After some experiments I discovered that this could be easily arranged by
cutting a half-round piece of hardwood (_F_, Fig. 312) to fit upon the
square end _G_ of the knob (Figs. 311 and 313) and be held in place with a
small screw (Fig. 314). When this arrangement is made for the door and the
knob put in place as it is in Figs. 315 and 316, a simple wooden latch
(Fig. 317) with the catch _K_ (Fig. 319) and the guard (Fig. 320) may be
fastened upon the den side of the door as shown by _K_, _L_, (Fig. 317).
When the door is latched the wooden piece _F_ fits underneath the latch as
shown by Fig. 317. When the knob is turned, it turns the half disk and
lifts the latch _H_ as shown in Fig. 318; this, of course, opens the door,
and the visitor is struck with amazement upon being ushered into a pioneer
backwoods log cabin, where after-dinner coffee may be served, where the
gentlemen may retire to smoke their cigars, where the master of the house
may retire, free from the noise of the children, to go over his accounts,
write his private letters, or simply sit before the fire and rest his
tired brain by watching the smoke go up the chimney.
Fig. 321. Fig. 322.
[Illustration: The "surprise den." A log house inside a modern mansion.]
Here also, over the open fire, fish, game, and chickens may be cooked, as
our grandams and granddaddies cooked them, and quaint, old-fashioned
luncheons and suppers served on earthenware or tin dishes, camp style. In
truth, the surprise den possesses so many charming possibilities that it
is destined to be an adjunct to almost every modern home. It can be
enclosed within the walls of a city house, a suburban house, or added as a
wing to a country house, but in all cases the outside of the surprise den
should conform in material used and general appearance to the rest of the
house so as not to betray the secret.