he placed. A small mat of neat design, if such can be found, will take
care of those persons who have the foot-scraping habit, regardless of
what they scrape upon, though the mat outside should do the important
work. Serviceable mats are seldom things of beauty. As they come
under the head of floor coverings, it may be well to note that the best
quality leather mat, guaranteed to last twenty years, costs $1.25 a
square foot. A fair imitation may be had for less than half that
figure, and has the same proportion of value. The open-steel mat that
serves best with tenacious mud costs 50 cents per square foot, and for
rubber we must add a half or double the price, depending on whether we
demand the made-to-order article or are content with stock. The old
reliable cocoa mat may be had from 35 cents per square foot up, and is
quite as useful and scarcely uglier than the others.



THE STAIRWAY

For appearance' sake, if our stairway is well constructed of good
woods, we should forbear to hide it. But there is no place in the
house where little Willie can more effectively proclaim to all the
household world his possession of double-nailed heels than on the
unprotected rises of the stairway. Even the tiny heels of the mistress
of the home seem to clump like the boots of a giant in their numberless
journeys up and down. So the hall runner must have a place. Perhaps
the carpet will be of red or green, depending on the walls, but it need
cost little more than $1 per yard for a fair quality. It is put down
with stair pads ($1 per dozen) and ordinary tacks, and the expenditure
of 10 cents per yard for a professional layer will not be regretted.
The amateur who can do a really good job on a stair carpet is a rarity.