LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA PRESENTED BY MR. GEORGE COBB OUR COUNTRY HOME fc K ffi HOW WE TRANSFORMED A WISCONSIN WOODLAND BY FRANCES KINSLEY Hl'TCI-HNSON WITH .\r.\Ri.Y r\vn //r.v /;/,-/;/) ILI.CSTRATIOXS F rfi(>T<><;i t >M>iis ay Tin-: .\rrnotf CHICAGO A. C. MH'LrKG ^ CO. 1907 COPYRIGHT A. C. McCLURo & ( '(>. 1907 Published (H-tolx-i- ,'ii. UNIT [ The illustrations in this volume are all from photographs by the author, except the full-pane views, which are by- Henry Fuermann. the two bird pictures on page 227, by Irene (irosvenor Wheelock. and the plate on page 2(>7, which is by Sara Holm.J Cfi* latusitif \3ttsa R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY CHICAGO TO J. &. WHOSK INSPIRATION AND EM OLKAliKMKNT BROUGHT FORTH THIS RKCITAL OK OUR F.XPERIKNCKS The happiest heart that ever beat II \ts in some quiet breast That found the common d'Ayli^ht sicect, And left to } leaven the rest" J. V. C. CONTEXTS CHAPTER PAGE I. How IT HAPPENED ...... 1 II. WHAT WE DID FIRST ... .16 III. FROM NOVEMBER TO MAY ... .33 IV. THE TERRACES ..... 47 V. THE WOODSHED . . ... 64 VI. THE KITCHEX-GAHDI \ . . 79 VII. THE FORMAL GARDEN 93 VIII. THE PERGOLA ... . 107 IX. THE GK.VVKL PIT . . 125 X. OF SHUT-US . . 138 . XI. OF VOTES . . .161 XII. OF WILD FLOWERS . 179 XIII. OUR NEAREST NEIGHBORS . 193 XIV. A LINK v DAY. . 21 4 XV. WEEDS FOR DECORATION* . , . 239 XVI. CONTUSION . 256 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS DECORATIVE HEADING THE ENTRANCE AT THE KAST TITLE-PAGE DECORATIOX DECORATIVE HEADING DECORATIVE HEADING HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER I . A LOVELY TANGLE IT LED us TO TH E WATER 's E DG E A LONG LAKE AVITH DEEPLY DENTED SHORES FLOATING OVER ITS GLASSY SURFACE A FRIENDLY BIT OF WATER ITS MIRROR-LIKE REFLECTIONS THE WILD GRAPE DRAPED THE WOOD . TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER I . HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER II LOOKING OVER THE LAND . Tin: MAN OK MANY MAPS EXPLAINS THE LITTLE MUSHROOM-LIKE PUMP HOUSE THE TREES Go DOWN ONE BY ONE . THE DRAINS CONCEALED BY BOULDERS THE LITTLE COTTAGE THE NATURAL ROADS AFTER THE SPRING RAINS THE "UNNATURAL" ROADS TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER II . . HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER III Front if pic 1 S .-> 5 9 9 18 IS 15 16 19 19 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS I'AGF. 35 THK FIRST I PKIGIITS PUTTING ON THI-: PKBKLK-DASH THE DtMNG-HOOM THE Love; GAI.I. 1:1:1 l"p TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER V . HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER VI THE OLD FENCE *" PATH FROM PERGOLA TO KITCHKN-GARDKN ... tfl ARTICHOKES HEFORE THE TOMATO TRELLIS . . S3 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE LILAC-FRAMED GATEWAY . ..... ALL READY TO Pur Our . ... .87 THE FAIR EXHIBITS . ... .87 THOSE PROUDLY ANNOUNCED FIRST PEAS . . . . .89 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER VI ... .92 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER VII . ... .93 THE FORMAL GARDEX. FIRST STAGE ...... 9,5 THE BARBERRY HEDGE . ... .9.5 JUST OUTSIDE THE FORMAL GARDEN .... .99 FROM MY WINDOW . .... .99 IN WINTER COSTUME ...... 10.'} LOXG STRANDS OF WOODBINE ..... . 103 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER VII ...... 10(5 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER VIII ....... 107 THE PERGOLA IN WIXTER . ...... 109 A MEANS OF PROTECTION . ..... 109 THE WOODSY SIDE OF THE PERGOLA . . . . . .ill THE DOOR TO THE LAUNDRY YARD . . . . . .11.'} THE LAUNDRY YARD. ...... 113 THE BALTIMORE BELLE . . . . 117 THE ROOF IN OCTOBER . . .117 THE PERGOLA BROADENS INTO v SQUARE TEA-HOUSE . . 121 AT ONE END is A SMALL WALL FOUXTAIN . . . . HI TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER VIII .... 124 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER IX ....... 12.5 IN AND Our OF THE GRASSY HOLLOWS ... . 127 THE IRIS GLADE . . ... .127 WHERE THE BROOK MAKES A SIDDKN TURN .... 131 THI: LAND GRADED IN A GENTLE SWEEP ..... 131 THE CYCLONE-LIKE EFFECT ....... 134 HTGE BOULDERS WERE PLACED ...... 13.5 THE GRAVEL PIT FINISHED ....... 13;5 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER IX ....... 137 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER X. . 138 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS I'AGF. ENCLOSED THK HOUSE SITK WITH A FENCE . . 139 THK SHRUBBERY . . 139 MOSTLY LABKI.S . 141 A TRACERY OF BRAMBLES 143 THK SEA BUCKTHORN . 143 Tin: BKIDAL WREATH . . 147 THE GROUNDSEL Br.su . . . 147 Vim KNUM LANTANOIDES OK ALNIFOLIUM . . . 151 VIBI KM M LENTAGO . . . 151 SHRUBBERY EDGING THE LAWN . . 153 THE SHORE PATH THE FIK.ST YEAR . . 155 THE SHORE PATH THE THIRD YEAR . . . 155 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER X . . 153 SHUTTIXG ix THE LAWX FROM THE ROADWAY BELOW . . 159 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER XI . .161 THE RUSTIC TEA-HOUSE . . . 162 THE WILD GRAPE ix TAXGLED MASSES . .163 THE SMOOTH-LEAVED HONEYSUCKLE ... 163 THE KUDZC ix THE MIDDLE OF MAY .... 167 THE KUDZU ix SEPTEMBER ..... 167 THE HOUSE FROM THE LAKE ... 171 THE AKEBIA QUINATA IN DECEMBER . . . . .175 THE WOODBIXE .... 175 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XI .. .178 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER XII . . 179 PIXK LADY'S-SLIPPER . . 181 GlAXT SoLOMOx's SEAL . . 11 THE SPIKED LOOSESTRIFE ... 184 THE SPIKEXARD ie 7 lo / BERRIES BELOVED BY ALL THE BIRDS . 187 NEW EXGLAND ASTERS BY THE SHORE PATH 191 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XII 192 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER XIII . . 193 HE HEARS A SOUXD OF DANGER . L J S T OF I L L U S T R A T IONS PAGK INTENDING TO CARRY AWAY EVERY MIT OK FOOD i\ SKJHT . . 195 THE EXPANSIBLE POUCHES . 19!) HAVING HIS BREAKFAST . . 19!) PERFECTLY AT HOME . . 1!)!) TIRELESS AND SINGLE-MINDED .... . 199 HAVING HIS PICTURE TAKEN ... . . 203 BOB AT BREAKFAST ..... . 203 THE CHIPPY is COMING . . 20? THE SOUTH TEURACE WALL .... 207 THE GOLD-FISHES' HOME ... ... 21 1 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XIII . 21.'! HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER XIV . .214 THE ROBINS' NEST IN BITTKR-SWEET TANGLE . . -215 THE ROBINS' ARAUCARIA . . . 217 THE BIRD BATH 219 THE BIRD BATH IN EARLY SPRING . . 21!) WAITING FOR THE HUMMING BIRDS TO FLY ..... 222 THE THRUSHES NEST IN THE T.VXGLE ... . 224 MASTER WAXWING AND HIS NEST ...... 227 THE FLICKER . . 227 THE HOUSE FROM THE LAWN . . 231 THE DOWNY WOODPECKER'S WINTER NEST .... 235 SHOWING ITS DEPTH ... . ... 235 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XIV ....... 238 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER XV ....... 239 Ft LLY EQUIPPED FOR ANY TASK . . . . . .241 A VASE OF WILD CARROT . ..... 241 WINDOW Box FROM INSIDE . .... 245 WINDOW Box FILLED WITH SEED-PODS .... 245 GREAT FEATHERY HEADS OF GOLDEN-ROD .... 247 THE VARIETY OF TREE FORMS . . . 249 THE HALLIANA HONEYSUCKLE IN DECEMBKR .... 249 THE INDIAN CURRANT . ~ . 251 THE FERN-BOX FILLED WITH SEED PODS . 253 L I S T OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE A MOKMM; i.\ JAXTARY ........ 253 TAII.IMK< i; TO CIIAITER XV . . . . . . . 255 HEADPIECE TO CHAPTER XVI ....... 256 THE G ATK-POST ....... 257 Tin: (lUEEXnorsE . ....... 259 THK LKAF CAHT .... ... 259 BI;I\(;I.\G i.\ HHAXCUKS ........ 263 THE MAXCHI-HIAX CHERRY ....... 263 AT DISK . 2(i7 TAILPIECE TO CHAPTER XVI .... . 270 xvi OUR COUNTRY HOME CHAPTER I. HOW IT HAPPENED. THERE were once two people who supposed that they had lived a happy life. To be sure, the Man Had Always Wanted a Farm, and the Woman Had Never Wanted a Country House; but they had jogged along in comfortable and contented fashion for years and years until that fateful moment when they walked one day in a forest. They had walked in many forests in many lands : they had looked down the endless avenues of the Bois and Foiitainebleau ; they had seen the sunset through the pines of Ravenna, and rejoiced in the villas of Frascati; they knew the stiff OUR CO U N T R Y HOME Florentine cypresses, and the latomise of Syracuse; they had wan- dered in the thickly covered hills of the Danube valley, and admired the great timber of the Vosges and the Pyrenees; even the jungles of Ceylon and the cryptomerias of Nikko were not unknown to them. But this was different. This was a real American forest, one might almost say a New England forest, with huge towering oaks and wide-girthed maples, tall butternuts and walnuts and hick- ories, leaning lindens and an occasional elm, even the slippery elm, whose pungent odor brought many a thought of childhood's curious tastes. The hawthorn and the ironwood, the white ash, with here and there a birch, the bitternut and wild cherry, the delicate swaying shad-bush, the prickly thorn-apple tree and the hazel brush, the wild gooseberry and puckery choke-cherry, a lovely tangle, led them on; while in the open spaces the black- eyed Susans held merry converse with their swains, the Joe Pye weeds, and overhead birds were swinging and squirrels leaping from branch to branch. Beneath their feet the leaf-mould lay, inches deep on the warm moist earth; just beyond, brown shadows fell, where long ago a lofty tree had sunk its full length on the ground, until the seasons' constant change had made a springy, spongy mass where bright - hued mushrooms found a home and mossy tendrils fluttered low. While wandering there in sheer delight, feasting their senses on the wild, a sudden turn brought them face to face with a HOW IT HAPPENED weather-worn and dilapidated piece of board. What sent that electric thrill through the man to his mate ? What was it caused that look of understanding? Unconsciously their hands clasped. A LOVELY TANGLE simultaneously they breathed, " Could we ? " For the board bore the heaven-sent legend : "FOR SALE" All thoughts of crops and pastures fled from the man's mind. An inborn love for the things that grow overcame the woman's caution, any fancied increase in care or trouble faded before this marvellous possibility, and that moment was the beginning of their joyous experiment with the Wisconsin woodland. OUR C O U X T R Y HOME It seems an incredible thing now as I look back, to think I \\ ;i> once that narrow and ignorant and prejudiced Person Who Did Not Want a Country House. Perhaps during all those obstinate years, my lucky star kept me from falling into suburban temptations and free from farming entanglements. I know one thought was always uppermost in our minds, even before the If was exchanged for the When, in discussing this great and to us momentous undertaking. The woods, the Virgin Forest, must never be dis- turbed, not one brown leaf should be taken from its rich covering, not one weak seedling should be denied its growth, but just as we found it, in all its natural beauty, so it should remain. It almost seemed as if this particular bit of wild land in the midst of farms and clearings, on the shores of a beautiful lake, had been especially preserved during all those fallow years for our gratification, at least what harm if we thought so ? No sheep or cattle had ever browsed there, the bent-down young sapling of the Indian trail was still visible, the concave boulder where the women once ground their corn lay only half buried in the ground. In mossy hollows stood stiffly the moccasin flower, and the curi- ous squaw-root grew close to the Indian pipe. Last to blossom of all the flowers, we found the strange wych- hazel. It met us just within the gate, it followed with its wands of gold our wanderings in burry glens, it led us to the water's edge. The old myth came into my mind: " Wherever points the hazel- rod, there dig, for water ye shall find. " We did not have to even IT LED US TO THE AVATEK S EDGE A LONG LAKE WITH DEEPLY DENTED SHORES HOW IT HAPPENED dig, for water indeed was here, in alluring expanse spread out before us. What was there about that particular little lake which so captivated us ? Why was it that after looking at and admiring the innumerable small lakes with which our woodland State is dotted, we always returned to this one with a sigh of content ? It was a friendly bit of water, with friendly fish in its cool depths only waiting to be caught, black bass and perch and pickerel; a lake just big enough to temper the hot prairie winds of mid- summer and to reflect its thunder-caps and brilliant sunsets, a long lake with deeply dented shores that sloped into its shining waters so that every pretty point had the coolest breezes and the most extended view ! But where was its peculiar charm ? To be sure it had the feminine quality of changefulness : it was never twice alike. Did our imagination, even then, leap to its cool touch on August mornings and show us its mirror-like reflections on still September dawns? Did its refreshing breezes tell us of the won- drous moonlit nights before us ? those nights, yes, they must have held the secret, the last exquisite touch. Surely nowhere else did the shimmering water dance under the golden rays in so glad- some ;i fashion. Floating over its glassy surface, down those paths of light, suspended between earth and sky, a sweet voice making melody and all one's senses lulled to rest, could happiness go further ? Let us make haste, then, to build us this home in the woodland, a small and simple abode where the birds may nest close to our R ( O U N T R V H O M E \vimlo\vs. We will have grass-grown roads leading to it, and wind- ing paths: hut all about us, it shall remain a wilderness. If the great folds of the wild grape fall to the ground, another wild grape shall begin to twine with clinging tendrils over the low bushes, up tin- Npre.iding branches, until it can wave its arras in triumph from the top of the tallest tree. If one of the great oaks die, an acorn shall drop in the ground at its feet; and if we should not sit in its shade, it will be for some one a happv retreat. So can we build for the future and think of the pleasures which others may know; perhaps some reflection may fall upon us and add to our joy in the work which we do. This shall be our home and our refuge and a refuge for our friends. Can life ever grow monotonous, or the days bore us, with such wonders unfolding before our newly opened eyes ? To have a new sensation of genuine pleasure when one has passed the for- tieth milestone is something not to be despised, and here was a whole world of new sensations, a daily new discovery to feast upon. To take possession of the sunrises and the starlit nights, to feel the earth full of promise beneath one, to say to each winged creature and trembling being, "You are my brother and my sister, let us enjoy all this together! " - what a heavenly outlook! Said a new neighbor to us one day, "I do not want to complete my place this summer, I want something left to keep my husband interested another year." " You need not imagine, my dear inexperienced friend, that you KIX)ATING OVKH ITS (iI.AS.SV SI HI ACK A 1 HIl.XDl.Y BIT OF WATER HOW IT II A P P E N E D can ever really finish a country place," replied the Constant Im- prover, for so was re-christened The Man Who Had Always Wanted a Farm. "That is one of its greatest charms. There is always something new to make, to build, to do." And the Constant Improver unconsciously tossed hack his head and his eyes flashed at the joyous prospect. Is it possible to live among the wonders of this wilderness and not desire to know something about them ? Think of the enormous variety of leaf-shapes to learn, the changing seasons' flowers to name, the fruits and berries to classify, the Avild life from humming- bird to crow, from the muskrat on the shore to the squirrel in the wood. Think of the mushrooms, with their uselessly complicated nomenclature, and the butterflies, the stinging family, the beetles and the ants, the caterpillars and grubs innumerable. Has not many an eminent man spent a lifetime on the study of a single part of this natural world ? Here was the opportunity, a wide field spread before us. That first September, when the wild grape draped the wood with its huge brown winding cables, its tangle of twisted tendrils, and its clusters of puckery fruit, we wandered often in the forest, searching each ferny glen and wondering at the succession of pic- tures that at every turn met our ignorant eyes. How interesting it would be to find out what Indians had lived in this region, what they called it, and, if possible, use that name for our home! We found out easily enough that it was the Pottawattomies who, not 11 OUR CO U X T R Y HOME longer than fiftv years before, had moved northward and settled in a reservation near the Red River. So the word must be in the Pot- ta wattomie dialect. Now what did they call this settlement ? That too was soon discovered. Any one of the old inhabitants could tell us that. It was called '' Donklauk," which, although not the real name, is near enough for all euphonic purposes, and we feared it would not do. Then we said, we will perpetuate the memory of our lovely walks in the woods and will call it " The Home of the Wild Grape " in Potta wattomie. When we proposed to send to Washington to the Smithsonian Institution, for this Indian translation, it was suggested that we had better enclose a list of names to choose from. Evidently this person had had some experience in translations, so we added, "The Restful Place," "The Home in the Woods," " Where Peace Reigns," and the like. It was in eager haste that we opened the official-looking docu- ment when it came some months later, and read the curious list from the Miami, Potta wattomie, and Ojibway dialects: Kapawick . . . Shrubbery. Wapinipi . . . White water. Chilakange . . In the thicket. Tawanong . . . Tree place. Shipakwong . . Leafy place. Winakwong . . Forest. Endaian . . . My home. Nuashmanek . . Resting place. 1-2 ft ITS MIRROR-LIKE REFLECTIONS THE WILD GRAPE DRAPED THE WOOD HOW IT HAPPENED Nuashmanek! how pretty it looked, but how baldly sanitary it sounded to our too civilized senses! No, the old Indian tribes should be remembered in our hearts but not on our writing paper; the wild grape with its honey-sweet blossoms, '' the subtlest, most evanescent of all sweet odors," should twine about our woods and our arbors ; but for our name we must go farther afield. Leaving this subject to some future inspiration, we continued our gladsome planning. We will not only preserve what is now here, we said to each other, but we will bring here every wild flower that will grow; in the open spaces beside the water where the birds love to congregate, we will make a berry garden for their use alone, so that from May on through the whole long summer, and until Christmas-tide, a feast may be spread for them. We will tempt the shy creatures of the wood to our doors. No enemy shall be here to frighten them, but always food and drink and a hearty welcome. This shall be our Happiness and our Life Play. CHAPTER II. WHAT WE DID FIRST. IT was August when first we wandered in our garden of delight. By November we had become the proud possessors of seventy- two acres of rolling woodland which, from the high road some one hundred and seventy feet above the level of the lake, sloped down in all sorts of unexpected hills and hollows to the shore, three-quarters of a mile away. Here a narrow strip of land covered with old trees jutted into the water, partially enclosing a shallow bay. The former owner, about twenty-five years before, had conceived the idea of filling in this bay, and so had dumped huge stumps there, with two- inch planks set on edge to keep the rich soil from breaking into the water. The Man of Many Maps said, '" Here is where our work begins, " and unveiled to us the possibilities of pebbly beach and wild-rose bordered shore, where now the iris blossoms and pink lythrums are reflected in the clear cold water. To a beginner in country life it seemed a formidable undertaking to evolve from a perfectly wild piece of woodland a house and a garden; so in order that no time should be wasted, fre consulted at once The Man of Many Maps, who first divided the land into 16 W HAT WE DID FIRST two parts: the woods, which were to be left untouched, except for a roadway opening through them; and the part bordering on the lake, which was to be made habitable. Of this second part, about eight hundred and forty feet square, a detailed chart was made showing all contours and indicating all trees over six inches in diam- eter. After discussion among the Inevitable Trio, the Land- scape Gardener, the Architect, and the Owner, there was sub- mitted for our approval a plan of work carrying out the idea of a wild-woods home, installing a water and drainage system, opening vistas and spaces necessary for light and air, locating paths and roads, kitchen gardens and flower gardens, and the lawn, besides providing building sites for cottage, stable, and woodshed, and the ultimate home. Here was a plan to work with, and we could do as much or as little as we pleased, taking two years or ten, provided that all we did should be a part of a general scheme; then nothing would have to be done over. I think that is why people exclaimed at the apparent oldness of the place after we had lived there only four years; to be sure, the soil was exceedingly rich, we had plenty of water, and we planted only hardy things. It was a dull dark day in September when we chose the site for the big house, the centre upon which all the planting must depend. A strong string was drawn from tree to tree the whole length of the proposed front terrace; on this were pinned newspapers, and we wandered off in different directions to note the effect. The Constant 17 OUR COUNTRY HOME Improver went out in a rowboat to get the proper point of vantage, and we exerted our several imaginations to the utmost, seeking to conceive the floor of the house at the top of that flopping line. After one or two minor changes it was decided that the house must face a little west of south, to take advantage of the prevailing wind in summer. Although it was to be placed fully three hundred feet back from the lake, we were told that the line of the shore must be parallel with the line of the house, a precaution which seemed both conventional and unnecessary to my ignorant ears. "But we do not mean to have stiff formal gardening, little box trees and hedging," I objected. " We want to look like a house dropped down in the woods, rather by chance." "Yes, but although you might not know why, that line would offend your eye and that of every one who looked upon the place, " said the Man of Many Maps. And he was right, as our later exper- ience proved. Even before the last papers were signed, in our eagerness to begin we had brought over a traction engine and a pump, and with many men and many barrows constructed a dam from the big Wis- consin willow to the point of the Island, and emptied the shallow bay of water. This was done for two reasons, to deepen the chan- nel, and to obtain the rich mud for filling. Before frost we had covered the whole space between the big house site and the lake, some two acres in extent, with a coating of lake mud twelve inches deep. We did not mean to build that big house, oh, not for many, 18 LOOKING OVER THE LAND THE MAX OF MAXY MAPS EXPLAIXS WHAT WE DID FIRST many years ! The Constant Improver had always imagined a home on an eminence overlooking wide expanses, but here even the emi- nence had to be made: so where ultimately this big house was to stand, a hole one hundred and twenty feet long by twenty-five wide and seven feet deep was emptied of its contents, and lo! the founda- tion of the house was ready. A wagon load of dirt dropped upon an acre of land looks like a teaspoonful, and it took fully fifty thousand loads of various kinds of soil to do the grading necessary to bring the terrace of the house fifteen feet above the level of the lake, Fortunately, with this lofty height the Constant Improver professed himself entirely satisfied. Always, when much grading is to be done the trees must be sacrificed. A rag of cheese-cloth was tied around each one marked for destruction, and we debated its fate, tree by tree. It was like cutting off the little dog's tail an inch at a time so as not to hurt him. Of course we could have ordered everything done without personal supervision. Probably The Man of Many Maps would have pre- ferred this way. Perhaps he hoped we might ultimately grow callous, broad-minded, he called it, or perhaps become reason- able and able to understand the whys and wherefores, to foresee the result, the completion of the whole; but I confess it seemed brutal to cut those trees down. " Cannot this one be spared ? " I pleaded. " Look at it, think of the years that it has taken to make so splendid a tower; think of the years it will take to replace it. " 21 OUR CO U N T R Y HOME But The Man of Many Maps would smile mysteriously, half- pityingly, and say, " You miss the point of view. " He was not punning either; far from indulging in such frivolities, he left all that to the Friendly Architect ! " Thus it must be, " he would calmly continue, '* and you will be satisfied with the result. You will have plenty of trees left. Look at your wonderful woods. " In spite of my agreeing perfectly with his dictum, in spite of all that my reasoning powers could tell me, in spite of seeing those trees go down, one by one, I can never to this day reconcile myself to it, or hear that dreadful final crash without a little contraction in my throat and a shiver, as if the tree were almost a sentient being, and I had taken a life. After over four hundred trees, large and small, had been felled, I supposed the land was ready to plant ; but no although the trees had been brought down in most modern and approved fashion by cutting around them and uprooting them, stumps and all, the horses pulling them over by chains, from the lawn alone, an acre in extent, sixteen wagon loads of roots varying from one to six inches in diameter were carried away before the land could be ploughed, graded, harrowed, and sowed. In order to preserve the natural beauty of the shore, no pump- house, or boathouse, or even coal-shed was allowed there. To be sure, we must have a pier. No artistic and practical model pre- senting itself, we must fain keep to the time-honored posts, sunk in 22 W H A T W E DID F I R S T cribs of stones which could be taken up in winter. This was care- fully hidden from the house by a grove of native willows. Perhaps the most important part of all work done on a country place lies under the ground, and of this underground work the water sy>lem stands first. We were fortunate in having the lake to draw THE LITTLE MUSHROOM-LIKK PfMP HOUSE from. Close to the pier an intake pipe four inches in diameter went back three hundred and fifty feet to the little mushroom-like pump- house at the edge of the service yard. Its apex was only six feet above the level of the ground. Over its brown shingled roof, the outside tank holding fifty-two gallons of gasoline, and its cement steps leading down to the engine-room, were trained wild honey- 23 O u R COUNTRY HOME suckles and blackberry vines, and all about were planted dogwoods and wild gooseberries under the small maples and oaks already standing. The floor, six feet below the level of the ground, was made of cement, the sides of brick. Here was installed at once perhaps the most important member of our family, the eight-horsepower gasoline engine, which for ease in running, durability, and reliability cannot be praised too highly. The exhaust was carried thirty feet beyond the house so that all odors are rendered inoffensive. Hidden in the woods, high up on the hill, one hundred and fourteen feet above the level of the lake and seventeen hundred feet away, a great oval basin fourteen feet deep, and holding thirty-three thousand gallons, was excavated. Lined with brick and plastered with cement, surrounded with a boulder wall four feet high, the reservoir was really a beautiful spot. The trees were reflected in its clear surface, the flying clouds looked up from its depths, shad- ows danced on its cool gray sides; but we soon found it best to give up our hill-top lakelet, and we had to cover it. It was charming to see the autumn leaves dancing on its surface; but what about the action on water of decayed vegetable matter? An adventurous young chipmunk has been known to investigate too closely the slip- pery cement sides, with disastrous consequences, not merely to him- self; we therefore boarded over the top and piled plenty of hay on that as a temporary expedient. I can well see that the next important improvement on the place will be a fine solid cement basin roofed in clean and tight. 24 THE TREES GO DOWN OXK liY OXE THE DHAIXS CONCEALED BY BOULDERS WHAT WE DID FIRST The engine, run usually only one day in the week, fills this reser- voir in nine and a half hours. The main waterpipes have a diameter of four inches and are laid four feet deep to be beyond the reach of frost ; the pressure is great enougli to throw several streams of water entirely over the house from a two-inch fire hose. It was a simple thing to put reducers on the house plumbing, and a great comfort always to have plenty of water to use as we liked. I heard a woman say once that her ideal of country life was to combine the informality and simplicity of tent life with plenty of bath-rooms ! Along the roadway, hidden behind boulders and shrubs, through the kitchen garden and flower garden, over the lawn and in the wood at irregular intervals, the water taps began to appear, standing twelve inches high with wheels turning easily to control the supply, ready to keep the whole place moist in time of drought. Fifteen sprinklers of the simplest construction, six and eight feet in height and throwing a spray thirty-five feet in diameter, could even be run all night if necessary, the faint throb, throb, of the engine carrying the basso for the crickets' and katydids' song. Meanwhile the little cottage in the woods was growing rapidly. We frankly admired its brown rough-hewn timbers, overhanging eaves, and hooded casements, its small, open porch, its covered entry, and big woodshed for the summer cooking. With neither shades nor blinds, the trees had to be our protectors from the sun; though flowered cretonne curtains could be drawn across when needed, making bright bits of color on the rough plaster walls. 27 O U R COUNTRY H O M E What a happy summer we spent in the tiny cottage ! To awaken each morning with that indistinct realization of some pleasant hap- pening, and to feel sure that more pleasant and unthought-of experi- ences were before one, preparing the way for that dreamless slumber at night into which the out-of-door worker so deliciously sinks. THK LITTLE COTTAGE Curiously marked maps began to appear, with numbers dotted all over them. Long lists of plants and shrubs all carefully dis- guised, even the most familiar, under their interminable Latin names, accompanied them. Our evening's occupation, and often that of our daylight hours too, lay in deciphering these oddly-shaped contours and repeating the names of the shrubs which were to go in 28 THi: ' NATURAL ROADS AFTKK THK SPRING RAI.VS THE " UNNATURAL" ROADS WHAT WE DID FIRST them, for these maps showed us exactly where to put eacli plant as it arrived, and how to place it, and how many were to be put in each bed. It was exhaustive, I do not add exhausting, although I might. Nor were we blind followers of any man. That would be impossible for the Constant Improver. We always wanted to know the reason why. Occasionally we dared to change the great man's dictum, sometimes to our regret, but at others to our mutual satisfaction. The amount of time we spent out of doors that first summer was incredible. Although it rained constantly, we prepared ourselves with suitable attire and watched the changes from day to day. Nothing could have given our shrubs a better start than those six months of moisture; so what though the roadways did suffer and our grassy dreams became muddy realities ? " To change one's mind is a sign of progress, " said the Constant Improver, and dili- gently hunted for gravel. Fortunately we discovered on the place two large pits from which we drew at least two thousand loads of gravel and an equal amount of clay, carefully distributing both along the three-quarters of a mile of roadway extending from the gate on the high road to the house. No sooner did we get any part nicely rolled, than down would come the rain again and undo all our labor. Where that gravel went to was a mystery! It simply disappeared. Our own supply gave out and still the roadway cried for more ! I would not dare to tell how many wagon-loads went to make that apparently 31 OUR COUNTRY HOME wild and thoughtless road, where the rough grasses creep close and the brown leaves dance at will. In order to preserve its natural and woodsy character and yet keep it smooth and hard in all kinds of weather, a system of tiles and catch basins was installed, the iron gratings of which were carefully concealed under big boulders. Over these the wild grasses and the moss soon gathered, and the squirrels adopted them at once as dining tables and points of vantage. Blue violets and buttercups, the vetch and showy orchid, the wild mint and pyrola, the Solomon's seal and lady's slipper, baneberries both red and white, sunflowers and asters and flowering spurge, the wild gooseberry and bramble and hazel bush, and the dainty maiden- hair fern, the evening primrose and the bitter-sweet, with countless other favorites, were planted all along the roadway, on height, or in hollow, in riotous confusion; and at intervals, winding paths, dark and shadowy, led off into the unknown beauties of the forest beyond. CHAPTER III. FROM NOVEMBER TO MAY. AFTER one summer in the little cottage, the abounding desire for hospitality in the heart of the Constant Improver over- came all obstacles, and it was decided to build the big house. This was really a lark from beginning to end. Our materials, so far as possible, were bought in the neighboring village where lived our contractor, a fine cannv Scotchman, and most of the workmen. Standing apart from the main house, but joined to it by a one- story passage-way, was the kitchen-house. This we built first: a little economical square box of a place, with every convenience' excellent ventilation, and not an inch of waste room. It was begun the first dav of September and we moved into it the third of Novem- ber. The laundry was our library. We gravely covered the stationary tubs with a piece of tapestry, set the four small chaits around the tiny air-tight stove, hung a picture or two. moved in a small bookcase, a rug, and a table for writing, put up the little cretonne curtains we had used in the cottage, and were very much at home again. In the maids' tiny dining-room we had our meals, with the huge doors of the two ice-rooms o|>ening hospitably close 33 o r H ( o r x T R v n o M E to us. Of course the kitchen was put in order for the big house. We \vere very proud of that kitchen; indeed, \ve are still. The wall> are pure white, with short bright blue-and-white cretonne curtains over the five high windows. The plain low plaster hood over the range is fitted with an extra flue in the chimney, which carrie> away the fumes from the cooking and leaves the kitchen surprisingly cool in summer. A temporary partition was built across the end where the passage-way would ultimately lead to the big house. In absorbed delight we watched the house itself progress from joists and uprights, hidden brick courses, wire lathing, and the plas- ter coats, up to the shingled roof. It is vastly interesting to watch a wooden house grow, the placing of each timber brings out so sharplv the completed outline. We were never tired of contemplating it from every point of the compass, and it was with a distinct thrill, that after climbing a ladder and stepping gingerly over joists. I raised my eyes for the first time to look out of what was to be a window in my own room! One morning we found a discouraged painter trying to fill the big cracks in the great rough-hewn Mississippi pine timbers with putt ;i. When we told him that we liked cracks, he was speechless. The Constant Improver wanted to use the old Southern '' shakes." for the roof. '' They do curl up and look so picturesque," he said. " Hut how about keeping the water out ? " I ventured to inquire. 34 THE FIRST UPHIU11T.S PUTTING OX THE PEBBLE-DASH X O V E M B E R T O M A Y Even the Friendly Architect reluctantly had to admit, ''Yes, thev will leak, it is impossible to prevent that." We therefore com- promised, securing the same effect by raising the edge of every fifth row of shingles with a lath, thus giving a slight shadow every three feet. In keen interest he judged the si/e of the pebbles for the pebble-dash which was to be used for the first story and showed how he wanted the composition thrown upon the wall. It took an expert to do this evenly and smoothly, as the mixture hardened at once and could not be touched again. We wanted to stay all winter, but other duties demanded our attention in the city. It was only now and then we could steal away for a day or a week to note the progress of the work. How exhilara- ting was the ride from the station, tucked into the big high sleigh, with fur rugs piled about us and the icy road straight before us, over the lake to our own doors! How picturesque were the men in their winter costumes! the high boots, and fur caps, and the trim heavy jackets. Out on the lake the clear ice called for the skater's touch, and ice-boats skimmed gayly by, while dotted over the surface were small houses where fishermen sat beside tiny stoves, watching the line sunk through the ice at their feet. One blustering day in late December, when some particularly knotty problem had exhausted the vocabulary of Architect and Foreman alike, the latter asked in sheer desperation: '" Mr. Architect, did you ever build a house like this before .' " U R C U X T R Y II O M E " No. " " Did you ever ec a house built like this before?" '' Perhaps not. " " What are you trying to do. anyway?" This with still more wrinkled brow. "I am trying," said the Architect, slowly and impressively. '' to make a new house look like an old one. " Our good Foreman collapsed. All the rooms downstairs had heavy beam ceilings and big fire- places for four-foot logs. The plaster was finished rough all over the house, and everywhere the casement windows opened wide. The long, low book-cases and seats having been built in the living- room, we needed only a writing table, a soft cushioned divan before the fire, a few chairs, a chest for the wood, a mossy rug and green linen curtains. We showed our conscientious painter an old piece of faded green velvet which, a hundred years ago. had hung before a shrine of the Virgin. Could he calsomiue the wall that exact shade ? After many struggles he succeeded, and here we hung our favorite Madonna and the singing children of della Uobbia. an Arundel print or two. and some illuminated leaves from old Italian choir books, and, behold, the room was finished. Two hot-air furnaces were put in the house and double windows placed on the most exposed corners. With the thermometer at seventeen degrees below zero the place was perfectly comfortable. On cold winter evenings great logs snapped in the fireplaces, and 38 TIIK I.ON(, (JAI.LKKV NOVEMBER TO M A Y the flames leaped in the dusk. What fun to gather around the cooling ashes and toast marshmallows, or roast chestnuts, or pop corn! Although the house was wired for electricity we thought we would try candles that first year. We liked them so well that we have never changed. I don't know that I advise it as a mat- ter of economy: but in every other respect this method of lighting is perfect. From the living-room, near the low broad shelves where lav the magazines and papers, mostly garden ones, I am afraid, three steps lead up into the hall, where in one corner a writing table is installed, hidden by a Japanese dull-gold screen which makes a wonderful background for crab-apple branches, trailing nasturtium vines, or brilliant maple leaves. Opposite it a small reolian organ with its stand of music rolls becomes a solace for many a (juiet hour. The stairs wind up in easy stages around the walls of an adorable little tower on the north, while from a s