to serve it