that. For best results
they should not be in too close proximity to the rest of the family.
In the country, servants are more confined to the scene of their
labors than in the city. Consequently they need and like a certain
amount of privacy as well as a place to relax and see their friends.
In addition to bedrooms and bath, a sitting room of some kind is most
practical. It need not be large or expensively furnished. A few
comfortable chairs, a table or two, possibly a desk and a good reading
lamp will suffice. A small radio also adds to the general contentment.
In summer if the service wing boasts a screened porch so much the
better. If not, some shady nook or arbor nearby where they may rest or
read during their spare time may mark the difference between sullen
service, frequent change of personnel, and the perfect servant who
remains year after year.

PETS AND LIVESTOCK

[Illustration]

_CHAPTER XIII_

PETS AND LIVESTOCK

Few country households are content with a bowl of goldfish. Something
a little more responsive is demanded where the peace and quiet of
nature press so close. A cat to drowse on the hearth or catch an
occasional mouse; a dog to accompany one on walks and greet the head
of the house ecstatically each evening; these, of course, are the most
obvious and popular pets. Both can be and are kept in city apartments
and suburban homes but their natural habitat is the open country.

Whether one or both become part of your household is, of course, a
matter of personal inclination. There are those who have an intense
aversion for cats. There are fanatical bird lovers who argue that
because they once knew a cat which killed a bird, the entire feline
family should be wiped out. However, from the number of sleek
specimens seen dozing on porch or terrace through the countryside, it
is safe to assume that the average household harbors at least one cat.
There is no room here for a treatise on why people keep cats. Besides,
we do not know. We only know that cats were always about the place
when we were young and that some sixteen years ago we rescued a half
starved Maltese kitten from a city pavement and kept her until she
died of old age about a year ago. She had beautiful green eyes and a
very short temper. She also upset several preconceived theories. One
is that a cat is attached to a place rather than people and that it is
difficult if not impossible to take it along when moving to an old
p