, 1925-05-20
XI-Continued

north Chicago suburbs are a good deal
like a a evening gown In the Ari-
IONA desert. 1t wouldn't keep you
cool In the daytime, and 1t wouldn't
be warm enough at night. l suppose
a native architecture is evolved from
building for the local climate and the
needs of the community, keeping beau
ty in mind as you go. We don't need
turrets and towers any more than we
need draw-bridges and moats. It's all
right to keep them, l suppose. where
they grew up, in a country where the
feuda system meant that any day
your next-door neighbor might take it
into his head to call his gang around
him and sneak up to steal your wife
and tapestries and gold drinking cups"
DIRK was interested and amused.
Talks with his mother were likely to
affect him thus. whats your idea of
a real Chicago house, mother?"
Selma answered quickly. as If she
had thought often about it: as If she
would have liked just such n dwelling
on the site of the old DeJong farm
house in which they now were seated
81 tpihio tdDlN. well. II Woulu uetu
big porches for the hot days and
nights SOS to catch the prevailing
southwest winds from the prairies in
the summer-a porch that would be
swung clear around to the east. too
or a terrace or another porch east so
that If the precious old lake breeze
should come up just when you think
you're dying of the heat. as 1t some
times does, you could catch that, too.
II ought to be built-the house, I
mean-rather squarish and tight and
solid against our cold winters and
northeasters. Then sleeping porches,
of course. There's a grand American
institution for you! England may
have its afternoon tea on the terrace,
and Spain may have its patio. and
France its courtyard, and Italy its
pergola. uncovered; but Americas
got the sleeping porch-the screened
In open-alr sleeping porch, and l
shouldn't wonder If the man who first
thought of that would get precedence.
on Judgment day. owe the men who
invented the airplane, the talking ma
chine, and the telephone. After all.
he had nothing in mind but the health
of the human race" After which
grand period Selma grinned ut Dirk.
and Dirk grinned at Selma and the
two giggled together there by the fire.
place, companionably.
Mother. you're simply wonderful! =
only your native Chicago dwelling
seems to ne mostly porch"
Selma waved such carping criticism
away with a careless hand. "Oh, well,
any house that has enough porches,
and two or three bathrooms and ut
least eight closets can be lived in COM
%;ortably, no matter what else it has or
hasn't got"
Next day they were more serious.
The eastern college and the architec-
tural career seemed to be settled
things. Selma was content, happy.
Dirk was troubled about the expense.
He spoke of it at breakfast next morn
ing (DIrk's breakfast his mother had
had hers hours before and now as he
drank his coffee, was sitting with him
a moment and glancing Mt the paper
that had come in the rural mail deliv-
ery). She had been out in the fields
overseeing the transplanting of young
tomato seedlings from hotbed to field.
She wore an old gray sweater buttoned
up tight, for the air was still sharp.
soft hat Gan old one of Dirk's) much
like the one she had worn to the Hay
market that day ten years ago.
"I've been thinking" he began. "the
expense"
'Pigs'll do It." Selma said. calmly.
"Tve been wanting TO put them in for
three or four years. It's August
Hempel's idea. Hogs. 1 should have
said.'
He echoed. "Hogs!" rather family.
"High-bred hogs. They're worth
their weight In silver this minute. and
will be for years to come. I won't go
In for them extensively. Just enough
TO make an architect out of Mr.. Dirk
DeJong." Then. at the expression In
his face: Don't look so panied, son.
There's nothing revolving about a hog
he's a handsome, impressive-looking
animal. the hog. when he isn't treated
IKE one
He looked detected. "Td rather not
go to school on-hogs."
She took of the felt hat and tossed
II W to the old couch by the win
dow smoothed her hair back with the
fiat of her palm. You saw that the
soft dark hair was literally sprlnkled
with gray now, but the eyes ere
bright and clear rs ever.
you know. Soblg. this Is what they
enll n paying farm-as vegetable farms
go. We're out of debt. the lands In
good shape, the crop promises well II
we don't have another rainy cold
spring like last years. I'm having a
grand time. When I see the asparagus
plantation actually yielding. that !
planted tea years ago. I'm as happy as
II I'd stumbled on n gold mine. l
think, sometimes, of the way your IA