“All smooth and well drained with rounded edges. It’s going to be as clean as a whistle down here. See the metal ceiling? That’s for fire prevention, and so is the sprinkler system and there’s a metal covered door at the head of the cellar stairs.”
“There seems to be a lot of machinery for a small house,” observed James as he carried his examination around the space.
“Mother said she couldn’t afford luxuries but she could afford comforts and these are some of the comforts,” smiled Dorothy.
“Not very pretty comforts,” remarked Ethel Blue dryly.
“‘Handsome is as handsome does,’” quoted her cousin. “When these things get to working you won’t care whether they’re beautiful to look at or not.”
“What’s the heating system—steam or hot water?” asked Tom, standing before the boiler.
“Hot water. They say it’s more convenient for a small house because you don’t have to keep up such a big fire all the time.”
“That’s so; in steam heating there has to be fire enough to make steam, anyway, doesn’t there?”
“And when the steam in the pipes cools it turns to water and dribbles away, but in the hot water system there will be some heat in the outside of your radiator as long as the water inside has any warmth at all.”
“How does the expense compare?” inquired James who was always interested in the financial side of all questions.