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Show and with help she stretched the carpets into place again. She then secured the edges with tacks where they remained until the next housecleaning time. When a wood-grained linoleum became available, John K had some of it laid around the outside part of the parlor floor, and bought an axminster rug (9 x 12) for the center of the room. An elegant scrolled and flowered design decorated the rug, transforming the entire room. MODERNIZING As home improvements became obtainable, John K made an effort to have them. When electric light poles were finally erected in the outskirts of town, he ordered electric lights to be installed in his home. The radiance of a single bulb hanging on a cord in the center of each room far outshone the flickering kerosene-burning lamps the family formerly used. The large brown, wooden telephone box fastened to the wall in the dining room was another wonder added to the house. The right-side crank handle for ringing up Central was a wide step and unbelievable improvement over riding a horse, or walking, to deliver a message. A few years later a kitchen sink was made possible when the city water was piped into the house, and eventually a walled off portion of a room held a wash-basin, a bath tub, and a toilet. Luxuriously, these conveniences replaced the old green hydrant, the washstand and wash basin, the 111 |