"Yes chile. I s'pects dat's de ice man knockin' on de dumb waiter t' tell me he's put on a piece ob ice," went on the cook.
She opened a door in the kitchen wall, and Bunny and Sue saw what looked like a big box, in a sort of closet. In the box was a large piece of ice.
"Yep. Dat's what it am. Ice on de dumb waiter," said Mary, as she took off the cold chunk and put it in the refrigerator. It was an extra piece gotten that day because she was going to make ice cream for dessert.
"What's a dumb waiter?" asked Bunny.
"Dis is," said Mary, pointing to the box, back of the door in the wall. "It waits on me—it brings up de milk and de ice. It's jest a big box, and it goes up an' down on a rope dat runs ober a wheel."
"I know—a pulley wheel," said Bunny.
"Dat's it!" cried Mary. "De box goes up an' down inside between de walls, and when de ice man, or de milk man puts anyt'ing on de waiter in de cellar, dey pulls on de rope and up it comes to me."
"What makes them call it a dumb waiter?" asked Sue.
"'Cause as how it can't talk, chile. Anyt'ing dat can't talk is dumb, an' dis waiter, or lifter, can't talk. So it's dumb."
Bunny and Sue looked at the dumb waiter for some time. Mary showed them how it would go up or down on the rope, very easily.